Reese’s Peanut Butter & Chocolate Cheesecake Bars

Adapted from America’s Test Kitchen
Crust:
7 whole graham crackers, broken into 1-inch pieces
6 tbsp (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
3 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
1/8 tsp salt
Filling:
2 (8 oz. each) packages cream cheese, softened
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1/4 cup sour cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
12 Reese’s peanut butter cups (0.75 oz each), divided, cut into 6 pieces each
2 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
Prepare a 8-inch square baking pan by lining the pan with aluminum foil, leaving 3-4 inches of foil draping over the sides of the pan.
The Crust:
Place graham crackers into the bowl of a food processor and pulse until the crackers form fine crumbs, about 30 seconds. To the crumbs, add butter, brown sugar, flour, and salt. Pulse until the ingredients are fully combined. Using the bottom of a measuring cup or your fingers, press the crumbs into the bottom of the prepared pan.
Bake until the crust is beginning to brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Let the crust cool on a cooling rack for about 30 minutes.
The filling:
In a large bowl, beat cream cheese until it is very smooth, about 3 minutes. Scrape the beaters and sides of bowl frequently. Gradually beat in granulated sugar until the mixture is combined, about 1 minute. Beat in eggs, one a time, making sure that each is fully incorporated. Beat in sour cream and vanilla extract until fully combined, about 30 seconds.
Unwrap and cut 9 Reese’s peanut butter cups (0.75 ounce each) into 6 pieces. Gently fold into the cream cheese mixture. Scrape the cream cheese mixture into the baking pan, over top of the cooled crust. Spread evenly.
Bake until the edges are set but the middle still jiggles slightly when the pan is shaken slightly, 35 to 40 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through baking.
Place the pan on a cooling rack and allow the bars to cool for 2 hours. Cover with aluminum foil and refrigerate for at least 3 hours, and up to 24 hours.
Using the overhanging foil, lift the bars from the pan. Gently remove the foil and cut into 16 bars.
Place bittersweet chocolate in a small bowl. Microwave on 50% power until melted, stirring every 15 seconds. Drizzle the chocolate over the bars, top each with a small chunk of a Reese’s peanut butter cup and serve.
Makes 16 bars.

*Amazing.  Nothing more to say.  Oh, yeah-I pinned this from  http://www.cookincanuck.com-some great recipes on her blog!

Creamy White Chicken and Artichoke Lasagna

Ingredients
2 cups shredded cooked chicken breasts
1 can (14 oz.) artichoke hearts, drained, chopped
1 pkg. (8 oz.) KRAFT Shredded Mozzarella Cheese with a TOUCH OF PHILADELPHIA, divided
1/2 cup KRAFT Grated Parmesan Cheese
1 can Italian Style Diced Tomatoes, drained
2 pkg. (8 oz. each) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened
1 cup milk
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 cup tightly packed fresh basil, chopped, divided
12 lasagna noodles, cooked

Directions
HEAT oven to 350°F.
COMBINE chicken, artichokes, 1 cup mozzarella, Parmesan and tomatoes. Beat cream cheese, milk and garlic powder with mixer until well blended; stir in 2 Tbsp. basil. Mix half with the chicken mixture.
SPREAD half the remaining cream cheese mixture onto bottom of 13x9-inch baking dish; cover with 3 noodles and 1/3 of the chicken mixture. Repeat layers of noodles and chicken mixture twice. Top with remaining noodles, cream cheese mixture and mozzarella; cover.
BAKE 25 min. or until heated through. Sprinkle with remaining basil. Let stand 5 min. before cutting to serve.


Original recipe from tasteofhome.com 

 

**This was delicious!  Everyone loved it and the kids didn't even notice the artichokes!:)

Veggie Pizza Appetizer Recipe with Ranch

Recipe type: Appetizer

 

Ingredients

• 2 cans crescent rolls
• 8oz light cream cheese, softened
• ½ cup ranch dip mix, prepared
• 1 teaspoon dill weed
• ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 cup broccoli, chopped
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, chopped
• 1 cup english cucumbers, chopped

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Roll out both tubes of crescent roll dough onto a rimmed baking sheet. Press seams together to make one large piece of dough. Bake for 13-17 minutes or until golden brown.
3. Set dough aside and let cool for 30 minutes.
4. Mix cream cheese, ranch dip, dill, and garlic powder together. Spread over cooled dough.
5. Sprinkle chopped veggies over the cream cheese spread evenly.
6. Cut into even pieces and serve.

**Made this for Super Bowl and it was really good!  The ranch dip mix gives it a great flavor.  I loved the veggies in the middle of the winter; really fresh.  Found this recipe here:
http://www.simmworksfamily.com/2012/12/veggie-pizza-appetizer-recipe-with-ranch.html

Chicken & Summer Vegetable Tostadas

Photo: Johnny Autry; Styling: Cindy Barr

A south-of-the-border supper is ready in a snap thanks to quick-cooking chicken tenders. The tostadas can easily become soft tacos if you skip broiling the tortillas. Serve with black beans.

Nutritional Information

Amount per serving

• Calories: 371
• Fat: 11g
• Saturated fat: 4.6g
• Monounsaturated fat: 3.7g
• Polyunsaturated fat: 1.3g
• Protein: 30.8g
• Carbohydrate: 36.4g
• Fiber: 3.9g
• Cholesterol: 68mg
• Iron: 1.3mg
• Sodium: 740mg
• Calcium: 182mg

• 2 teaspoons canola oil
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper $
• 12 ounces chicken breast tenders
• 1 cup chopped red onion (about 1)
• 1 cup fresh corn kernels (about 2 ears)
• 1 cup chopped zucchini
• 1/2 cup salsa verde
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro, divided
• 4 (8-inch) fat-free flour tortillas $
• Cooking spray
• 3 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, shredded (about 3/4 cup)

Preparation

1. Preheat broiler.
2. Combine first 3 ingredients, stirring well. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle the spice mixture evenly over chicken. Add chicken to pan; sauté for 3 minutes. Add onion, corn, and zucchini to pan; sauté for 2 minutes or until chicken is done. Stir in salsa and 2 tablespoons cilantro. Cook 2 minutes or until liquid almost evaporates, stirring frequently.
3. Working with 2 tortillas at a time, arrange tortillas in a single layer on a baking sheet; lightly coat tortillas with cooking spray. Broil 3 minutes or until lightly browned. Spoon about 3/4 cup chicken mixture in the center of each tortilla; sprinkle each serving with 1/4 cup cheese. Broil an additional 2 minutes or until cheese melts. Repeat procedure with remaining tortillas, chicken mixture, and cheese. Sprinkle each serving with about 3/4 teaspoon of remaining cilantro. Serve immediately.

**These were AMAZING.  So easy and SO delicious!  Great leftovers as well!

Mozzarella, Chicken & Asparagus Pasta

 Pictures by The Coterie Blog

2 pound chicken breast, cubed
seasoning salt
1 pound asparagus, cut into 1-2" pieces
1 pound pasta (penne or fusilli works great)
1 large onion, chopped
1 cup -1 1/2 cup grated mozzarella cheese
3/4 cup panko bread crumbs (or other bread crumbs)
1/4 cup (or a little less) + 1 Tablespoon olive oil

Boil pasta. While pasta is cooking, season and cook chicken and onions in 1 tablespoon olive oil. (*Just a small tip: If you want to get your chicken pretty and browned, be patient. Don't move the chicken constantly. Allow chicken to sit on medium temperature for long enough for it to get nice and brown, then stir and brown on other sides). Steam asparagus, salt and pepper to taste.

Put asparagus in the bottom of the pan. Then layer chicken, then pasta. Drizzle 1/4 cup olive over everything. Lightly toss to coat chicken and asparagus. Top with cheese, then panko bread crumbs.

Broil in the oven just until the cheese is melted and the breadcrumbs are nice and brown. Enjoy!


**I found this recipe on Pinterest and made it  tonight. It took some time to chop onion, asparagus, and cube the chicken, it was really easy and pretty tasty!  The boys even ate the asparagus without too much trouble:) 

Chicken Tetrazzini

Photography: Randy Mayor; Styling: Melanie J. Clarke

A classic that makes great use of leftover turkey or chicken. It’s so creamy and comforting that you’ll be glad it makes two casseroles—one for now and one for later.

Yield: Serves 12 (serving size: about 1 1/3 cups; 6 servings per casserole)

Recipe from

•   1 Tablespoon unsalted butter
• Cooking spray
• 1 cup finely chopped onion
• 2/3 cup finely chopped celery
• 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 (8-ounce) packages presliced mushrooms $
• 1/2 cup dry sherry
• 3 ounces all-purpose flour (about 2/3 cup)
• 3 (14.5-ounce) cans fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
• 2 1/4 cups (9 ounces) grated fresh Parmesan cheese, divided
• 1/2 cup (4 ounces) 1/3-less-fat cream cheese
• 7 cups hot cooked vermicelli (about 1 pound uncooked pasta)
• 4 cups chopped cooked chicken breast (about 1 1/2 pounds)
• 1 (1-ounce) slice white bread

Preparation

1. 1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. 2. Melt butter in a large stockpot over medium-high heat. Add onion, celery, black pepper, salt, and mushrooms; sauté 4 minutes or until mushrooms are tender. Add sherry; cook 1 minute.
3. 3. Weigh or lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Gradually add flour to pan; cook 3 minutes, stirring constantly (mixture will be thick) with a whisk. Gradually add broth, stirring constantly. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from heat.
4. 4. Add 1 ¾ cups Parmesan cheese and cream cheese, stirring with a whisk until cream cheese melts. Add pasta and chicken; stir until blended. Divide pasta mixture between 2 (8-inch-square) glass or ceramic baking dishes coated with cooking spray.
5. 5. Place bread in food processor; pulse 10 times or until coarse crumbs form. Combine breadcrumbs and ½ cup Parmesan cheese; sprinkle evenly over pasta.
6. 6. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until lightly browned and bubbly. Remove casserole from oven; let stand 15 minutes.
7. To freeze unbaked casserole: Prepare through Step 5. Cool completely in refrigerator. Cover with plastic wrap, pressing to remove as much air as possible. Wrap with heavy-duty foil. Store in freezer for up to 2 months.
8. To prepare frozen unbaked casserole: Thaw casserole completely in refrigerator (about 24 hours). Preheat oven to 350°. Remove foil; reserve foil. Remove plastic wrap; discard wrap. Cover casserole with reserved foil; bake at 350° for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 1 hour or until golden and bubbly. Let stand 15 minutes.

 **This is the second time I've made this.  I altered a bit due to not having some ingredients; I only used 1 package of mushrooms-I think everyone in my family was not sad about that!  I used up all the onion on something else this week, so I omitted that, used rotisserie chicken and panko instead of white bread.  It's a little work, but delicious and very easy to make one pan for later! 

Nutritional Information

Amount per serving

• Calories: 422
• Fat: 12.1g
• Saturated fat: 6.5g
• Monounsaturated fat: 2.7g
• Polyunsaturated fat: 0.8g
• Protein: 35g
• Carbohydrate: 39.6g
• Fiber: 2.3g
• Cholesterol: 76mg
• Iron: 2.7mg
• Sodium: 702mg
• Calcium: 272mg

Overnight Blueberry French Toast

(Recipe from Real Mom Kitchen)

French Toast:
12 slices bread, cut into cubes (french or Texas toast work well)
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, cut in cubes
1 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen)
12 large eggs
1/3 cup maple syrup
2 cups milk (I use 1 cup milk and 1 cup cream)

Syrup:
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
2 Tablespoons cornstarch
1 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen)
1 Tablespoon butter

Arrange 1/2 of the bread cubes in a greased 9 x 13 pan.
Sprinkle cream cheese cubes and blueberries evenly over the bread cubes.
Top with remaining bread cubes.
Mix together eggs, milk, and syrup.
Pour over bread cubes and cover pan with foil. Let chill in refrigerator overnight.

Bake covered with foil at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 30 minutes or until fluffy and golden. Top with sauce. Serves 8.

Syrup: Cook water, sugar, and cornstarch until thickened. Stir in blueberries and simmer for 10 minutes. Add butter and stir until melted. Serve over the french toast.


**This is an excellent recipe!  By no means is it healthy, but we can all use a treat once in a while!  Especially on New Years Day morning; it was delish and Parker even agreed!  I will never buy blueberry syrup again after making this-it was SO easy and better for you than store bought syrup.