Hello friends great to see you again, it has been so long! If you've been here a while you know that I have a pretty severe eye condition and I've been going through some problems with that. Dealing with my dads passing, etc but I'm back!
As always there's a story here! I found a random recipe box. I have no idea where it came from. I have no idea where the recipes inside of it came from. It's in all different handwriting and I have absolutely no recollection of this. However, I did find some great recipes and I am going to share them with you! I did find a few that are my mom's recipes so there's that and I'm really excited to share those! So we'll call this the recipe box mystery!
This recipe is a classic no-bake cheesecake. It's a good one to stir things into to add toppings to and as long as you use a 10 inch crust there's plenty of room for all of that. It's just a great base recipe. It happens to taste delicious too! So let's get in to this super easy no bake cheesecake!
You will need:
1-8oz pkg cream cheese (room temp)
3/4 granulated sugar
1 T vanilla extract
1 small box instant vanilla pudding
1 pint heavy whipping cream(2 cups)
One 10-in graham cracker crust
Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer, mix all ingredients until well combined and smooth. (If you're going to stir in anything, this is where you will do it.) Pour into the graham cracker crust cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hrs.
Again, this can be made in a smaller crust or a homemade crust just make sure that if you want to top it and present it that way a 10-in crust works best!
Good afternoon my dear friends. I am so happy to see you back, and welcome to anyone who may be new here! We are back with an easy dessert for fall, or anytime you need something sweet. These are getting right up outta this house and going to work with my husband. They aren't safe here. And neither am I!
I have seen this "recipe" if you will, all over the place. I mean, I have seen them done 10 different ways. Make your own caramel, caramel sauce (still haven't figured out how that works), caramel bits, traditional caramels...you get my point. I would have chosen to make my own caramel, it is so easy, but I had already bought these caramels, and can we get to the real questions?? Do you say CARMEL, or CARAMEL? Inquiring minds....
I can't believe Thanksgiving is 2 weeks away. Random I know. I am not cooking this year! Well, I am but just having the holiday at my sisters so I am bringing Pineapple Stuffing because my family can't have a holiday without it, green beans, because I accidentally bought 10 bags of frozen green beans while doing my Wal-Mart grocery delivery order, and stuffing, because I like mine best. I will probably crank out a huge pan of baked mac and cheese as well for good measure. I think I am subconsciously all ready for it to be here. Thanksgiving dinner is my favorite meal of life, besides good seafood which is hard to come by in Nebraska! The end.
I will have explained in this video why I did a few things differently than maybe some other recipes you have seen for this. I did change up a major thing which was using freeze dried apples instead of fresh. Ain't nobody got time to risk apples turning brown, including me! I hope you enjoy and HAPPY FALL!! Sending blessings to you all!
You Will Need:
2 cups chocolate or white chocolate chips (I choose 1 cup of milk chocolate and 1 cup white chocolate
2 cups of caramels (measure before melting)
1/2 cup pistachios (shelled)
1 cup freeze dried apples (smoosh them up a little so the bark is easier to break when done) OR use 1 apple of your choice, diced small.
pretzels, between 1/2 to 1 cup.
Line your cookie sheet with a silpat or parchment paper. Melt your chocolates you can do it in the microwave or on the stove. If you do them in the microwave, you need to heat them in 30 second increments, and stir between ever 30 seconds. If you overheat/scorch them, it will be a clump of what appears to be half dried mud. Not a good look or taste. Now you canc use all chocolate chips, milk or semi-sweet, but I opted for 1 cup of white chocolate chips and 1 cup of milk chocolate chips because I don't LOVE chocolate with the caramel apple flavor. No don't come for me, a little is fine, but the entire base of the bark, no thanks. It worked out more than perfect. Make sure your chips are at room temp when you heat them. Mine were out of the freezer and tried to seize up but I rule and caught them in the nick of time. You will see this on the video. When I spread the chocolate out, I then crushed up pretzels in my hand. You can lay them out nice and tidy if you so choose, I didn't so choose. I then sprinkled the pistachios on. I saw some bare spots and panicked! Hehe
Next, melt the caramel, SLOWLY heat it. I did my caramel on the stove. When it is completely melted, (keep stirring soldier) stir well and then pour on top of the chocolate/pretzels/pistachio layer and spread out evenly. I left a small border so you could see the chocolate layer around the edges. Work quickly so you can get your apples on top before it sets. I just used my hands to crunch up my apples still in the bag. I happened to get these apples at Dollar Tree because I was there, and we have tried them before, and I didn't want to use fresh apples. Problem solved. Get them on, press them down a bit and let sit for at least 1 hour.
Break it up and place in an airtight container.
The textures of this you guys....is awesome. A slight chew from the freeze-dried fruit, crunch from the pistachios and pretzels, creamy chocolate, chewy caramel.......it all comes down to the fact you just need to make these. It doesn't have to be more difficult than that!
My friend Rachel always says that and I thought it was fitting!
I hope this finds you all doing well and getting ready for that wonderful FALL weather to get here! Does anyone NOT enjoy Fall? The older I get the more "over" summer I am. I mean you guys, I get downright mean in the summer. I clearly can't take any personal responsibility because, it is out of my control. I swear! Summer is gross. I can do ONE month of summer. Can someone arrange that, because I would sure be a happier person probabaly 3 months out of the year!
Speaking of HOT and SUMMER, I had to share this recipe. I was chatting to my sister (#1) and she was having her daughters and their families over for dinner today and she told me she was making No Bake Peanut Butter Bars! I was like...WHHHAAAAAAAT? I have not had one of those for probablly 40 years! I was so glad she reminded me. Her first teaching job, or maybe she was student teaching.....Shout out to GREELEY NEBRASKA! This was apparently a popular recipe there because she used to make it all the time and never did before that.
I split my batch for experimental reasons and I found my version was a little better and added these cinnamon and honey undertones and it was perfection, so, I mean, obviously I went with it. This recipe is super easy and can we talk about freezing them? Oh myLANTA they freeze beautifully.
Annelle: "It’s in the ‘Freezes Beautifully’ section of my cookbook, and I want to make something that freezes beautifully."
Name that movie!?
Here we go, and PLEASE make these, because they won't heat up your house, they take like 5 minutes and they are super rich, will feed tons of people and there are plenty for you to sneak during the night when you "get up for a drink"!
You will need a 9x13 pan, you can easily halve the recipe for an 8x8 or 9x9 or any other freakishly odd size pan you have. Why do they even do that to us?
Here is what you will need!
1 cup salted butter (melted)
2 cups of CINNAMON HONEY graham crackers (about 2 packs) THIS is what takes this to new levels
1 11.5 (or close) bag of semi sweet chocolate chips
2 HEAPTING tablespoons of creamy peanut butter
Get your graham crackers smooshed. Use a rolling pin, food processor, baseball bat, hammer, whatever works for you. They absolutely do not have to be "find crumbs" but just get them smooshed. Next add in your melted butter and combine until they are mixed. Next add in your powdered sugar, and vanilla and peanut butter. You are going to need a hand or stand mixer for this. I mean it is possibly to use a wooden spoon, but just don't. One arm will be twice the size of the other because of the muscle building and that is not a good look on anyone. When this is completely mixed, or pretty daggone close, press it into the bottom of the pan. I lined mine with parchment first so I could lift them out and cut them easily. Make sure to press your mixture in firmly.
Now for the topping. In a microwave safe bowl, add in your chocolate chips and 2 big ol' globs of peanut butter. Microwave 1 minute and stir. Continue microwaving for 30 second intervals and stirring until all is melted and smooth. Pour over your peanut buttery goodness and smooth it out to cover. Refrigerate for 2 hours. They can stay in far longer, but, I say at least 2 hours.
Cut and enjoy! Send them in your kids lunches, have them for afterschool snacks, eat them when you are sad, happy, mad or shocked because after all.....food is love!
Good afternoon and happy Friday! In a perfect world Friday would be the end of everyone's work week right? Some of us have to wait until Sunday and Monday to celebrate weekend time! The good news is, I have a recipe to share from a friend, that is going to be easy and quick enough to make ANYTIME, weekend or not!
These Georgia Cracker Bars are a recipe I got from a friend. We collaborated on our YouTube channels, picked a recipe from each others cooking playlist and made it to see what we thought! I picked this one, and OH am I glad I did. This will become a an absolute go to for family dinners, parties, potlucks, or anytime I need or want a quick dessert that will send my guests over the moon! These bars definitely put GEORGIA on my mind! Thank you Stacie for this awesome recipe. Click this link to get to her channel! I am so glad your momma made it for you! I love family recipes, and to be honest, my family may adopt it now!
Here is what you will need: 1 box (3 packs) graham crackers 2 left whole and 1 crushed up) 3/4 cup butter (1 1/2 sticks) 1 cup brown sugar 1 cup evaporated milk 1 egg 1 cup chopped pecans 1 cup sweetened coconut, flakes or shredded 1 pack of crushed graham crackers 1 T vanilla extract
Line a 9x13 cake pan with one layer of graham crackers. Leave them whole, it will take the entire package, or almost. Now in a saucepan add, butter, brown sugar, evaporated milk with the egg beaten in it, combine all ingredients and bring to a boil. STIR CONSTANTLY! After it begins to boil let it boil for 2 minutes, while continuing to stir. Bring it off the heat and add in pecans, coconut, crushed graham crackers and vanilla. Combine thoroughly. Pour over graham crackers and spread out evenly. Now use the last package of graham crackers to top the filling. (see video)
Icing: 2 cups powdered sugar 1/2 cup melted butter 2 T evaporated milk 1 tsp vanilla extract Whisk to combine all ingredients into a smooth icing. Spread over the last layer of graham crackers. I refrigerated mine for 1 hour. Perfectly slices into bars and WOW are they good! ENJOY!
Unicorns, unicorns everywhere! At least for me. I love unicorns. While I should probably not announce from the rooftops that I am 45 and obsessed with them, I am anyway!
Been awhile, eh? Busy time, just kind of burning both ends of the candle, and still dealing with eye issues. Had an emergency surgery to replace 2 sutures, 2 weeks ago and fix a vitreous fluid leak. Joy. If you follow me on social media or YouTube you probably know the sorted details! I wanted to make a variation of puppy chow. No chocolate, no peanut butter. Just something else, that is new and SPRINGY! This is what I got. The first time around I used plain Rice Chex. The second time I used Vanilla Rice Chex. If you can get the later, DO IT. If not, still Do IT, because this is a delicious!
I was thinking if you changed up the sprinkles to red, white and blue you could send it home in fun bags for birthday favors, like a Capt America birthday, black and yellow for a Batman, etc...
You can't beat a quick no bake dessert like this one. We have all been in a position where we needed something and we needed it like, NOW! You will need: 1/2 cup dry vanilla box cake mix 5 cups Vanilla Rice Chex Cereal (or plain) 1 1/4 cups white chocolate chips 1 tsp vegetable oil 1/2 cups sprinkles of your choice Place cereal in a LARGE bowl. Melt white chocolate chips at 30 second increments at a time until all melted. I added in vegetable oil to thin my own a TINY bit. This is optional. Mix and pour over cereal. Add in half of your sprinkles and stir until all of the cereal is coated. Add in your cake mix and the rest of the sprinkles and toss again. When all of the cake mix has been stirred in, place on a foil covered baking sheet. Let sit for 30 minutes in a cool place. Break up and store in a baggie or air tight container! ENJOY and I hope it makes you feel as magical as a unicorn!
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