Cheesecake Fruit Salad

1 8 oz 1/3 less fat cream cheese (you can use regular cream cheese but this helps cut a few calories.)

2/3 cup sugar

2 tsp vanilla

dash salt

2 cup whipping cream

Enough fruit to give the salad the amount of bulk you want.  For mine I used 2 bananas (sliced and coated with orange juice so they didn't brown), 1 can chunk pineapple, 1 can mandarin oranges, about 20 grapes (halved), and almost 1 lb of strawberries (sliced) I'll admit I was trying to use up the fruit I had in the house before going on a family trip so it wouldn't go bad. You could really use whatever kind of fruit your family prefers.

 

Graham crackers, optional

 

Add cream cheese, sugar, salt and vanilla to the bowl of a mixer.  With the whisk attachment, beat until smooth 2-3 minutes, scraping down the bowl if necessary.  Once smooth, add whipping cream and whisk at medium speed until thickened.  About 2-3 minutes, the whisk will leave 'trails' in the mixture.

 

Then fold in the fruit and refrigerate until chilled (a couple of hours) You can sprinkle crushed graham cracker over the top.  

I borrowed/lifted/plagiarized this recipe from my friend Amanda. I know she won't mind but you really should go check out her blog.  She has the best recipes ever!  And she takes good pictures of everything like a real blogger! http://www.girlplusfood.net/2013/07/berry-cheesecake-salad-red-white-and.html

Bacon Ranch and Tomato Pasta Salad

I recently made this for a barbeque we went to with a group of friends.  It was a real hit! I did add a bit of corn to the mixture because I didn't have quite enough tomatoes and I wanted a little more color.

Ingredients:
1 (16 ounce) package bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 (16 ounce) package large shell pasta
1 1/2 pounds grape tomatoes
3 green onions, chopped
3/4 C sour cream
3/4 C mayonnaise
3/4 C buttermilk
1 (1 ounce) package Hidden Valley Ranch Dip Mix
salt and pepper

1. Cook your bacon, either on the stove top or on a large cookie sheet in your oven. When it is cooked through remove it to a plate and pat the grease off with some paper towels. Set it aside.

2. Boil your pasta according to package directions. Pour it into a strainer that you have placed in your sink. Pour cold water all over the pasta until it comes to room temperature. Set it aside.

3. Slice the little grape tomatoes in half and toss them into a large mixing bowl.

4. Chop up 3 green onions and add them to the tomatoes.

 5. Pour your cooked pasta into the bowl.

 6. In a small mixing bowl combine 3/4 C sour cream, 3/4 Cup mayonnaise, 3/4 C buttermilk and one Hidden Valley Ranch packet. Stir it well to combine, making sure all of the ingredients are well incorporated.

7. Crumble up your bacon and add it to the pasta mixture.

8. Pour half of the dressing over the top of the pasta and stir it well. Cover and refrigerate for one hour, or until you are ready to serve. Make sure to refrigerate the remaining dressing as well.

 9. When you are ready to eat this tasty salad, pour the remaining dressing over the top. Stir it well, making sure all of the ingredients are covered with dressing. Taste it and add a bit of salt and pepper if needed.

I got this recipe from here.

Black Bottom Cupcakes

My daughter and I were having some chocolate cravings so we whipped up a batch of these delicious cupcakes. It's nice because it uses ingredients I almost always have on hand. I especially love the gooey cheesecake centers! This is a recipe I got from an old college roommate so I'm not sure where the original recipe comes from.  Also, I smile every time I say the name of this recipe.  It's just so darn cute!


Ingredients:
1 8 oz package cream cheese, softened
1 Egg
1/3 c. white sugar
1/8 tsp. salt
1 c. chocolate chips
1 1/2 c. all purpose flour
1 c. white sugar
1/4 c. unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. water
1/3 c. vegetable oil
1 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin tins with paper cups or lightly spray with non-stick cooking spray.In a medium bowl, beat the cream cheese, egg, 1/3 cup sugar and 1/8 teaspoon salt until light and fluffy. Stir in the chocolate chips and set aside. In a large bowl, mix together the flour, 1 cup sugar, cocoa, baking soda and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Make a well in the center and add the water, oil, vinegar and vanilla. Stir together until well blended. Fill muffin tins 1/3 full with the batter and top with a dollop of the cream cheese mixture. Bake in preheated oven for 22-25 minutes. Makes approximately 20 cupcakes.

Marshmallow Popcorn

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup sugar
8 cups popped popcorn
1/2 tsp. vanilla
15 large marshmallows
food coloring (optional)
pinch of salt (optional)

Melt butter and sugar in the microwave in a covered dish for about 1 minute. Stir in marshmallows and heat in microwave for 3-4 minutes, stirring each minute, until marshmallows are completely melted. Add vanilla, salt and food coloring. Pour over popcorn and stir to coat well. You may need to add a bit more popcorn so it's not too sticky. 

Baked Cheesy Chicken Penne

Ingredients:
6 tablespoons butter, plus more for baking dishes(or Pam)
Kosher salt and black pepper
1 pound penne pasta
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, halved horizontally*  
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons flour
6 garlic cloves, finely minced
6 cups whole milk (I use 2% and it works great too)
8 oz mushrooms, sliced
One can stewed, diced tomatoes (I used the ones with basil and oregano)
1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
1 1/2 tsp. garlic salt
1 1/2 cups shredded provolone (6 ounces)
1cup freshly grated Parmesan (about 6 ounces)
Optional:  Add any vegetables you like.  I put in a pkg of frozen spinach and 1 can of corn.  

1. Preheat oven to 400. Butter two shallow 2-quart baking dishes. If you’re going to freeze one, use a disposable foil pan.  In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta 3 minutes short of al dente (it cooks a bit more in the oven so you don't want to get it too soft or it will be mushy); drain pasta and set aside.
2. While pasta is boiling, heat oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet. Season chicken with salt and pepper; cook through, 3 to 5 minutes per side. Halve each piece lengthwise, then thinly slice crosswise.  While chicken pan is still hot, toss the mushrooms in and saute until golden brown (3-4 minutes).  Use a little extra olive oil if needed.
3. In a 5-quart Dutch oven or heavy pot, melt butter over medium. Add flour and garlic; cook, whisking, 1 minute. While whisking constantly, gradually add milk; bring to a simmer.  Keep whisking frequently as sauce thickens, about 1 minute more. Add mushrooms and tomatoes (and any veggies you're using); cook 1 minute. Take the pan off the heat and and gradually stir in provolone and 1/2 cup Parmesan.
4. Add chicken and pasta to pot; season with oregano, Italian seasoning, garlic salt and pepper to taste. Divide pasta mixture between baking dishes. 
5. Bake, uncovered, until top is golden and bubbling, about 25 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Freezer instructions:
To freeze, prepare through step 4 and then let pasta cool.  Cover pan well with plastic wrap.  Place extra cheese in baggie (for topping) on top and then cover entire pan well with foil.  Freeze for up to 3 months.  To bake, preheat oven to 400.  Remove foil and plastic from pan and set cheese baggie aside.  Place foil back on pan and bake for about 1 1/2 hours.  Remove foil, stir pasta, and top with cheese.  Return pan to oven and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes or until mixture is hot and bubbly throughout.

 *For a vegetarian option you can easily leave out the chicken and add more vegetables.  That's how I did it.

Tip: Homemade Buttermilk

I never buy buttermilk.  I just make my own using regular milk and apple cider vinegar.  Stir in one Tablespoon of vinegar per cup of milk and let it sit for 5 minutes.  You can also use lemon juice or any kind of vinegar instead of the apple cider vinegar.

Tip: Softening Butter

I never seem to remember to set my butter out so that it can reach room temperature before I want to use it.  Then I tend to microwave it and get it too "melty" which messes up the consistency of my recipe.  I found this trick somewhere on Pinterest and it works like a charm! (I'd link back to it but I'm not sure where it is)

Put your stick of butter with the wrapper still on in the microwave.
(Just make sure it’s not a foil wrapper!)
Heat for 4 seconds on high.
Flip it to the next side and heat for 4 more seconds.
Do this for each side for a total of 16 seconds. The time may vary slightly depending on your microwave power.
The result will be a slightly squishable stick of butter that is softened just right!