Raspberry Pretzel Salad

1 1/2 C. chopped pretzels (i used my food processor)
3/4 C. melted butter
2 Tbsp sugar.
All mixed should look like above pic.



Press in greased 9x13 pan and should look like this
bake 8-10 min at 375

mix 8 oz whipped cream, 1 C. sugar and 8 oz cream cheese together and spread on top of COOLED crust

Mix 2 C. boiling water with 6 oz (2 sm pkg) of Raspberry flavored jello and enough ice to cool. I used about 2 handfuls. Then add raspberries until thickened and pour over cream cheese mixture.

The recipe calls for frozen, I however prefer fresh so I used 2 small containers of fresh. I think I should have used more. Oh well. Known for next time.

Let set for at least an hour. This is heaven!

Raspberry Pretzel Salad

1 1/2 c. crushed pretzels       3/4 c. melted butter

2 Tbsp. sugar 

Press in 9x13 pan. Bake 7-10 min. at 350*, cool.

Mix together-

8 oz cream cheese,                      9 oz whip cream

1 c. sugar.

Add to the top of the pretzel crust. 

Then mix-

1- 6 oz pkg raspberry Jell-O       2 c. boiling water

Ice cubes to cool

Add frozen raspberries. Let thicken a little, and then put on top.

*You can add any fruit yoou want just changed up the jello flavor with the fruit*

no bake lemon cheesecake

Lemon cheesecake - from melskitchencafe.com

Crust:
9 whole rectangular graham crackers (for about 1 1/2 cups crushed)
5 tablespoons butter, melted
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

Lemon Curd:
1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk
1/4 cup sugar
pinch salt
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon heavy cream

Filling:
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice, from about 2 lemons
1 envelope (2 3/4 teaspoons) unflavored gelatin
1 1/2 pounds (3 bars) cream cheese, softened to room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
pinch salt
1 1/4 cups heavy cream, room temperature

For the crust: preheat the oven to 350 degrees and adjust an oven rack to the middle position. In a food processor, pulse the graham crackers until they are finely ground. Add the butter and lemon zest and pulse until combined. Alternately, the graham crackers can be crushed in a resealable bag with a rolling pin and then poured into a bowl where the zest and butter can be stirred in. Press the mixture onto the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan. Bake the crust until it is lightly golden brown, about 8 minutes. Cool the crust completely on a wire rack before filling.

For the curd: while the crust is cooling, whisk the egg, egg yolk, sugar and salt together in a small saucepan. Whisk in the lemon juice and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture is thick and pudding-like, about 3-4 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the butter and cream. Press the mixture through a fine mesh strainer or sieve into a small bowl and refrigerate until needed.

In a small bowl, put the 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice. Sprinkle the gelatin over the top and let it stand until the gelatin softens, about 5 minutes. Microwave the mixture until it is bubbling around the edges and the gelatin dissolves, about 30 seconds. Set aside.

For the filling: In a large bowl with a handheld mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the cream cheese, sugar, and salt until smooth and creamy, scraping down the sides of the bowl, about 2 minutes. Slowly add the cream and beat until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the gelatin mixture and 1/4 cup of the refrigerated lemon curd. Beat until the mixture is smooth and airy, about 3 minutes.

Pour the filling into the cooled crust and smooth the top. Following the photos below, pour thin lines of remaining curd on top of the cake and lightly drag a pairing knife or skewer through the lines to create a marble appearance. I found it wasn’t quite as easy as I thought to “pour” the lemon curd into lines. I kind of scooped it out of the cup onto the cheesecake and spooned it into lines. It doesn’t have to be perfect since the imperfections are somewhat hidden after you drag through the lines.

Refrigerate the cheesecake until set, at least 6 hours. Remove the sides of the pan, cut into slices and serve.

Scoop/Pour the lemon curd into thin lines. This doesn’t have to be perfect – it’s a bit hard to pour so do the best you can.


-I was having issues with the curd lines so i just poured the entire curd on top. it was still super yummy!-

Beef and Beer Chili

This is the BEST chili EVER! I love it. I got it from Cooking Light.

I usually brown the beef and onions then throw everything minus cornmeal and lime juice in the crock all day. Then about 20 min before we eat I throw those in.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2  cups  chopped red onion (about 1 medium)
• 1  cup  chopped red bell pepper (about 1 small)
• 8  ounces  extralean ground beef
• 2  garlic cloves, minced
• 1 1/2  tablespoons  chili powder
• 2  teaspoons  ground cumin
• 1  teaspoon  sugar
• 1/2  teaspoon  salt
• 1/2  teaspoon  dried oregano
• 1  (19-ounce) can red kidney beans, drained
• 1  (14.5-ounce) can no-salt-added diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1  (14-ounce) can low-sodium beef broth
• 1  (12-ounce) bottle beer (such as Budweiser)
• 1  tablespoon  yellow cornmeal
• 1  tablespoon  fresh lime juice

Preparation

Combine first 4 ingredients in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Cook 5 minutes or until beef is browned, stirring to crumble. Stir in chili powder, cumin, sugar, and salt; cook 1 minute. Add oregano and next 4 ingredients (through beer) to pan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes. Stir in cornmeal; cook 5 minutes. Stir in juice.

Nutritional Information

Calories:

261 (20% from fat)

Fat:

5.7g (sat 2.1g,mono 2g,poly 0.2g)

Protein:

18.3g

Carbohydrate:

30.3g

Fiber:

8.3g

Cholesterol:

30mg

Iron:

3.7mg

Sodium:

799mg

Calcium:

74mg

Jackie Mills, M.S., R.D., Cooking Light, SEPTEMBER 2007

Dutch Oven Potatoes, Carrots & Chicken

This was very yummy. My kids loved it!

There arent any real measurements just however much you want.

You will need

potatoes, peeled and diced up - 1 used about 5-6

1 onions chopped up

baby carrots- i used 3/4 of a 2 lb bag and i chopped them up

1 lb bacon

some chicken tenderloins cut up- i used about 10 i think

some shredded cheese

7-up/sprite - you can use a can i had a 2 liter and poured whatever i thought seemed good

Okay first get your dutch oven all heated up.

Fry the bacon in it, remove it and crumble or i used scissors and cut it up. and return to dutch oven. add your onion fry that for a bit. then add the potatoes, carrots and chicken. Pour the 7-up over and cook till done. I checked on it and stirred occasionally. When done top with cheese and heat until melted. Serve!

I found its really yummy to add some cajun seasoning or cayenne pepper. yummy!!

Homemade Ranch Dressing

Ranch Dressing

1 cup buttermilk

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1/8 teaspoon paprika

1/4 teaspoon mustard powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

1 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley

1 teaspoon chopped fresh chives

1/4 teaspoon of dry dill (or a teaspoon chopped fresh)

Method

1 In a medium bowl, stir together the buttermilk and mayonnaise until fully mixed. Add in the other ingredients, adjusting for taste.

Makes about 1 1/2 cups. Keeps for a week, covered in the fridge.

If you add a few cloves of garlic and some oregano, then it is a garlic ranch. If you add it to cooled tri-color rotini, it is the garlic pasta salad that the white house grill makes (make sure you refrigerate for a few hours).

I have to say this is so much better than store boughten or even the packages of ranch!