Praline Cheesecake Squares

Recipe shared with me by Holly M.

24 servings

Crust ingredients:

1 1/4 cups flour

1/2 cup melted butter

1/3 cup finely chopped pecans

1 Tbsp. powdered sugar

In a large bowl combine crust ingredients. Mix well then press into the bottom of an 8x8 baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until crust is set and light golden brown around the edges.

Cheesecake ingredients:

12 oz. softened cream cheese

2 eggs

2/3 cup sweetened condensed milk

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

In a large mixing bike beat cream cheese with an electric mixwe on low to medium speed until smooth. Add eggs; beat well. Beat in sweetened condensed milk, granulated sugar and vanilla.  Pour over baked crust. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 35 to 40 minutes until set. Cool in pan on a wire rack.

Topping ingredients:

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup whipping cream

1/2 cup chopped pecans

1 tsp. vanilla

In a medium saucepan combine brown sugar and whipping cream. Cook and stir over medium heat until mixture boils; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in chopped pecans and vanilla. Pour over cheesecake. Cover and chill for 2 to 24 hours before serving. Cut into 1 1/2-2 inch squares.

*To make a regular 9x13 pan just double the recipe.

***OH HEAVEN!! I first had this yummy dessert at a baby shower that was thrown for me 7 years ago. I of course asked for the recipe from my friend. It has become the dessert that I request for Mother's Day. And just maybe I will share with those close by!

 

Sewing Projects

My daughter and I did these bags together. She found a pattern and decided she wanted to make some bags and try to sell them. I thought it would be a good teaching opportunity. I decided I would make one and as I made one, I would show her and she could make her own. She did an awesome job for her first sewing project. We thought the bags would be a good size for a scripture bag....They are a lot bigger! I actually use mine for a purse! I love how they turned out! And no, we haven't made anymore since because there was a lot more cutting out and detailed work to make it worth trying to sell them!

Crocheted Baby Slippers

My second ever pair of booty's that I have crocheted myself! I am really pleased with how they turned out. I made these for my cute little niece that was recently blessed.

Valentine Shirts

This was last years Valentine shirts. They still fit 3 of my 4 girls this year. My sis-in-law and I made these for our girls.

I found plain shirts at Old Navy on clearance. We used Valentine Doilies as stencils. We also used fabric paint but I'm sure your basic toll paints will work since I can never get them out of clothes that I accidentally spill on. I centered then taped the heart on so it wouldn't move, put a piece of card stock inside the shirt so the paint would go through to the back of the shirt, then used a sponge brush and tapped (like patting) the paint on. I Loved how they turned out! A very fun and cute idea for Valentines! 

My sis-in-law also helped me make these cork-screw hairbows to match the Valentine shirts. Sooo Cute!She made it look so easy...glad she could make mine look cute! 

I Love making hearts in their hair for Valentines!

Valentine Oreo Cookies

 

2 boxes strawberry flavored cake mix

1 cup vegetable oil (or 1 1/2 cups shortening)

4 eggs

Combine ingredients in mixing bowl til well blended. Form dough into a 1-1 1/2" balls. To shape into a heart I took a butter knife and sliced into one side of the ball just a little bit to make the top of the heart. I then took the dough that is on each side of the knife and pulled away from the knife, creating space between the slit I made with the knife. I then squeezed the dough together on the opposite end from the slit, creating the bottom point of the heart. I did have to flatten the top (face) of the heart just a bit too. Be creative and make a heart how you can.

Place on cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 min. Til the top starts to crack and lose it's gloss.

Let the cookie cool then make a sandwich with the filling...

Filling:

1 (8 oz) package cream cheese

1/4 cup butter

1 TB vanilla

2 3/4 cups powdered sugar

*I found this recipe on pinterest. I was worried the strawberry cookie was going to be too sweet, but the husband gave them 2 thumbs! Definitely a fun new Valentine treat we will be doing again!

Team Kenton

UPDATED...
Dear Family and Friends...
I want to share with you about an AMAZING young man.

Kenton Reynolds....

I first heard about Kenton from seeing on several signs around town that said, "TEAM KENTON". I was very curious to find out what TEAM KENTON was and it didn't take me long to find out on FB seeing as all my neighbors knew who HE was.

Then, my daughter, Brindley came home from school and told me about Kenton. She knew Kenton from school. She shared with me how funny Kenton was and that everyone loved to be around him. Brindley said that one time on the bus ride home they were talking and he told her how excited he was to go to Young Men's at church.

I have been following his story for awhile now. Kenton was diagnosed with Leukemia in June of 2012. He has gone through all the treatments along with a bone marrow transplant. Last week they shared with everyone the news that no one wants to hear.

I want everyone to know of this Young Man. With out even meeting him in person, he has taught me and my family so much. He is a Super Hero to me. Our family prays for him daily and I ask if all of you would remember him and his Dad, Mom and younger sister in your prayers.

You can find out more about Kenton and his family on his FB page: TEAM KENTON

From what I understand, the parents are taking time from work to spend their time with him. Their income will be cut and they will need help with expenses. Even $5 will help them. If you would like to help you can do a paypal donation at (chubby dog@comcast.net), or you can donate at Wells Fargo Team Kenton account. Thanks so much!

Kenton, you are one of Heavenly Father's choicest spirits.

Steak Marinade AKA Carne Asada Marinade

Recipe taken from Allrecipes.com.

3/4 cup orange juice

1/2 cup lemon juice

1/3 cup lime juice

4 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup soy sauce

1 teaspoon finely chopped canned chipotle pepper (we substitute crushed red pepper for this) 

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon paprika

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 tablespoon black pepper

1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped (we leave this out for the steak marinade)

1/2 cup olive oil

If using for steak marinade:

Whisk all ingredients together. Place 3 lbs of your choice of cut steak in a double zip gallon bag. Pour marinade in back. Zip it and massage meat with the marinade. Place in fridge and let marinate for several hours. The longer the marinate the more flavor in the steak. We usually start it 18-24 hours before. Turn steaks and massage them every few hours. (I don't miss my sleep to do this. :)) When ready, remove steaks from bag, grill them over medium high heat til cooked to your likeness. (When blood starts to sweat from the top of the steak, turn it over.) Discard the used Marinade!

If using for a marinade for Carne Asada:

Combine the orange, lemon, and lime juice in a large glass or ceramic bowl along with the garlic, soy sauce, chipotle pepper, chili power, ground cumin, paprika, dried oregano, black pepper, and cilantro. Slowly whisk in the olive oil until marinade is well combined. Remove one cup of the marinade and place in a small bowl, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for use after the meat is cooked.

Place the flank steak between two sheets of heavy plastic (resealable freezer bags work well) on a solid, level surface. Firmly pound the steak with the smooth side of a meat mallet to a thickness of 1/4 inch. After pounding, poke steak all over with a fork. Add the meat to the marinade in the large bowl, cover, and allow to marinate in the refrigerator for 24 hours.

Preheat an outdoor grill for medium-high heat, and lightly oil the grate.

Remove the steak from the marinade and grill to desired doneness, about 5 minutes per side for medium rare. Discard used marinade. Remove meat from heat and slice across the grain.

Pour the one cup of reserved, unused marinade over the hot meat and serve immediately.

**Jim found this recipe and used it for Carne Asada when we did our Cinco De Mayo dinner. I was hesitant to try it, but when I did...I LOVED IT! We now use it to marinate our steak. I don't use my Hienz 57 anymore! YUMMIEST WAY TO HAVE A STEAK!

 

Taco Soup

1 lb hamburger
1/2 of an onion diced
2 cans chilli beans
1 can kidney beans (drained)
1 can corn
1 can petite diced tomatos
2 cans tomato sauce
1 packet taco seasoning

Brown Hamburger with Onion. (Season with some salt and pepper). Combine cooked Hamburger, Beans, Corn, Tomatos, and Tomato Sauce. Stir in Taco Seasoning. Bring to simmer in soup pot and let simmer for 5-10 min. Can also be put in a crockpot and heated through. The longer it simmers the more the flavors blend and increase. If it seems too thick to you, like not enough juice, you can add more tomato sauce or even tomato juice.
Serve with tortilla chips, green onions, cheese, sourcream, lettuce, olives...what ever you would put on a taco.

*This recipe is super quick. Great for group get togethers!
**This recipe came from my Mom! Love Taco Soup!!

Quick and Easy Breadsticks

Recipe taken from Jamie Cooks it Up Blog.

1 1/2 C warm water

2 T sugar
1 T yeast
1/2 t salt
3 1/2- 4 C flour
1/4 C butter
3/4 C grated Parmesan or mozzarella cheese

1. Mix the water, sugar and yeast together in a measuring cup or in the bottom of your mixer. Let it sit for 5 minutes.
2. Add the salt and the flour, one cup at a time, until it is well incorporated. Mix on high for 5 minutes. Let the dough rest for 5 minutes.
3. Melt the butter and pour half of it into a jelly roll pan (large cookie sheet).
4. Place the dough in the center of the pan. Let it sit for 2 or 3 minutes. Letting the dough rest makes it MUCH easier to shape.
5. Spread the dough out flat onto the pan until it reaches all of the edges. Doing all of the spreading and cutting of these bread sticks, in the pan makes cleaning up your counter so much easier!
6. Pour the other half of the butter onto the dough. Spread it around with your hands. Sprinkle the Johnny's Garlic Seasoning all over the dough, and then the Parmesan cheese.
7. With a pizza cutter cut the dough into three rows lengthwise, and then into about 12 little height wise rows.
8. Put the pan into a 170 degree oven for about 7-10 minutes. The breadsticks should rise about 1 inch.
9. Turn you oven up to 350 and bake for about 12 minutes, or until golden brown.
10. When they come out of the oven let them sit and rest again for about 5 minutes. Then redefine your cutting lines with the pizza cutter.

**I copied and pasted this recipe....because I LOVE the step by step instructions. These are so easy and so Yummy!!

A friend back in Carson City does a Halloween Party every year for all the kids/moms in the ward. It is so much fun and there are alot of creative treats made. Here are pictures from lastyears. Maybe they will give you ideas for fun treats for your Halloween Party!!

***********

Rice Crispy Candy Corns (My Kreation)

 Mummy Pizza

The kids can make these themselves!

Veggie Skeleton...some of it had been eaten by the time I got the picture. 

 If you look at the apples in the back, they are a mouth with teeth. I think she used slivered almonds for the teeth. As the apple browns a little the mouth looks even better!

 Cake Cemetary...Always a favorite with the kids.

I would love to see some of your Halloween Kreations! Post your pics on my Kristi's Kitchen Kreations FB wall! And who knows...there might be a prize for my FAVORITE KREATION!!

Holiday Wreaths

Just wanted to share some wreaths that I made. I'm so excited to use them this fall and Christmas!

For every burn to the fingers with the Hot Glue Gun we got a cookie.......I won't tell you how many cookies I got! But I think there were a few others that had quite a few cookies too! OUCH! ;)

I do not take credit for the design/idea of these wreaths...just that I made these two.

7 Up Biscuits

2 c Bisquick mix
1/2 c sour cream
1/2 c 7up
1/4 c melted butter
Preheat oven to 450º
Cut sour cream into your Bisquick mix, then add 7up - it will make a soft dough. Now sprinkle your counter with a little Bisquick mix then add dough and pat it out.
Melt butter and pour it into a 9" square baking pan. Cut your biscuits up and arrange them in pan on top of melted butter.
Bake 12-15 minutes or until golden brown.

**I first tried these at a friend's house and I LOVED them! So I looked on Pinterest for the recipe and found this one taken from THIS BLOG.  They are very easy to make! Try them out and let me know what you think!

Cake Mix Cookies III

Such a Quick, Easy way to make cookies!!

All 3 cookies below are made from cake mixes.

Lemon Raspberry 

 Chocolate Fudge with White Chocolate

 Cherry Chip

1 cake mix

2 eggs

1/2 cup vegetable oil

Mix all ingredients together. If it seems a little too moist add some flour, about 1/4 cup at a time til it will hold a ball form.

Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes.

So many different combinations can be made with the cake mixes. With the Lemon Cake mix I added some raspberry bits from Alison's Pantry. They were sooo good. You could also roll the Lemon ones in sugar before you baked them. For the Chocolate Fudge I added white chocolate chips. You could also add toffee bits or the raspberry bits. The Cherry Chip is just that...Cherry Chip cake mix. I had intended to frost them with cherry frosting, but ran out of time. Be creative! SO MANY POSSIBILITIES!!!

Grilled Cheese Pizza

 Sam wanted to be in a picture with the food! And yes, she ate every bite!

Bread (we love Grandma Sycamore's)

Mozzarella Cheese

Pepperoni

Garlic Butter

Parsley

Pizza Sauce

Not much instruction here....Sprinkle some parsley in your garlic butter and stir it up. Butter one side of two pieces of bread using the garlic butter (like you do for a grilled cheese). Layer mozzarella cheese and pepperoni on one slice of bread (the unbuttered side) and place the other slice of bread on top With both buttered sides facing out. Toast in a pre-heated frypan over med. heat flipping over after about 1 minute or until it is golden brown. Toast other side. Serve with Pizza Sauce for dipping!

**A friend gave me this idea! Thanks Kate! This is a very quick and easy twist with pizza. It was a BIG hit at our house! 

Key Lime Bars



Crust:
5 ounces animal crackers (about 2 1/2 cups animal crackers)
3 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
Pinch salt
4 tablespoons butter, melted

Filling:
2 ounces cream cheese, softened to room temperature
1 tbsp grated fresh lime zest (from about 2 limes)
1 can (14-ounce) sweetened condensed milk
Pinch salt
1 large egg yolk
1/2 cup fresh lime juice (from about 3-4 regular limes or 20 Key limes)

3/4 cup shredded coconut, toasted (optional)

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees, adjusting an oven rack to the middle position. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with aluminum foil, letting two opposing edges hang over at least an inch or so. Grease the foil with cooking spray.
For the crust, process the animal crackers, sugar and salt together to fine crumbs in a blender or food processor. Drizzle the melted butter over the crumbs and pulse to incorporate (or stir together in a bowl with a fork). Sprinkle the mixture into the prepared pan and press the crumbs into an even layer. Bake the crust until fragrant and golden, about 15-18 minutes.
For the filling, while crust bakes, in a medium bowl, stir the cream cheese, lime zest and salt together until combined. Whisk in the sweetened condensed milk until smooth (you can use a handheld electric mixer, if you want). Whisk in the egg yolk and lime juice until combined.
Pour the filling evenly over the crust. Bake the bars until the filling is set and the edges just slightly begin to pull away from the sides of the pan, 15-17 minutes.
Let the bars cool completely in the pan set on a wire rack, about 2 hours. Then cover the pan with foil and refrigerate until chilled, about 2 hours. Remove the bars from the pan using the foil overhang and cut into squares. Sprinkle with toasted coconut if desired.

** OH MY!! I am such a lover of Key Lime! These were so scrumptious! I do think the crust was a little too thick. I measured 2 1/2 cups of animal crackers. Next time I will try the 5 oz and see if there is a difference.
**I found this recipe on Pinterest. It came from Mel's Kitchen Cafe! One of my favorite sources!

Count Down....

In 10 days my kids head back to school. I'm sure many of you are gearing back up for the school year too. Well, I am on the count down! I can't wait to make cookies for my girls again! EVERY MONDAY!!

It's been 3 years ago that I started Cookie Monday. We were in a new place (Carson City). My girls were starting in a new school and were not very excited about it. I wanted to do something for them. And that's when Cookie Monday came about. They got to where they would walk in the door every Monday, take a big breath/smell and try to guess the kind of cookie that was baking.

Now we are back in our home (Utah).... And we are keeping it going!! Welcome back Cookie Monday!

Last year we started a Back to School Cookie Celebration. After the first day of school we invited friends over for cookies and milk.  WE ARE DOING IT AGAIN!!  Everyone is invited!

August 23rd

Right after school...

2nd Annual Back to School COOKIE PARTY!

Come have Cookies and Milk

At the Rowley's House!

If you need directions, please leave me a comment with your e-mail and I will get you directions!

Here is one of the cookies I will be making for that day:

1 2/3 cup shortening
1 1/4 cup sugar
1 1/4 cup brown sugar
3 eggs
2 1/2 tsp. vanilla
4 cups flour
1 1/4 tsp. soda
1 1/4 tsp. salt
3 cups chocolate chips
optional: nuts

Cream together shortening and sugars.  Add egg and vanilla.  Mix in dry ingredients, then the chocolate chips.  Bake at 375 degrees for 8-10 minutes.

*This recipe came from my mom.  All three chocolate chip recipes that I have posted have the same ingredients, just different amounts.  It does make a difference in the taste of the cookie too.  When I made these I used my "BIG" cookie scoop.  The outsides had a nice warm crunch and the inside was soft and melty.  These didn't last long at our house!

Crockpot BBQ Chicken with a KICK

4-6 pieces boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 bottle Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ sauce
1/4 c vinegar
1/8-1/4 tsp Kick'n Chicken Seasoning.
1/4 c brown sugar
1/2 - 1 tsp. garlic powder

Place chicken in crockpot. Mix all other ingredients together and pour over chicken. Cook on LOW for 4-6 hours.

*This is one of those yummy recipes that I pinned (pinterest) and told myself I HAD TO TRY IT! So glad I did! The whole family loved it. Kids even asked for seconds. Since making this in the crockpot, I have also made it in the dutch oven and it turned out super yummy too!

**I found this recipe HERE...And then instead of using the red pepper flakes, I substituted and use the Kick'n Chicken Seasoning! (I yummy seasoning my sis-in-law told me about...It goes so good in alfredo sauced pasta).

Easy Black Bottom Cupcakes

*1 Milk Chocolate Cake Mix

         Mix up cake batter according to directions on package.

*1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened

*1 egg

*1/3 cup white sugar

*1/8 teaspoon salt

*1 cup chocolate chips (can use semi-sweet or milk chocolate)

         Combine cream cheese, egg, sugar, salt and chocolate chips.

Line a muffin pan with cupcake liners. Place about 1 TBS of cream cheese mixture in each cup. Make sure there are a couple chocolate chips in each one. Fill the cup to 2/3 full with cake batter. Bake according to cupcake baking time on cake mix package. Let cool and frost with your favorite chocolate frosting!

**Do you know how kids only take cupcakes so they can eat the frosting?...Well, not with these! The kids gobbled the whole thing up! They went really fast!

**I used the Hershey Kiss Chocolate Chips because I liked having the little bit bigger chocolate chip in them. Definately making these again soon.

**I give credit to my Sister, Julianne for this recipe and also, Allrecipes. com. Julianne made some like these for a family gathering a few years back and I LOVED them. So I searched for the recipe, found the cream cheese part on Allrecipes. com and put them together.

Mini Chicken, Bacon, Cream Cheese Taquitos

1/3 of a 16-ounce package bacon (about 6 slices), chopped
1/2 of an 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
2 cans (12.5 ounces each) Swanson® Premium White Chunk Chicken Breast in Water, drained (or leftover cooked chicken)
8 flour tortillas (10-inch)
Vegetable oil

1.Cook the bacon in a 10-inch skillet over medium heat until crisp. Remove the bacon from the skillet and drain on paper towels.

2.Stir the bacon, cream cheese and chicken in a medium bowl.

3.Cut each tortilla into 3 (3-inch) circles using a round cutter. Spoon about 2 teaspoons chicken mixture in the center of each (one) tortilla round. Roll the tortillas around the filling and secure with toothpicks.

4.Pour the oil into a heavy 4-quart saucepan to a depth of 3 inches. Heat the oil to 350°F.

5.Add the taquitos to the saucepan in batches and cook until well browned on all sides. Remove the taquitos from the saucepan and let drain on paper towels. Let cool for 5 minutes. Remove the toothpicks before serving.

 

*This recipe is one that I had pinned and ACTUALLY made it!! I found it here on the "Mommy, I'm Hungry!" blog. It is a VERY EASY recipe to put together. You could have the kids help put them together and then an adult do the frying.

**We definitely will be making these again. I would suggest adding some seasoning to the chicken mixture. I added a little onion powder and some chives. My Girls loved them...especially dipped in some Ranch.

Who still Checks My Food Blog???

Now that I am getting settled in my house, I am anxious to get some new recipes posted. But I wanted to check and see who actually still checks my food blog. I have a GIVEAWAY planned, but I wanted to see how many people still follow me. If you do, would you please leave a comment. And maybe even tell me why you like to look at this blog.