No-Bake Key Lime Cheesecake

A few weeks ago, I helped my daughter-in-law throw a bridal shower for one of her best friends. The bride is a big fan of key lime pie so we made an easy key lime cheesecake to serve. And since all the food at the event was finger-food we decided to cut the cheesecake into bite-sized pieces to serve. This is a yummy and easy dessert any way you slice it...haha!

No-Bake Key Lime Cheesecake



2 cups graham crackers crumbs
1/2 cup butter ~ melted
1/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup key lime juice
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 8-ounce package cream cheese ~ room temp
1 8-ounce container Cool Whip ~ thawed

In a medium bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs, melted butter and sugar. Press into a 9-inch springform pan. Chill.

In a mixing bowl, mix the cream cheese and sweetened condensed milk until smooth then slowly add the key lime juice. Mix well.

Fold in the Cool Whip until well combined.

Pour filling onto the chilled crust and allow to chill for several hours or overnight.

Serve with whipped cream.

 

The line-up!

 

Mix together the cracker crumbs, 

melted butter and sugar.

 

Press into a springform pan.

 

Mix together the sweetened 

condensed milk and cream 

cheese then add the key lime juice.

 

Fold in the Cool Whip.

 

Pour into the prepared crust. Chill.

 

Slice and serve.

Big Fat Chocolate Pie

This chocolate pie has been around our family for years! I started making it when my kids were little and it quickly became my daughter's favorite. It's a great pie...easy and delicious. We've had it for holidays lots of years and sometimes just because we needed chocolate pie. It's good with either meringue or sweetened whipped cream. Just an all around yummy pie!

Big Fat Chocolate Pie




1 10-inch pie shell ~ baked
2 cups sugar
2/3 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 cups half & half
4 ounces unsweetened baking chocolate ~ chopped
6 eggs yolks (whites reserved for meringue, if desired)
4 tablespoons butter
2 teaspoons vanilla

In a large saucepan, whisk together the sugar, flour and salt.

Pour in the half & half and stir to combine.

Add the chopped chocolate and whisk for 10 minutes until mixture starts to boil and chocolate has completely melted.

In a small bowl, whisk the egg yolks together with a little of the hot chocolate filling mixture to temper the eggs.

Pour egg mixture back into the pan with the hot filling and whisk to combine. Cook and stir until mixture comes to a boil and cook for about a minute.

Remove from the heat and stir in the butter and vanilla.

Pour mixture into the baked 10" pie shell.

Lay a piece of plastic wrap directly on top of the hot filling and place pie in the fridge for several hours or over night.

Serve with whipped cream or meringue made from the reserved from the egg yolks.


 

Let's cook!

 

Mix together the sugar, flour and salt 

in a saucepan then pour in the half & half.

 

Add the chopped chocolate then 

cook until mixture thickens, boils 

and the chocolate has completely melted.

 

Add a little of the chocolate mixture 

to the egg yolks to temper them.

 

Then add them into the chocolate 

mixture and stir and cook until 

mixture is thick and boils.

 

Remove from heat and add the butter and vanilla.

 

Pour filling into your cooked pie shell, 

cover with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge.

 

Slice and enjoy!!

Pineapple Chicken Wings

Yep, yep, yep! These wings are SO good! If you like making Asian food at home then you are in for a treat because these are good, good, good! Now of course IT Guy wouldn't touch them because he's crazy and doesn't like stuff like this...but I can tell you it's very yummy! And easy, too! These would make great appetizers for your next party or tailgate extravaganza!

Pineapple Chicken Wings



20 chicken wings ~ cut up (discard pointed wing tip)
1 cup pineapple chunks1 cup pineapple juice
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon water
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 tablespoons sugar
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a rimmed cookie sheet with cooking spray.

Arrange cut up wings onto the prepared pan.

Salt and pepper to taste.

Bake wings for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until done.

In a small saucepan, combine the pineapple chunks, pineapple juice, brown sugar, and sugar. Bring to a boil.

In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch, soy sauce and water. Stir until smooth then pour into boiling pineapple juice mixture.

Turn down the heat to medium and continue to stir and cook until thick.

Place cooked wings into a large bowl then pour sauce over and toss to combine.

Serve over rice and enjoy!


 
Let's make some wings! (Oops! 
I see the brown sugar made it into 
the picture but not the regular sugar.)

 
Cut up your wings and place 
them on a rimmed cookie sheet. 
Salt and pepper to taste.

 
Bake!

 
Combine the pineapple chunks, juice, 
and sugars in a small sauce pan. 
Bring to a boil.

 
Then combine the soy sauce, water 
and cornstarch and pour that into 
the pineapple mixture. Reduce heat 
and cook and stir until thick.

 
Pour sauce over the cooked chicken. 
(What you see in the background 
are some of the wings in bbq sauce 
because IT Guy doesn't do Asian food. 
Silly IT Guy.)

 
Serve it up!

White Chocolate Dipped Cranberry Pecan Oatmeal Cookies

We went to a potluck a while back and one of the things I brought were these cookies. I left a few at home for the family to munch on but took the majority to the potluck. It was a rainy day and we were one of the first to leave so of course I had to take my cookies with me. I guess they went over pretty well, because as we were leaving, people were asking me...."are those the cookies?" "did you make those?" "can I have a couple before you leave?". So my hopes that I would be taking some home were quickly dashed as I looked into the container and saw just a few left. We came home, I had one, IT Guy had a couple and then there was one lonely little cookie left and it was in crumbs. Right about then my mom called and asked if there were any cookies left. IT Guy told her the condition of the ONE that was left and she said, "that's okay. Save it for me." So I'm guessing these were a success. What do you think?

White Chocolate Dipped 
Cranberry Pecan Oatmeal Cookies



3/4 cup butter flavored shortening
1 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups quick oats
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup Craisins
1 cup chopped pecans (plus a little extra for sprinkling)
1 12-ounce package white chocolate chips ~ melted


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Combine shortening, brown sugar, granulated sugar, egg, water and vanilla in a stand mixer. Cream together until smooth.

Add flour, oats, salt and baking soda. Beat until mixed well. Add Craisins and pecans.

Drop by spoonfuls onto baking sheets and bake for 12- 15 minutes or until lightly browned.

Let set on cookie sheet for 5 minutes then transfer to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.

Dip half of cooled cookie into melted white chocolate, sprinkle with a little chopped pecans and allow chocolate to harden.

Makes about 3 dozen cookies

 

Let's get going!

 

Combine shortening, brown sugar, 

granulated sugar, egg, water and vanilla.

 

Add flour, oats, salt and baking soda.

 

Add Craisins and pecans.

 

Plop....

 

...bake. Cool.

 

Dip cooled cookies 

into the melted chocolate.

 

Like this!

 

Enjoy!!

One Pot Cheesy Broccoli Rice

This is a super good little side dish that goes with just about anything. I love that it's a one-pot-wonder, too! It's always nice to have recipes like this in your files that you can pull out at a moment's notice, right? You can also add some diced cooked chicken to this to make it a meal. How yummy would that be?

One Pot Cheesy Broccoli Rice



1 small onion ~ diced
1 clove garlic ~ minced
4 tablespoons butter ~ divided use
1 cup long grain rice
2 cups chicken broth
2 cups fresh broccoli florets
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/3 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

In a medium sauce pan, saute the onion and garlic in 2 tablespoons of the butter...about 3 minutes.

Add the rice to the pot then pour in the chicken broth and cook according to package directions.

Stir in cheeses, the rest of the butter and salt and pepper.

Stir in the broccoli until combined.

Allow to sit for 5 minutes before serving so broccoli can soften a bit.

 

The stuff!

 

Saute the onion and garlic in 2 

tablespoons of the butter...about 3 minutes.

 

Add the rice to the pot then pour 

in the chicken broth and cook 

according to package directions.

 

Stir in cheeses, the rest of the 

butter and salt and pepper.

 

Stir in the broccoli until combined.

 

Serve!

White Chocolate Cranberry Pistachio Bark

I need you guys to file this little gem away so you'll have it to make in a few weeks when your holiday baking starts because you're going to need it. I made this a few weeks back and I loved it. I thought...oh man....for a quick and easy candy, this stuff is incredible. Then I wondered why it sat on my counter, not being eaten, for several days. Usually IT Guy is all over anything sweet but he wasn't touching this. My first thought was that he didn't like it or he had gone temporarily insane or something because he was walking by this stuff like it was invisible. Turns out the joke was on me. Apparently, I hadn't given him the "all clear" sign that he was free to eat it. When I asked why he wasn't eating it, he told me he didn't want to "get in trouble" for eating it and was waiting for me to take pictures. So after our little misunderstanding was cleared up and he was able to eat it....boy did he eat it. I think it was gone in less than two days. He loved it! Really...it's SO easy but SO good. It's very pretty and would look so nice tucked into little cellophane bags to giveaway. Love, love, love simple, yummy and pretty treats!

White Chocolate 
Cranberry Pistachio Bark



1 12-ounce bag white chocolate chips
1 cup Craisins or dried cranberries
1 cup pistachios ~ shelled and chopped

In a microwave safe bowl, melt the chocolate chips for 1 - 2 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds until melted.

Spread a piece of waxed paper or parchment paper onto your work surface.

Pour melted chocolate onto the paper and spread to desired thickness. (We like ours on the thin side.)

Immediately sprinkle the Craisins and pistachios onto the chocolate, pressing down to make sure they are embedded into the chocolate.

Allow to harden for an hour or so then break into chunks.  

 

The line-up for this quick and easy treat!

 

Melt the chocolate.

 

Spread out to desired thickness.

 

Add the Craisins and pistachios 

then allow to harden.

 

Break into chunks and eat!

Cheesy Rotini Bake

Pasta is a family favorite around the SFFS house!  What's nice about this dish is that it's similar to lasagna without all the intense layering. I've decided one thing about myself and that is I'm not a froo-froo kinda gal. Anything I can make with little to no fuss, I'm all about that, which is one reason I like this dish. This went over like gang-busters in my house....IT Guy even took some to work with him for lunch a couple of days. It makes a lot so if you need to feed a large family or a crowd...or you like leftovers....then this is the dish for YOU! Oh...and it's delicious!

Cheesy Rotini Bake



1 pound ground beef
1 small onion ~ diced
2 cloves garlic ~ minced
1 23-ounce jar pasta sauce
3 cups grated mozzarella cheese
1 15-ounce container ricotta cheese
1 egg
2 teaspoons salt ~ divided use
1 teaspoon pepper ~ divided use
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning ~ divided use
8 ounces Rotini pasta ~ cooked and drained

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9x13 inch pan with cooking spray.

In a large skillet, saute the onion and garlic for about 5 minutes.

Add the ground beef and cooked until meat is done.

Pour in the pasta sauce and heat through.

Mix together the ricotta, eggs, salt, pepper and Italian seasoning.

Spread 2 cups of the meat mixture on the bottom of the prepared pan.

Add half of the Rotini pasta then sprinkle with 1 cup of the mozzarella cheese.

Dollop large spoonfuls of the ricotta mixture over the mozzarella.

Add more sauce and repeat until all ingredients are used.

Cover with foil and bake about 30 - 45 minutes until bubbly.

 
Here we go!

 
Saute the onion and garlic 
then add the ground beef.

 
Stir in the pasta sauce and heat through.

 
Mix up the ricotta, egg, Italian 
seasoning and salt and pepper.

 
Spread some sauce in the bottom 
of the pan then add some pasta.

 
Then dollop some ricotta on top 
and sprinkle with some mozzarella.

 
Repeat until all ingredients are used.

 
Then bake!

 
Then eat!