Sunday, February 12, 2012

CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE CHEESECAKE BARS

I know it's a long name for a dessert but they are well worth the time it takes to say the name. We could shorten it and call them "A's New Favorite Dessert" but that's not all that much shorter.

I'm posting the recipe for several reasons: A. because their fantastic, B. because they're easy to make, and C. because my niece, A, asked me too.

To give you some insight into just how good they are, my dear husband would normally eat one and say "Oh these are just too rich. I can't finish mine." Well, he ate 2!

They're gooey, rich and delicious. A big plus: the kids can do the hardest part of making them.

Start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees.

The ingredients:

1 tube of Pillsbury Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough (I specify Pillsbury because of the size of the package. If you buy the Walmart brand, the package is smaller and you may have to use 2)

1 package of cream cheese

1 egg

1/2 sugar

In a mixing bowl, add the last 3 ingredients and beat until smooth.

In an ungreased baking dish (I used my Pyrex 7 x 11 glass baking dish), put 1/2 of the cookie dough. Using your fingers, smash it down covering the entire bottom of the dish evenly forming the bottom crust. (The kids would love doing this part!)

Then add the cream cheese mixture. Spread it evenly across the first layer of cookie dough.

Crumble the remaining cookie dough on top of the cream cheese mixture covering the top. Don't worry about holes since as it bakes it will spread.

Place in the oven and bake for 30 to 35 minutes.

Once you pull it from the oven, the center will be slightly soft. Don't worry about this. As it cools, it will fix itself.

Once cooled, cover and place in the refrigerator until time to serve.

You can eat these with your fingers or with a fork. I, personally, could just eat them right from the pan. They're rich. They're creamy. They're cookies. They're cheesecake. What more could you want?

Well, if it had been in the budget, I would have wanted chopped macadamia nuts on top. Oh my goodness, it can only get better from here!

Tuesday, February 07, 2012

AND ANOTHER THING THAT I LOVE


I'll admit something to you.

I'm a cheapskate. I come by it honestly since my dad was one too.

I hate to pay high prices for anything. I'd rather use the cheaper brand of something (most of the time, the off-name brand is just as good if not better).

When I shop for things such as bath soap, I normally choose the cheapest, decent product I can find.

Then one of my closest friends introduced me to coupons. Now I can buy more expensive products and pay the lower prices!

I've discovered this to be one of my favorite products EVER!

I love the smell.

I love how soft it makes my skin.

I love that I can find good deals on it with coupons.

I have a stockpile of it (for fear the company will discontinue it).

This one is the only scent I've tried. I can't make myself try another scent because I love this one so much.



Dear Nivea,

Don't ever take this product away from me. I'd be lost without it.

Love,
Mommeee


I am not being paid to endorse this product. I say that I like it because I like it. However, if someone wants to pay me for using it, I wouldn't stop them.

Sunday, February 05, 2012

MORE THINGS I LOVE


I love to read. I love books. I have as far back as I can remember.

In the past few years, I haven't allowed myself much time to read. This year I've promised myself I would make the time to read more.

I just finished The Hunger Games. I know, it's a the latest trend following The Twilight Saga (which I did read and enjoy) and Harry Potter. I only survived the world of Hogwarts to book 4 before I fell into the every-book-seems-the-same-to-me rut. Maybe someday I'll continue with the rest.

My all time favorites are the Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich (this is where my dog, Ranger, got his name). I need to get #18 to catch up. It's on my "I promise myself to read more this year" list.

I plan on finishing The Hunger Game series. I'm hooked.

I plan on reading some old time sappy love stories. Harlequin romances are great for taking the reader away from a hum-drum world and dropping them into a world where love always wins and every man is a romantic.

I'm among a big group of fellow readers so what books do you love? Give me something good to add to my list this year.

Saturday, February 04, 2012

WRITNG CHALLENGE



I stumbled across this challenge tonight and thought it was just one of the neatest challenges ever. I tried to explain it to the hubs but he just didn't get it. He says anything can be summed up in just three sentences.

"You can tell Abe Lincoln's life story in 3 sentences. He was born. He was president. He was assassinated."

The hubs is right but he just doesn't get it. His story has no emotion, no depth.

Trifecta has issued this challenge. Go check it out. Read some of the stories because a few of them are incredible.

I had to do it, too.

Memories of him seem to come to mind for me at the strangest moments - the smell of the money that came from his wallet,
the way he liked to take me on a spontaneous Saturday trip out of town, or watching Wheel of Fortune with him and him thinking
that because he drank herbal tea that day, he'd be better at the game than me.

I wonder if my children will have these similar moments after I'm gone.

I miss him tremendously.

Can you do it too?

It's true but can you tell an entire story and include emotion

LOVE IS IN THE AIR



It really is. It's getting close to Valentine's Day so it is truly in everyone's thoughts.

Some are thinking of what to get their true love. Other are thinking of who their true love will be this year.

I love all the wonderful people in my life but I'm more of the thought of things that I love this year (Those that are included in "people" already know I think of them all year long).

I've listed several things over my blog years of
things I love such coffee, wine, shelves, etc.

In the few days up until the holiday, I'm going to share some other things that I love.

Hang with me this week and next to find out. If there's something that you want to share that you love, give me some comment love! It might just be something that I love too!