Peanut Butter Cheesecake Brownie Babies

I needed a quick and easy recipe for a dessert today. This is what I found in my Kraft Food & Family Recipe Magazine. If my senses are right, since it smells delicious and they look amazing, I think it will be super yummy.

Here's what you need

Cupcake Liners

1 pkg. brownie mix

1 pkg. cream cheese softened

1/3 cup sugar

1 egg

1/4 c. peanut butter

1/2 tsp. vanilla

Cool Whip thawed

Maraschino Cherries (optional)

Make It

Heat oven to 350. Prepare brownie batter as directed on package. Spoon into 20 paper lined muffin cups.

Beat cream cheese, sugar, egg, peanut butter, and vanilla with mixer until smooth. Spoon 1 big Tbs. into center of batter in each cup. Bake 25-30 min. until centers are set. Cool

Serve topped with Cool Whip and cherries.

This picture is from the Kraft magazine.

Summer Spinach Salad

I made this salad for a family get together today. I pretty much threw whatever I had on hand into the bowl, then called Karen for a good dressing recipe! It turned out so yummy!

1 bag baby Spinach
2 cups Bow tie Pasta
2 cups red grapes (sliced in half)
1/2 cup candied walnuts
(easy to do. cook walnuts with 1/2 cup sugar, until sugar is dissolved and nuts are well coated. let cool before adding them to the salad)

You could also add sliced Avocados and Mozzarella cheese. Sometimes I do Apples, Strawberries or Mandarin Oranges...just whatever sounds good.


Dressing
3/4 cup sugar
2/3 cup Apple Cider Vinegar
2 cups Olive oil ( I used Vegetable Oil, and it still turned out great)
1/4 cup onion (I used a couple of Tbsp dried onion)
2 tsp salt
2 Tbsp poppy seeds

Put everything but the Poppy Seeds into a blender, and blend on high for a minute or two. Add the Poppy Seeds and mix with spoon. Pour over salad just before serving.

**This makes a ton of dressing, so I only did half a recipe for the one bag of Spinach. **

Asian Wonton Salad

We made this at the Relief Society Birthday Dinner, among other things, and many people were wanting the recipe for it.

Ingredients:

1 head lettuce, chopped {I usually use romaine though, or at least a mixture of romaine & iceberg so it’s not just iceberg}
4 chicken breasts, cooked & shredded
4 green onions, chopped
1/2 pkg wonton wrappers, sliced and fried
2 Tbsp sesame seeds, toasted
2Tbsp almonds, slivered and toasted

Dressing:
1/2 c. vinegar
1/2 c. ketchup
1/4 c. water
3/4 c. sugar
2 TBSP soy sauce
2 TBSP cornstarch mixed with 4 TBSP water

Directions:
Mix all ingredients in a saucepan. Cook on medium heat until clear and bubbly. Layer lettuce, then wontons, shredded chicken, onions, almonds, and the sesame seeds. Drizzle dressing on top and serve immediately.

Thai Peanut Noodles

I made these for my family awhile back and we love them. The sauce is sooo yummy. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
1/2 c. chicken broth
3 Tbsp. creamy peanut butter
1-2 tsp. Sriracha chili sauce (1 is mild with a bite, 1.5 is medium, 2 is hot)
1 1/2 Tbsp. honey
3 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 1/2 Tbsp. fresh minced ginger
2-3 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
8 oz. Udon or linguine noodles
Chopped green onions
Chopped cilantro
2 limes, cut into quarters
Chopped peanuts

Directions:
Cook noodles in salted water. In the meantime, combine chicken broth, peanut butter, chili sauce, honey, soy sauce, ginger, and garlic in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Whisk until smooth and remove from heat. Toss cooked noodles with sauce and divide among 4 bowls. Sprinkle with green onions, cilantro, chopped peanuts, and garnish each serving with 2 lime quarters. Before eating, squeeze lime juice over noodles and stir to combine.

Baked Manicotti

When I made this for my family, every single one of them loved it. That rarely happens in my house so that makes this recipe a hit, in my book!

*Serves 6 to 8

Tomato Sauce
1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes (in juice)
1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 medium cloves garlic, finely minced
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes, optional
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons dried basil

Cheese Filling and Pasta
3 cups part-skim ricotta cheese
4 ounces grated Parmesan cheese (about 2 cups)
8 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese (about 2 cups)
2 large eggs , lightly beaten
3/4 teaspoon table salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
2 teaspoons chopped fresh basil
16 no-boil lasagna noodles (I use the Barilla brand - apparently they are supposed to be the most similar to homemade pasta and I love them, both in this and in lasagna)

Directions:
Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees.

Heat oil, garlic, and pepper flakes (if using) in large saucepan over medium heat until fragrant but not brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, basil and 1/2 teaspoon salt and simmer until thickened slightly, about 15 minutes.

In a medium bowl, combine ricotta, 1 cup Parmesan chese, mozzarella cheese, eggs, salt, pepper, and herbs; set aside.

To assemble, pour 1 inch boiling water into 13 by 9-inch baking dish, then add noodles one at a time. Let noodles soak until pliable, about 5 minutes, separating noodles with tip of sharp knife to prevent sticking. Remove noodles from water and place in single layer on clean kitchen towels; discard water in baking dish and dry baking dish.

Spread bottom of baking dish evenly with 1 1/2 cups sauce. Using soupspoon, spread 1/4 cup cheese mixture evenly onto bottom three-quarters of each noodle (with short side facing you), leaving top quarter of noodle exposed. Roll into tube shape and arrange in baking dish seam side down. (You should be able to fit 8 manicotti in each row, allowing all 16 to fit in the dish). Top evenly with remaining sauce, making certain that pasta is completely covered.

Cover manicotti with aluminum foil. Bake until bubbling, about 40 minutes, then remove foil. Sprinkle manicotti evenly with remaining 1 cup Parmesan. Bake until cheese is browned and bubbly, about 6-7 minutes. Remove from oven and let sit for 15 minutes before serving.

The manicotti can be prepared right up until the baking step then covered with a sheet of parchment paper, wrapped in aluminum foil, and refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 1 month. (If frozen, thaw the manicotti in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 days.) To bake, remove the parchment, replace the aluminum foil, and increase baking time to 1 to 1 1/4 hours.

Almond Poppyseed Bread

I made these for birthday visits. I made them in the mini pan size and put them in cellophane bags. They were perfect. My kids really liked this bread too.

INGREDIENTS:
3 c. all-purpose flour
2 1/2 c. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/8 c. canola oil
3 eggs
1 1/2 c. milk
2 tsp. poppy seeds
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 tsp. butter flavoring
1 1/2 tsp. almond flavoring


GLAZE
3/4 c. white granulated sugar
1/4 c. orange juice
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. butter flavoring
1/2 tsp. almond flavoring

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, salt, and baking powder. In a large mixing bowl, combine eggs, oil, sugar, and flavorings and beat for 2 minutes. Alternate adding in flour mixture and milk and then mix until just combined. Add poppyseeds and mix until just combined. Pour into prepared pans (5 mini pans or 2 regular loaf pans) and bake (35-40 minutes for mini pans, 1 hour for large pans; keep an eye on them). When done, place on a cooling rack for 10 minutes and then remove from pans and allow to cool completely on a cooling rack. While cooling, prepare glaze by combining all glaze ingredients. Drizzle over loaves and allow to harden.

Chile Con Queso Revved Up

I got this recipe from Pioneer Woman and like most of her recipes, it was a hit! It is the perfect thing for Superbowl Sunday!

Ingredients

• 32 ounces, weight Velveeta Cheese Loaf
• 10 ounces, weight Rotel
• 1 pound Jimmy Dean Hot Breakfast Premium Pork Sausage
• 7 ounces, weight Chopped Green Chilies
• 1 whole Yellow Onion
• 1 whole Jalapeno, or more to taste

Preparation Instructions

Dice the onion. Using a nonstick sprayed skillet, cook sausage and onions until brown, stirring occasionally. Once browned, drain some of the fat from the skillet.

Cube Velveeta loaf. Add cubes to browned sausage and onion mixture. Add can of Rotel (juice and all), can of green chilies (juice and all), and stir over low heat.

Cut the top and bottom off the jalapeño, slice into matchsticks, then rotate and slice to create a fine dice. (For a spicy version, leave seeds and white membranes. For a milder option, remove them.) Add to queso and stir.

Serving tip: Use a fondue pot or crock pot to serve piping hot!