Reese's Cheesecake Brownies

It has only taken me six months to get this recipe posted.  We made these at Abby's house for the sisters/siblings reunion last October.  I make them here at my house at least once a month.  They are very rich and pretty easy to make.

First, prepare a brownie mix as directed on the box and spread in a greased 9x13 pan, then set aside.  In a bowl beat together 1/2 cup peanut butter, 8 oz. softened cream cheese, and one can sweetened condensed milk.  Stir in one 10 oz. bag reese's pieces (I like to use the mini ones).  Spread the peanut butter/cream cheese mixture over the brownie batter evenly.  I find it works best when I scoop the peanut butter stuff onto the edges of the brownie batter and spread toward the middle.  Otherwise it seems to have a thick layer in the middle and it doesn't bake as evenly.  Bake at 325 for 40 minutes.

Cool for 30 minutes on the counter and then 30 minutes in the fridge.

Melt 1-1 1/2 cups chocolate chips and 2-3 Tbsp. butter in the microwave.  Spread over the brownies in an even layer and top with chopped reese's peanut butter cups.  They sell unwrapped mini ones now that make the process much easier.  Return to the fridge until topping is set.

These are easiest to cut when they've been sitting at room temperature for about 20 minutes.  They should be stored in the fridge.

Enjoy!

Two RH Page family favorites :)

WHITE CHOCOLATE PARTY MIX

1 pkg 10 mini pretzels
5 cups corn chex
5 cups cheerios
2 cups salted peanuts
1 lb MM's
2 pkg vanilla chips (4 cups)
3 T vegetable oil

Mix first 5 ingredients together in a very large bowl.  

In microwave melt the the 2 pkg vanilla chips and 3 T oil on med heat for 2 minutes, stirring once. Cook for 10 sec more at a time until it is nice and smooth. Pour over the cereal mixture and mix it well.  Spread out on a wax paper lined large cookie sheet (I have to use 2) and cool.  I cool it in the fridge.  Break it into large chunks and store in an airtight container (large ziplocs).  It is fun to use holiday colored MM's.

This is a holiday favorite for any holiday!!  I also make a great gift when you put it in a cute bag.

I found this recipe in Taste of Home magazine and have used it for many years.


FROZEN FRUIT SALAD (PINK SALAD)

1 pkg 8 oz cream cheese
2/3 cup granulated sugar
      Cream these two together. Add...
3 bananas (mashed, diced, sliced)
1 cup crushed pineapple (drained or not it does not matter)
1 pkg frozen strawberries (or 1 cup sliced fresh)
12 oz cool whip

Mix it together well then put in 9x13 pan or muffin cups.  Freeze.

This salad came from Aunt Diane Jones.

Gourmet White Pizza

Pizza is a menu regular at our house, and this week I wanted to change things up a little so we tried a white pizza and it was a big hit, even with the kiddos.

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder (you can do more...we're not garlic fans at our house though)
• 2 tablespoons sun-dried tomato pesto (optional-we didn't add this-I can't find it in our country town!)
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• Kraft Italian 5 cheese mix
• 1 cup Classico® Creamy Alfredo Sauce (gluten free baby!)
• 1 (12 inch) pre-baked pizza crust
• 1 medium tomato, sliced
• 1 (4 ounce) package feta cheese
• chopped fresh basil leaves
• chopped cooked chicken (optional-we didn't add this)

 Directions:

1. Make a pizza crust. I think we all have our favorites so I won't put up directions for that:)! Ours is gluten free (obviously) and so, so good (possibly dare I say better than the wheat version?).
2. While the crust is baking, mix butter, garlic powder, olive oil, pesto, basil, oregano and alfredo sauce together.
3. When the crust is done, pull out and spread the alfredo mixture evenly. Sprinkle the cheese over the top and add feta, tomatoes and fresh basil leaves to your liking.

Done! Enjoy your yummy pizza! (Even Jeff liked this which surprised me...he's not a white pizza fan.) The alfredo mixture is good for 2 pizzas. We served this pizza with fruit salad (bananas, grapes and strawberries). Delicious. Can I say that one more time? Delicious!

Oven roasted potatoes

Ingredients

• 4 large or 8 small potatoes, rinsed and sliced
• 1/8 c oil 
• 1/2 sea salt
• 1/2 tsp crushed black pepper (more if you like it spicy or add some red pepper flakes)
• 2 TBS dried rosemary or basil
• sprinkle of garlic (we don't like too much garlic at our house, but you could add more)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 475 F.
2. Combine all ingredients in a ziploc. Shake.
3. Let sit on counter for 10 minutes. 
4. Place ingredients in sprayed 9 x 13 pan.
5. Roast for 20-30 min.

We love these! Simple but so full of flavor. Anyways, we usually serve these with the lemon pepper green beans and the Ka-Bam grilled pork chops. Yum.

Lemon Pepper Green Beans

Ingredients

• 1 lb fresh green beans, rinsed and drained
• 2 tsp of butter (I use olive oil)
• 1 1/4 c sliced almonds (pecans work too)
• 2 tsp lemon pepper
• dash of salt

Directions

1. Place green beans over 1 in of boiling water in a saucepan and cover. Cook until tender but still firm, about 10 min.
2. Meanwhile, melt butter (or heat oil in skillet over medium heat. Saute almonds until lightly browned. Season with lemon pepper
3. Stir in green beans and toss to coat.

Serves 6

Chicken Diablo

This recipe is courtesy of Rachel Hall and is one of my current favorites! It's so yummy, has lots of flavor and is pretty healthy too.

Chicken Diablo

¼      cup butter (I use olive or canola oil instead)

½      cup honey (I use raw agave nectar, in the same aisle as the other sugars)

1        teaspoon sea salt

1        teaspoon curry powder

¼      cup prepared mustard

1        3 pound chicken, cut up, (I usually use boneless, skinless chicken breasts)

½ - 1 teaspoon garlic powder(optional)
brown rice
steamed broccoli

Mix oil, honey, mustard, salt, curry and garlic powder.  Pour over chicken in the Crock pot and cook for about 4-6 until chicken is tender. You can turn/stir the chicken so it all gets coated after some cooking time. I serve this with brown rice and steamed broccoli over the top. Kids love it too!

Spice-Roasted Butternut Squash and Onions

2 1/4 lbs fresh butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
1 medium red onion, halved and thinly sliced
1 TBS olive oil
1 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
3 TBS fresh, chopped cilantro

Preheat over to 400 degrees F. Coat a large nonstick baking sheet with cooking spray. Place squash and onion on prepared baking sheet; drizzle with oil and toss to coat.
Sprinkle with garam masala, salt, and pepper; toss to coat.
Roast, tossing about halfway through cooking, until squash and onions are tender and slightly browned, about 25 minutes.
Transfer vegetables to a serving platter or bowl and sprinkle with cilantro; toss to coat.

Yields about 3/4 cup per serving. Serves 6.

I got this recipe from weight watchers and tried it out this week. It was good and filling and looked very Fall-ish.

Notes: (1) I don't know what kosher salt is, so I used the regular stuff.
(2) It took my over closer to 35 minutes to cook the squash completely, so you might have to adjust the cooking time.
(3) The flavor was not as strong as I expected. I think somehow I had convinced myself that the flavor of the butternut squash would be as strong as a sweet potato and I was a little disappointed when it wasn't. It still tasted good but next time I think I'll add more salt and garam masala to spice it up -- get it!! -- or I might actually use a sweet potato instead of squash. Hmmm. The possibilities are endless.