::Easy, No-Bake Cheesecake::

Okay, I haven't posted in forever! This is the time of year our family has always started thinking of treats and yummy stuff to make for the upcoming holidays. We almost always start baking the day after Thanksgiving for treat trays to give to friends. So, I'll post a few of our tried and true recipes from years past as well as a few new ones.

This cheesecake is one I came up with while looking for treats to make for my friend's daughter's blessing. It was spring, so something light and refreshing really seemed to be what I was looking for.

No-Bake Cheesecake

Ingredients:

1/2 cup sugar

8 oz cream cheese

8 oz whipped topping (Cool Whip)

1 tsp vanilla

graham cracker crust

topping of choice

Directions:

1. Blend cream cheese. You want it softened, but not really at room temperature. Beating it in a bowl for a while after removing it from the fridge makes it perfect.

2. Add in whipped topping, sugar, and vanilla. Mix until well blended. You'll be able to see a slight difference in color from the whipped topping to the cream cheese, so it'll be pretty easy to tell if you haven't whipped enough.

3. Spoon into crust and chill for at least two hours.

4. Top with whichever topping you choose and serve.

My Variations:

::To make these easier to handle on a buffet table, I used Nilla wafter cookies instead of a graham cracker crust. I put one wafer (flat side down) on a sheet pan and used a 1 Tbsp cookie scoop to put the cheesecake mixture on each wafer. Then, I topped with strawberry topping.

::You can also use a different extract other than vanilla. I suggest lemon.

::If you like a chocolate cheesecake, you can use a chocolate cookie crust or sprinkle in mini chocolate chips into the batter.

Please let me know of any variations you come up with! This is the best recipe when you want a quick cheesecake fix or are in need of something quick, especially if you need to make a lot! I doubled the recipe and still had left overs after filling 4 sheet pans and going through 2 boxes of Nilla wafers.

Hello

Okay, I've been slacking a big...again. Again, I have so much homework, I'm failing to keep up on much else. Sometimes, I get bored of visiting the same places and I'm always looking for new places to take McKayla and give her new experiences. I've come across a great website, that tells you about a lot of things going on here in Utah. I apologize to those of you that are not here...maybe your state has a similar website. Sorry, it's short...but this is our go-to place to find something new.

::Italian Pasta & Beef Bake::

Ingredients:

1 ½ cups uncooked penne pasta (6 oz) – Any shape is fine

½ lb lean (at least 80%) ground beef

1 can (15 oz) Italian-style tomato sauce

1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes with basil, garlic and oregano, undrained

1 jar (4.5 oz) sliced mushrooms, drained

½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese (2 oz)

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350ºF. Spray 8-inch square (2-quart) glass baking dish with cooking spray. Cook and drain pasta as directed on package.

2. Meanwhile, in 12-inch nonstick skillet, cook beef over medium-high heat 5 to 7 minutes, stirring frequently, until thoroughly cooked; drain. Stir in tomato sauce, tomatoes and mushrooms. Heat to boiling. Remove from heat; pour into baking dish.

3. Add cooked pasta; stir gently to mix. Spray sheet of foil with cooking spray; place sprayed side down on baking dish, and seal tightly.

4. Bake 15 minutes. Uncover; sprinkle with cheese. Bake uncovered 5 to 10 minutes longer or until casserole is bubbly and cheese is melted.

I serve this with a side salad (usually Caesar) and some garlic bread. It makes a pretty rounded meal. Just another way to satisfy the spaghetti craving without the rut of plain old spaghetti each time. On occasion, I use bulk sausage instead of hamburger. It kind of depends on what’s on sale.

=Water Colors=

McKayla loves to paint...with any type of paint. The downfall, is that she can use up an entire strip of watercolors in less than a week. This can get pretty costly. I buy a few during "back to school" season, and put a few in her craft bin. We also save a few to give as gifts with some paper and brushes to friends. Since it's starting to get a little cooler and outside time is getting limited, I started coming up with ways for her to play indoors and not drive me crazy. This is quick, easy, and cost effective enough for her to use for hours.

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp whiet vinegar

1 Tbsp baking soda

4 Tbsp corn starch

1 Tbsp corn syrup

Food Coloring

Directions:

Mix together the vinegar and baking soda. When it stops foaming, add enough food coloring to make it as dark as you want. Add the corn starch and corn syrup and mix well. Store in small containers.

::Chocolate Chip Cookies::

I'm pretty sure I've tried just about every chocolate chip cookie recipe I've ever come across and none of them have ever really worked for me! I don't know what it is. I can bake almost anything else with minimal failure. However, chocolate chip cookies (which should be the simplest things) seem to elude me. Until...I came across this AMAZING recipe. The cookies come out incredibly soft and have a lot of give. Pretty much, it takes a lot of effort (even for me) to screw these up!

Ingredients:
4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking soda
2 cups butter, softened
1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
2 (3.4 oz) pkgs instant pudding mix*
4 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
4 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips*
2 cups chopped walnuts (optional)*

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Sift together flour and baking soda, set aside.
2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar, and sugar. Beat in the instant pudding mix until well blended. Stir in eggs & vanilla. Blend in flour mixture. Finally, stir in chocolate chips and nuts. Drop by rounded spoonfuls* onto ungreased cookie sheets.
3. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Edges should be golden brown.

Using the 1 Tbsp cookie scoop this yeilds about 10 dozen cookies! Great for parties or cookie exchanges.

*My Hints*
*You can use any flavor of pudding mix for the recipe. Try changing it up, but I almost always use sugar-free vanilla. Some have suggested chocolate, which sounds fine to me!
*Not many people I know like the taste of semi-sweet chocolate chips. I like them fine in this recipe, however, to switch up the pace a little, I will sometimes substitute with M&Ms.
*Also, I think 4 cups is a little excessive. I add my desired chocolate pieces in 1/2 cup increments to the batter until it looks right to me. Usually about 3 cups for M&Ms and maybe 3 1/2 if I use chocolate chips.
*I am not a fan of nuts in cookies, I know it says "optional" but, ick.
*I almost always use a 1 Tbsp cookie scoop to make these cookies. You can use larger if you'd like or even a teaspoon, I'm not so great at that.

Oops

Yet again, I have fallen off the blogging train... I'm SO sorry! This is horrid of me. In all defense, the only time this happens is when I have an over-load of school work (just a hint to any of my professors!). I P.R.O.M.I.S.E. to post at least a few recipes tonight. I'm also taking this time to apologize that I rarely post pictures of the items. Really, I just forget to take pictures while I'm actually making a recipe. Oops. I'll try to do better, however, it does leave a certain sense of mystery as to what the finished product should look like. Ha, those cook book photos always disappoint when my item doesn't come out as stunning. HA!

PS...Welcome to any new readers that may come my way from Jessica's super adorable blog!

::Overnight Taco Fiesta Chicken Lasagna::

Ingredients:
2 cans (14 1/2 oz each) diced tomatoes with green chiles, undrained
1/2 cup thick/chunky salsa
3 cups cubed cooked chicken
1 can (16 oz) refried beans
1/2 cup sour cream
12 uncooked lasagna noodles
3 cups shredded Colby-Monterey Jack cheese (12 oz)
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1/2 cup sliced ripe olives, if desired
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Directions:
1. Spray 15x12-inch sheet of foil and 13x9-inch (3 quart) glass baking dish with cooking spray. In large bowl, mix tomatoes, salsa and chicken. In medium bowl, mix refried beans and sour cream.
2. Spread about 1 1/4 cups chicken mixture in bottom of baking dish. Top with 4 uncooked noodles, breaking to fit if necessary. Spread with half of bean mixture and 1 1/2 cups chicken mixture. Sprinkle with 1 cup of the cheese, and half each of the onions and olives.
3. Repeat noodle, bean, chicken and cheese layers once. Top with remaining 4 noodles, chicken, onions, olives and cheese, and half each of the onions and olives. (Be sure top noodles are covered.) Cover with foil; refrigerate at least 8 hours or overnight.
4. Heat oven to 350ºF. Bake covered lasagna 50 minutes. Uncover baking dish; bake 18 to 22 minutes longer or until bubbly and hot. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. Sprinkle with cilantro. If desired, garnish each serving with sour cream, chopped tomato and shredded lettuce.

**If you don't have cans of tomatoes with green chiles, you can substitute a 4.5 oz can of chopped green chiles and plain canned diced tomatoes.