Philadelphia 3-Step Cookie Dough Cheesecake

This is a DANGEROUS recipe.  We absolutely love it at our house.  As soon as we eat it all gone, the ingredients are on the shopping list for the next grocery store trip.  And it has cookie dough - which makes it 20 million times better!  Everyone we've served it to has asked for the recipe so I highly recommend this one!

I found this recipe here!

Ingredients:

2 pkgs (8 oz each) Philadelphia cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla

2 eggs

3/4 cup prepared or refrigerated chocolate chip cookie dough, separated

1 Honey Maid Graham Crust (6 oz)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Beat cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until well blended.  Add eggs, mix just until blended.  Remove 1/2 a cup of the dough, drop by teaspoons into the batter.  Stir gently.  

Pour into crust.  Top with level teaspoons of the remaining 1/4 cup cookie dough.  

Bake 40 minutes or until center is almost set.  Cool.  Refrigerate 3 hours or overnight.  Garnish as desired.  Store in the refrigerator.  

-Alissa

Chicken Pot Pie Crumble

My hubby is a huge fan of Chicken Pot Pie.  I like it but I don't love mostly because I don't love the crust it has so I haven't really made it much but when I found this recipe I thought that this is a Chicken Pot Pie recipe that I could really like and it did not disappoint!  My chicken ended up shredding instead.  When I went to dice it, it just started shredding so I decided to go that route and it was just fine.  Next time I am going to one and half the sauce because mine ended up being a little on the dry side.  I didn't have a pie pan dish so I just used a casserole dish and it worked just fine.

I found the recipe here.

Chicken Pot Pie Crumble

20 oz. boneless skinless chicken breast halves (about 2 large)
1 (14.5 oz) can low-sodium chicken broth
1 Tbsp olive oil 1 cup peeled and diced carrots (about 2 large carrots)
3/4 cup diced celery (about 2 large stalks)
3/4 cup finely diced yellow onion (about 1/2 medium onion)
2/3 cup frozen peas
3 Tbsp butter
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup milk
1 tsp lemon juice
1 1/2 tsp dried parsley
1/4 tsp dried thyme

For the crumble:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/4 tsp garlic powder (use 1/2 tsp for a slightly stronger garlic flavor)
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
1/4 cup butter, cold and diced into small cubes
2 oz. finely shredded Parmesan cheese (about 1/2 cup packed)
3/4 cup + 2 Tbsp heavy cream

Directions

Place chicken in a slow cooker, pour chicken broth over chicken. Cover with lid and cook on low heat about 5 - 6 hours until chicken is cooked through. Remove chicken from slow cooker, dice and set aside. Strain broth from slow cooker through a fine mesh strainer into a bowl and reserve broth (if you don't have a fine mesh strainer just try to remove the pieces of fat).

To prepare crumble:

Preheat oven to 450 degree. In a mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, pepper, garlic powder and optional cayenne pepper. Using your finger tips, cut butter into mixture until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in Parmesan cheese. Pour in heavy cream and mix just until combine. Break and drop mixture into 1 - 2-inch pieces onto a Silpat lined baking dish. Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes until golden. Remove from oven and set aside.

To prepare filling:

Heat olive oil over medium high heat. Once hot, add diced carrots, onion and celery. Saute vegetables, stirring occasionally until lightly golden and tender, about 5 - 6 minutes. Pour vegetables into a bowl and set aside. Reduce heat to medium, melt butter in saucepan (I like to brown it a bit for and extra layer of flavor), then add in flour and cook, stirring constantly for about 20 seconds (it will be very thick). While stirring, slowly add in milk followed by reserved chicken broth, lemon juice, parsley, thyme and season with salt and pepper to taste. Bring mixture just to a boil, then slightly reduce heat and allow to cook about 1 minute longer until thickened, stirring constantly. Remove sauce from heat and add sauteed vegetables, frozen peas and diced chicken to sauce, then toss to evenly coat. Pour mixture into a 9-inch pie dish and sprinkle with baked crumble topping (mine fit perfectly in my pie dish but if yours is coming close to the top edge you may want to sit it on top of a cookie sheet to prevent spills in your oven). Bake in 400 degree oven until nicely golden about 12 - 14 minutes. Serve warm.

-MEGAN

Big Kahuna Chicken Teriyaki Sandwich

We are getting very excited for warmer weather around our house because that means grilling season is upon us and we LOVE to grill!  I really like this sandwich, mostly because I love teriyaki.  I did however change a few things.  Instead of pounding the chicken out I just cut the chicken breasts in half so they are thinner.  We don't brush the pineapple with more teriyaki sauce.  The chicken I feel like provides enough of the teriyaki flavor.  Also, I am not a big fan of pepper jack cheese so I use monterey jack cheese on mine and the kids and pepper jack for the Hubby.

I found the recipe here.

Big Kahuna Chicken Teriyaki Sandwich

• 4 chicken breasts
• 1 bottle Teriyaki sauce (we used Lawry's brand)
• 3/4 c. brown sugar
• 4 slices deli ham
• 1 can sliced pineapple (or you can use fresh which would be even better)
• 4 slices Pepper Jack cheese
• 4 large hamburger buns

• Pound chicken breasts until they are about 1/4" thick all around. Place in a large Ziploc bag. Combine Teriyaki sauce and brown sugar until sugar dissolves. Add 1/2 of the mixture to the bag with the chicken and seal tightly. Place bag in refrigerator for at least 4-5 hours. Separate remaining Teriyaki mixture into 2 separate bowls (to prevent cross contamination use 2 separate brushes too)-- one for the pineapple, one for the chicken. Open pineapple can and save a little of the juice in a bowl. Place chicken and pineapple on the grill (medium heat).
• Brush with Teriyaki sauce every few minutes until chicken and pineapple are done-- try to only flip the chicken and pineapple once. Either on the grill or in a frying pan, cook ham with a little of the pineapple juice until it becomes nice and hot. Slice open hamburger buns and place a piece of cooked chicken on each bottom bun. Top with cheese, ham, grilled pineapple, and bun top. Serve immediately with remaining grilled pineapple.

-MEGAN

Friday Favorite

Anyone who knows me knows that I'm an absolute Harry Potter freak.  I've read each of the books more times than I can count and having Harry Potter marathons with the movies is one of my favorite things.  You can't just watch one!

Pinterest is great for finding fun facts about my beloved series.  One of the things I ran across recently was something super cool about Dame Maggie Smith, the actress who played Professor McGonagall.  From 2007-2011, she was battling breast cancer but still continued to film the final movies.  Also, while filming The Half Blood Prince, she was diagnosed with a horrible case of shingles and had to wear a wig.  Even though she was in an incredible amount of pain, she kept going.

This woman is absolutely AMAZING!  I have so much respect for her and how strong she is.  Also, she's in Downton Abbey.  So that gives her another point in my book.

Chicken Bacon Pasta

I have to say right of the bat, I didn't love this dish.  I saw this recipe all over Pinterest for a while and was very excited to try it.  Maybe that is why I had such high hopes, who knows.  But it just didn't have that much flavor.  The sauce was to watery for my liking.  And I just wanted more FLAVOR (get my point ).

 

Now, there were a couple of things that I didn't do right.  I'm not a perfect person. ;) 

 

First, I used to much pasta.  I put in a whole box and I was really only suppose to use like three-fourths of it.  But I didn't want to have an almost empty box of pasta sitting around, that I would never use.  So, because of my wanting to just use the whole box, the sauce seemed very light.  Even my hubby though that, which he doesn't like a lot of sauce to begin with.  So, my pasta amount was one issue.

 

Second, I put a small amount of crushed red pepper flakes in.  I didn't want it to be too hot for my 3 young children.  This may have effected the overall flavor of it.  Who knows.

 

Third, I think I may have put to much water in the end.  The recipe calls for some water at the end to loosen the sauce.  I must have used to much water.  My sauce just seemed really watered down.  I don't even know how much water I put in.  So, I would recommend add very small amounts at a time.

 

I am posting it so, you can learn from my mistakes and hopefully have a better experience then me with this dish. :)  Good luck!

Chicken Bacon Pasta

1/2 pound bacon, cooked and roughly chopped
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (or less if you don't want the heat)
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 pound penne pasta
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup cream cheese
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
2 whole eggs
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
2 grilled chicken breast, sliced

Cook the pasta in boiling water until done (according to package instructions).

 Place cream and cream cheese in a small saucepan. Heat over low until cream cheese is melted, and whisk until smooth. Remove from heat. Add the parmesan cheese, eggs, garlic powder, red pepper flakes and pepper and whisk until blended.

 Drain pasta (reserving 1/2 cup of hot water) and return to pot. Immediately add the white sauce and toss to coat. The hot pasta will cook the eggs. Stir in the bacon, and add some reserved pasta water to loosen the sauce.  Top with grilled chicken.

Note:
-I used frozen, grilled mesquite chicken breasts that I had bought at Sam's Club.  All I had to do was warm them up in the microwave.   It made the preparation even more simple.

Recipe found here.

-Brooke

Andes Mint Cookies

Let me preference this by saying, if you don't like Andes Mints then your probably are NOT going to like these.

 

However if you are a fan of Andes Mints, like we are in our house, then you will LOVE these.  I tried these the week before Christmas.  Just to give you a heads up, the mint smell was so strong when I was baking them, it was a tad overwhelming. So, be prepared. 

I wasn't sure what I first thought of these cookies.  I was kind of on the fence.  But they really grew on me.  And when my husband took some to work and his co-workers loved them, I knew they were yummy!

 

And I have to tell you a little secret.  I decided to freeze a bag to see how they would hold up.  We pulled it out 2 weeks later and they were still so yummy.  In fact, I almost thought they tasted a little bit better after being frozen.  Weird, right?  I think we already established I'm a little weird though so, this is nothing new. :)  But use some self control and try freezing a bag, it will be worth it.

Andes Mint Cookies

Preheat oven to 350

• 1/2 cup salted butter, softened

• 3/4 cup dark brown sugar
• 1/2 cup white granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 eggs
• 1 package (10 oz) Andes® Creme de Menthe Baking Chips or Andes® After Dinner Mints, coarsely chopped
• 2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour

 Blend butter, sugars, baking soda, baking powder, vanilla and eggs until mixed.

Stir in baking chips or chopped candy and then flour.

Chill at least one hour in refrigerator.

 Measure out approximately 1 ounce of dough.

Raise oven rack one level above middle and baking on non-stick cookie sheets.

Bake at 350-degrees for approximately 8-10 minutes.

Cool on pans for two minutes before removing

Original Recipe found here.

-Brooke

Sweet & Sour Chicken

I am SO excited to share this recipe with you.  We LOVED it!!!

 

I have tried a couple of different sweet & sour recipes on pinterest.  They have all been...just okay.  Nothing amazing.  I had pinned this recipe a while ago and found it on my board last week.  I decided I was ready to try another sweet & sour chicken recipe.  And I am so glad that I did.  I have to say that I have never tried this dish at the Lion House so, I don't know how it truly compares.  But either way it is oh, so good!

 

It has a nice little kick to it, which my hubby liked.  The leftovers the next day were just as yummy.  We had baked potato's and ended up putting some of the sauce on the potato.  I could go on and on, but I won't.  Go try it for your self.

 

 

 

Sweet & Sour Chicken (from the Lion House)

 

 

Mix into a medium bowl:

2 teaspoon garlic salt

1 teaspoon black pepper
7 tablespoons cornstarch or flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup vinegar
1 cup chicken Broth
7 tablespoons ketchup
2 tablespoon soy sauce
7 to 8 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

 

Sprinkle chicken with garlic salt & pepper. Let stand for 5-10 minutes.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Layer raw chicken breasts in glass dish (9×13). Mix all sauce ingredients in bowl, with wire wisk.

Pour directly over chicken breasts.

Bake uncovered at 325 for about 1 1/2 hours, or until sauce is thick and dark in color.

Remember this is the color of the sauce before it is cooked. The sauce will thicken & the color will darken greatly. It will be similar to thick barbeque sauce.

*Here are my notes:
       -I used frozen, chicken tenders.  And I only did 6 tenders.  It worked just fine.  I did have a lot of sauce, but it wasn't a big deal because we ended up putting it on our potatoes.
      -I didn't cook my chicken the whole hour and half.  I probably could have.  My sauce wasn't as dark as it probably should have been, but my kids were hungry and we couldn't wait any longer.  Even not letting the sauce get a dark color, it was still pretty thick and still delicious!
     -If you go to the website there are actually two versions of this.  One version involves browning the chicken on the stove before you bake it.  She said if she is in a hurry she skips that step.  I didn't even want to take the time to brown so, I just baked mine and it was perfect.  So, if you are interested in that step go check it out.

Original recipe found here.

 

-Brooke

 

I have a lot of recipes piling up that I have tried.  So, you may see a couple of posts from me. :)

Pineapple-y Chicken

So. This recipe is as close to a "pin-fail" as I've ever gotten. And it was still edible... Brett and I just thought some improvements could be made. I'll tell you all about it later :) but I'm happy to say that Pinterest has yet to give me an inedible recipe!

The recipe (from Pinterest) goes as such:

3-4 chicken breasts
1 can pineapple with juice
1 medium onion
2 Tbs soy sauce
1/2 cup chicken broth
Throw it all in the crock pot and cook until done.

Before.....

After... (Looks boring... Huh?)

The instructions are rather vague.... as you can see :) I let it go for 4 hours on high. I also used dried onion bits instead of a for reals onion...I was feeling lazy. I added some black pepper and salt (crazy... I know!). In the end, I just wasn't a fan of the flavor. Brett and I decided that it would taste better if we used teriyaki sauce instead of soy sauce.We also decided that marinating the raw chicken in the pineapple juices would maybe help the flavor. Also, a side OTHER than Rice-a-roni probably could have complimented this better :) I think I might try it again, but try to infuse it with more flavor and integrate some contrasting flavors as well!
Happy Experimenting!
Love, Karli

Friday Favorite

Alissa recently showed all of us this video. I really hope it works because its definitely one of my favorite things ever now!

Love, Karli

Chicken Parmesan Bundles

My husband and I eat A LOT of chicken and this recipe falls right into that category.  I pinned it from here!

4 oz. softened cream cheese

1 10oz. package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well drained

1 1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

6 tbsp. grated parmesan cheese

6 boneless skinless chicken breast halves, pounded to 1/4 inch thick

1 egg

10 Ritz crackers, crushed (about a 1/2 cup)

1 1/2 cup spaghetti sause, heated

Heat oven to 375.  Mix cream cheese, spinach, 1 c. mozzarella and 3 tbsp. parmesan until well blended; spread onto chicken breasts.  Roll up chicken tightly and secure with toothpicks.  Set aside.

Beat egg in shallow dish.  Mix remaining cracker crumbs and parmesan in separate shallow dish.  Dip chicken bundles in egg, then roll in crumb mixture.  Place, seam sides down, in baking dish sprayed with cooking spray.  

Bake 30 minutes or until chicken is done.  Remove toothpicks.  Serve topped with spaghetti sauce and remaining mozzarella.

-Alissa

Chessy Honey Mustard Chicken

I orginally pinned this on Pinterest because a friend on Facebook had mentioned it and raved about it.  I was pretty excited to try it knowing that someone else had loved it.  Unfortunately it was not as big of hit in my house as I was hoping.  I'm sure part of the problem was I didn't have enough honey and the hubs and I aren't HUGE mustard fans so it tasted a lot more mustardy than I think we liked.  However, with that being said I was extremely impressed with how moist the chicken was.  I may try and do this one again with the right amount of honey and see if we like it any better but if you like honey mustard then I definitely think you should try this recipe.  I  was really impressed with it.

I found here.

Chessy Honey Mustard Chicken

4 boneless chicken breast
3/4 cup honey
1/2 cup Dijon mustard
1 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp paprika
lemon pepper to taste
4 Tbsp bacon, cooked and chopped (I used Oscar Meyer bacon bits in the yellow bag)
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 375.

Season chicken breasts with lemon pepper. Place in 9x13 baking dish.

Combine honey, mustard, lemon juice and paprika. Pour over chicken. Bake for 20-25 minutes.

Top each chicken breast with 1 Tablespoon of bacon and 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese. Continue to bake until cheese is starting to brown (about 10 minutes).

-MEGAN

Chile Colorado Burritos

This recipe was a big hit with my family. I found it here.  She said that she could make between 5 and 7 burritos with this recipe but I was only able to make 4 so next time I'll either double the meat or instead of doing the big tortillas, do the smaller ones.  These were extremely filling and super yummy!

Chile Colorado Burritos

• 1 1/2 to 2 pounds stew meat or other beef cubed (top sirloin is great)
• 1 large can mild (red) enchilada sauce* (at least 19 oz.)
• 2 beef bouillon cubes
• 1/2 can refried beans (optional)
• 5-7 burrito size flour tortillas
• 1 cup or so of shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:
Put beef, bouillon, and enchilada sauce*** into a crock pot and cook on low for 7-8 hours**, or until meat is very tender. (Can also cook on high for maybe 3-4 hours.) I've also cooked it in a dutch oven for about 4 hours at 325 degrees. More meat, more time. A third option is to cook it in a large heavy saucepan--bring it to a boil on high heat, reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until the meat is tender. If you go with a method other than the crock pot, make sure the pot is covered and pretty well sealed to minimize evaporation of the liquid.

When beef is done (very tender and flakes off when stirred), taste and add more salt, if desired. Heat up refried beans in the microwave (covered and in a microwave-proof dish, of course)and put your oven on broil. On an oven-proof plate, or cookie sheet even, lay out a tortilla. Place on tortilla about 1/2 cup of the meat, drained by using a slotted spoon, and a spoonful or two of beans. Roll into a burrito (hopefully you know how to roll these). Pour some of the remaining enchilada sauce from the crock pot over the burrito to cover it. Sprinkle with some cheddar cheese. Broil until cheese is bubbly, about 2-4 minutes

-MEGAN

Friday Favorite

These are my current obsession! Can never have enough girl scout cookies! Good thing for me they are only available once a year!

 

 

HAPPY FRIDAY!

 

-MEGAN

Toothpicks & Dots

We have gotten a LOT of snow this past month.  And with a 5 month old baby we just don't go out that much.  When I saw this activity on Pinterest, I thought it looked perfect for my little crew.  It was cheap and we could stay home to do it.  It was a win-win for me. :)

 

Here is what you need:  Toothpicks & Dots. 

 

Does it get any easier?  I wasn't sure how many boxes of Dots I would need so, I got 3, one for each child.  Though I ended up just pouring them all in a bowl.

 

Then you just let your imagination and creativity go!

 

My children are 5, 3, and 2.  They all enjoyed it.  I was a little worried about my 2 year old, but I just helped her and more then anything she just liked being at the table with everyone.  She would stick dots just on the end of the toothpick and then eat it.  She really enjoyed it.

 

We built different shapes. 

 

We made really long snakes.

 



And we had more then enough dots and toothpicks to last us a while.

 



 

Even when we were done, my 5 and 3 year old kept coming back to play.  They really had a fun time!

 

 

Idea found here.

 

 

-Brooke

Chocolate Reeses Peanut Butter Cup Cake

The big Parrish family clan made a New Year's Resolutions this year, to celebrate family birthdays better.  I offered to do the January birthday party.  I thought it turned out to be a fun celebration!  I called my brother in-law to see what kind of birthday cake he wanted, he told me something with chocolate and peanut butter.  So, I started searching on Pinterest of course!

 

And I found this recipe here.

 

I was excited.  Chocolate. Peanut butter. Oh My!

The cake was so yummy. It was very moist and I loved the little pieces of peanut butter cup in it.

 

The frosting is a different story. Here is one of many confessions, I struggle BIG time with homemade frosting. I am constantly practicing, but me and homemade frosting just don't get along too well. With that being said, this frosting tasted yummy, but it seemed like it was more of a fondant consistency. I know, weird, right? And then again, maybe its just me. :) It wasn't very fluffy. And I had a hard time covering the whole cake with the way my frosting turned out.

 

At the end of the day, I still loved this cake. And it was so tasty. I would for sure try making it again, with the hope that my frosting will turn out better!



The Best Chocolate Cake Ever

1 box devil’s food cake mix

1 small pkg Jello instant chocolate pudding mix

1 cup sour cream

1 cup vegetable oil

4 eggs, beaten

1/2 cup milk

1 tsp. vanilla

2 cups of Reese’s Peanut Butter cups, chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

 In a very large bowl, mix together everything except chocolate chips. Batter will be thick.

Stir in the chopped Peanut Butter Cups.

 Pour batter into two greased  9-inch pans.

For cooking time, use the cooking times on the back of the devil’s food cake box as a guide and usually add 10 minutes to whatever it says. Then I do the toothpick check, and if it’s not done, I check on it every 5 minutes after that. It usually takes around 45 minutes for two, 9-inch pie pans.  *My cakes took more like 40 minutes.  So, if your oven cooks fast make sure you keep an eye on your cake!

Buttercream Frosting

 1 cup shortening (Crisco)

4 cups powdered sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/3 cup heavy whipping cream

 In a mixing bowl, cream shortening until fluffy. Add sugar and continue creaming until well blended. Add salt, vanilla, and whipping cream. Blend on low speed until moistened. Beat at high speed until frosting is fluffy.

Mix in  ½ cup of smooth Peanut butter.

Gently press chopped peanut butter cups onto frosted cake.
 

*Personal Note:  In the recipe she said she used about 2 bags of Mini Reese's Peanut Butter Cups.  I wish I had bought 3 bags.  I would have like to put more on the outside of the cake.  Mine didn't seem nearly as covered as hers with peanut butter cups and I just ran out.  So, next time I am for sure buying 3 bags!

I just had to share this last picture.  My 3 year old asked for a piece of cake.  She ate the cake part, but not the frosting.  It made me smile.  I love 3 year olds. 

Happy Baking!

 

-Brooke

Brownie Batter Dip

This is one of the bestest things ever if you are a sweet and salty person like I am! It's like chocolate covered pretzels.... but without the gigantic mess and tons of time that it takes to make dipped pretzels. You could also dip other stuff that would taste delicious with chocolate! I recently took this to a church gathering and everyone loved it, so I can safely say that this is a GREAT 'dish' to take to a party!!

I pinned this from this website: Click here!

And the recipe goes like this!:

• 8 oz cream cheese
• 1/2 cup butter
• 2-3 cup powdered sugar -- varies by desired consistency
• 5 Tablespoons flour
• 5 Tablespoons coco powder
• 2 Tablespoons brown sugar
• 3+ Tablespoons milk -- varies by desired consistency
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 
  
• With a mixer, beat together the cream cheese and the butter. Add 2 cups of the powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time, and 1 tablespoon of milk until combined. Add the flour, cocoa powder, brown sugar, vanilla and 1 more tablespoon of milk if needed. Beat until smooth. Add remaining powdered sugar and milk alternately until dip reaches your desired consistency. Garnish with chocolate chips if desired. 

 

Enjoy!

Love, Karli

Friday Favorite

this makes me laugh. every. time.

 

Found off Pinterest

 

yep, I'm a dork. :)

 

Happy Friday!

 

-Brooke