Pear Crunch Cake

(okay, I kinda stole this from Bakerella, but I did change it from peaches to pears, since I don't like peaches!)

2 15oz cans sliced pears in syrup (or peaches, I guess)
1 box yellow cake mix
1 stick butter
1 cup loosely packed brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Dump the fruit into the bottom of a 9x13 pan, syrup too.  I cut the slices into chunks, 'cause bakerella said to, and I honestly thought it would be easier to eat.  Spread the dry cake mix directly over the top of the pears (nope, don't follow any of the directions on the cake mix box).  Cut the stick of butter into pats and place evenly on top of the cake mix.  Spead the brown sugar over everything.  And then sprinkle the nuts on top.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 40 minutes.

(after 40 minutes, mine still seemed runny, so I took a fork and kinda mixed everything up a bit.  Then I stuck it back in the oven for maybe 10 more minutes).

Taffy Apple Pizza

* 1 roll refrigerated sugar cookie dough, softened
* 1 cup creamy peanut butter
* 1 block cream cheese, softened
* 1 cup brown sugar
* 1 teaspoon vanilla
* 2 Granny Smith apples, diced
* 1 cup pecans, crushed
* 1 cup caramel

Allow cookie dough to softened so that it is kneadable. Roll it onto a cookie sheet or pizza pan. Bake as directed on packaging. Mix peanut butter, cream cheese, brown sugar and vanilla. Spread mixture on top of baked cookie. Top with diced apples; sprinkle with pecans; drizzle with caramel. Refrigerate.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars

1 cup butter, melted

2 cups graham cracker crumbs

2 cups confectioners/powdered sugar

1 cup and 4 tbsp. peanut butter, divided

1 1/2 cups chocolate chips

In a medium bowl, mix together the melted butter, graham cracker crumbs, confectioners sugar and 1 cup peanut butter until well blended. Press evenly into the bottom of an ungreased 9 x 13 inch pan.

Microwave the chocolate chips with the 4 tbsp peanut butter on high for 1 minute. Stir. Continue microwaving and stirring every 30 seconds til smooth (NOTE: It only took 1 minute 15 seconds for mine to be smooth). Spread over prepared crust.

Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before cutting into squares.

Store bars in airtight container in refrigerator.

Yields: 20 bars

Candy Apple Salad

* 5 large apples
* 8-10 Snickers Snack-Size Candy Bars
* 1 tub of Cool Whip
* 1 package of Instant Butterscotch Pudding Mix

Chop apples into bite-sized pieces. Add crushed Snickers. (Freeze, then pound while still in wrapper to easily crush.) Mix Cool Whip and pudding mix together. Add to apple/Snicker mix. Chill. Enjoy!

Cherry Chip Bars

• 1 package Cherry Chip cake mix
• 1/2 cup butter (one stick)
  
• 2 blocks of cream cheese
• 1 canister Cherry frosting
• 3 eggs

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix dry cake mix and softened butter until crumbly. Reserve one cup. Press mixture into 13x9 inch pan. Mix frosting and cream cheese until smooth. Add eggs, mix thoroughly. Pour over mixture in 13x9 inch pan. Top with remaining mixture. Bake at 400 degrees for 40 minutes. Let cool. Store covered in refrigerator.

Peanut Butter Temptations

Prep time: approx 15 mins; Bake time: apporx 10 mins. Makes about 3 1/2 dozen.
You will need a mini muffin pan for this recipe.

about 40 mini Reeses peanut butter cups, unwrapped

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

Heat oven to 375. Remove wrappers from candies. Line small muffin cups with paper bake cups if desired.

Beat butter, sugar, brown sugar, peanut butter, egg and vanilla until fluffy in large bowl.
Stir together flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl. Add gradually to butter mixture, beating until well blended.

Shape dough into 1 inch balls; place one in each paper lined or ungreased muffin cups. DO NOT FLATTEN.

Bake 10 to 12 minutes until puffed and lightly brown. Remove from oven. IMMEDIATELY press peanut butter cups into center of each cookie. Cool completely in muffin pan.

Pumpkin Fluff

• (1) Box Sugar-Free Instant Vanilla Pudding
• (16 oz. ) Canned Pure Pumpkin (not pie filling)
• Pumpkin Pie spices to taste - about one teaspoon (Hint: Pumpkin Pie Spices are really just cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves)
  
• 2 Cups Fat Free Cool Whip

In a large bowl, mix together instant vanilla pudding mix, pumpkin and pumpkin pie spice. Fold in the thawed frozen whipped topping. Chill in the refrigerator until serving.

Makes 6 servings. If you are a WW, 1 point per serving. This is delicious!

Pumpkin Dip

• 15 oz. can of pumpkin
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 2 8 oz. blocks cream cheese (softened)
• 1 t. cinnamon
• 1 t. ginger
• 1 t. vanilla

Mix ingredients. Refrigerate.

Great dip for apples, pretzels, Nilla wafers, graham crackers, etc.

Easy Monster Cookies

1 pouch Betty Crocker chocolate chip cookie mix
1 pouch Betty Crocker peanut butter cookie mix
1 1/2 cups quick-cooking oats
1 cup butter (softened)
3 eggs
2 cups M&M's chocolate candy

Heat over to 375

In large bowl: mix all ingredients except candy until soft dough forms. Stir in candy.
NOTE: It worked best to combine butter and eggs first. Then add the cookie mix pouches and oatmeal.

On ungreased cookie sheets, place 1/4 cupfuls of dough 3 inches apart (yes, these are BIG cookies).

Bake 12 to 13 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool 2 minutes, remove from sheet and cool on wire racks. Store in airtight container at room temp.

Makes 18 big cookies.

* to make 36 smaller cookies, place 2 tablespoonfuls dough about 2 inches apart on cookie sheet. Back 10 to 12 minutes.

Cook's note: I made these tonight and they are so yummy!

Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Bars

A few weeks ago, B. brought me a chocolate chip cheesecake bar from a potluck he attended. It was good, but not as good as these. Normally, I don't pretend to be an awesome cook, but this recipe is a keeper (and super easy).

• One tube refrigerated chocolate chip cookie dough, softened
  
• One 8 oz. block of cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 egg

Cut cookie dough in half. Spread one half onto bottom of 8x8 pan. Mix cream cheese, sugar and egg. Spread over cookie bottom. Crumble second half of cookie dough evenly over mixture. Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes. Cool and cut. If desired, drizzle melted chocolate over top before cutting.

3 Layer Chocolate Cake

This recipe was my great-grandma's. I've made it once -- it's somewhat time consuming and the frosting is challenging to say the least. If you want to skip the homemade frosting, you can use regular white frosting.

Also - this is not a dark chocolate cake. It's more like a red velvet recipe without the red food coloring. The cake color is light brown.

Cake:
3/4 cup Crisco (regular crisco, NOT butter flavor)
3 squares Baker's Chocolate (melted)
3 c. flour
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 tsp vinegar
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
2 1/2 c. sugar
3 eggs
1 1/2 c. buttermilk

Cream together Crisco and sugar
Add melted chocolate
Add eggs
Mix flour and salt, add to mixture
Add buttermilk and vanilla
Mix baking soda and vinegar in small bowl; add to mix.

Beat well.

Place batter in 3 floured, round cake pans.
Bake at 350 for 45 minutes

Frosting:
1 c Crisco
1/2 lb Margarine (ex: Parkay)
2 c sugar
1 1/3 c warm milk
2 tsp vanilla
- Beat all ingredients until creamy

- Yes, it does seem ODD to make frosting w/ Crisco...but this recipe is, um, an antique. I was very scared of the frosting when I made it....but it worked out OK. But again, you can use other frosting if you want.

Nutter Butter Frozen Pie

Crust:
24 Nutter Butter cookies, crushed
5 tbsp butter, melted
- mix crushed cookies w/ butter. Press into bottom of 9-inch pie plate

Filling:
1 pkg (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
1 cup creamy peanut butter
3/4 cup sugar
1 tbsp vanilla
1 tub (8 oz) Cool Whip, thawed and divided

Mix: All but Cool Whip w/ hand mixer. Gently stir in 1 1/2 cups Cool Whip. Spoon into crust.

Freeze 4 hours or overnight. Let thaw before serving (about 1/2 hour).
Garnish with remaining Cool Whip and, if desired, chocolate sauce.

Yum-O!

Carrot Cake - Cupcakes!

This is a very low-fat version of carrot cake I got from hungrygirl.com. If you want to make it a cake, just add 10 minutes to the baking time.

For cupcakes:
1 1/2 cups shredded carrots, roughly chopped if shreds are long
1 cup (1/4th of box) Pillsbury Moist Supreme Reduced Sugar Cake Mix, Classic Yellow
3/4 cup whole-wheat flour
3/4 cup canned pure pumpkin
2/3 cup fat-free liquid egg substitute (like Egg Beaters Original)
2/3 cup canned crushed pineapple in juice (not drained)
2/3 cup Splenda No Calorie Sweetener (granulated)
1/4 cup raisins (not packed)
2 tbsp. brown sugar (not packed)
1 1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. baking powder

For frosting:
4 oz. fat-free cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup Fage Total 0% Greek Yogurt (or another thick, plain fat-free yogurt)
2/3 cup Splenda No Calorie Sweetener (granulated)
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, combine all dry cupcake ingredients except for the carrots and raisins (in other words -- cake mix, flour, Splenda, brown sugar, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, and baking powder). Mix well and set aside. In a large bowl, mix together pumpkin, egg substitute, and 1/4 c up water until blended. Add the contents of the medium bowl to the large bowl. Using a wire whisk or fork, blend until just mixed. Then, stir in the carrots, pineapple, and raisins. Spray a 12-cup muffin pan with nonstick spray. Evenly distribute cake mixture among the cups, and place in the oven to cook for 20 - 25 minutes (until a toothpick poked into the center of one comes out clean). While the cupcakes cook, combine all the frosting ingredients in a small bowl. Using a whisk or fork, blend until smooth. Place frosting in the fridge to chill. Once cupcakes are fully cooked, remove the pan from the oven and allow to cool completely. Then plate cupcakes, and spread frosting evenly over tops. Refrigerate until frosting has set and you're ready to serve. Enjoy!!! MAKES 12 SERVINGS

Serving Size: 1 frosted cupcake
Calories: 130
Fat: 1g
Sodium: 205mg
Carbs: 26g
Fiber: 2.5g
Sugars: 10g
Protein: 5g

POINTS® value 2*

Strawberry Volcanoes

(I should have taken a picture here, but of course didn't. Next time, I surely will)
My friend Julie made these for our bowling banquent last week, then I made them last night for a retirement party. They were a hit both places. I doubled the recipe and didn't bring any home!

1 container of strawberries
1 brick of cream cheese
1/4 Cup powdered sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
Crushed/Chopped nuts

Clean the stawberries and remove the hull making a flat side, so the strawberry can stand on that end (like a mountain). Cut two slices down from the point, like a + sign, not all the way through. You should be able to slighly open the strawberry so you can pipe the filling down inside.

Filling: cream together the cream cheese, sugar and vanilla. (This is the same recipe you could use for the sauce of a fruit pizza). Fill a plastic bag with the filing and snip a corner off of the bag. If you have a piping bag, good for you...use it!

Fill each strawberry with some of the filling, overflowing them slightly so they look like volcanoes! Top with a few crushed nuts. I used walnuts last night.

Ricotta Cheese Cookies

My friend W. (A Couple More Hours) asked me to post this recipe. While I can't vouch for it personally, she does have good tastes.




Ricotta Cheese Cookies
1/4 cup ricotta cheese
1/2 cup butter
2 cups flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla

Mix ingredients well with a spoon. Grease cookie sheets and drop cookies in 1 inch mounds from spoon. Bake 10-12 minutes at 350. Let cookies cool and frost.

Frosting
1 1/2 cup confectioners sugar
2 tbs milk
1 tsp vanilla

Stir together. Add food coloring if desired.

Dip newly iced cookies into colored sugar, rainbow dots or jimmies.

YUM!

Chocolate Cookie Bark

* 1 pkg. (8 squares) Baker's Semi-Sweet Baking Chocolate
* 1 pkg. (6 squares) Baker's Premium White Baking Chocolate
* 1 Tsp. peanut butter
* 10 Oreo cookies

Place semi-sweet chocolate and white chocolate in separate medium microwaveable bowls. Microwave until completely melted, following directions on packages. Add peanut butter to white chocolate; stir until well blended. Crumble half the cookie over chocolate in each bowl; mix well.

Drop spoonfuls of the chocolate mixtures onto wax paper-covered baking sheets, alternating colors of the chocolates. Cut through chocolate mixtures several times with knife for marble effect.

Refrigerate at least 1 hour or until firm. Break into 14 pieces. Store in airtight container in refrigerator.

Alternative A: Omit peanut butter; use mint Oreos.
Alternative B: Omit peanut butter; use holiday Oreos (with red filling).

Popcorn Cake

• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/3 cup corn syrup
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup water
• 1/4 t. salt
• 1/4 t. baking soda
• 3/4 t. vanilla
• food coloring
• 2/3 cup uncooked popcorn

Pop corn. Set aside. Cook other ingredients to soft ball stage. (Use a candy thermometer.) Pour over popcorn. Stir well. Color with food coloring if desired. Pour into well-sprayed bundt pan. Let firm. Slice and eat.

Easy, Easy, Easy Peanut Butter-Chocolate Fudge

• 12 oz. semi sweet chocolate chips*
• 12 oz. peanut butter
• 14 oz. sweetened condensed milk

Melt chocolate chips and peanut butter in microwave (about 3 minutes). Add milk. Stir. Pour into 8x8 glass dish. Refrigerate until firm. Enjoy.

* I used the swirled chocolate/caramel chips this time and it was pretty good.

Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Dip

This dip is soooo yummy! I usually just make it and leave it in a bowl, but you can form it into a ball and roll it in chopped pecans or another nut if you like.

• 16 oz. Cream Cheese
• 1 C. Butter, softened (not melted)
• 1.5 C. Powdered Sugar
• 1/4 C. Brown Sugar
• 1 t. Vanilla
• 1.5 C. Mini Chocolate Chips
• Graham Cracker Sticks (or Teddy Grahams or 'Nilla Wafers)

Beat cream cheese and butter together until smooth, then stir in powdered sugar, brown sugar and vanilla. Mix in chocolate chips. Refrigerate for a couple hours before eating. Serve with graham cracker sticks.

Key Lime Pie

I just made this tonight to take to work with me tomorrow. I completely forgot how easy it was...and GOOD!

• 1 graham cracker ready made pie crust (or if you're good, you can make your own)
• 1 - 15oz. can of sweetened condensed milk
• 3/4 C. key lime juice (or just regular lime juice if you can't find it)
• 1 - 8oz. tub of cool whip
• 1 lime, sliced for garnish

In a bowl, mix together sweetened condensed milk and lime juice until well blended. Fold in cool whip until smooth. Poor into pie crust. Garnish with lime slices or wedges...however you like to pretty it up. Refrigerate until ready to serve. (YUM...can't wait until after lunch tomorrow!)