Easy Cheesecake Bars

Warning: Highly addictive. You have been warned. Do not come crying to me when you have eaten half the pan after making them. (You think I jest? You would be wrong.) They are. That. Good.





Cheesecake Bars (EASY!)


1 box yellow cake mix (dry)
1 egg
1/3 c oil

Mix until crumbly. Save 1/2 cup out and put the rest into a 9X13 inch pan you've sprayed with Pam or greased. Bake the crust at 350 for 15 minutes. While it's baking make the filling.

8 oz. cream cheese (softened)
1/3 c sugar
1 egg
1 t lemon juice
1/4-1/2 t dried lemon zest (optional)

Beat until smooth. Spoon and spread over the baked crust. Sprinkle the reserved crumbles on top and bake an additional 15 minutes. Cool completely by chilling in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.

Black Bean and Corn Salsa

Update Note:   This post is dated 2007 - you know, back when cameras were still used to take photos and cellphones were just to... talk.  Ha ha. 

I've posted this recipe or similar many times in the past almost 14 years.  A search in the box to the right or by label will bring up newer posts that have photos or even just a smidgen different ingredients or amounts.  Over the years I've come to use 2 versions corn, lots of jalapeno's, some cumin... this is a great starter recipe and then you can add or delete ingredients to make it 'yours'.  



Black Bean and Corn Salsa

1 pound dry black beans, soaked and cooked about one hour until just tender*
1 - 11 oz can white corn, drained
2 - 10 oz cans diced tomatoes with green chilies, drained
2 tomatoes, diced
1 bunch cilantro, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
Juice of one lime
salt to taste if using dry beans

Mix it all up. Chill overnight. Garnish with additional cilantro if desired. Serve with chips or use in burritos.

*Can use 2-3 cans of black beans instead, rinsed













One of the many times I've reposted versions of this family favorite through the years can be found here:

Black Bean and Corn Salsa

Almond Sour Cream Cake

Almond is one of my favorite flavors. When I saw this recipe I had to copy it down, as I think the almond, milk and sour cream is going to make for an awesome cake. The original recipe called for 2 t vanilla and 2 t almond but I love love love almond cake and almond muffins so I removed the vanilla and made it 4 teaspoons of almond instead. Also, it called for 1/4 c oil. However, with the amount of sour cream and milk in the recipe I omitted the oil. The original also used water instead of milk, but I'm substituting milk, or perhaps half milk, half cream. I'm going to have fun with this one!



Almond Sour Cream Cake

2 (18 ounce) boxes white cake mix
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 2/3 cups milk
4 teaspoons almond extract
2 cups sour cream
8 large egg whites, room temperature

Place all dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl and whisk. Add the remaining ingredients and beat on medium speed for 2 minutes. Pour into greased and floured cake pans. Bake at 325° until cake tests done.

Original Crullers

On one of my other blogs I was lamenting the loss of the Cruller from Dunkin' Donuts and the fact that Krispy Kreme donuts do not even make a real cruller. They make their regular yeasty yuck donuts into a cruller shape and sell it under the name cruller... thereby confusing and ruining the real cruller for an entire generation of young people that will grow up thinking that poor pile of muck is a cruller.

So I perused recipe after recipe after recipe and I found one I am keeping close to hopefully make in the next week or so. It's an original dutch cruller (as compared to the French Cruller which is really made with cream puff batter and piped into a round shape). These are rolled, cut into strips, the strips are doubled, twisted, pinched on the edges to join and then deep fried into a yummy goodness. The only thing I'm going to do differently is borrow the French version's topping, which is a very thin glaze as compared to a sprinkling of sugar.

Crullers

1/4 c butter
1 c sugar
2 eggs, beaten
4 c flour
3 t baking powder
dash ground nutmeg
1/2 t salt
1 c milk
oil for frying
powdered sugar glaze

Cream the butter and sugar. Add eggs. Whisk or sift the flour with the baking powder, nutmeg and salt. Add alternately with the milk. Chill the dough until you can handle it. Roll out 1/4 inch thick. Cut into strips 1 inch wide by 8 inches long. Fold each strip in half legthwise, twist several times and pinch the ends together. Fry, being sure to flip so both sides are done. Drain. Cool. Cover with a thin glaze.

French Crullers

1/4 c sugar
1/2 t salt
1/4 c shortening
1 c boiling water
1 c sifted flour
3 eggs
1 t vanilla extract
oil for frying
simple powdered sugar glaze

Combine sugar, salt, shortening, and boiling water in a saucepan. Mix and bring to a rapid boil. Add flour all at once and mix and cook until thickened, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Add eggs one at a time, beating thoroughly after each addition. Add vanilla extract. Force mixture through pastry tube onto greased paper, forming circles. Deep fry. Carefully turn paper upside down so crullers will drop into fat. Fry and flip over until golden brown. Spread with thin powder sugar glaze. Makes about 1 dozen.

Steak Marinades

I believe I've posted my regular steak marinade recipe on this blog previously but tonight I stumbled upon one that is almost exactly like mine, but for the addition of vinegar to it. I'm thinking this would be a good marinade for a cheaper cut of meat because the vinegar would help break it down and make it tender.

3/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons vinegar
2 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons onion (chopped)
1 teaspoon ginger powder

Combine and refrigerate for 8-24 hours.


MARINADE NUMBER TWO:

This one is for my husband... A man who loves a rich, deep, dark beer, loves tabasco sauce and loves limes with beer, shrimp, margarita's... this is perfect for Father's Day!


1 bottle of dark beer
2 T garlic, chopped
2 T red onion, diced fine
2 T Worcestershire sauce
4 dashes Tabasco sauce
juice of 2 limes
1/4 c brown sugar, packed
1 T coarse brown mustard (Creole is good)
2 T olive oil
2 t salt


Mix and marinate a nice rib-eye for 4-12 hours. Grill as usual.