Turtle Cheesecake...sounds divine. Found at Skip To My Lou

Turtle Cheesecake
Crust
1 9-ounce package chocolate wafer cookies (chocolate graham crackers or chocolate animals crackers work well)
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted
Filling
4 8-ounce packages cream cheese, room temperature
1 1/4 cups sugar
5 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 tablespoons whipping cream
4 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
Topping
1 cup caramel sauce (I gently boil a can of sweetened condensed milk covered completely in water in a covered stock pot for about 3 hours, cool slightly, open and pour onto cheesecake)
1/2 cup (about) chopped toasted pecans
chocolate ganache (melt about 4 oz chocolate chips with 2-3 Tablespoons heavy cream)
For Crust:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Finely grind cookies in processor. Blend in butter. Press crumb mixture onto bottom and 1 inch up sides of 9-inch-diameter spring-form pan with 2 3/4-inch-high sides. Double wrap outside of spring-form pan with foil.
For Filling:
Using electric mixer, beat cream cheese in large bowl until fluffy. Gradually add sugar and beat until smooth. Beat in eggs 1 at a time. Mix in vanilla extract.
Bring cream to simmer in heavy small saucepan. Reduce heat to low. Add chocolate and stir until mixture is melted and smooth. (This can be done in the microwave) Remove from heat.
Pour cream cheese mixture into crust. Spoon chocolate mixture over by tablespoons, spacing evenly. Using tip of knife, swirl chocolate mixture into filling. If you feel chocolate mixture is too thick just stir in a bit of the cheese mixture. Place cheesecake in a pan filled with water so it comes about 1/3 up the side of the cheese cake pan and bake until sides are set and center moves slightly when pan is shaken, about 1 hour 5 minutes. (Cake may crack.) Cool in pan on rack. Chill overnight.
Using small knife, cut around pan sides to loosen cake. Release pan sides. Drizzle caramel and chocolate ganache over top of cake. Garnish with pecans.

pumpkin oreo mini cheesecakes

found this recipe at Inside BruCrew.
planning on trying for all the halloween fun on Friday.


PUMPKIN OREO CHEESECAKE

2-8 oz pkgs. cream cheese, softened
1/2 c. sugar
2 eggs
2 tbsp. sour cream
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 c. canned pumpkin
oreos
whipped cream

Preheat oven to 350* Place cupcake liners in a muffin pan. Beat the cream cheese until creamy. Add the sugar and cream again. Add the eggs one at a time beating after each one. Add the rest of the ingredients and beat again. Place one whole oreo in the bottom of the cupcake liners and fill up the liner 3/4 full with the cheesecake batter. Push another whole oreo into the top of the batter. Bake for 20-22 minutes. Cool in pan for 15-20 min before removing and placing on a wire rack to finish cooling. Keep refrigerated. Top with whipped cream and oreo sprinkles before serving. Makes 24.

or might make some of these: 

  from a little lovely.

Beef Stew from...you guessed it Our Best Bites.

Sunday Beef Stew

I like to save recipes I find from other blogs here so I can remember to try them out.

Recipe from Our Best Bites

1 1/2-2 lb. lean stew beef, cut into even smaller bite-sized pieces (just pull out a pair of kitchen shears and cut anything that looks like you'd need to use a knife and fork on)

4-5 medium red potatoes, chopped

4-5 medium carrots, peeled and chopped

4 stalks celery, chopped

2 onions, chopped

4-5 cloves garlic, minced

2 12-oz. cans or 3 c. vegetable juice cocktail (like V8 or even Bloody Mary mix)

1 10-oz. can condensed tomato soup

10 oz. water (just use the can from the tomato soup to measure)

1 tsp. basil

2 beef bouillon cubes (or 2 tsp. beef base)

1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Now...this is super tricky. Preheat oven to 350. Combine ingredients in a large oven-safe pot that comes with an oven-safe lid.


Cook in heated oven for 3 hours. Remove from oven and serve. Awesome, huh?

You can also cook this in your slow cooker on low for 9-10 hours (or until vegetables and meat are tender) or on high for 5-6.

Serve with a loaf of French bread or homemade rolls and some honey butter.

Be sure to stick with us over the next few weeks because we have some fabulous Thanksgiving ideas coming up! Have a great weekend!

Dressed up Sloppy Joes (or what we will eat Sunday, from Our Best Bites)

Dressed-Up Sloppy Joes  From Our Best Bites...we are trying it Sunday

1 lb. lean ground beef

Seasoning salt to taste

1 medium onion, minced

1/2 green pepper, minced

3-4 cloves garlic, minced or pressed

3/4 c. ketchup

1 tsp. mustard

3 Tbsp. + 1 tsp. brown sugar

1 1/2 tsp. red wine vinegar

3/4 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

3 Tbsp. tomato paste

1/3-1/2 c. water to reach desired consistency

Freshly ground black pepper to taste
6 hamburger buns (to make your own, click here for the recipe)


Stovetop Instructions:

Brown ground beef with onion, green pepper, and garlic. Season to taste with seasoning salt. Add in mustard, ketchup, brown sugar, red wine vinegar, and Worcestershire sauce. Combine tomato paste and water and add to hamburger mixture. Add more water if desired. Season with freshly ground black pepper to taste. Cover, turn heat to low, and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve on hamburger buns.

Crockpot Instructions:

Brown ground beef with onion, green pepper, and garlic. Season to taste with seasoning salt. Transfer to slow cooker. Add in remaining ingredients and combine well. Cook on low for 3-4 hours and serve on hamburger buns.

Freezer Instructions:

Brown ground beef with onion, green pepper, and garlic. Season to taste with seasoning salt. Transfer to a freezer-safe container. Add in remaining ingredients and combine well. Freeze. When ready to cook, transfer to a slow cooker and cook on low to 3-5 hours. Serve on hamburger buns.

Baked Creamy Chicken Taquitos (from Our Best Bites)

Baked Creamy Chicken Taquitos

This recipe is from Our Best Bites.  I am trying it Saturday.

1/3 C (3 oz) cream cheese
1/4 C green salsa
1T fresh lime juice
1/2 t cumin
1 t chili powder
1/2 t onion powder
1/4 t granulated garlic, or garlic powder
3 T chopped cilantro
2 T sliced green onions
2 C shredded cooked chicken (for extra yumminess, use grilled taco chicken!)
1 C grated pepperjack cheese

small corn tortillas (and actually, flour ones are really good as well)
kosher salt
cooking spray

Heat oven to 425. Line a baking sheet with foil and lightly coat with cooking spray.

Heat cream cheese in the microwave for about 20-30 seconds so it's soft and easy to stir. Add green salsa, lime juice, cumin, chili powder, onion powder and granulated garlic. Stir to combine and then add cilantro and green onions. Add chicken and cheese and combine well.

You can prepare up to this step ahead of time. Just keep the mixture in the fridge.

Work with a few tortillas at a time and heat in the microwave until they are soft enough to roll without cracking. It helps to place them between damp paper towels. Usually 20-30 seconds will do it. If you find yours are cracking when you roll them or are coming unrolled right away, just try heating them longer and try the paper towel thing.

Place 2-3 T of chicken mixture on the lower third of a tortilla, keeping it about 1/2 inch from the edges.


Then roll it up as tight as you can.


Place seam side down on the baking sheet. Lay all of the taquitos on the baking sheet and make sure they are not touching each other. Spray the tops lightly with cooking spray or an oil mister and sprinkle some kosher salt on top.



Place pan in oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until crisp and the ends start to get golden brown.

The ones pictured below are actually flour tortillas- which I found out I like just as well (maybe even better!) than corn ones.


Dip 'em in salsa, sour cream, guacamole, or this dressing.

Perfect Crusting Chocolate Buttercream

Found this recipe here and wanted to hang on to it to try it out.

Perfect Crusting Chocolate Buttercream

Have tried several chocolate buttercream recipes and haven't been sold on any of them... Maybe because I'm not a big fan of buttercream in general... anyway, had to make a last minute cake with chocolate buttercream filling and icing... so I just started throwing things in the mixer. It turned out beautifully and my family is now eating the icing by the spoonful. Add 1/2 cup of peanut butter and you have an amazing chocolate peanut butter icing or filling... If using as a filling, chop up some peanut butter cups and sprinkle on top of the filling once you've put it on the cake and it's beyond belief!

INGREDIENTS:
6 sticks or 3 cups of salted butter (softened)
3 tbsp milk
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup cocoa powder (special dark for a darker frosting)
1 bag of Ghiradelli 60% cacao dark chocolate chips (melted)
2lbs (1 bag) of confectioner’s sugar

DIRECTIONS:
1. Mix butter, milk, vanilla, and cocoa powder in your mixer until thoroughly combined and smooth.

2. Melt your chocolate chips in the microwave on 30 second intervals stirring between heating. Then pour into the mixer a little at a time mixing as you go.

3. After the chocolate has been added to the other ingredients and you have a smooth consistency, add in the confectioner’s sugar. I just drape a dish towel over my kitchen aid and pour in the whole bag. Then turn it on low and let it go for a couple of minutes. If it is a little too thick, add another tablespoon of milk.

4. Let it sit at room temp for a couple of hours and ice your cake! Also great as a filling.


FOR DARKER CHOCOLATE... Use the Hershey's special dark cocoa powder or add 3 drops of black food color and about a teaspoon of brown. You'll get a nice dark chocolate color.

FOR CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER FILLING… add 1/2 cup of peanut butter to your butter mixture before adding your powdered sugar.

PEANUT BUTTER CUP FILLING… sprinkle chopped peanut butter cup between the layers after you spread your filling. NOTE: I don't recommend mixing the peanut butter cups into your filling will just break them down into nothing and you won't even recognize they are there...

Cricut Cake Class Scheduled

Cricut cake classes offered by Linda McClure, the creator of the great idea of using gum paste to decorate cakes...see if she is coming to a town near you!

Lemon Bars by Bakerella

I found this recipe on Bakerella and LOVE it.
We've made it several times and never have any leftovers :)

Thanks Bakerella!!!

Lemon Bars

Crust:
1 cup butter
1 3/4 cup flour
2/3 cup confectioner’s sugar (plus more for dusting)

Topping:
1 1/2 cup plain sugar
1/4 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
4 eggs, slightly beaten
1/2 cup lemon juice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Grease and flour a 9 X 13 pan

To make crust:

• In a medium bowl, whisk together flour and confectioner’s sugar
• Cut in butter until combined and crumbly.
• Press mixture into bottom of pan.
• Bake for 20 minutes or until golden.

To make topping:

• While crust is baking, prepare topping.
• In a larger bowl, add sugar, flour, and baking powder.
• Then add slightly beaten eggs and lemon juice.
• Mix well and pour on top of warm baked crust.
• Bake for 20-25 minutes.
• When cool, dust with confectioner’s sugar and refrigerate.
• Cut into bars and enjoy them cold!

Blue Cotton Granola Bars

I really can't wait to buy some oatmeal (and chocolate chips!) to try these out.

Mini Cheesecakes

Next thing to try...maybe for the upcoming MNI on Saturday. Love the TomKat Studio and this recipe and picture came right off her post and onto mine...cause remember, this recipe blog is more just for me then you :)


Mini Cheesecakes
12 Vanilla Wafers
1 tsp Vanilla
2 8oz packages cream cheese, softened
2 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
Line muffin tin with foil liners.
Place one vanilla wafer in each liner.
Mix cream cheese, vanilla & sugar on medium speed until well blended.
Add eggs. Mix well.
Pour over wafers, filling 3/4 full.
Bake 25 minutes at 325 degrees.

Remove from pan when cool. Chill.
Top with fruit, preserves, nuts or chocolate.
Be creative! (the recipe actually said this)