Lemon Cheesecake Bars ~ By Victoria

Happy spring!!!

I love lemon bars and cheesecake,  so when I came across this recipe that included both... of course I had to try it. :) My whole family loves these and they are perfect for welcoming in spring!

Ingredients:

 

Crust:

• ¾ cup butter, chilled
• 2 cups flour
• ½ cup packed light brown sugar
• ¼ tsp. salt

Cheesecake:

• 8 oz. cream cheese, softened
• ½ cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 2 Tbsp. milk
• 1 Tbsp. lemon juice
• ½ tsp. vanilla

Lemon Layer:

• 4 large eggs
• 1½ cups sugar
• ¾ cup lemon juice
• ⅓ cup flour

Instructions:

 

Crust:

1. Preheat oven to 325.
2. Cut butter into pieces.
3. In a food processor (or blender on low, pulse setting) Process all ingredients until mixture becomes tiny and fine pieces.
4. Sprinkle mixture into a 9 x 13 baking pan and press evenly into bottom of pan.
5. Bake for 12 minutes and remove from oven.

Cheesecake:

1. In medium bowl, blend cream cheese until smooth.
2. Add sugar and mix well.
3. Cream together the rest of the ingredients until smooth.
4. Pour cheesecake evenly over hot crust.
5. Bake 15 minutes.
6. Remove from oven and reduce oven temperature to 300.

Lemon layer:

1. In a bowl whisk together eggs and sugar until combined well.
2. Stir in lemon juice and flour.
3. Pour gently and smoothly over semi-baked cheesecake.
4. Bake at 300 for 25-30 minutes.
5. Remove from oven and sprinkle powdered sugar over top if desired.
6. Cool for an hour and then refrigerate.
7. Can be served warm but better after it has chilled.
8. I let it sit out of the fridge 20-30 minutes before I serve it.
9. For families, it will probably be eaten as soon as they are out of the fridge.
10. Makes 24 bars

Source: Your Homebased Mom Blog

3.2.2925

Delicious Spinach Tortillas ~ by Caroline

 

At first glance these may not look all that appetizing... but once you try them you'll be so glad you did! We have always loved the spinach tortilla's at our favorite Mexican restaurant, so I thought I would give a go at making some home-made ones last week. They were amazing and were gone within a week! I would totally go for one of these over plain tortillas now, and the whole family loves them! It's such a great way to get in a good serving of spinach!! ;-)

 

 

 

Ingredients:

• 3 cups white whole wheat Flour or a combo of white whole wheat and unbleached if you prefer
• 1 teaspoon Kosher or Sea Salt
• 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
• 1/3 cup oil {Canola, olive or melted coconut oil}
• 1 cup very hot water (Boiling)
• 2-3 cups loosely packed fresh spinach (Or as much as you want! Last time I made this, I probably put in about 8 cups of it (I was trying to get rid of some older stuff) and other than being more green, they tasted exactly the same as the normal ones. :-)  

Directions:

1. Mix the flour, salt, and baking powder with a whisk.
2. Add the canola oil and mix with your fingers until all the oil is incorporated and the mixture looks like fine crumbs.
3. Blend 2 cups loosely packed spinach and hot water in a blender until spinach is well pureed in the water.
4. Pour into flour mixture and mix well until there are no dry patches and a ball is formed.
5. Cover with plastic wrap and let the dough rest for at least 30 minutes or more if needed.
6. Mash into a large circle and divide the dough into equal 12 portions by cutting with a floured pizza wheel or bench cutter.
7. Roll each portion, from the center outward into a circle on a floured surface.
8. Cook on a hot, ungreased griddle over medium-high heat.
9. Turn the tortilla when brown blisters form on the first side.
10. Stack the totillas on a cooling rack and cool completely before freezing in a gallon size bag.
11. Remove air and label bag. Thaw 4 hours prior to use and reheat in microwave or skillet. Serve room temperature.



Cafe' au Lait Muffins ~ By Victoria

 I recently re-discovered this recipe and we're all thrilled to have them again! We have had this recipe for many years but it had nearly been forgotten. These muffins are perfect for breakfast or for an afternoon pick-me-up!   Enjoy!

Ingredients:
4 cups flour
1 cup sugar
2 Tb baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
2 cups milk
1 cup butter
2 eggs, beaten
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 Ts instant coffee granules
1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375.

Wisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. In a saucepan, scald milk and remove from heat. Add butter, eggs, vanilla and coffee granules.  Combine with the flour mixture just until moistened. Fold in chocolate chips.  Grease and spoon fill cupcake pans 3/4 full with the batter. Bake for 15-20 minutes.   This recipe makes 2 dozen muffins. 

Chocolate Peppermint Cookies ~ By Caroline

The cookie part and ingredients for these cookies are pretty much the same as our white chip chocolate cookies (http://foursistersff.blogspot.com/2015/12/chocolate-white-choc-chip-cookies-by.html) only with mint extract, mint icing and candy for topping.  They're very delicious and a super cute, festive dessert for Christmas time! :-) 

  

Ingredients For Cookies:

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened to room temperature

2 cups sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon mint extract

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cups cocoa powder

1tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

2 cups white chocolate chips

Icing and Candy Topping:
2 cups powdered sugar
2 Tablespoons milk
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp mint extract
Crushed peppermint candies for dusting

 

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350 F.
2. Beat butter and sugar in a large bowl until creamy.  Add eggs and flavors; beat until light and fluffy.  Stir together flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt; gradually beat into butter mixture. Stir in white chips.  Drop by rounded tablespoons onto a greased or parchment lined baking sheet.
3. Bake 8-9 minutes.  (Do not overbake; cookies will be soft and puffy and will flatten slightly during cooling) Cool on a wire rack.
4. Mix together icing ingredients in a medium bowl, and adjust milk/sugar if needed to reach the right consistency. (It should be pretty thick so that it doesn't run off the cookies at all)
5. Sprinkle crushed mint candies on freshly iced cookies

Yields: About 4 dozen cookies



White Chip Chocolate Cookies ~ by Caroline

These are amazing! Very rich and chocolaty, chewy in the middle with some crunch on the edges.  They're a favorite around here! :-)

 

Ingredients:

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened to room temperature

2 cups sugar

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cups cocoa powder

1tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

2 cups white chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350 F.
2. Beat butter and sugar in a large bowl until creamy.  Add eggs and vanilla; beat until light and fluffy.  Stir together flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt; gradually beat into butter mixture. Stir in white chips.  Drop by rounded tablespoons onto a greased or parchment lined baking sheet.
3. Bake 8-9 minutes.  (Do not overbake; cookies will be soft and puffy and will flatten slightly during cooling) Cool on a wire rack. 

Yields: About 4 dozen cookies

 

Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls ~ By Caroline

Super soft Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls filled with a gooey cinnamon swirl and topped with maple cream cheese icing. Need I say more?! :-)

 

Ingredients:

Pumpkin Dough

• 1/3 cup (80 ml) milk
• 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup 100% pure pumpkin
• 2 Tablespoons packed dark brown sugar (or light brown)
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 2 and 1/4 teaspoons (1 standard package) instant active dry yeast
• 2 and 1/2 cups bread flour OR all-purpose flour

Filling

• 1/2 cup packed dark or light brown sugar
• 1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon EACH ground nutmeg and ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
• 3 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Maple Cream Cheese Glaze

• 3 oz full-fat cream cheese, softened to room temperature
• 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
• 2 Tablespoons milk
• 1 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted 

Directions:

1. Make the dough: warm the milk and butter together over the stove or in the microwave. Warm the two together until the butter is *just* melted.  A few butter specks is OK.  You want the mixture lukewarm (105-115F degrees), not scorching hot.  Set aside. Using your electric mixer with paddle attachment, beat pumpkin puree, brown sugar, a dash of nutmeg, and salt together on medium speed. Add your warmed milk/butter to this mixture and beat until combined. Then add 1 beaten egg and the yeast. Beat all of this together for 30 seconds, then turn your mixer to low speed and add 1 cup of flour. Mix for 5 full minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl frequently.  Add 1 and 1/4 cups more flour and beat for 1 more minute. The dough will be VERY, very, very soft. Place dough into a bowl coated with nonstick spray.  Turn the dough around in the bowl so all sides of the dough are coated.  Cover tightly with plastic saran wrap and allow to rise in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in size. This will take about 60-75 minutes. I place my dough into an oven that I pre-heated to 200F degrees and then turned off.
2. The dough will be very puffy after this time. See above for how the dough should look.  Punch the dough down to deflate it and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Kneed the dough a few times to form a smooth dough.  You will need to add 1/4 cup more flour to make it easy to handle. The dough will stick to your hands, so flour your hands as well. You want the dough as soft as possible, so don't go adding too much flour. Anywhere from 1/4 cup to 1/3 cup would be OK.
3. Make the filling: Roll the dough out into a 16x10 inch rectangle. Combine the brown sugar, cinnamon, and spices into a small bowl.  Spread the top with melted butter and then sprinkle evenly with brown sugar mixture. See above for a photo. Roll it up tightly. Using a very sharp knife, cut into 10-13 pieces, about 1.5 inches each. (I cut the ends off of my dough log, so I have 11 rolls). Arrange rolls into a 9-inch or 11x7 inch pan that has been lightly sprayed with nonstick spray. Allow the rolls to rise again in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in size. This takes about 1 hour (or use my overnight option, detailed below).
4. Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Bake the rolls for 22-27 minutes, covering with aluminum foil at the 15 minute mark to prevent heavy browning.
5. Make the glaze: Using a handheld or stand mixer with a paddle attachment, beat the softened cream cheese in a medium bowl on medium speed until smooth. Add the maple syrup and milk and beat on high until smooth. Add the sifted confectioners' sugar and beat on medium speed until creamy. Pour over warm cinnamon rolls. Rolls taste best served on the same day, though they remain fresh for one day covered tightly at room temperature. Unglazed rolls freeze well up to 2 months.

Overnight instructions

Prepare the rolls through step 4. Instead of allowing the cut rolls to rise in a warm environment, place the pan into the fridge and allow the rolls to rest for up to 14 hours before baking. When it’s time to bake the next day, allow the rolls to come up to room temperature and rise for 1 hour on the counter, or until almost doubled in size. Then, bake as directed.

Beefy Mac' n Cheese Bake ~ By Caroline

This is an easy dinner that the kids love! It's very flavorful, and even incorporates some carrots in there....so yeah, It's practically health food!  :-) (I wish)

 

 

 



Ingredients:

1 (8 oz.) package elbow macaroni noodles

1 cup chopped onion

1 cup grated carrot

2 tsps. minced garlic

1 pound lean ground beef

1 cup tomato sauce

1 tsp. salt, divided

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 cup fat-free milk

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1/8 tsp. nutmeg

1 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided

 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Cook pasta according to package directions
3. In a large frying pan, add onion and carrot and sauté for 4 minutes. Add garlic and sauté for 1 minute. add ground beef; cook until browned, stirring to crumble.  Add tomato sauce, 1/2 tsp salt, and pepper. Cook for two minutes, or until most of the liquid evaporates.
4. Add pasta to beef mixture in pan, stirring to combine. Spoon pasta mixture into an 11x7 inch baking dish coated with cooking spray.
5. Place milk, flour, nutmeg, and remaining 1/2 tsp. salt in a medium sauce-pan; stir with a wisk until blended. Cook over medium heat two minutes or until thickened, stirring constantly with a wisk. Add 1 cup cheese, stirring until smooth. Pour cheese mixture over pasta mixture; stir. Top evenly with remaining cheese.  Bake at 350 for 2o minutes or until lightly browned.  Let stand 5 minutes before serving.