A Great Dessert

Turtle Cheesecake

Crust

3 cups finely chopped pecans
1 stick unsalted butter, melted
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt

Cheesecake Filling

24 oz cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup full-fat Greek yogurt or sour cream
3/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla
3 large eggs
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Toppings

1 cup coarsely chopped pecans, toasted
1 11-oz bag caramel candy, unwrapped
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
6 tablespoons milk, divided

Insructions

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
Line a 13x9 pan with parchment paper, so that parchment extends over long side of pan.
In a bowl, mix crust ingredients together with a fork; press mixture onto bottom of prepared pan.
Bake crust for 20 minutes; while crust bakes, prepare filling.
Cream together cream cheese, yogurt or sour cream, sugar and vanilla.
Beat in eggs, one at a time.
After crust bakes, remove from oven and immediately sprinkle on 1 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips.
Pour filling over chocolate chips and return to oven; bake for 50 minutes.
Allow cheesecake to cool for about hour, then place in refrigerator to chill overnight.
When ready to serve, remove cheesecake from pan using parchment paper and place on serving platter, then prepare toppings:
Toast pecans in oven for 10 minutes at 350 degrees.
Unwrap caramels and place in a microwave safe bowl, along with 4 tablespoons milk.
Microwave in 30 second intervals until caramels have melted and sauce is smooth.
Pour caramel sauce over cheesecake and immediately sprinkle on toasted and chopped pecans.
Place chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl, along with 2 tablespoons milk, and microwave in 30 second intervals, about 2 minutes total.
Stir until smooth and drizzle over caramel-pecan topping.
Allow chocolate to set before serving.

Sticky Bun

Sticky Bun Breakfast Ring

Ingredients:

2 small tubes refrigerator buttermilk biscuits OR 1 tube Pillsbury Grands buttermilk biscuits
3 Tbsp. butter, melted
1/2 C. pancake syrup (any brand you like, I used Mrs. Buttersworth)
1/3 C. packed light brown sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 C. chopped pecans, optional
1/4 C. chopped almonds, optional

Instructions:
Spray a fluted pan with non-stick spray. Combine the melted butter and syrup in a small bowl and set aside. In another bowl, combine the brown sugar, cinnamon, and nuts (if desired). Place about half of the syrup mixture in the bottom of the pan. Then sprinkle half of the brown sugar mixture on top. Lay the biscuits on the bottom of the pan, overlapping edges (closely together) to form a ring. Top with remaining syrup and sugar mixtures. Bake at 375 degrees for approximately 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Cool for 1 minute in the pan, then invert onto a serving platter and enjoy!

** I ended up using 1 1/2 tubes of the Pillsbury Grands buttermilk biscuits (1 tube didn't seem like enough) and baked it for about 30 minutes. It needed a bit longer to bake since I used more... 

Mini Chicken Pot Pie, So easy to make!

Chicken Pot Pie with just 4 ingredients? It couldn't

 get any easier!

Ingredients: 

Grands!® Chicken Pot Pie Puffs

2 cups Green Giant® frozen mixed vegetables, thawed

1 cup diced cooked chicken

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

1 can (16.3 oz) Pillsbury® Grands!® Flaky Layers refrigerated biscuits


Heat oven to 375°F. In medium bowl, combine vegetables, chicken and soup; mix well.
Press each biscuit into 5 1/2-inch round. Place 1 round in each of 8 greased regular-size muffin cups. Firmly press in bottom and up side, forming 3/4-inch rim. Spoon a generous 1/3 cup chicken mixture into each. Pull edges of dough over filling toward center; pleat and pinch dough gently to hold in place.
Bake at 375°F 20 to 22 minutes or until biscuits are golden brown. Cool 1 minute; remove from pan.
Make the Most of This Recipe With Tips From The Pillsbury® Kitchens
Substitute 2 cups of any frozen (thawed) vegetables you have on hand, such as broccoli, corn, peas or green beans, for the mixed vegetables.
If your family loves cheese, sprinkle some shredded Cheddar cheese over each puff about 5 minutes before the end of the baking time.

Cheesy Chicken and Rice Casserole

It’s a wonderful Weight Watchers casserole recipe that is easy to prepare and very satisfying at 7 Points + per serving.

Ingredients

1 cup brown rice, uncooked
1 lb cooked skinless boneless chicken breasts, diced
2 cups fat free chicken broth
1-2 cubes chicken bouillon
16 oz frozen broccoli
8 oz frozen mixed vegetables
1 cup reduced fat cheddar cheese, shredded
1 ½ cups fat free sour cream
1 cup fat free milk
2 tbsp whole wheat flour
1 tbsp light butter (I used Brummel & Brown)
2 tsp onion powder
1 tsp paprika
Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a large 9” x 13” baking dish with non-fat cooking spray or an olive oil mister.
Prepare rice according to package directions, but using the chicken broth instead of water, and adding in the bouillon with the broth.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil on the stove. Blanche broccoli and mixed vegetables for just about 3 minutes. Drain and spread evenly into baking dish. Top with the cooked chicken. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, onion powder and paprika.
Top with ½ cup of the shredded cheese. Then top with the rice.
In a small saucepan, melt butter over medium high heat. Whisk in the flour and stir until well combined. Add in milk, salt and pepper, and continue to whisk constantly, until mixture bubbles and thickens. Remove from heat and fold in the sour cream. Pour over rice, and then sprinkle evenly with remaining cheese.
Place in oven and bake for about for about 20 minutes, or until cheese is melted and bubbly.
Let cool about 10 minutes before serving.

Number of servings (yield): 8

Fat: 4.5

Protein: 23

Entire recipe makes 8 servings
Serving size is about 1 ¼ cups
Each serving = 7 Points +

PER SERVING: 278 calories; 4.5g fat; 35g carbohydrates; 23g protein; 6g fiber

Peanut Butter Cheesecake Bars

Ingredients:

1 8-oz package of cream cheese
½ cup sugar
1 egg
1 18-oz package of your favorite store-bought peanut butter cookie dough

Recipe:

1. Take your cream cheese out of the fridge and let it soften. In the meantime, heat your oven to 350 degrees.

2. In a bowl, combine the softened cream cheese, sugar, and egg. Beat until smooth.

3. Take half of the cookie dough (and try not to eat it all with your hands) and use it to line a medium (8 or 9-inch) square baking pan or dish. Press dough evenly into the bottom of the pan. This is your crust.

4. Spread the cream cheese mixture over the dough.

5. Take the other half of the cookie dough and crumble it. Sprinkle this over the top of the cream cheese layer in the pan.

6. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until golden brown and firm. Cool for 30 minutes. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours to chill.

After you let this chill, cut it into squares and try your hardest not to eat the entire plate before your friends get a chance.


Source: College Candy dot com

Caprese PIZZAS!!

Ingredients:

Toppings
3 medium vine-ripened tomatoes
1 tsp (5 mL) salt
2 tbsp (30 mL) chopped fresh basil
1 tbsp (15 mL) olive oil
8 oz (250 g) fresh mozzarella cheese
Coarsely ground black pepper

Crusts
1 tsp plus 1 tbsp (5 mL plus 15 mL) olive oil, divided
1 package (13.8 oz or 283 g) refrigerated pizza crust
1 garlic clove, pressed
1 oz (30 g) Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1 Preheat oven to 425°F (220°C). For toppings, slice tomatoes into 1/4-in. (6-mm) slices. Place onto paper towel-lined cutting board. Sprinkle both sides evenly with salt; let stand 15 minutes.

2 Meanwhile, for crusts, lightly brush Rectangle Stone with 1 tsp (5 mL) of the oil. Unroll dough onto baking stone. Press garlic into (1-cup/250-mL) Prep Bowl and combine with remaining 1 tbsp (15 mL) oil; brush over dough. Grate Parmesan cheese using Rotary Grater; sprinkle evenly over dough.

3 Cut dough lengthwise into thirds with Pizza Cutter. Carefully move dough strips slightly apart on baking stone. Bake 11-12 minutes or until bottom of crusts are light golden brown.

4 While crusts bake, finish toppings. Chop basil using Santoku Knife (see Cook's Tip); combine with oil in another Prep Bowl and set aside for later use.

5 Blot tops of tomato slices with paper towels. Slice mozzarella cheese into 1/4-inch-thick (6-mm) slices. Arrange tomato and cheese slices in overlapping rows on baked crusts. Return to oven; bake an additional 4-5 minutes or just until cheese melts.

6 Remove baking stone from oven. To serve, brush basil mixture over pizzas using Chef's Silicone Basting Brush and sprinkle with black pepper.

Yield: 6 servings

Nutrients per serving: Calories 350, Total Fat 17 g, Saturated Fat 7 g, Cholesterol 35 mg, Carbohydrate 35 g, Protein 15 g, Sodium 950 mg, Fiber 2 g

Cook's Tips: Salting tomatoes pulls out the excess moisture, preventing a soggy pizza. Blotting well with paper towels results in a more concentrated flavor.

To easily chop basil, stack leaves on top of each other and roll into a tight cylinder. Slice crosswise to form ribbons. Turn basil ribbons and slice crosswise again.

French Toast Roll-Ups

Source: inspired from Cinnamon Spice and Everything Nice
taken from "the girl who ate everything" website!

Ingredients

8 slices white sandwich bread
softened cream cheese, diced strawberries, or Nutella
2 eggs
3 tablespoons milk
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 heaping teaspoon ground cinnamon
butter, for greasing the pan

Instructions

Cut the crust from each slice of bread and flatten it out with a rolling pin.
Place about 1-2 teaspoons of your chosen filling 1 inch from one end of the bread in a strip. Roll the bread up tightly and repeat with the remaining pieces of bread. I really like cream cheese with diced strawberries as one combination and Nutella with diced strawberries as another combination.
In a shallow bowl whisk the eggs and milk until well combined.
In a separate shallow bowl mix the sugar with the cinnamon.
Heat a skillet set over medium heat and melt a tablespoon of butter.
Dip each bread roll in the egg mixture coating well and then place them in the pan seam side down. Cook in batches until golden brown, turning them to cook and brown on all sides. Add butter to the pan as needed.
Add cooked rolls immediately from the pan to the cinnamon sugar and roll until completely covered in sugar. You can serve with syrup for dipping but I think they're perfectly good all by themselves.