Raspberry-Topped Eggnog Cheesecake

Originally Posted on My Pockets Full of Sunshine.
Doesn't this just sound heavenly? MMMMM...Yumm! So, this recipe came from a Betty Crocker Thanksgiving book from 2005. Be sure to plan ahead for this one :) I made this last year (2010) for a Thanksgiving Dessert. Well worth every minute!!

CHEESECAKE
1-1/4 cups crushed shortbread cookies (21 cookies)
1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted
3 packages (8 oz. each) cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
1/2 cup eggnog
1/2 teaspoon rum extract
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

RASPBERRY SAUCE
1 package (10 oz.) frozen raspberries in syrup, thawed, undrained
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1-1/2 cups fresh raspberries

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. In small mixing bowl, mix crushed cookies and butter. In ungreased 9-inch springform pan, press cookie mixture over bottom. Wrap foil around outside of the pan to prevent drips. Bake crust about 10 minutes or until set.
2. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees. In large bowl, beat cream cheese with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Beat in eggs, one at a time, on low speed until combined. Beat in eggnog, rum extract and nutmeg just until blended (do not overmix).
3. Bake 50 to 60 minutes or until set but center still jiggles slightly when moved. Cool 15 minutes; run knife around edge of pan to loosen cheesecake. Cool in pan on wire rack 1 hour. Referigerate at least 6 hours or overnight.
4. In food processor, place raspberries. Cover; process until smooth. If desired, strain to remove seeds. In 1-quart saucepan, mix pureed raspberries, 2 tablespoons sugar and the cornstarch. Heat to boiling over medium heat, stirring constantly. Referigerate sauce 30 minutes to cool. Stir fresh raspberries into sauce. Before cutting cheescake, carefully remove side of pan. Serve sauce over wedges of cheesecake. Store cheesecake covered in refrigerator. 16 servings.

Crock Pot Pizza

This recipe was originally posted at My Pockets Full of Sunshine!! Perfect for a fall day, and even better because the Crock Pot does most of the work (right up my ally these days)!

This recipe is a Taste of Home recipe but for some reason my links never work for thier recipes....so here it is -

Ingredients
1 package (16 ounces) wide egg noodles
1-1/2 pounds ground beef or turkey
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 jar (26 ounces) spaghetti sauce
1 jar (4-1/2 ounces) sliced mushrooms, drained
1-1/2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
1 package (3-1/2 ounces) sliced pepperoni, halved
3 cups (12 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
3 cups (12 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese

Directions
Cook noodles according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook beef and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in the spaghetti sauce, mushrooms and Italian seasoning. Drain noodles.
In a 5-qt. slow cooker coated with cooking spray, spread a third of the meat sauce. Cover with a third of the noodles and pepperoni. Sprinkle with a third of the cheese. Repeat layers twice.
Cover and cook on low for 3-4 hours or until heated through and cheese is melted. Yield: 6-8 servings.

**I don't always use the egg noodles. Last night I used Wacky Mac, and in the past I have used penne and even maccaroni.

Who Wants MONKEY MUFFINS???

I had orginally posted about these tasty little critters on My Pockets Full of Sunshine!! These are so wonderful...a favorite in our home!!

Monkey Muffins from The Pioneer Woman. These are Yummy!!  Quick and easy sweet breakfast treat...refrigerated biscuits makes this super speedy and the kids like to help out too!!. These are so good and a lot less baking time then regular monkey bread. You gotta give them a try :)

Ingredients

• Leftover Bread Dough (or Refrigerated Biscuit Dough, Cut Into Thirds)
• Butter
• Sugar
• Ground Cinnamon
• Sweetened, Condensed Milk

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Add 1/2 teaspoon butter to muffin tins. Sprinkle in sugar and cinnamon.
Roll dough into walnut sized balls (or cut refrigerated biscuit dough into thirds). Place three into each muffin tin.
Top with 1/2 teaspoon butter. Sprinkle on more sugar and cinnamon.
Allow dough to rise, if applicable, or just go ahead and bake for 15 minutes, or until golden and bubbly.
Remove from oven and immediately drizzle plenty of sweetened condensed milk over the top of each one. Be generous! Allow rolls to sit for a little while to absorb sweet, sticky milk.

My Potato Soup

This Recipe is from my sister, and was orginally posted on My Pockets Full of Sunshine. It is absolutely WONDERFUL!!!

Ingredients:
2 quarts water
6 medium potatoes, chunked
1 cup buter
1 large onion, chopped
15 chicken bouillon cubes
3 garlic cloves
1 (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
1 cup sour cream

Directions:
Bring water and potatoes to a boil, lower heat and simmer until potatoes are very tender. Saute butter, onions and garlic together in small pan. Carefully spoon half of the cooked potatoes out of the liquid into a blender. Add onions, garlic and butter to the blender and blend until smooth. Return to pot with cooking liquid still in it and bring to a boil. Lower heat and add bouillon cubes. When cubes are dissolved, add cream cheese and sour cream. Stir until melted and serve. It is very YUMMY!!!

Chicken Lo Mein

This post originated from My Pockets Full of Sunshine...
This is a very quick and easy yummy recipe. It is also great with beef. Tonight I made it with strip beef steak. It was just as good as it is with chicken.

1/2 lb. spaghetti, uncooked
1/4 cup Kraft Asian Toasted Sesame Dressing
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips (I like to add extra meat)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 pkg. (16 oz.) frozen bell pepper and onion strips, thawed, drained (Fresh peppers and onions work great too)
1/2 cup fat-free reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 Tbsp. peanut butter
1/4 cup lite soy sauce
2 Tbsp. chopped cilantro
2 Tbsp. chopped Peanuts

Cook spaghetti in large saucepan as directed on package. Meanwhile, heat dressing in large nonstick skillet on medium-high heat. Add chicken and garlic; stir-fry 3 min. or until chicken is no longer pink. Add peppers, onions, broth and peanut butter; stir-fry 3 to 4 min. or until chicken is done. Drain spaghetti; return to pan. Add chicken mixture and soy sauce; mix well. Spoon onto platter; sprinkle with cilantro and nuts.

Variations
Spicy Chicken Lo Mein: Add 1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper to the hot dressing along with the chicken and garlic. Pork Lo Mein: Substitute 1 lb. pork tenderloin, cut into strips, for the chicken and reduced-sodium beef broth for the chicken broth.

This recipe is from kraftfoods.com.

Craberry Chicken, Lemon Dill Rice, Chopped Blue Cheese Salad

This post originated at My Pockets Full of Sunshine...
Cranberry Chicken
4 medium, boneless chicken breast halves or 5 lbs. chicken pieces (wings, thighs, drumsticks)
8 ounces Catalina Russian dressing
1 packet dry onion soup mix
1 16 ounce whole or jellied cranberry sauce (I perfer whole)

Preheat oven 350 degrees. Spray a 13 x 9 inch baking dish with cooking spray. Place the chicken in the pan. In a medium bowl mix the Catalina dressing, soup mix, cranberry sauce. Pour over the chicken and bake for about 1 hour.
This chicken also goes great with chicken-flavored rice.


Lemon Dill Rice
Now for this rice I use my trusty rice cooker.
1 cup of rice
1-3/4 cup water
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp dill weed
1 tsp dried parsley or 1 tbsp minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 tbsp butter, cut into four pieces
salt and pepper to taste

This recipe is for 1 cup of uncooked rice but I generally do 3 cups of uncooked rice so I just add a little extra of the ingredients.

Chopped Blue Cheese Salad
There is no exact measurement for this salad...as much as you like!
Romaine Lettuce, chopped up
Green onions, sliced
Purple cabbage, shredded
Dried Cranberries, optional
Blue cheese
Candied pecans....I chop the pecans and put them in a small pan with butter and add cinnamon and brown sugar and heat them just till coated. Then cool on wax paper.
Marie's Blue Cheese Vinegarette Dressing

Mix it all together. A little bit of dressing goes a long way. Wait to add the dressing til you are ready to serve the salad cause the lettuce wilts and gets soggy. Does not store well, so you make want to add the dressing to each serving instead of the whole salad.

Frozen Hot Chocolate

I figured since the weather is FINALLY cooling off I'd better give this recipe a try before it is too cold :) Frozen Hot Chocolate! It was heavenly!! Oh my...I cannot wait to make it again!!

• 3 Tablespoons Granulated Sugar
• 1 package Hot Cocoa Mix (about 3 Tablespoons)
• 2 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter
• ⅓ cups Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
• ⅓ cups White Chocolate Chips
• 12 ounces, fluid Can Evaporated Milk, Divided
• 4-½ cups Ice
• Whipped Cream, To Taste
• Mini Marshmallows, To Taste

 Combine sugar, cocoa mix, and butter in the top of a double boiler that is set over gently boiling water. Stir often until melted and a smooth paste forms. Add semi-sweet & white chocolate chips; stir. When chips begin to melt, slowly stir in 1/2 cup of evaporated milk. Stir until smooth. Cool to room temperature.

Combine the chocolate base mixture, the remaining evaporated milk and ice in a blender (you can do this in batches) and cover. Blend until smooth. Pour into frosty glasses. Top each with whipped cream. Sprinkle with additional chopped chocolate chips & mini marshmallows, if desired.

Recipe Courtesy of the Tasty Kitchen