Chocolate Chip Cheesecake - June 17, 2012

I decided to buy myself a springform pan one day in hopes that I could recreate some awesome cheesecakes that I've seen around online. This was my first attempt at a cheesecake.

Chocolate Chip Cheesecake

Ingredients:

1 pkg Oreo cookies (I used Double Stuf - and ate the leftovers)

1/3 c.butter

3 (8oz. ea) pkgs cream cheese

1 (14oz) can sweetened condensed milk

3 eggs

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup mini semi sweet chocolate chips (I used the whole bag) :)

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

The recipe states to only crush up 1 cup of Oreos. I crushed up all but about 10 cookies. Mix the butter with the crushed cookies and press into bottom of a greased 9 inch springform pan. You can press the cookie mixture up the sides if you'd like as well.

Mix the cream cheese until smooth and creamy. Slowly add the sweetened condensed milk until completely blended. Add vanilla and eggs and blend until perfectly smooth and blended. Finally add 1/2 bag of mini chocolate chips and stir to mix.

Pour cheese mixture into pan and top with remaining chocolate chips.

Bake at 300 degrees for 1 hour. When the hour is up, turn off oven (do not open the oven) and leave cheesecake in the oven for another hour to cool. Once the second hour is up put the cheesecake in the fridge to cool completely. Once cooled through, enjoy!

Husband Rating:

He enjoyed it, but it wasn't his favorite cheesecake. I thought it was a little bit dry and not as creamy as I wanted. It was still a good first attempt. The cheesecake still tasted good with all the chocolate in it. Maybe next time I won't cook it as long?? I'm not an expert on cheesecake baking, so this is all going to be trial and error for me.

Taffy Apple Salad - June 10, 2012

I got this recipe from a friend of mine back in college. It's so easy and quick and it makes for a perfect summertime dish to pass.

Taffy Apple Salad

Ingredients:

1 small tub Cool Whip

1 box instant vanilla pudding mix

2 cups milk (or whatever the pudding mix calls for)

3-4 apples diced (or more per taste)

3-4 Snickers candy bars diced (or more per taste)

Mix the pudding per package directions. Fold in Cool Whip. Add diced apples and Snickers. Store in fridge. (I have seen people add pineapple or peanuts to this and I'm sure they'd be great. Try whatever you think would be tasty.)

Husband Rating:

The hubby likes this and could probably eat the whole thing. I like that it's light-ish and easy to make when you only have a few minutes. It tastes yummy and that's all I have to say. :)

Puppy Chow X 2 - June 3, 2012

I love puppy chow... a lot. I was looking at the back of the Rice Chex box and found a recipe for Lemon Buddies. I like lemon enough, so I thought, what the heck? and I made them too. I'm very glad I did. Here are the recipes for both.

Puppy Chow (or Muddy Buddies)

Ingredients:

9 cups Corn Chex, Rice Chex, or Chocolate Chex (or a combination)
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

In a large bowl, measure out cereal and set aside. In a 1-quart microwavable bowl, microwave chocolate chips, peanut butter, and butter uncovered on High 1 minute; stir. Microwave about 30 seconds longer or until mixture can be stirred smooth. Stir in vanilla. Pour mixture over cereal, stirring until evenly coated. Pour into 2-gallon resealable food storage bag. Add powdered sugar to the bag. Seal bag; shake until well coated. Spread on waxed paper to cool. Store in airtight container in refrigerator.

Lemon Buddies

Ingredients:

9 cups Rice Chex cereal
1 1/4 cups white vanilla baking chips
1/4 cup butter or margarine
4 teaspoons grated lemon peel
2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 cups powdered sugar

In a large bowl, measure out cereal and set aside. In a 1-quart microwavable bowl, microwave chips, butter, lemon peel and juice uncovered on High 1 minute; stir. Microwave about 30 seconds longer or until mixture can be stirred smooth. Pour mixture over cereal, stirring until evenly coated. Pour nto 2-gallon resealable food storage bag. Add powdered sugar. Seal bag; gently shake until well coated. Spread on wax paper to cool. Store in airtight container.

Husband Rating:

Puppy Chow is always a huge hit at our house. It's never going to last long. I took a leap of faith with the Lemon Buddies. I honestly didn't know how the hubby would react to the change. He actually really liked them! I was kind of surprised. The lemon buddies were just right. They weren't too lemony and they weren't too sweet. I'm planning on making them to take to school one of these days. I think the staff will like them.