Peanut Butter Balls

2 lbs Peanut Butter (3 1/2 cups)
1 lb butter (2 cups)
6 cups powdered sugar

Combine butters in mixing bowl and mix until creamy. Add powdered sugar until blended well. Chill for 1 hour, roll into balls and dip into chocolate.

3 Bean Chili

1 lb ground beef
1/2 med onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 15.5oz can kidney beans, drained
1 15.5oz can great northern beans, drained
1 15.5oz can black beans, drained
2 14.5oz cans diced tomatoes
3 Tbs. BBQ sauce (I like Sweet Baby Rays)
1 1/2 tsp. dried oregano
grated parmesan cheese
sour cream

Brown your beef in a skillet, drain fat, add the onion and garlic. In a separate pot add the beans, tomatoes, BBQ sauce, oregano. Add your beef and bring to a boil, reduce heat and cover and simmer for 2 hours. Serve with parmesan cheese and a dollop of sour cream. You can also cook this in a crock pot on low for 6-8 hours or 4 hours on high. 

Oatmeal Pumkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup pumpkin puree
3 cups flour
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 heaping tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
2 cups oatmeal
2 cups chocolate chips


Preheat oven 350

Cream butter in mixer, add sugars and blend until light and fluffy.  Add eggs one at a time and then add vanilla and pumpkin. In a separate bowl combine flour, soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and pumpkin pie spice and whisk together. Add flour mixture a cup at a time to pumpkin mixture. Add oatmeal and mix until combined. Stir in chocolate chips. Scoop heaping Tbs. of cookie dough on sprayed cookie sheets and bake for 12-15 minutes or until edge is lightly browned. Cool on wire racks and enjoy!!

Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Special Sauce
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
2 Tbs soy sauce
2 Tbs rice wine vinegar
2 Tbs ketchup
1 Tbs lemon juice
1/8 tsp sesame oil
1 Tbs hot mustard
2 tsp water

Dissolve sugar in water in a small bowl. Add soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, ketchup, lemon juice, and sesame oil, mustard and water. Mix well and refrigerate sauce until ready to serve.

Ingredients
3 Tbs Olive Oil
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed
1 cup celery, chopped
3 Tbs onion, chopped
1 tsp garlic, minced
5-8 leaves of lettuce, (Iceberg, Romaine, but I prefer Butter Lettuce)
You can also use any variety of vegetables you want. I like to add chopped carrots.
**vegetables should be chopped about the size of peas)

Bring oil to high heat in wok or large frying pan. Saute chicken for about 4-5 minutes. Add vegetables and turn down heat. Start to prepare the stir fry sauce.

Stir Fry Sauce
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp rice wine vinegar

Mix soy sauce, brown sugar and rice vinegar in a small bowl. Add stir fry sauce to the pan and heat for a couple minutes. Serve it in the lettuce cups. Top with special sauce.

Brownie Caramel Cheesecake

1 9oz pkg brownie mix
3 egg
1 T cold water
1 14 oz pkg caramels, unwrapped
1 5oz can evaporated milk
2 8 oz cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup chocolate fudge topping

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease the bottom of a 9 inch spring-form pan.
2. In a small bowl, mix together brownie mix, 1 egg and water. Spread into the greased pan. Bake for 25 minutes.
3. Melt the caramels with the evaporated milk over low heat in a heavy saucepan. Stir often, and heat until mixture has a smooth consistency. Reserve 1/3 cup of this caramel mixture, and pour the remainder over the warm, baked brownie crust.
4. In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese, sugar and vanilla with an electric mixer until smooth. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Pour cream cheese mixture over caramel mixture.
5. Bake cheesecake for 40 minutes. Chill in pan. When cake is thoroughly chilled, loosen by running a knife around the edge, and then remove the rim of the pan. Heat reserved caramel mixture, and spoon over cheesecake. Drizzle with the chocolate topping.

Lemon Raspberry Cheesecake

Crust:
2 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup sugar
6 tablespoons melted butter

Filling:
3 8·ounce packages cream cheese, softened
3 eggs
1 1/3 cups sugar
3 tablespoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon grated lemon rind
1 pint of fresh raspberries, or frozen raspberries, mashed

Combine cracker crumbs, sugar and butter. Press into bottom and 1/2″ up sides of an 9-10 inch springform pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 5 minutes. Cool in refrigerator while making the filling.

In a large mixer, beat cream cheese until smooth, add eggs one at a time beating until smooth and scraping down sides. Continue to beat and add the sugar, lemon juice, and vanilla. Stir in lemon rind. Pour into cooled crust. Take the mashed raspberries and swirl them into the cheesecake with a knife. Bake at 350 for 35-45 minutes. Leave in oven to cool for 30 minutes and then cool on rack. Chill overnight. Can also be frozen.

PINA COLADA CHEESECAKE

Crust:
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
½ cup shredded coconut, toasted
1 stick butter, melted
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Mix together the crust ingredients and press into bottom and up sides of aa 8 or 9" springform pan. Set in the refrigerator while you make the filling.

Pineapple filling:
1 cup finely chopped fresh pineapple
¼ cup sugar
1/3 cup water
4 teaspoons cornstarch
1/8 cup rum
½ cup toasted coconut
½ cup toasted macadamia nuts or pecans, chopped

Place pineapple in a small saucepan. Stir the cornstarch and sugar together and add to the pineapple. Heat to boiling. Cook and stir until clear and thick, about 2 minutes. Take off heat and cool. Add the rum and stir until combined. Set aside.

Filling:
3 8oz packages cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1 cup coconut milk(I used the thickest part from a can of coconut milk)
½ teaspoon lemon zest
 3 tablespoons dark rum

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine the cream cheese and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer (or in a large bowl if using a hand-mixer). Cream together until smooth. Add eggs, one at a time, fully incorporating each before adding the next. Be sure to scrape down the bowl between each egg. Add coconut milk, lemon zest, and rum. Blend until smooth and creamy..

Pour half the filling into prepared crust and tap the pan on the counter a few times to bring all air bubbles to the surface. Take the pineapple filling and place spoonfuls into the filling and swirl it around. Pour more of the filling and then the pineapple filling and swirl it around again.

 Bake 45 to 55 minutes, until it is almost done. This can be hard to judge, but you're looking for the cake to hold together, but still have a lot of jiggle to it in the center. You don't want it to be completely firm at this stage. Close the oven door, turn the heat off, and let rest in the cooling oven for one hour. This lets the cake finish cooking and cool down gently enough so that it won't crack on the top. Let it finish cooling on the counter, and then cover and refrigerator until overnight.

Sprinkle the toasted coconut and chopped nuts on top. Garnish with a pineapple slice in the center.

Blueberry Cheesecake

1/4 cup butter, melted
1 1/2 cups vanilla wafer crumbs
1/4 cup cold water
1 envelope unflavored gelatin
2- 8oz cream cheese, softened
1 tsp. grated lemon peel
1 Tbs. lemon juice
1-7oz jar marshmallow creme
3 cups blueberries frozen or fresh (about 3 -4.4oz tub)
2 8 oz frozen whipped topping (thawed)

Crust:
Combine crumbs and butter, press into bottom of 9" springform pan. Chill

Soften gelatin in water, stir over low heat until dissolved. Gradually add the gelatin to cream cheese mixing at medium speed until well blended. Blend in lemon juice and lemon peel. Add the marshmallow creme, mix well. Fold in blueberries and then fold in whipped topping. Puree 2 cups blueberries then fold into cream cheese mixture then fold in one 8oz tub of whipped topping. Chill until firm.

For garnish spread an 8 oz. tub of whipped topping over the chilled cheesecake and then top with one cup of blueberries.

Pumpkin Cheesecake

Recipe comes from the California Pizza Kitchen

Crust:
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
3 Tbs. sugar
6 Tbs butter, melted

Filling:
24 oz (3 8 oz pkgs) cream cheese
1 1/2 cups dark brown sugar
1 Tbs plus 2 tsp flour
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground cardamom
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1/8 tsp ground ginger
1/8 tsp grated nutmeg
1 cup plus 2 Tbs sour cream
3 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups canned pumpkin puree

Combine graham cracker crumbs and sugar, then add the melted butter and press into the bottom of a 9" springform pan and set aside.

Preheat oven to 350.
In a mixing bowl mix the cream cheese. Scrape down the sides and continue mixing until smooth. Add the brown sugar until mixed thoroughly, scraping down the sides. In a separate bowl combine the flour, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, ginger, and nutmeg, then add to the cream cheese mixture until blended scraping down the sides of the bowl. Add the sour cream and continue mixing as before. Add eggs one at a time, vanilla and then the pumpkin puree. Mix until thoroughly scraping down the sides. Pour into the springform pan and bake for one hour. You may have to bake for an additional 20 minutes or until cheesecake is set. Allow to cool in oven for 30 minutes and then cool outside of oven until room temperature. Chill overnight in refrigerator.
Serve with a dollop of whipped cream.

(I've used pumpkin puree from my garden and just upped the amount of spices- 2 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp of everything else. I also added 1/2 tsp. of pumpkin pie spice.)

Chocolate Truffle Cheesecake

Crust:
1 1/2 cup Chocolate wafer crumbs
2 T sugar
1/4 cup melted butter

In small bowl combine cookie crumbs and sugar; stir in butter. Press onto the bottom and 1 1/2" up the side of a greased 9" springform pan. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes. Cool on a wire rack. Reduce heat to 325.

Filling:
1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup whipping cream
3 (8oz) pkgs. cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup cocoa
3 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract

In a saucepan over low heat, melt chocolate chips; stir until smooth. Remove from heat, add cream and mix well. Set aside.

In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Add cocoa and beat well. Add eggs; beat on low just until combined. Stir in vanilla and reserved chocolate mixture just until blended. Pour over crust. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until center is almost set.

Topping:
1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup whipping cream
1 tsp. vanilla

Melt chocolate chips in saucepan over low heat, stirring until smooth. Remove from the heat and stir in cream and vanilla, mix well. Spread over filling. Refrigerate overnight. Carefully run a knife around the edge of pan to loosen. Remove sides of pan. Just before serving, garnish with whipped cram and miniature chocolate kisses.s

Strawberry Daiquiri Cheesecake

Crust:
1 1/2 cup ground Vanilla Wafers
6 T melted butter
1/4 cup sugar

In small bowl, combine wafers, butter and sugar. Mix until crumbly. Press into a 9" spring form pan. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes. Cool. Refrigerate.

Filling:
1 Envelope unflavored gelatin
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp. Rum extract
1/3 cup Strawberry daiquiri drink mixer
1/2 cup Lime juice
1 tsp. grated lime rind
1 tsp. grated lemon rind
4 large eggs, separated
2 (8 oz) pkgs cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 cup heavy cream

In medium saucepan, combine gelatin, sugar, rum, daiquiri mixer, and lime juice. Stir the grated rinds, then add the egg yolks, thoroughly mixing all ingredients. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until thickened. Remove from heat and allow to cool.

In Large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth and light, add powdered sugar until smooth then slowly add the gelatin mixture while mixing. Blend all ingredients thoroughly until smooth. In separate bowl, beat heavy cream until soft peaks form then fold into the cream cheese mixture. In a clean, separate bowl, beat the egg whites until they form soft peaks. (The bowl needs to be clean otherwise the peaks won't form.) Fold the whites into the cream cheese mixture. Pour the mixture into the prepared crust and refrigerate overnight.

Topping:
2 limes, thinly sliced
2 lemons, thinly sliced
1/4 cup strawberry daiquiri drink mixer

Just before serving, carefully take a knife around the edge of the pan to loosen the cake. Remove pan. Garnish with lemon and lime slices. Pour daiquiri mixer over top of cake.

Chocolate Candy Bar Cake

Yields 12 servings
Time: 45 minutes plus time to cool

1 Devils Food Cake Mix (plus ingredients to make the cake)
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 jar of your favorite caramel ice cream topping
2 12 oz pkgs. of heath or skor bits (I've also uses snickers & milky ways)
8 oz. cool whip

Bake your cake, when it comes out of the oven use a handle of a wooden spoon and poke holes all over the top of the cake. Drizzle the milk over the holes and then the caramel too.
Pour 1 1/2 bags of toffee over the top of cake and let it cool completely.
Spread the cool whip on top and then sprinkle the rest of the toffee on top and Enjoy!!!
Refrigerate the leftovers (Ha if there is any!!)