Cream Cheese Lemon Bars

I made these cream cheese lemon bars today...like I ever need an excuse to make something sweet, but I'm taking a meal to a friend who just had a baby tomorrow and I wanted to add some type of dessert. I had "pinned" this from someone on Pinterest and couldn't wait to make them! I hope they taste as yummy as they look!

Cream Cheese Lemon Bars

Ingredients: 1 box lemon cake mix
- 1/3 cup butter or margarine - softened
- 1 egg
- 8 ounces cream cheese - softened
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1/2 lemon - grated
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice or 1/2 fresh squeezed lemon
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Directions: In a mixing bowl, blend dry cake mix, butter, and 1 egg.
Press into a 9 x 13 pan, ungreased.
Beat the cream cheese until smooth.
Gradually blend in the powdered sugar.
Stir in lemon peel and lemon juice until smooth.
Reserve 1/2 cup of this mixture and refrigerate it for later use.
Beat the remaining 2 eggs, add the vanilla, and then beat this mixture into the remaining cream cheese mixture until well blended.
Spread over the cake mixture.
Bake at 350° until set, approximately 25 to 30 minutes.
Cool completely.
Spread the reserved cream cheese mixture onto the bars.
Refrigerate until firm; then cut into squares and serve.

Make them! Yummy Jalapeno Appetizers

I didn't get my own photo of these awesome stuffed jalapeno appetizers that I made on Saturday because I had dinner guests and didn't want them all to think I was nuts! ha! But I did a search and "the best mom on the block blog" did so I'm referencing her just so you know what they look like. :)

But just trust me, you need to make these the next time you need a yummy appetizer/finger food, etc. They are SO good. Now, I make the Pioneer Woman's stuffed jalapeno things and they are wonderful, but these are even better!

Stuffed Jalapenos

Ingredients:

14 large jalapenos, sliced once lengthwise, and "cleaned out"/seeded

1lb ground breakfast sausage (I like Jimmy Dean's)

8oz cream cheese

1 cup parmesan cheese (not the powdery kind, the shredded kind)

Cook sausage completely and drain. Add cheeses and cook on low just until mixed thoroughly. Spoon sausage mixture into each jalapeno. Put on baking sheet and bake at 400 for 15-20 minutes. Serve immediately.

The BEST Chocolate cake

I love this cake! My neighbor, who is also doing WW shared this with me and I could not believe the ingredients when she told me what was in it. The cake has 16 servings and each serving has 3 points. Not sure about calories, fat content, etc. The cake is super moist and so "chocolatey"! I guess you could make it even more decadent and eye pleasing for serving if you sprinkled each piece with powdered sugar.

Triple Chocolate Cake

Here are the ingredients:
1 dark chocolate cake mix
1 small box sugar free, instant chocolate pudding
1 small box sugar free, instant white chocolate pudding
1 cup apple sauce
1 1/2 cups water
1 cup egg beaters
3/4 cup chocolate chips (I use the mini ones)

Mix all the ingredients together, except the chocolate chips just like you would according to the directions on the cake mix.

Add the chocolate chips and mix well.

Spray a bundt pan with cooking spray, like Pam and then pour into the pan...it will be this high, but it won't cook over. I'm pretty sure...it never has for me. Bake at 350 for 45-50 minutes.

Invert bundt pan and remove cake onto a plate. YUM!

Apple Bars

I made these yesterday. They are almost gone. I did share with neighbors in my defense!

This is my favorite fall treat! I LOVE Megan's blog...in fact, it's probably my most favorite blog ever and if I had to read just one a day, her's this would be the one. Click on her name for this awesome recipe!

Spaghetti Sauce

I've been meaning to share this recipe for a while. This sauce is wonderful! For those of you that read and are familiar with Monjuni's in Shreveport/Bossier...it tastes very similar to it. This was given to me by my dear friend Jill Browning who I miss SO SO much! She supplies me with the molasses from a special store that is located in Coushatta, LA, close to her parent's in Martin. You can certainly substitute with plain molasses, but not guaranteeing it will be as good as what I get. :) Oh and this is the sauce I use in my lasagna.

1 32 oz jar/container Ragu chunky garden style pasta sauce
1 can Rotel tomatoes
2 T Molasses (you could also try just regular pancake syrup maybe)
1 T prepared Mustard (wierd, but it makes it!)
1/4 cup sugar

Bring all ingredients to a boil and boil for a few minutes, stirring often. Bring to a simmer over low heat and simmer for a couple of hours...the longer the better really. This sauce gets better the longer it "sits" so you could prepare it early. Also, it freezes well. Enjoy!

Crispy Lemonade Chicken | Cinnamon Spice & Everything Nice

I wanted to share a recipe that I made for dinner tonight. It was wonderful! I was looking for an oven "fried" chicken recipe and found this. It was perfect...and the hint of lemon made it fabulous! This recipe would probably adapt well with fish too. We had it with roasted new potatoes and steamed broccoli.

NOTE: This must marinade at least 4 hours (I marinaded mine overnight)

Crispy Lemonade Chicken
copied from one of my favorite food blogs: Cinnamon Spice & Everything Nice

Ingredients
2 tablespoons grated lemon zest, divided
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1/3 cup water
1 cup buttermilk (you can make your own with vineagar and regular milk)
3 1/2 to 4 pounds chicken pieces, bone-in, skin-on (I used boneless, skinless breasts like I always do)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cups panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped or 1 teaspoon dried
Pinch of cayenne pepper (I used ground red pepper since I didn't have cayenne)
1/4 cup mayonnaise (I used light)
Olive-oil cooking spray

Directions

1. Mix 1 tablespoon lemon zest and lemon juice in a large bowl. Whisk in water and buttermilk. Pierce chicken pieces several times with a fork and season well with salt and pepper. Toss in the marinade making sure all sides are well coated, cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight.

2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Bring the chicken to room temperature. Put the panko, thyme, the remaining lemon zest, cayenne, 1 teaspoon salt, and black pepper to taste in a large resealable plastic bag and shake to mix. Put the mayonnaise in a wide, shallow bowl. Set a rack on a baking sheet and spray with cooking spray.

3. Remove the chicken from marinade, dip in the mayonnaise, then drop into the bag and shake to coat, transfer to the rack.

4. Mist the chicken with cooking spray. Bake until golden, about 35 minutes, flip and bake until cooked through (breasts don't need to be turned), juices should run clear and internal temperature should reach 165-174 degrees F."

Lemon Loaf

I made this yummy lemon loaf last night. I love anything lemon! It reminds me of spring and summer and since we are aren't getting snow around here anymore, I'm ready for spring!

Here's the recipe. I substituted the oil for 1/2 cup of applesauce to save on fat and it still tasted wonderful! Next time, I think I'll try just the egg whites to see if I can save there.

Lemon Loaf

Ingredients

1 and 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
3 eggs
1 cup sugar
2 T softened butter
1 tsp. vanilla
1 T lemon extract
1/3 cup lemon juice
grated lemon rind (I used 1/2 a lemon's worth in batter and 1/2 in glaze)
1/2 cup vegetable oil (I subbed 1/2 c of applesauce)

---Lemon Icing---

1 1/4 cup powdered sugar
2 T water
1 t lemon juice
grated lemon rind

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.

In a separate bowl, blend eggs, sugar, butter, vanilla, lemon extract, lemon rind, and lemon juice with an electric mixer.

Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and mix just until smooth.

Pour into a well-greased 9 x 5 loaf pan and bake for 55 minutes.

When loaf is cool, remove from pan and ice with icing.

Slice into 1" slices.

My Lasagna

Nearly every time I make lasagna, I'm asked for the recipe. It's very yummy and easy to make. I ONLY use Barilla lasagna sheets...they are no boil so that's a huge plus. After I started making this, I vowed to never purchase another frozen lasagna in my life! This homemade version is definitely worth it!

Jen's Lasagna

Ingredients
1 (9 ounce) box of barilla no-boil lasagna noodles
2 eggs
1 (15 ounce) container ricotta cheese (I use lowfat)
4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup parmesan cheese (not the powder, you need fresh)

1 T dried parsley
1/2 lb ground beef, browned and drained

1/2 lb ground, mild Italian sausage
2 (27 ounce) jars spaghetti sauce (I use homemade if I have it, but if not, 2 cheap cans of Del Monte garlic and herb chunky is my favorite) Another little tip I have is to add 2 T sugar for each can of sauce. They use so much salt to preserve the sauce so if you add sugar, it counteracts all the saltiness.

Directions
Preheat oven to 375.
In bowl, combine beaten eggs, ricotta cheese and TWO cups of the mozzarella cheese and parmesan.
Set aside.
In a 13X9X3 pan, spread 1 cup of sauce on bottom of pan.
Layer in the order, 4 uncooked lasagna noodles, then 1/3 part of the ricotta cheese mixture, half the browned meat, 1 cup mozzarella cheese, and 1 cup of spaghetti sauce.
next layer, 4 uncooked lasagna noodles, 1/3 part of the ricotta cheese mixture, and 1 1/2 c. sauce.
Next layer, 4 uncooked lasagna noodles, remaining ricotta mixture and remained meat, 1 cup of sauce.
For top layer, 4 uncooked lasagna noodles, remaining sauce, and remaining 1 cup mozzarella.
Bake covered with foil for 50 minutes.
Uncover and continue cooking for 10 more minutes.
Let stand 15 minutes before serving.

If you don't have a 3 inch deep lasagna pan, you can use a 13X9X2 pan---just make 3 layers to avoid boiling over.

Tie Dyed Cupcakes

Since Seth's birthday falls during the Christmas break, I always send a birthday treat to school with him when he goes back. I saw these adorable tie dyed (or rainbow) cupcakes (and you can also make a cake like this) on Meg's blog, and knew that I wanted to do these! They are super easy, but VERY time consuming. I think it's worth it though because they came out perfect and so fun!


First of all, for 24 cupcakes, you will need 2 white cake mixes, mixed per the directions. Then divide the batter into six colors (see bowls below) and mix with each of these icing colors. Regular food coloring won't work because it's not "vibrant" enough and too much coloring will make the mix taste bitter. Been there, done that so I knew. I love these icing colors!

Then, starting with purple, layer a spoonful (talking about a regular, dinner spoon) of each color. After purple, add blue, green, yellow, orange, and last red. You don't have to be perfect or precise with spreading it all around...it will spread on it's own during baking.

Bake according to package directions. Aren't these already so neat looking??!!

Then frost with your favorite white frosting. I used the new "spray can" frosting and it was great! Easy, with a decoratort tip and I think it tasted better than the tub of frosting. Of course you can always make your own and use a decorator tip. Then add some fun sprinkles.

The food critics around here gave these a perfect score!

See what they looked like inside! LOVE the colors!

And these were ready to take to Seth's class the next day. Seth said they got excellent reviews!

I think for Mardi Gras, I'll make these just layering purple, green, and yellow. Then add just those colors of sprinkles! You could also do any holiday and just 'dye' the mix whatever color goes along with that holiday. I think 4th of July would be fun with blue and red! Oh and Halloween, orange and black...or even orange, black, with green! Oh and Christmas...the possibilities are endless!

Cheese Pie

This is a super easy and yummy appetizer!

Cheese Pie

1 egg beaten
1 cup milk
3/4 cup flour
1 cup diced Muenster cheese

Mix first 3 ingredients, add cheese and place in a 9 inch pie plate. Bake for 30 minutes at 450.

Here's what I came up with for "100 Days of School"

Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

Ingredients:
1/2 c sugar
1/2 brown sugar
1/2 c softened butter or margarine
1/2 c creamy peanut butter
1 large egg
1 t vanilla
1 1/4 c flour
1 t baking soda
pinch of salt
large bag of Reese's mini peanut butter cups

Combine:1/2 cup sugar, 1/2 cup brown sugar, and 1/2 cup softened butter and beat until light and fluffy. Add:1/2 cup smooth peanut butter, large egg, and teaspoon vanilla. Blend for several minutes. Add dry ingredients:1 1/4 cup flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, pinch of salt. Chill dough at least two hours.

Bake: Preheat oven to 350. Bring dough out at the same time you start the oven preheating. Use this time to unwrap the PB cups. In a 24 ct non-stick (very important) mini muffin tin, place enough dough in each cup to fill 2/3 full. Bake for seven to nine minutes, or until it is starting to get browner on the edges (do not overbake because it will make the cookies too hard). Remove cookies from the oven. The cookies will have puffed a bit. Immediately, place a peanut butter cup in the middle of each cookie pressing firmly. Cookie edges should be even with or above the candy. Let set in pan for a few minutes. Remove and cool on racks for some time until the chocolate has set.

Makes 4 dozen.

Ultimate Beef Tacos

I rarely watch the Food Network, but when I do, I have my favorite shows, Paula Deen, Michael Chiarello, Barefoot Contessa, and Tyler's Ultimate. Well on the last episode of Tyler's Ultimate, he was doing a show on tacos, just beef tacos so I tuned in. I'm always bored with my tacos so this really inspired me to check it out. Saturday, I made these tacos for dinner and they were out of this world amazing!! Everyone loved them so it was a sure hit! I made homemade salsa and guacamole to go along with the tacos and next time, I will do grilled corn, refried beans, and/or rice.

Ulitimate Beef Tacos

Ingredients:
2 pounds beef shoulder (chuck roast)

salt and freshly ground black pepper

Extra-virgin olive oil

2 cloves garlic, smashed

1 large onion, sliced

1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes

1 tablespoon chile powder

1 tablespoon cayenne pepper

1 tablespoon ground cumin

3 bay leaves (I left these out since I didn't have them)

Taco garnishes such as lettuce, sour cream, shredded cheese, guacamole, salsa, chopped tomato, black olives...whatever you want.

Instructions:

Season all sides of the beef with a fair amount of salt and pepper. In a large Dutch oven, or other heavy pot that has a tight cover, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over moderately high heat. Add the garlic and the beef to the pot, browning the meat on all sides, taking the time to get a nice crust on the outside. Add the onion and allow to lightly brown, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add the crushed tomatoes, plus 1 tomato can of water, spices, season with salt and pepper, to taste, and add enough water to cover the meat. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer with a lid for 3 hours until the meat is fork tender. Let meat cool in the liquid. Shred meat and set aside.

Serve in fresh, warm soft tortillas or shells. I used the flat corn tortilla shells and fried them in the form of a taco shell...that's the only way to go and around here, the only crunchy shells we eat. It's definitely worth the little bit of extra work.

Jen's Party Potatoes

And these are the potatoes I made for PEP...it's my own so I don't know actual amounts. Sorry!

Red potatoes, peeled, chopped, boiled, and drained
Sour Cream
Butter
Garlic, crushed
Shredded cheddar cheese
Bacon bits (real is best)
Chives (real is best) or Green Onions sliced thin


Combine all and pour into baking dish. Sprinkle more cheese on top and bake at 375 for approximately 25 minutes.

Parmesan Pull Apart Bread

Here's the recipe for the bread that I made for PEP last Thursday. It's super easy and super yummy!



Ingredients:

4 cans plain biscuits (cheapest, smallest ones are fine)
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese (not the powdery stuff)
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1T cracked black pepper

Directions:

Combine butter, cheese, garlic, and pepper in large bowl. Add biscuits making sure to coat each one with mixture and stirring well. Spray bundt pan with cooking spray and pour bread into pan. Bake at 375 for 20-25 minutes. Let bread sit in pan for a couple of minutes and then invert on a serving plate.

King Ranch Casserole

And it was YUMMY!! I got it from my newest Southern Living magazine. I substituted 3 large boneless, skinless breasts for the whole chicken and I omitted the celery and carrots since I didn't have those. I also used a very small onion and only 2 cups cheddar cheese (all I had).

King Ranch Casserole

Ingredients

1 (4 1/2- to 5-lb. ) whole chicken

2 celery ribs, cut into 3 pieces each

2 carrots, cut into 3 pieces each

2 1/2 to 3 tsp. salt

2 tablespoons butter

1 medium onion, chopped

1 medium-size green bell pepper, chopped

1 garlic clove, pressed

1 (10 3/4-oz.) can cream of mushroom soup

1 (10 3/4-oz.) can cream of chicken soup

2 (10-oz.) cans diced tomatoes and green chiles, drained

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon Mexican-style chili powder

3 cups grated sharp Cheddar cheese

12 (6-inch) fajita-size corn tortillas, cut into 1/2-inch strips

Preparation

1. If applicable, remove giblets from chicken, and reserve for another use. Rinse chicken.
2. Place chicken, celery, carrots, and salt in a large Dutch oven with water to cover. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat; reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer 50 minutes to 1 hour or until chicken is done. Remove from heat. Remove chicken from broth; cool 30 minutes. Remove and reserve 3/4 cup cooking liquid. Strain any remaining cooking liquid, and reserve for another use.
3. Preheat oven to 350°. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, and sauté 6 to 7 minutes or until tender. Add bell pepper and garlic, and sauté 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in reserved 3/4 cup cooking liquid, cream of mushroom soup, and next 5 ingredients. Cook, stirring occasionally, 8 minutes.
4. Skin and bone chicken; shred meat into bite-size pieces. Layer half of chicken in a lightly greased 13- x 9-inch baking dish. Top with half of soup mixture and 1 cup Cheddar cheese. Cover with half of corn tortilla strips. Repeat layers once. Top with remaining 1 cup cheese.
5. Bake at 350° for 55 minutes to 1 hour or until bubbly. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.
*1 tsp. chili powder and 1/8 tsp. ground red pepper may be substituted for Mexican-style chili powder.

Variations: (which I want to try next time)
Lightened King Ranch Chicken Casserole: Reduce butter to 1 Tbsp. Substitute reduced-fat cream of mushroom and cream of chicken soup for regular and 2% reduced-fat cheese for regular. Prepare recipe as directed through Step 4. Bake, covered, at 350° for 50 minutes; uncover and bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until bubbly. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.
Note: For testing purposes only, we used Cracker Barrel 2% Milk Natural Sharp Cheddar Cheese.
Quick-and-Easy King Ranch Chicken Casserole: Substitute 1 (2-lb.) skinned, boned, and shredded deli-roasted chicken for whole chicken, 3 cups coarsely crumbled lime-flavored white corn tortilla chips for corn tortillas, and 3/4 cup chicken broth for cooking liquid. Omit celery, carrots, and salt. Prepare recipe as directed, beginning with Step 3.

Yield
Makes 8 to 10 servings

Chicken and Spinach Pasta

Ingredients

8 ounces uncooked rigatoni
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup finely chopped onion
1 (10-oz.) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed
3 cups cubed cooked chicken breasts
1 (14.5-oz.) can Italian-style diced tomatoes
1 (8-oz.) container chive-and-onion cream cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 1/2 cups (6 oz.) shredded mozzarella cheese

Preparation

1. Prepare rigatoni according to package directions.
2. Meanwhile, spread oil on bottom of an 11- x 7-inch baking dish; add onion in a single layer.
3. Bake at 375° for 15 minutes or just until tender. Transfer onion to a large bowl, and set aside.
4. Drain chopped spinach well, pressing between layers of paper towels.
5. Stir rigatoni, spinach, chicken, and next 4 ingredients into onion in bowl. Spoon mixture into baking dish, and sprinkle evenly with shredded mozzarella cheese.
6. Bake, covered, at 375° for 30 minutes; uncover and bake 15 more minutes or until bubbly.

Makes 4 to 6 servings