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