A Sort of Raspberry Cheesecake

This is very delicious, and VERY easy. You can half it and it still works pretty well.

1 pkg. white cake mix (sometimes I use cherry chip or even have used chocolate)
2 8-oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened at room temperature
4 c. powdered sugar
1 pint whipping cream, whipped
2 16-oz. cans raspberry pie filling

Preheat oven to 350. Grease and flour two 9x13 pans. Prepare cake according to pkg. directions. Pour half cake batter in each pan. Bake for 20 mins or until done. Remove and cool.

In a med. bowl, whip cream cheese and powdered sugar together until fluffy. Whip whipping cream separately, then add to cream cheese mixture. Divide the mixture and spread half on to each cake. Then spread one can pie filling on top of each cake. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Super Fast, Super Delicious Cinnamon Rolls

These are my favorite recipe that I've tried for cinnamon rolls. Most others are either too dry and "bread like" or too dough and dense. These are fluffy like a bread, moist like a cake, and chewy like a good cinnamon roll should be. Enjoy! And, the best part is they don't take that long to make! Sometimes I make them the night before and put them in the fridge to rise until morning.

2 c. warm water
1/2 c. sugar
4 t. dry yeast
2 eggs
1 t. salt
1/3 c. oil
6-7 c. flour

Cinnamon/Butter mixture:
1 c. brown sugar
2 1/2 T. cinnamon
1/3 c. butter, softened

Frosting:
6 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/2 c. butter, softened
3 c. powdered sugar
1 t. vanilla
1/4 t. salt

Dissolve yeast in the warm water. Let sit for a minute or two. Add the sugar and salt. Mix. Add the cooking oil, 2 eggs, 2 c. of flour and beat until smooth. Stir in 3 more c. flour. Begin kneading dough, adding the final cup of flour. If the dough seems too sticky, knead in more flour, a 1/4 c. at a time.

Let the dough "rest" for 15-20 mins. Roll the dough into a rectangle that's 24-30 inches long by about 16 inches wide. Spread with cinnamon/butter mixture and roll into a log.

Cut the roll into equal sized slices (about 1 inch wide or slightly more--I use non-flavored dental floss to cut) and place in two greased 9x13 pans. Put in warm place and rise for 45 minutes.

Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes (or until golden brown).

Allow to cool for 5 mins and then turn out of pans and top with frosting.

Banana Pudding

I recently had this banana pudding and it was DELICIOUS! It does take some time to set, so make sure to start plenty ahead of time. This came from the restaurant's cookbook. It says that you should not let it chill for longer than 8 hours, but we ate ours the next day and it tasted just as good, if not better!

1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 1/2 cups ice cold water
1 (3.4-ounce) package instant vanilla pudding mix
3 cups heavy cream
1 (12-ounce) box Nabisco Nilla Wafers
4 cups sliced ripe bananas

In a small bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, beat together the sweetened condensed milk and water until well combined, about 1 minute. Add the pudding mix and beat well, about 2 minutes more. Cover and refrigerate for 3-4 hours or overnight, before continuing. It is very important to allow the proper amount of time for the pudding mixture to set.

In a large bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, whip the heavy cream until stiff peaks form. Gently fold the pudding mixture into the whipped cream until well blended and no streaks of pudding remain.

To assemble the dessert, select a large, wide bowl (preferably glass) with a 4-5-quart capacity. Arrange one-third of the wafers to cover the bottom of the bowl, overlapping if necessary, then one-third of the bananas and one-third of the pudding. Repeat the layering twice more, garnishing with additional wafers or wafer crumbs on the top layer of the pudding. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and allow to chill in the refrigerator for 4 hours - or up to 8 hours, but no longer! - before serving.

The BEST Chocolate Chip Cookies

This recipe makes 2-3 dozen cookies (depending on how big you make them). I have been using it for years, in fact these cookies helped me lure my husband. It was given to me by my sister-in-law Jeannie and while she says she has moved on and loves other recipes (I've tried them and this is still my favorite) this one is THE BEST! These are SO good, Chad's Grandma Davenport says I can get a job making cookies at McDonald's! :)

2 sticks butter

2 eggs

3/4 c. sugar

1 c. brown sugar

1 T. vanilla

3 c. flour

3/4 t. baking soda

3/4 t. salt

chocolate chips

Cream the first four ingredients, then add the vanilla. Add one cup of flour with the baking soda, mix. Add the second cup of flour with the salt, mix. Add the third cup with the chips (whichever you prefer--I like milk chocolate) and mix. Roll into balls and bake 10 mins at 350. Take out of the oven and let sit on the sheet for another 1-2 minutes to firm up a bit. Let cool on a rack. I like my cookies SUPER soft, so this recipe is for soft cookies. Bake another 2 minutes if you like crispier cookies.

Caramel Popcorn

I was always in charge of making the caramel popcorn for our Friday movie nights growing up. My mom threw away the recipe book that I used for this, so I go by memory now and this is what I think it is. I'm going to try it again soon with a different cream of tartar amount and see if it changes anything.

1/2 c. butter/marg
1 c. brown sugar
1 c. karo syrup
1/2 t. salt
1/4-1/2 t. cream of tartar
1 t. vanilla

Mix butter, sugar, and syrup in a pan and bring to a rolling boil. Add salt, cream of tartar, and vanilla and stir. Pour over cooked popcorn and mix thoroughly (so most of it won't go to the bottom of the bowl). Keep a wet rag handy for kids!

I've seen recipes where they bake the popcorn to make it crispy, but I personally like this gooey version. You can bake this recipe too I'm sure...whatever you prefer.

Strawberry Pretzel Salad

I know I have been terrible about posting lately and I've made so many new things these past couple months and forgot to take pictures of them all, so I'll try to remember to post as many as I can in the next few days.

This can be a dessert or a fruit salad and is a treat either way. You can also vary the amounts of each layer. Sometimes I make the cream layer with two packets of cream cheese, sometimes one. Sometimes I add another cup of water and an additional small package of strawberry jello to make the jello layer thicker. So anyhow below is the basic version. Any way you make it people will eat it quickly. :)

Crust:

1 1/2 c. crushed pretzels

1/3 c. sugar

1/2 c. melted butter

Combine and press into 9x13 pan and bake for 8 mins at 350. Cool

Filling:

8 oz pkg cream cheese

8 oz cool whip

2/3 c. sugar

Combine until soft peaks and spread on crust.

Topping:

6 oz. strawberry jello

2 c. boiling water

20 oz. frozen strawberries

Stir until starts to thicken and pour on top of filling. Refrigerate until stiff.

Brownie Balls

Yum! I know I've posted a lot of brownie recipes on here, but I am a chocaholic! I made these for a party the other day and they tasted delicious that night and even better the next day. The dough is to die for too. They don't take long at all to make and they're a nice finger dessert.

Ingredients
1/2 c butter or margarine
2 oz unsweetened baking chocolate
3/4 c sugar
1 egg
1 t vanilla extract
1/4 t salt
1 3/4 c flour
1/2 c chopped walnut or pecan (opt)
powdered sugar

Directions

1Pre-heat your oven to 375 degrees (F).

2Melt butter or margarine and chocolate in medium saucepan over low heat (or melt in the microwave in a glass bowl or measuring cup for 2 minutes or until butter or margarine is melted).

3Set aside to cool for five minutes.

4While you're letting the chocolate cool, stir sugar, egg, vanilla and salt together until well blended.

5Stir the cooled chocolate/butter or margarine mixture until nice and smooth. Then mix it in with the above sugar, etc. mixture.

6Now stir in the flour and nuts.

7Shape mixture into 1-inch balls and place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheet.

8Bake for 8 to 10 minutes.

9While warm, roll in powdered sugar.

10Cool on wire racks.

11Once cool, roll in powdered sugar again!

Tres Leches

I loved this cake, but it is a cake that some might love and some might hate. It's called "three milks" cake because of the three different types of milk. The longer it refrigerates the better, so I try to make it the night before or in the morning before I serve it (I've made it twice--cinco de mayo and with the pork barbacoa recipe). It tastes delicious with fresh fruit. This is a really gross looking picture, but I ate it too quickly and forgot to take pictures.

INGREDIENTS
5 eggs (large)
1 t baking powder
1 c white sugar
1/2 t vanilla extract
1 1/2 c all-purpose flour
1/2 c unsalted butter
2 c milk
1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
1 (12 fluid oz) can evaporated milk
1 1/2 c heavy whipping cream
6 T powdered sugar
1 t vanilla extract


DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour one 9x13 inch baking pan.

Sift flour and baking powder together and set aside.

Cream butter or margarine and 1 cup of the sugar together until fluffy. Add eggs and 1/2 teaspoon of the vanilla extract, beat well.

Add the flour mixture to the butter or margarine mixture 2 tablespoons at a time, mix until well blended. Pour batter into prepared pan.

Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 30 minutes. Pierce cake several times with a fork.

Combine the milk, evaporated milk, and condensed milk together. Pour over the top of the cooled cake.

Whip on high whipping cream, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and 6 T of the powdered sugar together until thick. Spread over the top of cake. Be sure and keep cake refrigerated, enjoy!

Dump Cake

This is an easy and delicious cake for those nights when you just need a quick and yummy treat. And, it can't be THAT bad for you, right?

1 lg. can of cherry pie filling and/or 1 lg. can pineapple
1 pkg. yellow cake mix
1/2 c. butter

Pour the can(s) into a 9x13 pan. Evenly sprinkle cake mix directly on fruit and cut up butter over the top. Bake at 350 for about 40-45 minutes. Top with ice cream or whipped cream.

Chocolate Cake with German Chocolate Frosting

I needed chocolate last weekend, so I made this delicious cake. The cake is extremely moist (a reason I don't usually like cakes) and stands well on its own. You won't be needing ice cream or milk to go with this cake--it's awesome. The frosting is really good too, but you can put whatever frosting you want on this cake. I used 3/4 c. coconut and maybe 1/2 c. of crushed walnuts when I made the frosting, since that's all I had. Oh, and I went ahead and used the whole can of evaporated milk and it worked fine.

INGREDIENTS for cake

3 c. packed brown sugar
1 c. butter or margarine, softened
4 eggs
2 t. vanilla extract
2 2/3 c. all-purpose flour
3/4 c. baking cocoa
1 T. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
1 1/3 c. sour cream
1 1/3 c. boiling water

DIRECTIONS

1. In a mixing bowl, cream brown sugar and butter. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat on high speed until light and fluffy. Blend in vanilla.

2. Combine flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt; add alternately with sour cream to creamed mixture. Mix on low just until combined. Stir in water until blended.

3. Pour into three greased and floured 9-in. round baking pans. Bake at 350 degrees F for 35 minutes. Cool in pans 10 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

INGREDIENTS for frosting

1 c. evaporated milk
1 c. white sugar
3 egg yolk, beaten with 1 teaspoon water
1/2 c. margarine
1 t. vanilla extract
1 c. chopped pecans
1 c. flaked coconut

DIRECTIONS

In a large saucepan combine evaporated milk, sugar, egg yolks, margarine and vanilla. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until thick. Remove from heat and stir in pecans and coconut. Let the frosting sit for 30 mins or so to thicken up before spreading.

Angel Food Cake

This was AMAZING! Seriously try it. It's way better than store bought--I can't stop eating it! It calls for 12 eggs, but all you'll end up needing are the egg whites (1 1/2 c. worth). I buy egg whites in a carton (they're usually next to the eggs at the store), and that's a lot easier to measure out. I made fresh whipping cream:

1 c. whipping cream

3 T. powdered sugar

1/2-1 t. vanilla

Beat on high speed until stiff peaks form

ANGEL FOOD CAKE

Ingredients:
12 eggs
1 1/4 c. confectioners' sugar
1 c. all-purpose flour
1 1/2 t. cream of tartar
1 1/2 t. vanilla extract
1/2 t. almond extract
1/4 t. salt
1 c. sugar

Directions

1. Separate eggs; discard yolks or refrigerate for another use. Measure egg whites, adding or removing whites as needed to equal 1-1/2 cups. Place in a mixing bowl; let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, sift confectioners' sugar and flour together three times; set aside. Add cream of tartar, extracts and salt to egg whites; beat on high speed. Gradually add sugar, beating until sugar is dissolved and stiff peaks form. Fold in flour mixture, 1/4 cup at a time. Gently spoon into an ungreased 10-in. tube pan (I used a bundt pan). Cut through batter with a knife to remove air pockets. Bake at 350 degrees F for 40-45 minutes or until cake springs back when lightly touched. Immediately invert pan; cool completely before removing cake from pan.

Nutritional Analysis: One slice equals 101 calories, trace fat (0 saturated fat), 0 cholesterol, 59 mg sodium, 23 g carbohydrate, 0 fiber, 3 g protein. Diabetic Exchanges: 1-1/2 starch.

Mint Chocolate Brownies

I just made my brownie recipe (double batch--see "The Best Brownies" recipe below) in a 9x13 and then added the green topping (first part of recipe) on top and then poured the chocolate mixture on (second part of recipe). You can use brownie mix too. I think next time I might reduce the mint mixture because it was pretty thick, but oh so yummy!

1/2 cup butter, softened
4 cups confectioners' sugar
2 tablespoons milk, or as needed
1 1/2 teaspoons peppermint extract
6 drops green food coloring

1 1/3 cups semisweet chocolate chips
6 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon vanilla extract


DIRECTIONS

To make the middle layer, beat 1/2 cup of butter with confectioners' sugar in a large bowl using an electric mixer. Add milk as needed to get a spreadable consistency. Stir in the peppermint extract and green food coloring. Spread this over the cooled pan of brownies. Refrigerate for 30 minutes (or freeze if in a rush).

In a microwave-safe bowl, microwave chocolate chips with the butter until melted. Stir every 20 seconds until chocolate is smooth. Stir in vanilla and then pour over the chilled brownies and quickly spread to cover the surface. Cool again until firm, about 10 minutes, then cut into squares and serve.

Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

I left out the chocolate chips since I'm not a big fan of them in ice cream. I think next time I might add crushed up oreos though. It is super yummy just by itself. I like that it doesn't have raw eggs in it. Also, out of every ice cream recipe I've tried, this one freezes the best. Even after two days, it still scoops up so effortlessly. Easier than storebought even! I will use this as my base from now on and try other flavors.

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups 2% milk
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon peppermint extract
3 drops green food coloring (optional)
1 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a large bowl, stir together the milk, cream, sugar, salt, vanilla extract and peppermint extract until the sugar has dissolved. Color to your liking with the green food coloring.

2. Pour the mixture into an ice cream maker, and freeze according to the manufacturer's instructions. After about 10 minutes into the freezing, add the chocolate chips. After the ice cream has thickened, about 30 minutes later, spoon into a container, and freeze for 2 hours.

The Best Brownies

I got this recipe from a friend when I lived in Italy and it has been my favorite brownie recipe ever since. In fact, I don't really care for brownies much except for these. They take just as long as mixing a box of brownies up. Although I haven't made them in awhile, Chad was surprised I hadn't posted them on here yet. They taste even better the next day, if you have any left!

Ingredients:

1/2 c. butter, melted
1 c. sugar
1 t. vanilla
2 eggs
1/2 c. flour
1/3 c. cocoa
1/4 t. baking powder
1/4 t. salt

Cream butter, sugar, vanilla, and eggs. Then add flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt. Put in greased 9x9 pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 mins.

Molten Chocolate Cakes

My cousin Cami had this recipe from Kraft Foods on her website and I made it 3 times in 5 days after I saw it. It is awesome! It can easily be halved for just two people. You have to eat it right away, so don't plan on making these early. These are SO super easy and to die for!

Molten Chocolate Cakes
4 squares Baker's semi-sweet baking chocolate
1/2 c. butter
1 c. powdered sugar
2 eggs
2 egg yolks
6 T. flour
1/2 c. cool whip

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Butter four 3/4-cup custard cups or souffle dishes. Place on a baking sheet. (I use a mini-bundt pan)
2. Microwave chocolate and butter in large microwaveable bowl on HIGH 1 min. or until butter is melted. Stir with wire whisk until chocolate is completely melted. Stir in sugar until well blended. Blend in eggs and egg yolks with wire whisk. Stir in flour. Divide batter among prepared custard cups.
3. Bake 13-14 mins. (10 mins in mini-bundt pan; YOU MUST NOT OVERCOOK) or until sides are firm but centers are soft. Let stand 1 min (important). Carefully run small knife around cakes to loosen. Invert cakes onto dessert dishes. Serve immediately, topped with whipped topping.

Fruit Pizza

This is a super easy version of fruit pizza. I'm not super excited about the cream cheese part, but it's not bad and I seem to always have the ingredients on hand. I usually like kiwi, strawberries, and bananas for toppings. Raspberries and blueberries are great when they're in season and not too expensive.

Fruit Pizza--Ready in 1 hour'ish

1/2 c. butter, softened
3/4 c. white sugar
1 egg
1 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
1 t. cream of tartar
1/2 t. baking soda
1/4 t. salt
1 (8 oz) pkg. cream cheese
1/2 c. white sugar
2 t. vanilla

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter & 3/4 c. sugar until smooth. Mix in egg. Combine the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt. Stir into the creamed mixture until just blended. Press dough into an ungreased pizza pan.
3. Bake in preheated oven for 8-10 minutes OR until lightly browned. Cool.
4. In a large bowl, beat cream cheese with 1/2 c. sugar and vanilla until light. Spread on cooled crust.
5. Arrange desired fruit on top of filling, and chill.