Cheesecake bars

Again, this comes from the sister cafe blog, and it is soooooooooooooo good! I took it to a stake RS potluck tonight and the plate was empty in the first 10 minutes. Chris was so disappointed when I came home with no leftovers because he wanted to try it, since this was the first time I have made this treat. So, I guess I will just have to make it again sometime. Bummer :) Try it and tell me what you think!

Base:
1/3 cup butter
1/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts or pecans

Filling:
1/4 cup sugar
8 oz. cream cheese, softened (Low-fat cream cheese is fine in my opinion. But if you don't usually like it, stick with the regular)
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 Tbsp milk
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 egg

Heat oven to 350. In a small bowl, cream butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Lightly spoon flour into measuring cup; level off. Combine flour and walnuts or pecans with creamed mixture. Reserve 1 cup for topping. Press remainder into bottom of ungreased 8" square pan. Bake for 9-11 minutes or until lightly browned.

In a small bowl, blend sugar and cream cheese until smooth (if using fat-free cream cheese, mixture will be kind of lumpy, but it will cook up just fine). Add milk, lemon juice, vanilla, and egg. Beat well. Spread over baked crust. Sprinkle with reserved crumb mixture. Bake at 350 for 23-27 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool. Cut into bars. Store in refrigerator. Makes 24 small bars.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

I have had a lot of chicken tortilla soup made by a lot of different people. And, because it is one of my favorite soups, I have liked them all. However, I have just made this recipe tonight for dinner, which I got off of the Sisters Cafe blog, and let me tell you, it is now my favorite! It was so easy to make as well and it was utterly delicious! Chris LOVED it and he is a tough critic when it comes to soup. And, bonus, it is quite healthy! Nevermind the huge dollop of sour cream I added, but besides that, it is really good for you. Okay, so now that it is fall, go ahead and make this.

Ingredients:
1 Tb olive oil
1 large onion chopped
1 can diced green chilies
1 lb chicken-cooked and shredded
¼ tsp cayenne pepper (opt. but I added it)
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 16 oz can diced tomatoes
1 can small white beans ( I used Great Northern Beans)
1 can chicken broth
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 lime squeezed over soup (I added juice from a whole lime and it was great)
salt and pepper to taste


In a large pot, heat oil and sauté onion and chilies. Saute until tender. Add the chicken (*I have been using the frozen chicken tenders from Costco--I just put them on a plate in the microwave frozen at 50 % power for 15 minutes--they are super tender and moist and shred up beautifully!)and spices. Add tomatoes, beans and fresh cilantro. Add the broth.

Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes or longer (I simmered mine for 20 minutes) to bring out flavors. Ladle into bowls & garnish.

Garnish:
10 yellow corn tortillas-sliced and baked*
1 large avocado
Sour cream

*Cut tortillas into thin strips using a pizza cutter. Spray with cooking oil ( like Pam), sprinkle with kosher salt and bake in 350 oven until lightly brown and crisp.

Add garnish of a handful of tortilla strips, avocado chunks and a dollop of sour cream to each bowl. SOOOO GOOD!!

Kelley's Toffee Bar Cookies

Oh, man! I was craving a dessert tonight, but didn't have a lot of baking stuff on hand, so I was thumbing through one of my new favorite cookbooks that I got for my birthday from my mother in law entitled, Paula Deens: The Deen Family Cookbook AND I came across these sinfully delicious beauties. My own mother used to make these when I was growing up and she had a different name for them, but no matter what you call them, they are sooooo yummy! They are sweet, they are salty, they are carmel-ly, chocolatey, and just down right addicting! If you have not made these, make them, but just be prepared to watch them disappear quickly! The best part is how easy they are to make and only use a handful of ingredients that I always have on hand.

Ingredients:
One (4 oz) sleeve saltine crackers (mine were whole wheat saltines and still tasted great)
8 Tbsp (1 stick) butter
1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar
One 12 oz package semi-sweet chocolate chips (I only had half a bag of semi and half a bag of milk chocolate so I combined the two and it was really good)

Makes 30 (2 inches each) squares

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a 15 by 10 inch jelly roll pan with foil. Spray the foil with nonstick cooking spray and line it with the crackers, using broken pieces to fill in the edges of pan.

In a small saucepan, melt butter and brown sugar over medium high heat. Bring the mixture to a simmer, not full boil, and cook for 3 minutes, stirring constantly with a whisk. Pour the mixture evenly over the crackers and bake until bubbling, about 5 minutes.

Remove the pan from oven, and immediately sprinkle the top with chocolate chips. Allow the chocolate to melt slightly, then spread it evenly with a spatula all the way to the edges of the pan. Let stand for 10-15 minutes to cool slightly, then cut or break into squares. Store in an airtight container at room temp if they don't all get eaten.

Chicken and Spinach Stuffed Shells

This is absolutely delicious! I loved this dish and so did my whole family. I made this in AZ for Christine's baby blessing dinner and it was a huge hit. Again, a bit time consuming, but so worth it. We had 10 adults eating this and there were still left overs, so it makes a lot! It can also be frozen though and reheated later.

Source: The sisters cafe blog

44 uncooked jumbo pasta shells (That’s about one and one-half 12-oz boxes)
2 c chopped cooked chicken
2 c fresh chopped spinach
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 (15oz) container ricotta cheese
2 (8oz) packages cream cheese, softened
1 (5oz) package shredded Parmesan cheese (about 1 2/3 c.)
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 Tb dried parsley flakes
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 c shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
1 (26oz) jar prepared spaghetti sauce (any variety)

Cook shells according to package directions (be sure to stir every once in awhile so they don't stick to the bottom of the pan and tear apart); drain and set aside.
Preheat oven to 350°. Lightly grease 2 13x9x2inch baking dishes.
In a large bowl, combine chicken and all the rest of the ingredients except mozzarella and spaghetti sauce. Stir in 1 cup mozzarella. Spoon into shells. Spread half of spaghetti sauce into prepared baking dishes. Arrange shells over sauce; top with remaining sauce. Cover tightly with heavy-duty aluminum foil. Bake, covered, for 40 minutes. Uncover, sprinkle with remaining 1 cup mozzarella. Bake for 5 to 10 more minutes.
Makes 8-10 servings.

Double Chocolate Torte

I have had this bookmarked for months now and I thought General Conference Weekend was the perfect time to try it! So, today, I made this torte. I have to say that I loved it! Chris LOVED it! We had the Wagner's over to eat it with us and Zac gave it a 9 out of 10! This is really good. It is a bit time consuming though and it is very temperamental, but in the end, it was worth it.

Source: adapted from: My Kitchen Cafe

*Serves 8-10

Cake:
8 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped (I used half bittersweet, half semisweet ghiradelli chips)it comes out to about 1 1/3 cups
1 cup butter
1 cup sugar
5 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup all purpose flour

Mousse:
1/2 cup butter, cut into pieces
4 large eggs, separated at room temperature
1 cup whipping cream
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
8 ounces bittersweet (not unsweetened) or semisweet chocolate, chopped finely (it is important the chocolate for this mousse layer is chopped finely or it won’t melt completely when added to the warm egg yolks)
1/2 cup sugar

Topping:
3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
2 cups fresh raspberries (I used strawberries)

For cake:
Preheat oven to 325°F. Butter 10-inch-diameter springform pan; dust with sugar. Melt chocolate and butter in heavy large saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly. Cool to lukewarm. Whisk in sugar. Whisk in eggs one at a time, blending well after each addition. Mix in vanilla and salt, then flour. Pour batter into the springform pan. Bake until cake just rises in center (tester inserted into center will not come out clean), 30-35 minutes. Cool completely in pan on rack (the center of the cake may fall slightly). Cover and chill while making mousse.

For mousse:
Melt butter in medium metal bowl set over saucepan of simmering water (do not allow bottom of bowl to touch water). Whisk yolks, 1/4 cup cream and vanilla in small bowl to blend. Gradually whisk yolk mixture into bowl with melted butter. Whisk constantly over simmering water until thermometer registers 150°F, about 6 minutes (mixture may appear broken – mine did not but it was very thick like custard or pudding). Remove from over water; add chocolate and stir to melt. Set aside. Beat egg whites and 1/2 cup sugar and a pinch of cornstarch in large bowl to medium-stiff peaks. Whisk 1/4 of beaten egg white mixture into warm chocolate mixture to lighten. Fold in remaining egg white mixture. Pour mousse over the cooled cake in pan; smooth top. Chill torte until mousse is set, at least 6 hours and up to 1 day.

Run sharp knife around edge of pan to loosen torte. Release pan sides. Transfer torte to platter. Using electric mixer, beat 3/4 cup cream and powdered sugar in medium bowl until peaks form. Spread whipped cream over torte. Top whipped cream with raspberries or strawberries.

Note: I used a 9-inch springform pan, and it worked just as well :)

Roasted Garlic and Cauliflower Pasta

Since I made the decision three weeks ago to eat healthier and exercise on a regular day basis, I have been trying out a bunch of different recipes, with the large majority being vegetarian dishes. No, I am not converting, I just wanted to eat less meat. Well, telling Chris this, made him a little nervous, for he does not exactly share my new found love of vegetarian meals. So, tonight when I told him I was making this pasta dish, he said, "Oh great, another meatless dish." Well, after eating this pasta dish, he looked at me and said, "Okay, this is blog worthy." Seriously? I said. This means he LOVED it! And, he sure did. Now, he ate like 5 platefuls of this stuff so I know he really liked it! Anyways, this dish is really good. Really, I loved it! It has such nice flavors running all the way through it. The toasted walnuts and fresh grated parmesan really make this dish shine. So try it sometime when you are in the mood for a meatless dish.

Source:
My Kitchen Cafe blog

Ingredients:
2 heads garlic, papery skins removed, top quarter of heads cut off (on the pointy side of garlic) and discarded
6 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 head cauliflower (about 1 1/2 pounds)
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. sugar
1 pound short pasta ( I used Ronzoni smart taste brand: Rotini)
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
2 Tbsp. juice from 1 lemon
1 heaping Tbsp. fresh parsley leaves, chopped
2 ounces parmesan cheese, freshly grated (about 1 cup)
1/4 cup chopped walnuts, toasted

directions:
Adjust an oven rack to the middle position, place a large rimmed baking sheet on the rack, and heat oven to 450 degrees.

Cut one 12-inch sheet of foil and spread it flat on the counter. Place the garlic heads, cut side up, in the center of the foil. Drizzle 1/2 tsp. olive oil over each head and fold up the sides of the foil to seal well. Place the foil packet directly on the oven rack (not on the preheating baking sheet) and roast until the garlic is very tender, about 40 minutes. Remove the foil packet from the oven, open the foil and set it aside to cool.

While the garlic is roasting, trim the outer leaves off of the cauliflower and cut the stem flush with the bottom. Cut the head from pole to pole into 8 equal wedges and then cut the cauliflower into large bite-sized pieces. Place the cauliflower in a large bowl; toss with 2 Tbsp. oil, salt, pepper, and sugar.

Remove the hot baking sheet from the oven. Carefully transfer the cauliflower to the baking sheet and spread into an even layer. Return the baking sheet to the oven and roast until the cauliflower is well browned and tender, 15 to 20 minutes.

While the cauliflower roasts, bring 4 quarts water to a boil in a large pot. Add 1 Tbsp. salt and pasta; cook until al dente. Squeeze the cooled, roasted garlic cloves from their skins into a small bowl. Using a fork, mash the garlic to a smooth paste, then stir in red pepper flakes and 2 Tbsp. lemon juice. Slowly whisk in remaining 1/4 cup oil.

Drain the pasta, reserving 1 cup cooking water, and return the pasta to the pot. Add the chopped cauliflower to the pasta; stir in the garlic sauce, 1/4 cup cooking water, parsley, and 1/2 cup cheese. Adjust the consistency of the pasta with additional cooking water and season with salt and pepper. serve immediately, sprinkling with remaining 1/2 cup cheese and toasted nuts.

Note: I added a total of 1/2 cup cooking water in ours.

Grilled Pesto Shrimp and Summer Veggie Salad

Source: Sisters Cafe (I love this blog, amazing)

Okay, so I made this tonight for dinner and all I can say is, "Oh my, goodness it was good!" It made me realize that eating healthy isn't so hard after all. we made it tonight, because I want to continue eating a little healthier and because it gave us an excuse to fire up the grill one more time before summer is officially over. Seriously, try this. It is such a great way to use up all those summer veggies from your garden!

For the grilled veggies:
1 yellow and 1 orange bell pepper, seeded and cut into large pieces
1 red onion, chopped into large segments
1 yellow summer squash, sliced
1 zucchini, sliced
Olive oil (I used Extra Virgin and it was great!)
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper


Either use previously prepared pesto or make a small batch of fresh pesto:
2 tbsp. pine nuts
2 tbsp. walnuts
2 cloves garlic, unpeeled (My garlic cloves were huge and so 2 was a little too much for me, so next time, I would use one if they are big)
1 cup packed fresh basil leaves
3½ tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
¼ tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
2 tbsp. freshly grated Parmesan cheese


1 lb. uncooked shrimp, peeled and deveined


For serving:
Spinach ( I don't like straight up spinach, too chewy for me, so I mixed spinach with romaine lettuce)
Tomato wedges
Crumbled feta cheese

Directions:
Heat a grill to medium-high heat. Oil the grates to prevent food from sticking.

To prepare the veggies for grilling, combine the bell peppers, red onion, squash and zucchini in a large bowl and toss. Drizzle lightly with olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and toss to coat evenly. Set aside.

To make the pesto, combine the pine nuts, walnuts, garlic in the bowl of a food processor. Process 30 seconds. Add basil leaves, olive oil, salt, and pepper and process until smooth. Add parmesan cheese and process 1 minute. Set aside.

Thread the shrimp onto skewers for the grill. Once the skewers are assembled, use the back of a spoon or a pastry brush to smother the pesto onto both sides of the shrimp. Set aside.

Transfer the veggies to a grill basket and cook on the grill until they are crisp-tender, about 10-15 minutes (depending on the heat of your grill). Remove the grill basket from the heat and place the shrimp skewers on the grill in a single layer. Assemble the salads while the shrimp cook by tossing the grilled veggies atop a bed of spinach.
Allow the shrimp to cook just until cooked through, about 3-5 minutes (depending on the heat of your grill), turning once during cooking. Remove the shrimp from the skewers and place them on top of the salads. Top with fresh tomato wedges and crumbled feta cheese. Serve immediately.