Edit to Cheesecake bar recipe

I m not sure if anyone has looked at my last post of the Caramel Apple Cheesecake bars, but for those that did I have since edited the recipe. I had several interruptions while typing the post and skipped a whole section. So it is now the correct recipe. Sorry! :)

Carmel Apple Cheesecake Bars

My photos are never very good but this one is really not good, sorry. But they do taste good, and that is the important part right.
I found this recipe over at Melskitchencafe. This recipe is delicious as is, but I think the next time I make it I will only make 1/2 the amount of the streusel topping.
I know this is a lengthy recipe but don't let that scare you off. Enjoy!
Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars with Streusel Topping
Base:
2 c flour
1/2 c brown sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 cup butter, softened

Cream cheese Layer:
2 (8oz.)pkg cream cheese, softened
1/2 c sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla

Apples:
3 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and finely chopped
2 TBS sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg

Streusel Topping:
1 c light brown sugar
1 c flour
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 c quick cooking oats
1/2 cup butter, softened

1 c caramel sauce (recipe below)

Preheat oven to 350.

In a small bowl stir together the "apple"ingredients, and set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine the streusel topping ingredients and mix until crumbly. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine flour and brown sugar. Cut in the butter with a pastry blender or two forks until mixture is crumbly but combined. Press evenly into a 9 x 13 baking pan lined with aluminum foil. Bake for 10 min. or until lightly browned.

While the crust is baking, in a large bowl, beat cream cheese with 1/2 c sugar until smooth. Then add eggs, and then the vanilla. Mix well. Pour over the warm crust.
Spoon the apple mixture evenly over the cheesecake layer. Sprinkle the streusel topping over the apples. Bake for 30 minutes, until the filling is set.
Cool the bars to room temperature. Drizzle with the caramel topping (or plate individual slices and drizzle the topping one by one.)

Caramel sauce:
4 TBS butter
1 c light brown sugar
1/2 c half-and-half or cream
Pinch of salt
1 TBS vanilla
Mix butter, brown sugar, half-and-half or cream, and salt in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook while whisking gently for 5 to 7 min. until thickened slightly. Add the vanilla and cook another minute to thicken further. Turn off the heat and pour the sauce into a jar. Refrigerate until cold. If the caramel sauce has cooled in the fridge long enough to harden, warm slightly before drizzling on bars.

Cookie Turkey

My son's birthday is close to Thanksgiving so we thought it would be fun to send turkey treats for his school class. I saw the idea at Ourbestbites .
They would make a cute place card for Thanksgiving and be a great project for the kids while dinner is cooking!

What you will need:
Double stuffed Oreos
Whoppers
Candy Corns
Mini Peanut butter Cups
Black sprinkles (for pupil)
Yellow Icing
Brown Icing
Red Icing
For step by step instructions click here Ourbestbites.

Farmers Birthday Cake

I have two boys with birthdays in November. This is the cake I made for my 2 year old this year. He loved it! Birthdays around here aren't a real big production so this is just one way we celebrate is with a fun cake. I found this idea at family fun. It was fun to make and fairly simple. Of course mine isn't as cute as the one at family fun but my kids thought it was great! Click here for the instructions :Familyfun.

Salad Dressing

I found this recipe at JanDee Crafts. It is supposed to be an Olive Garden take off but I didn't find it to taste the same (Da). At any rate we liked it so I am sharing. I would not suggest using a light or fat free mayo as it needs the full flavor and thickness of regular. I do not like parsley flakes so did not use them.

Olive Garden Salad Dressing

1/2 C mayonnaise
1/3 C white vinegar
1 tsp vegetable oil
2 TB corn syrup
2 TB Parmesan Cheese
1/4 tsp garlic salt or one clove garlic minced
1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp parsley flakes
1 TB lemon juice

Mix all together and enjoy. Keep refrigerated

Penne With Sausage and Peppers

Clark has had a dish similar to this at Olive Garden and really liked it so I combined several recipes I found and this is what I came up with. Most of the recipes I saw used spaghetti, which would be good, but he likes the penne. Depending on the type of sausage you use, it can be pretty spicy. Clark likes the spicy. If you use a mild sausage you may want to increase either the cayenne or the hot pepper sauce. Just a matter of taste.

Penne with Sausage and Peppers

1 lb. smoked sausage cut into 1/4 inch slices
2 medium green peppers, thinly sliced
2 medium sweet red peppers, thinly sliced
1 medium onion, halved and thinly sliced
2 cans diced tomatoes with liquid
3 garlic cloves, minced
6 to 8 drops hot pepper sauce
1 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 C chicken broth
2 TB cornstarch
12 oz. penne cooked and drained
1/2 C cream (optional)

Brown the sausage and then add the peppers and onions. Saute for 2 minutes and add tomatoes, garlic, hot pepper sauce, paprika, salt and cayenne pepper. Cook and stir until the vegetables are tender. Combine broth and cornstarch; add to sausage mixture. Bring to a boil and cook and stir until thickened. Add penne and cream and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Makes enough for 6 - 8, depending on whether they are big eaters.

Pretzels

I got this recipe from mom. These made the perfect snack to go along with my activity day lesson on prayer. I found a story of how the pretzel came to be. A monk used the scrap pieces of dough and shaped the pretzel to resemble folded arms and used them as rewards for the children as they learned their prayers. The girls ate them right up!

Pretzels
1 TBS yeast
1 1/2 c warm water
1 TBS sugar
1 tsp salt
3 1/2 c to 4 c flour
1 egg, beaten
Coarse salt

In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in water. Add the sugar, salt and enough flour to make a soft dough. Turn onto floured board; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. (I just mix mine in my Bosch) Divide the dough into 16 equal pieces by cutting with a knife. Shape into a traditional pretzel shape. Place on greased baking sheets. Brush with egg and sprinkle with coarse salt. I like to let mine rise for just a bit (the recipe doesn't require time to rise).
Bake at 425 for 13-15 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack. Serve with nacho cheese or your favorite dipping sauce.

Granola Bars

Granola Bars

This came from Taste of Home, sent in by Sally Haen of Wisconsin. They are good and pretty good for you. I didn't have sunflower seeds so substituted chopped pecans and that didn't hurt them a bit. I think you can add whatever your taste buds desire when it comes to nuts or fruits.

3- 1/2 Cups quick cooking oats
1 Cup chopped almonds
1 egg, beaten
2/3 Cup butter, melted
1/2 Cup honey
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 Cup sunflower kernels
1/2 Cup flaked coconut
1/2 Cup chopped dried apples
1/2 C dried cranberries
1/2 C packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon.

Combine oats and almonds in a 15 inch x 10 inch x 1 inch baking pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes or until toasted, stirring occasionally.
In a large bowl, combine the egg, butter, honey and vanilla. Stir in the sunflower kernels, coconut, apples, cranberries, brown sugar and cinnamon. Stir in the oat mixture.
Press into a 15 x 1- x 1 inch baking pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350 degrees for 13 - 18 minutes or until set and edges are lightly browned. Cool on a wire rack. Cut into bars. Store in an airtight container.
Makes about 3 dozen bars.

Pumpkin cake Roll

Don't know for sure where I got this recipe, have had it for years. I believe that Clair brought it home to me from school when he was going to Ricks so you can see it has been a while. At any rate we like it and hope others may enjoy it as well. It is easy and doesn't take a lot of time.

Pumpkin Cake Roll

3 eggs
1 C sugar
2/3 C pumpkin
1 tsp. lemon juice
3/4 C flour
1 tsp baking powder
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp. ginger
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
1 C walnuts, chopped, (optional, I never use them)

Beat eggs for 5 minutes, then add the sugar gradually. Stir in pumpkin and lemon juice. Fold in dry ingredients. Grease well a jelly-roll pan and sprinkle with flour. Spread batter into pan and top with walnuts if using them. Bake for 15 minutes at 375 degrees
Turn cake onto a terry towel that has been sprinkled with powdered sugar. Roll towel and cake together beginning at short side, and cool on a rack. When cooled, unroll and spread cake with filling. Roll cake up again, wrap in plastic wrap and chill.

Filling:
Mix together and spread on cake;
1 C powdered sugar
1/4 C butter
1/2 tsp vanilla
6 oz. cream cheese, softened

Eye Balls

Eye Balls (Oreo Truffles)

Last weekend Eric & I went to a Halloween party and I took these eye balls for treats. I forgot to take a picture, so this is from the Family Fun website. They used doughnut holes dipped in white chocolate for theirs, which is the easy route if you are short on time. I made mine with the Oreo Truffles recipe I posted some time ago. I used mini M&M's for the pupils just to add a little color. Have a Happy Halloween!

Rebel Bars

These bars are so yummy! They are good warm but I think I prefer them after they have had time to cool and set up a bit. Those of you who are lucky enough to own your own copy of my ward and community cookbook "A Taste of Heaven" this recipe is in it.

Rebel Bars
Dough:
1 c butter
2 c brown sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 c flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
3 c quick rolled oats

Filling
1 (14-oz) can sweetened condensed milk
1 1/2 c chocolate chips
2 TBS butter
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
Place all filling ingredients in a pan and cook over low heat until chips and butter are melted. Mix dough ingredients in the order listed. Grease and flour 10 x 15 inch jelly roll pan. (I put mine in 9x 13) Spread half of dough in pan; spread with filling and then put remaining dough on top of filling by spoonfuls. Bake at 350 for approx. 25 min. Don't over bake. Cut in squares after cooled.

Fluffy French Toast

Mornings are a bit hectic around here (I'm not a morning person) so most mornings cold cereal it is, plus the school also provides breakfast for the boys so I don't make a nice breakfast most days. Sundays aren't much different since we are rushing to get to church on time. So when we had General Conference a few weeks ago and had the morning at home with all of us I decided to try out this french toast recipe. We have decided to make it a tradition for future Conference Sundays. You can't beat a good breakfast.

This recipe comes from the Tasty Kitchen site.

Serve with your favorite topping.

Fluffy French Toast

2 TBS vegetable oil

1 c flour

1 c milk

2 eggs

1 3/4 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/8 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp maple flavoring

12 slices Texas toast

Heat a skillet over medium-high heat and brush on just enough veg oil to coat the entire skillet. Whisk together all the dry ingredients, and in a separate bowl, mix together all the milk, egg, and flavorings. Combine the wet and dry ingredients; stir until just combined.

Dip single pieces of bread into the batter, flipping to coat both sides. Place on the hot skillet and flip when browned. Mix batter in between batches of dipping bread so the flour doesn't settle to the bottom of the dish.

Apple Studel Muffins

I was actually searching on Allrecipes.com for another recipe when I found the basis for this recipe. (Submitted by nmariea) After reading the reviews for the recipe I decided to make a few additions and changes. These are delicious, packed with great flavor!

Apple Strudel Muffins
2 c flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 c butter
1/2 c white sugar
1/2 c brown sugar
2 eggs
1 1/4 tsp vanilla
3 apples, peeled (1-shredded and 2 chopped)(I used Galas)
1/2 c Hersey's cinnamon chips

Topping
1/3 c brown sugar
1 tbs flour
1/8 tsp cinnamon
1 TBS butter

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease muffin pan.

Mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.

In another bowl, beat together butter, sugars and eggs until smooth. Mix in vanilla. Stir in apples and cinnamon chips. Gradually blend in the flour mixture. This is a pretty thick batter. Spoon the mixture into the prepared muffin pan.

In a small bowl mix the topping ingredients: brown sugar, flour and cinnamon. Cut in butter until mixture is like course crumbs. Sprinkle over tops of mixture in muffin pan.

Bake 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Allow to sit 5 minutes before removing muffins from pan. Cool on a wire rack.

Yields: 12-18 Depending on size.

Cider Cheese Fondue

We had a Girl's Night at our house last night while the men were at Priesthood session of General Conference. I wanted to try something fun to eat, so after looking through several recipes, I decided upon cheese fondue. I found this recipe on allrecipes.com, and it was submitted by Kim Marie Van Rheenen. We have done cheese fondue before, but this recipe is our favorite so far. A lot of fondue recipes call for wine, but this one uses apple cider. We thought the cider added a very nice flavor to the fondue. We had several items to fondue besides the French bread, including peppers, mushrooms, cooked potato, sausage slices, apple chunks, cooked carrot chunks. Very good!

INGREDIENTS:

3/4 C apple cider or apple juice

2 C shredded cheddar cheese

1 C shredded Swiss cheese

1 T cornstarch

1/8 t pepper

dash of salt, as desired

1 loaf French bread, cubed


DIRECTIONS:
1. In a large saucepan, bring cider to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low. toss the cheeses with cornstarch and pepper; stir into cider. Cook and stir for 3-4 minutes or until cheese is melted. Transfer to a fondue pot or slow cooker to keep warm.

Chili Rellenos

My husband loves Mexican food and when it comes to gardening he always over does it especially with tomatoes, tomatillos, and all kinds of peppers. He took some of our excess up to the school to give to one of the teachers he told her she could have this bag of "goodies" on one condition, give some instructions to make chili rellenos. So we used her advice and instructions and this is what we come up with. They were quite delicious!

Chili Rellenos

Yellow chilies

Cheese (any flavor, cheddar, mozzarella, Monterrey jack)

Eggs, separated, mix whites till stiff peaks then fold in beaten egg yolks add a couple pinches of salt (I used 3 eggs and there was plenty for 5 chilies)

Flour

salt

First roast the peppers and then put them in a bag to sweat and then remove the skins. Just below the stem make a slice down the side just big enough to slide the cheese stick in. Put the flour on a plate and lightly coat the pepper. Then dip the pepper in the egg. Place in a pan of hot grease to cook till golden brown. Place on a paper towel to remove excess grease.

Penne Pasta With Tomatoes and Basil

This is actually a recipe I got from Christine when she lived in South Dakota. One of our favorite pasta recipes. The red pepper flakes give it a kick so if you don't like spicy, you might want to cut that in half.

Penne Pasta with Tomatoes and Basil

6 TB olive oil
1 1/2 Cup chopped onion
1 tsp minced garlic
2 quarts tomatoes
2 tsp dried basil or 1/4 C finely chopped fresh basil
1 1/2 tsp dried crushed red pepper flakes
2 tsp chicken bouillon (can use chicken broth if you drain the tomatoes)
1 lb. penne or rigatoni
2 12 Cups grated Havarti cheese (I use mozzarella or Monterrey or cheddar)
1/3 C sliced olives (optional)
1/3 C grated Parmesan cheese

Saute onion in 3 T olive oil. Add tomatoes, basil, garlic and red pepper flakes. Bring to a boil and break up tomatoes. Add bouillon and simmer for an hour and ten minutes, stirring occasionally. Season with salt and pepper. (Can be made ahead of time and kept in refrigerator two days or frozen. Reheat before using.)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cook pasta and drain. Toss with 3 T olive oil. Pour sauce over pasta and stir to blend. Mix in shredded cheese. Pour into greased 13 x 9 pan. Sprinkle with olives and then Parmesan cheese.

Bake about 30 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle with fresh chopped basil.

Summer Squash Casserole

Summer Squash Casserole

Got this recipe from a Taste of Home some time ago. It was sent in by Katherine Metz of Florida and is a recipe for two servings. Even though there are only two of us at home, I frequently have guests for dinner so double or triple the recipe. I forgot to take the picture till after dinner was over and all that was left was the tiny serving that appears above.

2 small yellow summer squash sliced
1/4 C chopped onion
1/2 tsp salt, divided
1 egg
1/4 C mayonnaise, (not light or fat free)
2 tsps sugar
pepper to taste
1/4 C shredded cheddar cheese
2 TBS crushed cornflakes
1/1/2 tsps butter, melted

In a small saucepan, combine squash, onion and 1/4 tsp salt. Cover with water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 2 minutes or until squash is crisp-tender. Drain.

In a bowl, beat the egg, mayonnaise, sugar, pepper and remaining salt until well blended. Stir in cheese and squash mixture. Transfer to a greased 2-cup baking dish. Toss the cornflakes and butter and sprinkle over top. Bake, uncovered at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly. 2 servings.

Onion and Cheddar Biscuits

This recipe is from Elaine Sweet in Dallas, Tx., and out of Taste of Home. I made a few changes as I think the altitude makes some difference in the liquid. They are tender and delicious.

Onion and Cheddar Biscuits

1/2 C finely chopped sweet onion
8 TBS butter, divided
1/2 C balsamic vinegar
2 C flour
2 TBS sugar
1 TB baking powder
!/2 tsp garlic salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 C shredded cheddar cheese
4 green onions, chopped
1/2 C buttermilk (I had to add more, probably used 2/3 C)

In a small skillet, saute sweet onion in 2 TBS of the butter till tender. Add vinegar;cook and stir until liquid is evaporated. Let cool.

In a small bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and seasonings. Cut in remaining butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add the onion mixture, cheese, and green onions. Stir in buttermilk with a fork just until moistened.

Turn onto a lightly floured surface; knead 6-8 times. Pat or roll out to 1/2 in. thickness; cut and place 2 in. apart on a greased baking sheet. Bake at 400 degrees for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm.

Chocolate Zucchini Bread

This is another great recipe from Sisterscafe. A great twist for zucchini bread.

Chocolate Zucchini Bread
Beat 3 eggs
2 c. sugar
1 c. oil
2 tsp vanilla

Add:
2 c. grated zucchini
2 1/3 c flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 c. cocoa
choco. chips (optional if you just can't get enough choco. I use mini chips.)

Pour Batter into greased and sugared loaf pans. (this makes a sweet and crispy crust)
Bake at 350 for 40-45 min.

Sausage Pasta

This is a super easy recipe that I found on allrecipes.com, submitted by Tammy. It makes 4-5 good sized servings. Emily would have preferred not quite so much spinach, but Dillon and I thought it was great. We didn't have the Italian sausage that this recipe called for so I substituted cheesy bratwursts that I had on hand. Other vegetables could be added for different variations. I will make this one again.

INGREDIENTS:

3/4 pounds pasta

1 T olive oil

1 pound spicy Italian sausage

1 onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 (14.5 oz.) can chicken broth

1 t dried basil

1 (14.5 oz.) can diced tomatoes

1 (10 oz.) package frozen chopped spinach

1/2 C grated parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS:

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta (penne works great) and cook for about 10 minutes or until al dente; drain and reserve. In a large skillet, heat oil and sausage; cook through until no longer pink. during the alst 5 minutes of cooking, add onion and garlic to skillet. Add broth, basil and tomatoes with liquid. cook over medium heat for 5 minutes to slightly reduce. Add chopped spinach; cover skillet and simmer on reduced heat until spinach is tender. Add pasta to skillet and mix together. Sprinkle with cheese and serve immediately.