Marion Berry Cheesecake Bars & Lemon Curd Cheesecake Bites

I made Marion Berry Cheesecake Bars to take to a family reunion. They were easy to make and chilled well in the fridge (no bake is nice). I topped the cheesecake with marion berry jam. For the lemon cheesecake bites, I filled each cupcake liner with a graham-cracker crust, then spooned a top of that cheesecake filling, then drizzeled lemon curd on top of each bite. If you love cheesecake, why not make these adorable treats!

For either cheesecake bars or bites you will need the following:

For crust:

1 1/4 c. finely crushed graham crackers
5 T. butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350. In either a food processor or by hand, finely crush graham crakers until they are fine. Add melted butter and pour onto a 8 x 8 baking pan that has been greased. Mold down by pressing down. Bake for about 8-10 min. If you choose to cheesecake bites in a cupcake liner, press down graham cracker mixture into each liner about 1/2 inch into liner.

For cheesecake filling:

2 (8 oz) packages cream cheese, softened
1 packet of unflavored gelatin
1/2 c. sugar
1/4 tsp. vanilla
1 c. boiled hot water

put one package of gelatin into medium sized bowl. Add sugar and hot water. Stir and allow gelatin to dissolve for about 5 min. Stir until all dissolved. In a large bowl, add soft cream cheese and vanilla, then add gelatin mixture. Beat on low until smooth. Pour mixture onto baked graham crust either in pan or cupcake liners. Chill in fridge for up to 3 hours.

Lemon curd:
2 T. lemon juice
1/4 c. sugar
1 T. butter
1 T. heavy cream or sour cream
1 egg and 1 egg yolk (from mykitchen cafe recipe (she didn't add sour cream, but I did since I didn't have heavy cream on hand).

In a sauce pan add eggs and whisk. Add sugar and lemon juice and stir on medium low heat for about 5 min. Add cream and butter and stir for another 2 min or so. Let mixture set in fridge for about 10 min. Pour mixture on cheesecake after cheesecake has set for about 2 hours.

Or:

Marion Berry Jam or any other jam flavor you like. Microwave about 1/4 c. of your favorite jam (I used Marion Berry) for about 10 sec. Pour into a funnel and drizzel over cheesecake once cheesecake has set. Put cheesecake back into fridge to allow to cool for additional time until ready to serve.

Hearty Whole Wheat Oatmeal Cookies With Special Dark Chocolate Chips

These cookies are so rich and scrumptious I just had to share. I decided to make these with whole wheat flour, different from the traditional cookie made with white flour. After they came out of the oven, I couldn't believe how perfect they were. I used and highly recommend you make these with Wheat Mountain Bronze Chief, 100% whole wheat flour. The chocolate chips were the special dark and added just the right dark chocolate bitter sweetness combined with the oatmeal, brown sugar and crushed life cereal which I decided to add in for extra heartiness. I hope you decide to try them. An added bonus is they are healthy. The added fiber combined with the sugar slows down the sugar absorbtion in the body. You can eat all you want and get your fiber and dark chocolate anti-oxidents for the day! A final few words are, you can eat healthy by adding just the right ingrediants to your recipe.

Oatmeal Cookies with dark chocolate chips

1 1/4 c. whole wheat flour
1/4 c. white sugar
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. oatmeal
1/2 c. crushed life cereal
1/2 bag of special dark chocolate chips (or add the entire bag if you like extra chocolate)
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 egg
1/2 tsp. vanilla
2/3 c. melted butter

Preheat to 350. In a medium sized bowl, whisp the egg, add the white and brown sugar, and vanilla. Mix well. In a large bowl, add flour and baking soda, mix and then add egg and sugar mixture. Mix and then add melted butter and salt. Add oatmeal and life cereal and then mix in chocolate chips. Spoon onto greased baking sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes.

Dutch Oven Layered Chicken Enchiladas

There is something about cooking outdoors that makes food taste so good. Try these dutch oven enchiladas on your next camping adventure.

You will need (for about 4 people:
corn tortillas
1 can green chili enchilada sauce
5-6 chicken tenders
taco seasoning to taste
1/2 c. sour cream
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/4 c. chopped onion
1/4 c. chopped green pepper or green chilis (optional)
shredded cheese of your choice

cook chicken tenders, recommended crockpot. Add taco seasoning with small amount of water and allow to simmer with chicken. Once chicken is cooked thorougly, shred chicken. Set aside. In bowl, combine cream of chicken soup, onions, peppers or diced chilis(optional) and sour cream. Stir together and then add shredded chicken to mixture.

On the bottom of the dutch oven, pour enchilada sauce and then lay out 4 corn tortillas flat on top of sauce. Top with mixture,


green chili enchilada sauce and shredded cheese.
Next, add four more tortillas and lay flat on top of mixture.
Repeat until you have run out of mixture. Place dutch oven over flames and check on it in 30 min. If it is bubbling and crisp on top with melted cheese sizzling, you are ready to serve it!

If you love dutch oven cooking, here are other ideas for you to make.
Breakfast:
Mountain Man Breakfast: Hashbrowns, eggs, sausage, peppers, onions, and melted cheese

Dutch Oven Meals:
Dutch oven potatoes
pizza
Pulled chicken, bbq chicken and pork
Pot roast/veggies
lasagna
casseroles
Soup


Dutch Oven Desserts:
Peach cobbler or any fruit of your choice
Black forest w/cherries
Brownies and fudge
molten chocolate cake
Sweet Rolls
There are many more!

Thai Peanut Rice Noodles Stir Fry

This is an easy meal idea if you buy the Thai Peanut Stir-Fry Meal. You can choose to spice it up by adding:
shrimp, chicken or tofu
1/2 c. chopped cilantro
1/4 c. chopped green onions
1 tsp. lime juice
and chopped peanuts for the topping. This is a great, healthy meal and very light! If you want to try the gluten-free diet as I am, try this!

Raspberry Chipotle Pork

Raspberries. Chipotle. Two of my favorites, and combined, this is the ultimate flavor combo. Tender pork-chops from the crockpot. A must make meal!

2-4 lean pork-chops
1/2 c. raspberry chipotle sauce/marinade
1 package of chipotle seasoning
1 1/2 c. water

Allow to cook in crockpot on low, medium or high settings.

Cajun Quinoa

I was inspired to make this meal from a recipeout of the Better Homes and Garden's Cookbook. I did, however, add more ingrediants to recipe to enhance more flavor. If you choose to make this, make sure you add the hominy, which really makes the meal. This meal was so good that I could easily go for seconds and thirds. So highly nutritious, packed with vegetables, protein and so much flavor. You absolutely must make this meal. Quinoa is fairly new to most households. I was recommended it by my mom who said it was fabulous, and it is!

Cajun Quinoa

1/4-1/2 c. olive oil
1 can of Golden Hominy
1/2 c. chopped yellow onion
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/4 c. rinsed and drained quinoa
2 c. water
1/2 c. chicken broth
1/4 c. shredded carrots
1 tsp. cajun seasoning (if you don't have any cajon seasoning, you can substitute 1/2tsp paprika and 1/2 tsp. red pepper powder
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 c. chopped zucchini
1 c. chopped tomatoes
1/2 c. chopped green pepper
1/4 c. chopped scallions



In large sauce pan, saute onion, green pepper and garlic in olive oil. Add quinoa, two cups of water, carrots, cajun seasoning and garlic and onion powder. Bring to boil, then add chopped zucchini. Cover and allow to simmer. Once quinoa has absorbed all water, add chicken broth and stir. Cover again and allow to simmer until all veggies are tender. Once tender and quinoa is soft, add hominy, and scallions and tomatoes. Allow to simmer for about 5 more minutes, covered. Enjoy!

Spicy Lentil and Black Beans

Dr. Oz has convinced me to eat my lentils. You can choose to make this meal spicy or not. I made this the other night. If you made the black beans over rice meal, you will be sure to like this. I served this over quinoa and it was great!

Spicy (or not) Lentil and Black Beans

About 2 c. of dried lentils
6 T. olive oil
1 can black beans
1 can of diced tomatoes
1/4 c. chopped celery
1 c. chopped green peppers
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 c. chopped yellow onion
1 c. chicken broth
1/4 c. chopped scallions
1 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. salt (optional)
1/4 c. chopped fresh cilantro chopped (optional)
1/4 tsp. cayenne powder. (optional) I used 90,000 heat units.

Cook lentils as instructed on package. In large saucepan, saute yellow onion, garlic and green pepper. Add lentils once cooked, black beans, tomato, broth and seasonings. Once to a boil, reduce and simmer covered for about 40 min, or until thickened. Right before serving, add cilantro and scallions and allow to simmer on low for an additional 5 minutes. Serve over rice or quinoa for a great, nutritious meal.