Cookie Dough Cheesecake Bars

Who doesn't love cookie dough and cheesecake? I always used to sneak a little bit of the dough when me and my mom were making chocolate chip cookies together when I was a kid. I used to get cookie dough on my ice cream all the time. Let's just say, I love me some chocolate cookie dough. 

I wanted to make more than one kind of cheesecake bars for Thanksgiving this year and when I saw this recipe I about fell on the floor. I knew I had to try it.

Here Is What You Need: 

Crust:

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs

5 Tsp unsalted butter, melted

Chocolate Chip Cooke Dough:

5 Tsp unsalted butter, room temperature

1/3 cup packed light brown sugar

3 Tsp granulated sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

3/4 cup flour

2/3 cup chocolate chips

Cheesecake Filling:

10 oz cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup sugar

1 large egg, room temperature

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Preheat your oven to 325 F. Line a 8" square baking pan with parchment paper allowing for a little overhang and spray with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside

Mix melted butter and graham cracker crumbs until thoroughly combined. Press the mixture into the bottom of the pan into an even layer. Bake in preheated oven for 6 minutes. Remove pan to cooling rack but make sure you leave the oven on. 

While the crust is cooling, prepare the cookie dough. In a bowl, beat butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, salt, and vanilla until smooth and thoroughly combined. Mix in the flour on low speed and mix until incorporated. Mix in the chocolate chips. (this mixture will be dry, it is more like a crumble topping)

In a bowl cream together cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Mix in egg and vanilla on low speed just until incorporated. Pour the filling into the prepared crust, smoothing out to edges. Use your hands to crumble the dough topping in teaspoon size clumps onto the top the filling. Be sure to use all of the dough.

Bake for about 30 minutes, until the top feels dry and firm (cookie dough) and the entire pan looks set when given a gentle shake. Move bars to a cooling rack. Let cool for an hour then place in refrigerator to cool for a couple hours or overnight to finish setting. 

Once set, remove from pan using edges of parchment paper onto counter. Cut into bars and enjoy!

I doubled the recipe and did in a 9x13 pan and was able to cut into small squares and got about 24 out of it. 

These bars are so good. One of my managers at work described it as heaven, and that is saying alot coming from her. 

I hope you give it a try and let me know what you think. 

Well, I'm gonna kick back and listen to my Christmas music. Catch ya later!

Sopapilla Cheesecake Bars

So when I was a kid, my parents and I would go to this awesome Mexican restaurant called Casa Bonita. You would get you food and they would seat you at tables that were at all levels of the restaurant that was scattered around a large indoor waterfall. There were divers that would do amazing different kind of dives into the pool below and also a hilarious safari man and gorilla that would do a comedy sketch. The point to this story is that the best part about this restaurant was the sopapillas that they would bring out after you finished your meal. They were always so hot and fluffy and were amazing with some honey squeezed inside. 

If you don't know what a sopapilla is, it is like a Mexican doughnut but I hate describing it that way. Yes they are cooked alot like doughnuts since they are fried but they are way better than that. They are dusted with cinnamon sugar and like I said earlier they are amazing with honey squeezed inside. 

I was trying to come up with desserts that I could take to Allen's family's Thanksgiving and to work as a treat. Cheesecake bars are very popular and very easy to make. I found this recipe and tweaked it a little to make it taste more like a sopapilla. So without any further ado, the recipe for Sopapilla Cheesecake Bars.

You Will Need:

2 (8 oz) cans of crescent roll dough

2 (8 oz) packages of cream cheese. softened

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 egg

3/4 cup sugar, divided

4 teaspoons of ground cinnamon, divided

Spray 13x9 pan with cookie spray. Open crescent rolls and unroll into the bottom of pan, pressing together seams to seal. 

In a large bowl, blend together cream cheese and 1/2 cup sugar until creamy. Mix in vanilla, egg, and 2 teaspoons of cinnamon until smooth. 

Spread evenly over dough, smoothing to edges. 

On counter, lay out parchment paper and spray with cooking spray. Unroll second can of dough onto paper and using rolling pin, seal seams. Then flip over onto top of cheesecake mixture, pressing down at edges to seal in mixture. 

Heat oven to 350 degrees and bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown. 

Meanwhile, mix together remaining cinnamon and sugar. After done baking, remove bars from oven and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar while still hot. Let cool for an hour before putting in refrigerator overnight to completely set. 

Cut into squares. Depending on how many people you are making for will determine the size that you cut them. I cut mine small since I needed them for 3 events. I was able to get about 24 of them.

They are incredibly delicious and taste alot like a sopapilla to me. One of my friends at work said that they tasted like Cinnamon Toast Crunch (but of course she has never had a sopapilla before lol)

Well I hope you give them a try and let me know how you like them. I have another recipe to share this weekend that I also made for Thanksgiving. 

I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving with your family and friends. 

Going to finish my episode of Bones. Catch ya later!

Pizza Pasta Casserole

Hello there again folks! One more day until Halloween! I am so excited about my costume for tomorrow! We are having a costume competition at work! I won't be revealing what it is until tomorrow so you will have to keep tuned. 

But anyways onto an easy dinner recipe. This can be thrown together and cooked right then or put in the freezer and cooked later. Kids and adults will both love this! Now onto the recipe!

What You Will Need:

1 pound of ground beef

1 small onion

1/2 clove of garlic

1 jar of spaghetti sauce

1 box of rotini pasta (cooked and drained)

4 cups of mozzarella cheese

3 bags of mini pepperoni

First, you want to brown the meat with the onion and garlic in a large skillet. (I also added some garlic powder and onion powder) Once cooked, drain and leave in the skillet.

Stir in spaghetti sauce and let it simmer for awhile so that the meat and soak up some of the flavor from the sauce. You can add a packet of zesty spaghetti sauce mix (I like McCormick)

Then mix in pasta,  2 cups of mozzarella and 2 bags of pepperonis to meat mixture until well combined. Pour  into greased 9x13 pan and smooth out. 

Sprinkle remaining pepperonis and cheese over the top of casserole.

Now you can either cook or freeze to cook later. 

If you want to cook now, bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until warmed through

To cook later, cover and freeze up to 3 months. When you are ready to cook it, thaw in refrigerator overnight and bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes until hot.

Nice and ooey gooey! Yes those are technical terms. Of course I am a fan of Parmesan cheese (aka stinky feet cheese) so I put some on top. Was very good and even better reheated. 

I hope you enjoy this recipe. Try it out and let me know what you think. Also let me know if you add your own twist on it. 

Well, I'm going to finish up my episode of Bones. Catch ya later!

Need A Book To Read?

I truly love to read. It is an escape from the real world and can take you to places you could never go or even imagine. I have always been a fan of reading ever since I was little when my father used to read to me and my mom every night before bed. I have been to the prairies of America, the country of Narnia, the world of Middle Earth and beyond. 

My friends are always asking for good book recommendations so that gave me an idea to compile a list of books and series that I have read and enjoyed. I will talk a little about each book or series and what ages they would be appropriate for. 

Let me start with the books for the older audience. These books are for adults, and just because I say that they are for adults does not mean that are romance novels. Some of these books have scenes that I would see as inappropriate for a teenager to read, but you can use your own judgement.

The Diary of Ellen Rimbauer: My Life at Rose Red

By: Joyce Reardon

This is the story of Ellen Rimbauer from Seattle, Washington and her life at Rose Red. She marries a rich man who builds her the house of her dreams only to find that not everything is as it seems with her husband.....or the house. I read this book after seeing the miniseries done by Stephen King called Rose Red. I wanted to see what the back story was and was pleased. I honestly can't talk too much about this book without giving away plot points. If you like horror stories or reading about haunted houses, this book is for you.

The Sabina Kane Series

By: Jaye Wells

Sabina Kane is a mixed blood, half mage half vampire. She has become an outcast with her vampire family that has raised her since her parents were killed. Her being an outcast makes her perfect to be an assassin. Her next mission will force her to choose which side she is on. Currently there are 5 books in the series. Each book has Sabina facing a new challenge as she struggles to find out who she is and what she is capable of. 

A Story of Fire and Ice

By: George R. R. Martin

Otherwise known as the Game of Thrones series, these books follow characters from the land of Westeros and the lands beyond the Narrow Sea. The many houses of Westeros including the ever ready Starks from the North, the rich but deceiving Lannisters, the proud Baratheons, and thought to be extinct Targaryens, and many more. From love to betrayal,  from horror to hilarity, from smiles to tears, these books cover it all. There are some gruesome and explicit scenes but very well written. But I will warn you, don't fall in love with a certain character because you never know what will happen in the next chapter. There are currently 5 books in the series.

Cell

By: Stephen King

Well you can obviously tell that this book will be gruesome just by the author's name. If you love "zombies" and post apocalyptic worlds, this is the book for you. This book follows Clayton Riddell, a comic book artist, who just landed a comic book deal of his dreams. One minute he is walking down the street on a normal day when all of the sudden The Pulse starts making people attack other, stripping them down to their basest nature. Clayton and the others that were not affected by The Pulse band together to find a possible safe haven but does it even exist? You definitely will not want to use your cell phone while reading this book.

Phantom

By: Susan Kay

If you love Phantom of the Opera, you will definitely enjoy this book. It takes you deep into the back story of the Phantom, Erik and all the events that lead to him becoming the famous phantom. You will truly feel his pain and love throughout this book. I could read this book a hundred times and never get tired of it. 

Wicked Game

By: Jeri Smith-Ready

Ciara Griffin has just started at WMMP as the marketing intern to help out to save the station. She begins to notice that each DJ has their own style and choice of music that seems to only be from a certain era. She finds out that the dee jays are vampires and the music they play is from the era that they were turned. Ciara uses this to launch a new marketing strategy, changing the station name to WVMP, the Lifeblood of Rock and Roll but of course no one falls for the fact that the deejays are really vampires. As things are starting to look up for the station, Ciara's marketing strategy begins to upset some older vampires. There are currently 4 books in this series. 

The Seducer Series

By: Madeline Hunter

This series is definitely one I have never seen. All the stories happen at the same time but all the stories are separate. I really like how Madeline Hunter did this. I love these books since they are period pieces, taking place around the beginning of the 19th century. Each book follow a different male and his part of this story. Truthfully I haven't read all of the books yet but what I have read so far is amazing. There are 5 books in the series; The Seducer, The Saint, The Charmer, The Sinner, and The Romantic. There are so two spin off novels; Lady of Sin and Lord of Sin. As you can guess these are romance novels so they do get explicit at times. 

The Mist

By: Stephen King

This book was actually a novella that was published as apart of his book "Skeleton Crew" but has now been published separately. Starts out like any other Stephen King book with a regular old storm, a trip to a supermarket, fog rolls in and chaos ensues. This book will keep you on your toes from beginning to end. I really cant explain anything more about this book without giving away key details. I just know that I will never be able to look at the spaghetti sauce section at the grocery store the same ever again.

The Robert Langdon Series

By: Dan Brown

All I can say is this series is addictive and so intriguing. Every time a new book came out I would get it and immediately wouldn't be able to put it down from page one. You may better know this series as Angels and Demons, Da Vinci Code, The Lost Symbol and Inferno. Each book follows Robert Langdon, a Harvard Symbologist, as he is asked to help with murder investigations that have puzzles or ciphers involved. He deals with the Illuminati, the Templars, the Masons, each a secret society. These books will make you think and truly make you believe that there is more than meets the eye. Dan Brown also has other books that do not follow Professor Langdon that are just as intriguing; Digital Fortress and Deception Point. These books do have gore and some language.

The Kitty Norville Series

By: Carrie Vaughn

Kitty Norville is a midnight-shift DJ and a closet werewolf. She gives advice to humans and supernatural beings alike on her show. All seems to be going well until a werewolf hunter shows up and then things get interesting. These books follow Kitty as she adjusts to being a werewolf and meeting all kinds of mythical creatures, some good and some just plain evil. I really enjoy these books. Kitty is such a hilarious and intriguing character that you become really attached to. As there are currently 13 books in the series, I obviously cant describe them all but I'll just tell you they are amazing and well written. These books do involve gore, language and explicit material.

Well I am going to stop there. This finishes out the truly adult books that I have read and enjoyed. I will also being doing a post about adult/young adult books and then books appropriate for adults and children alike.So stay tuned!

I'm going to finish reading a chapter in Feast For Crows (Fourth book of the Fire and Ice Series). 

Catch ya later!!!!!

Chili Cheese Pizza

Sorry folks that it has been so long since my last post. I have been super swamped at work. But any who onto the awesome recipe that would be great for football parties, get togethers or any time!

I have been asked who knows how many times for this recipe every time I talk about it or post it on Facebook. I actually got this recipe off a little paper handout from Walmart and have been addicted to it ever since. My fiance, Allen, practically begs me to make this at least once every two weeks. It is definitely one of his favorites. 

Things You Will Need

12 bun length hot dogs (cut into thin slices)

1 refrigerated pizza dough

1 medium bag of Doritos

1-2 bags of you favorite cheese

1 can of hot dog chili sauce

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. While oven is heating, line shallow cookie sheet with foil and spray with non-stick cooking spray. Spread out pizza dough to cover sheet, pinching any holes that happen. 

Crush Doritos and spread over the dough, slightly pressing into dough. I bake it for 5 minutes to get the crust starting to set up since it can tend to be soggy if you don't. 

I realized the I forgot to take a picture of the hot dog chili sauce so........

The sauce is just the right consistence and thickness for this pizza and/or chili dogs. But anywho back to the recipe. Spread the chili sauce over the doritos and crust. Make sure you get it all the way to the edges so that you get the sauce in every bite. 

Line the hot dog slices in rows across the dough until completely covered. You don't have to do this, you can just throw them on there but I like to do it this way so I get hot dog in every bite. 

Now for the cheese. You don't have to use Cheddar cheese, you can use your favorite kind or blend of different kinds of cheese. I had cheddar cheese but I also used a mexican blend because I like it to be extra cheesy. It actually tasted pretty good. Colby Jack is really good too. Spread you cheese over the top and yet again make sure you get it all the way to the edges. 

Bake for an additional 13-15 minutes or until edges of dough are a golden brown and cheesy is melted. 

And there ya go! You can add additional toppings such as onions, tomatoes, or you favorite chili dog topping. We like to leave it as is. Slice it up and it is ready to enjoy!

 Hope you enjoy this recipe. Let me know what you think or any different ways to top this.

Well I am going to finish my episode of Bones. Catch ya later!

Butterbeer Cupcakes

If you are a Harry Potter fan you will love this recipe. I had never made cupcakes from scratch before so this was.......well a new experience. I was browsing around on Pinterest for a recipe to make a dessert for Allen's best friend's mom's birthday tonight and a dinner party tomorrow, and I stumbled across this recipe Sunday Sweets: Butterbeer Cupcakes. She is a better blogger about it. I was going to take step by step pictures but as I said before this was my first time making from scratch so I got a little flustered and forgot to until I was half way through. But any who, here we go!

You will need:

Makes 18 cupcakes

For the cupcakes

2 cups of flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup dark brown sugar packed

3 large eggs

1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon butter flavoring

1/2 cup buttermilk

1/2 cup cream soda

For the ganache

1 11-oz bag of butterscotch chips

1 cup heavy cream

For the frosting

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter

1/3 cup butterscotch ganache

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon butter flavoring

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 16-oz package powdered sugar

Splash of milk or cream (as needed)

Let's start with the cupcakes. Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl until combined, set aside. In large bowl, cream butter until fluffy with hand mixer or stand mixer. Add sugars and mix until combined. Add eggs one at a time, mixing until combined before adding another. Once all eggs are mixed in, add butter flavoring and vanilla. Alternate adding small amounts of buttermilk, cream soda, and dry ingredients until combined. Preheat oven to 350. Line cupcake pan with liners and I spray them with Pam to make sure that they don't stick. Fill liners 3/4 of the way with batter. Bake for 15-17 minutes until you can insert toothpick into center and comes out clean. I baked mine for 15 minutes and they were done, but every oven is different. Cool on wire rack or counter.

Now for the ganache. I worked on this while the cupcakes were baking. In a double boiler (or a heat safe bowl over saucepan with barely simmering water) combine chips and cream until chips are melted and mixture is smooth. Set aside to cool to room temperature. And lucky for me I had some squeeze bottles on hand, makes things alot easier to squeeze into cupcakes and to drizzle later. You can find them at stores in the kitchen section for cheap. Once cooled, use a funnel to pour into bottle. Insert bottle tip into center of cooled cupcake and squeeze until ganache starts to come out of the top. Repeat with remaining cupcakes. It creates a burst of flavor to the center. Trust me its awesome!

And last but least, the frosting!!! In large bowl, cream butter until fluffy. Add ganache, butter flavoring, vanilla and salt (I added a little bit of rum flavoring too for a little bit more flavor). mix until combined. Mix in sugar a cup at a time. Add splash of cream or milk a teaspoon at a time if needed. I didn't need to. 

Now to finish up the cupcakes. I learned this little trick from my dad. When putting frosting in a piping bag it can get a little messy. What I do is I take a large glass and put bag inside folding the top of the bag around the rim of the glass. It really helps you keep the bag snug in place and easier to put the frosting in without getting it all over your hands. Don't fill it up too much otherwise you won't be able to twist the top to seal. Take out of the glass and push frosting down to bottom and twist the top shut. Now I used an open star tip but you can use whatever you like. Pipe frosting onto cupcakes and drizzle ganache over the top. 

And your done and they are ready to enjoy! I already snuck one. I just couldn't help it! And all I have to say is wow!!!!! You can enjoy it with cream soda or you can make this super easy recipe for some yummy butterbeer Easy Butterbeer Recipe

I hope that you give these a try. The really are amazing and yummy. I promise that if I make them again I will take more pictures.

If you do try them, let me know what you think of them and if you did anything different. 

Thanks for checking out this recipe! Gonna finish listening to my Josh Groban station and then I'm off to the party! Catch ya later!

Some Of My Doodles and Drawings

As I said in my first post I absolutely love to draw. It takes my mind off of things, relaxes me, and calms my nerves. Of course all the things I like to draw are geeky. From superheroes to movies to video games to comics. I've always doodled when I was bored at school or at home or at work.......

And then I wanted to see if I actually took my time, if I could actually be pretty decent at this. The first couple drawings were not that good but it just took some time.

The bleeding Superman symbol from The Death of Superman

The Batman/Superman symbol (no I am not excited about Ben Affleck) I drew this before the movie was even announced and was still a cartoon that I loved when I was younger.

My niece was a huge fan of Jacob from Twilight. And she loved this!

And like I said, as time went one I really took my time and got better. 

The Keyblade from Kingdom Hearts.

The sparrow tattoo from Captain Jack Sparrow's arm.

The Harry Potter initials, a Golden Snitch, and a wand

I drew this for Allen's 26th birthday. He absolutely loved it!

I drew this for my best friend's boyfriend, Vincent, for his birthday. On the back I wrote "To: The Boy Lived Another Year. From: Your Fellow Gryffindors." He is a Gryffindor like me and Allen on Pottermore. My best friend, Amanda, who is a Hufflepuff just stuck her tongue out at us. Lol!

So I drew this for her for her birthday to make up for it. I framed it and everything. 

And then one of my favorite drawings I have done so far......

This always been my favorite frame from a comic book. Superman's cape after he was murdered by Doomsday. I don't like it because Superman was dead but because of how it made me feel when I saw it on the page for the first time. It shocked me because Superman was dead, the one superhero we thought could never be killed, it just jumped off the page at me. I knew I had to attempt to draw it. I am very happy how it turned out. 

Well enough of this for now. I will save my current work in progress for another post. Hope you enjoyed this post. let me know what you think of the drawings and let me know what your favorite one was. 

Going to finish up my episode of Doctor Who and head to bed. Catch ya later!

Creamy Chicken Enchiladas

Well time for my first recipe post. With me and Allen being on opposing shifts for work it can be hard sometimes to make dinner for both of us. Allen is a night shift 911 dispatcher and has to work 12 hour shifts. So he can get pretty hungry so I try to send something yummy with him. Well tonight I whipped up some simple enchiladas that have become his favorite!

What your going to need:

1 can of Cream of Chicken Soup

1/2 cup sour cream

2 cups of cooked shredded chicken

1 Tablespoon butter

1 can chopped green chilies

1 medium onion chopped

1 bag Monterey Jack Cheese

6-8 large tortillas warmed

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon garlic powder

Well since I was throwing this together last minute I didn't have an onion but I used some minced dried onions and onion powder instead.

Ok so first off, you want to melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. While that is melting, you can mix together the sour cream and soup in a medium bowl. Set aside. Add the onion and spices to skillet and cook until onion is tender. Mix in chicken and green chilies and two teaspoons of soup mixture.

Spread 1/2 cup of soup mixture into bottom of a greased casserole pan. 

On a clean surface or cutting board, lay out tortilla and spoon about 1/4 cup of chicken mixture into center. I put some of the cheese on there too but you don't have to.

Our dog, Ollie, likes to stare at me and be my clean up crew if I chance to drop any chicken. Lol!

Roll up tortilla and place in pan seam side down. Continue until all enchiladas are made. I only did 6 but I like to fill mine pretty full but there is enough to make at least 8. 

Spoon soup mixture on top of enchiladas and spread out evenly, all the way to the edges.

Spread cheese over the top

Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until bubbly.

You can top with sour cream, guacamole or any of your favorite toppings. I just go with sour cream. Unfortunately I was unable to get these done for Allen to eat before work but was able to send some with him. 

It was actually really funny because I was sitting there eating mine in the living room and I heard him doing something in the kitchen and I turn around and he is eating some of them. Asked him if he was starting on his early but he said that he had eaten half of one from the pan. He really cracks me up. 

Well hopefully you love these enchiladas as much as we do. They are so creamy and delicious. Let me know what you think and any different ways you fix them. 

I'm going to sit back and watch some Doctor Who. Catch ya later!

Have To Start Somewhere

Well here goes! First post on my new blog! So this blog will be about many different things. It will be about my geeky side, recipes I have tried, crafts and my drawings. I am always posting things on my facebook but would like to be able to elaborate and share things with the world. I guess I can start by telling ya'll a little about myself. I'm originally from California but have lived in Colorado too. I moved to Tennessee 4 years ago in June. I currently reside in Gallatin, TN with my fiance Allen. We just got engaged in August! On my birthday none the less. We have been together for almost two years now and it has been an adventure since day one. lol! I am into so many geeky things it is ridiculous. TV shows like Doctor Who (love me some David Tennant), Sherlock (don't even get me started on Benedict, yum), Supernatural, Glee, Merlin, Once Upon A Time, Stargate SG-1, Stargate Atlantis, oh I could go on for days! Movies like Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, Pirates of the Caribbean, oh well you get the idea. I love to read! My nose is usually always in a book. And yes I am a gamer girl! You should see me play, man do I get mad when I lose too! lol! I love to draw, I am always doodling either at work or at home. I will have to post some of the drawings that I have done so far, good and bad. And I may not be the best cook in the world but I am always trying new recipes and techniques to get better at it. Allen would tell you that I am one of the best, and I love him for it! Well I think I will wrap it up for now. Be looking for posts from me in the days to come! Thanks for reading all of my rambling on!

Beth