Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars

I got a little makeover...my blog that is. Thank you to April Showers Design. I'm still tidying up a bit so thank you for your patience.

I can't believe it's the end of September and I haven't posted any apple desserts yet. For me, September is all about the apple! I've been making this Paula Deen recipe for a couple of years now and they've always been good but they always needed a little more cheesecake filling in my opinion to match the thick crust and ample streusel topping. So I increased the cheesecake filling and these are even better than I remember. It may seem like a lot of steps but they actually come together quickly.

Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars

Crust:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened

Cheesecake Filling:

3 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened

3/4 cup sugar, plus 2 tablespoons, divided

3 large eggs

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Apples:

3 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and finely chopped

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Streusel topping, recipe follows

1/2 cup caramel topping

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a medium bowl, combine flour and brown sugar. Cut in butter with a pastry blender (or 2 forks) until mixture is crumbly. Press evenly into a 9x13 baking pan lined with heavy-duty aluminum foil. Bake 15 minutes or until lightly browned.

In a large bowl, beat cream cheese with 3/4 cup sugar in an electric mixer at medium speed until smooth. Then add eggs, 1 at a time, and vanilla. Stir to combine. Pour over warm crust.

In a small bowl, stir together chopped apples, remaining 2 tablespoons sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Spoon evenly over cream cheese mixture. Sprinkle evenly with Streusel topping. Bake 40-45 minutes, or until filling is set. Drizzle with caramel topping and let cool. Serve cold and enjoy!

Streusel Topping:

1 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup quick cooking oats

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened

In a small bowl, combine all ingredients. I like to really combine it by using my clean hands to thoroughly combine the butter into the mixture.

Source: adapted from Paula Deen

Blog Book Giveaway from Blog2Print

This giveaway is now closed. Thanks for entering! The winner chosen by random.org is #126:
luvin' life said..."I've been wanting to try this. Thanks for the chance!"

So here's the deal...I've been trying a lot of recipes and most of them have been...okay. So rather than post a sub-par recipe I would rather kick off the weekend with an awesome giveaway. I don't want to make my blog all about giveaways but a lot of people want to give you guys stuff!

I was really excited when Blog2Print offered to give either me or you a free blog book. I've used Blog2Print before to make blog books for my family blog and I love them. I usually do one book for every year and my kids love looking through all of the books. I have a ton of scrapbooking stuff and someday (in my next life) I will get caught up on all my scrapbooks. Until then, here's how I journal the fun and not so fun (*cough* pottytraining) happenings in my family.

Since I already have some blog books, I figured you guys should get the chance to make one since you are all so nice! All you have to do to make a blog book is enter in your blog address and it sucks it out into a pretty formatted book. No fuss. Great gift for your family or even grandparents.

Blog2Print has offered to give you a $40 code for Blog2Print, which will make a 60 page hardcover/90 page softcover book.

Just leave a comment to enter before next Wednesday, September 29th at noon EST.

Pumpkin Patch Puffs

Growing up as the youngest of ten kids we rarely ever were lucky enough to have one of these cereals for breakfast. Usually we had oatmeal or cracked wheat from our food storage. So when one of these boxes magically appeared in our pantry, it caused major chaos in our home. We would sit in a circle and divide the cereal equally, one piece of cereal at a time, until it was all distributed. Of course if it was Lucky Charms the marshmallows were divided first.

And if one of my brothers or sisters happened to be sleeping...too bad. You snooze, you lose.

So when the nice people over at General Mills and Betty Crocker asked a couple of us bloggers to come up with a Halloween themed treat using one of their Big G cereals I was in heaven. I was able to try all 6 Big G cereals and had them ALL to myself! I gravitated towards the Reese's Puffs because you know me and peanut butter have a thing.

Today is the first official day of fall.  Woo-hoo! Which in Florida means instead of it being 100 degrees it's 89 degrees. So what more perfect then some yummy peanut butter and white chocolate pumpkin puffs.

Pumpkin Patch Puffs

1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup white chocolate chips
3 1/2 cups Reese's Puffs cereal

orange food coloring (or equal parts red and yellow food coloring)
pretzel sticks
green gumdrops

In a large pan melt corn syrup and sugar on medium high heat until sugar is dissolved. Turn off the heat and stir in peanut butter, white chocolate chips, and orange food coloring. Add the orange food coloring to desired color. I like the Wilton brand colors because they are very bright. You want to mix it quickly so that it doesn't cool down too fast. If it does cool down too fast turn the heat back on for a second. Stir in the Reese's Puffs and coat as well as you can. Don't worry, when you form your pumpkins it will get more incorporated.

Let the mixture cool slightly.

When it is cool enough to handle start making golf sized pumpkin balls, forming well with your hands.
Form them around the pretzel sticks for pumpkin stems. Place on waxed paper to set.

Quarter the green gumdrops and use two slices for the pumpkin leaves.

Makes 15 pumpkins.

Chicken Broccoli Alfredo

It happened. I'm finally full. Didn't know it could actually happen. But it did. Have you ever eaten so much that if you ate one more bite you knew you would literally be sick? That was me last night. We had dinner and I checked my self control at the door. Shrimp, salad, and a filet topped with lump crab meat and butter sauce. For dessert, a piece of carrot cake that was as big as my face. Trust me, I measured as I was shoving it in my face.

If you want to be my friend, you have to love to eat. That's why Heidi and I were such good friends. She made this one night for us at her house. So good and supposedly this is a knock off of the Chicken Con Broccoli from Olive Garden. I know I've been making a lot of pastas lately but hey, that's the best part about running...carbo-loading the night before my long runs.

Chicken Broccoli Alfredo

Alfredo Sauce (recipe below)
2-3 cooked chicken breasts, diced
1-2 cups fresh chopped broccoli, cooked and hot
fettuccine, cooked according to package directions. (I used penne because it's what I had)

Cook chicken in method desired. I just cooked mine on the stove. Add chicken and broccoli to Alfredo sauce and heat through. Serve over hot, cooked fettuccine.

Alfredo Sauce:
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
2 cups heavy cream
1/8 tsp. garlic powder
1/8 tsp. ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon (1 clove) minced garlic
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Melt butter in medium saucepan over medium heat. Add minced garlic with the butter. Add cream, garlic powder, and pepper. Simmer, uncovered, for 10 to 12 minutes or until thick, stirring frequently. Trust me, it will thicken. When sauce has reached desired consistency, stir in Parmesan cheese. Use for Chicken Broccoli Alfredo, or just serve as is over fettuccine. Serves 4-6.

Source: Heidi Clark

Frosting that will get you hugs and the Giveaway Winners

The winner of the CakeCaps chosen by random.org is:

#43 Wonder Woman:"My sister just found out she is having twin boys. With 24 cousins and two more coming these would be an awesome favor to give out at her babies birth! Count me in I'd love to win!!"

There are two kinds of people: those who lick the frosting off a piece a cake and then those who eat the cake and not the frosting. What do I prefer? Do you even have to ask? Both, together...in copious amounts. For those who aren't frosting people, their reasons usually are that it's too sweet. I've never had that feeling but most of you know my sweet scale by now is a little skewed. This frosting is for those that don't like it too sweet. I've been wanting to try this frosting ever since I saw it on the Pioneer Woman but was a little hesitant because it was flour based which didn't sound appetizing at all and then it said to cook the frosting. Cook the frosting? The result is silky, light, whipped cream-like frosting.

My husband teaches early morning seminary at our house. For one of his student's birthday's he asked if I could make cupcakes. What teenager, or adult for that matter, doesn't want cupcakes at 6:00 AM? I'm always looking to make goodies so I said of course.

I was still sleeping when the birthday boy, Kevin, ate his birthday cupcake but my husband said he kept declaring that it was the best frosting he ever had.

I said, "Did you tell Kevin that's actually the name of the frosting?"

My husband said, "No. But he liked it so much he did ask if it would be too weird if he gave you a hug."

Hmm...at that moment it might have been a little weird since I was in bed...sleeping.

That's the Best Frosting I've Ever Had

5 Tablespoons flour

1 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup butter (2 sticks)
1 cup granulated white sugar (not powdered sugar)

In a small saucepan, whisk flour into milk and heat, stirring constantly, until it thickens. It took me around 5 minutes. Be careful not to burn it. Remove from heat and let it cool to room temperature. You can place the saucepan over ice in the sink for about 10 minutes or so until the mixture cools if you are in a hurry. Stir in vanilla. This mixture must be completely cooled in order for the frosting to work.

While the mixture is cooling, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Then add the cooled milk/flour/vanilla mixture and beat until it all combines and resembles whipped cream. Make sure you scrape down the sides every so often so that it all gets incorporated and whipped. If it's not looking like whipped cream, keep on whipping. This frosting is great for piping. Best served the same day.
Source: The Pioneer Woman

A CakeCaps Giveaway

All my friends here are having babies right now. There must be something in the water so I'm going to stick to drinking straight Diet Dr. Pepper :). Actually, yesterday for about 5.8 seconds I was really baby hungry. Then the craziness of my life dawned on me and I realized I can wait...for now.

CakeCaps is a company that creates these cute little cupcake toppers. They are made out of a thin layer of edible frosting that melts into the cupcake frosting when applied and they have over 25 designs. I jumped at the chance to try some of their baby CakeCaps designs out and to give them to my friend who just had a baby. The nice ladies at CakeCaps want to let you try some out too!

So just leave a comment before tomorrow at noon, EST (September 16th) to enter the giveaway. The winner can choose whatever design they wish.

And tomorrow I will give the recipe to the awesome frosting I used for these.

Chicken and Spinach Stuffed Shells

I ran twenty miles yesterday. Twenty. It's the longest I will run before my marathon in a couple of weeks. It was hard. Really hard. I have no idea how I'm going to do 6.2 more miles for the marathon.

Here's the breakdown:

Mile 1-13: Feeling good.

Mile 14-17: Starts raining. Pouring. Great. Awesome.

Mile 16-18: Some 20 year old kid starts following me on a bike..going really slow because I'm...well...going really slow. He kept trying to make conversation as I kept trying to breathe.

"What's with this rain?"

 I gave a slightly annoyed, out of breath, "I don't know."

What I wanted to say was are you serious right now? Are you trying to get with this sweaty mess? Do you realize I'm in the middle of mile 17?

He continued to follow me for another mile. I wasn't scared because by this time I was in my development with tons of people walking around me. I was just irritated and baffled.

Finally I said, "Buddy. You GOTTA keep moving."

Mile 19: I think I'm going to die and I have to use the restroom. Again.  

Mile 20: Made it. Collapse in my cool air conditioned living room. Go take a shower. Almost throw up. Then whine to John about how much my body hurts.

So that was my weekend. How was yours?

You're gonna love this dish. This meal is great when you have to take dinner to someone because it makes two pans and freezes well. I made one for my family and one for a friend who just had a baby. John comes home with food from work sometimes and often brings bland stuffed shells for the kids. When he took a bite of these he said, "Wow. These have a ton of flavor." Enough said. Sounds like a keeper to me.

Chicken and Spinach Stuffed Shells

1 (12-ounce) box uncooked jumbo pasta shells (if all of yours survive the boil this is enough, to be safe you may want 1 1/2 boxes)

2 cups chopped cooked chicken

2 cups fresh chopped spinach

1 onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 (15oz) container ricotta cheese

2 (8oz) packages cream cheese, softened (I think you could get away with one package)

1 (5oz) package shredded Parmesan cheese (about 1 2/3 cups)
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 Tablespoon dried parsley flakes
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
1 (26oz) jar prepared spaghetti sauce (this was just enough. If you like it saucier use more)

1. Cook shells according to package directions. Be careful not to overcook them or they will tear easily when trying to fill them. Drain and set aside.

2. Preheat oven to 350°. Lightly grease two 9x13 baking dishes.

3. In a large bowl, combine chicken and all the rest of the ingredients except mozzarella and spaghetti sauce. Stir in 1 cup mozzarella. Spoon into shells. *Tip: For easier filling, fill a gallon ziplock baggie with the filling and snip a quarter size hole off the corner of the bag. Then you can just pipe the filling into the shells.

4. Spread half of spaghetti sauce into prepared baking dishes. Arrange shells over sauce; top with remaining sauce. Cover tightly with heavy-duty aluminum foil. If you are freezing one of the 9x13 prepared pans, freeze it after this step. Include a baggy of the remaining mozzarella for when you cook it.

5. Bake, covered, for 40 minutes. Uncover, sprinkle with remaining 1 cup mozzarella. Bake for 5 to 10 more minutes.

Makes 8-10 servings.
Source: posted by Sisters Cafe; original recipe by Paula Deen

Triple Chocolate Scotcheroos and Krema's peanut butter winners

The winners chosen by random.org are:

Kimi D: "is it considered a recipe if i just eat it by the spoonful? if not, then i don't think anything can beat a PB&J with milk."

and

Hillary: "Peanut Butter and Nutella with some mini marshmallows on a graham cracker"

****************************

I was drooling as I read through all of your favorite peanut butter indulgences. Mentally I added about twenty things that I now want to make with peanut butter. Since I made two healthy peanut butter recipes in the last post it was definitely time for something a little more naughty. It kind of defeats the purpose of using all natural peanut butter in a sugary treat like this, but hey, we gotta meet in the middle somewhere.

Scotcheroos are one of my all time favorite desserts. They have three of my favorite ingredients: chocolate, peanut butter, and butterscotch all rolled into one. The original Scotcheroos are always good, but this twist on them was a winner too with the addition of Nutella and chocolate rice crispies. A sprinkle of sea salt adds a hint of salt and brings out all of the flavors. I should not be left alone with a plate of these...

Triple Chocolate Scotcheroos

1 cup sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
1/2 cup natural peanut butter (like Krema's; you could use regular peanut butter here too)
1/2 cup Nutella
6 cups crisp chocolate-flavored rice cereal
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup butterscotch-flavored chips
sea salt (optional)

1. Butter or spray a 9 x 13-inch baking pan.
2. In a large saucepan (at least 6 quarts) over medium heat, bring the sugar and corn syrup to a full boil. Remove from heat and stir in peanut butter and Nutella, then mix the rice cereal in until completely coated. Press the mixture into the greased pan, making sure the top is smooth.
3. Melt the chocolate and butterscotch chips together in a clean, dry bowl set over a double boiler or microwave, stirring gently until smooth and well-blended. Spread over the rice cereal mixture and cool until set. Sprinkle with sea salt if desired.

Source: Cassie Craves; original recipe by David Lebovitz

Krema's Peanut Butter Giveaway and peanut butter recipes

The nice people over at Krema Peanut Butter sent me a case of their amazing natural peanut butter to try. I found myself making a ton of recipes with their peanut butter. Oh man, I love peanut butter. I'm convinced it will be in heaven and calorie free of course. I actually compared Krema's peanut butter to Costco's natural peanut butter and Krema's peanut butter definitely won the taste test.

Krema has offered to send two lucky winners 2 jars of their natural peanut butter. Check out Krema's website and to enter leave a comment here about what your favorite food involving peanut butter is before Thursday, September 9th at noon (EST). I seriously don't know if I could narrow it down. 

**********************************************

My mom is somewhat of a health nut and used to make these growing up as an after school snack. They are a healthy snack and are like little protein balls. At least that's what I kept telling myself as I threw them down my throat.

Peanut Butter Balls

1/2 cup creamy natural peanut butter (like Kremas)

1/2 cup honey
3/4 cup nonfat powdered milk
3/4 cup quick-cooking oats

Combine all ingredients in a bowl; mix well. Using your hands, roll the dough into balls about the size of large gumballs. Place on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper, and refrigerate until set. Makes about 18 balls.

Source: adapted from LuLu the Baker

Then since I couldn't stop making peanut butter recipes, here's Krema's twist on a recipe that won $25,000 in a JIF contest.

Chicken and Peanut Butter Lettuce Wraps 

iceberg or romaine lettuce leaves

Filling:

1/2 to 3/4 cup chopped Fuji apple (about 1 apple)

1 cup cooked chicken (I boiled mine with salt, pepper, and onion)
20 red grapes, halved
1/2 cup chopped red onion
1/4 teaspoon salt

Sauce:
1 Tablespoon light mayonnaise
1 Tablespoon honey
1 Tablespoon all-natural creamy Krema peanut butter

Combine all of the filling ingredients and then pour the sauce and combine. Spoon into a fresh, crispy lettuce leaf and roll it up. Makes four lettuce wraps.

Source: Kim from Krema (adapted slightly to add measurements)

Cinnamon Roll Cake

I think everyone needs therapy. We all are a product of our upbringing, whether bad or good. Every single thing that happens in our life shapes us as a person. I'm not saying you have to see a professional, but thank goodness for good friends to go through life with. By understanding where we come from and what we've experienced, we understand more why we are who we are today. I realize this more and more as I get older. Like why I have a phone phobia or why every single time I go grocery shopping I have to start on the right side of the store and work my way around to the left.

Okay, so maybe I'm still trying to figure those out...

When I first met my husband I was burnt out on the whole dating scene. As we started hanging out I told myself I was just going to let go...be the quirky, goofy person I was right off the bat and if he didn't like it...see ya buddy...no more time wasted. So then I did exactly that. I said things you probably shouldn't say when you first getting to know someone (if you actually want them to like you) and told stories that included me doing impersonations and a couple of funny dances to go with them. Then I looked over to see what probably should've been a horrified look in his eyes and instead I saw the opposite...adoration. It was so refreshing. He liked me. He liked the goofy me. He liked that I could do the Moonwalk. I could be, say, or do whatever I wanted without constantly worrying he was going to judge me. I told my friends it was like free therapy.

Baking is also therapeutic for me. That's how this cake came about. I was having a stressful day. I swear sometimes I feel like there's a camera on me and I'm being Punk'd. My husband knowingly said, "Why don't you go bake something so you can relax." You're right.

This cake is yummy and actually lighter than I was expecting. I loved the smell of it baking in my oven.

Cinnamon Roll Cake

Cake:

3 cups flour

¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 ½ cups milk
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 cup (1 stick) real butter, melted

Topping:
1 cup (2 sticks) real butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoon cinnamon
3/4 cup chopped pecans, (optional) (always measure the nuts first then chop them)

Glaze:
2 cups powdered sugar
5 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla

Preparation: Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
1. In an electric or stand mixer mix the flour, salt, sugar, baking powder, milk, eggs and vanilla. Once combined well, slowly stir in the 1/2 cup melted butter. Pour batter into a greased 9 x 13 inch baking pan.
2. In a large bowl, mix the 2 sticks of softened butter, brown sugar, flour, cinnamon and pecans until well combined. Drop evenly over cake batter by the tablespoonfuls and use a knife to marble/swirl through the cake.
3. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until toothpick comes out nearly clean from center. You want to make sure it's done. I like most things underdone but cake is not one of them.
4. Place powdered sugar, milk and vanilla in a large bowl. Whisk until smooth. Drizzle over warm cake. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Source: adapted slightly from Picky Palate