Apple Cherry Tart

Love this. So easy and so good. It almost makes me thing I'm eating something good for me.

The topping makes this, it really does.

Apple Cherry Tart

Crumb Topping:

2/3 cup flour

1/2 cup backed brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/3 cup butter or margarine

1/2 cup pecans, chopped

Tart:

1 refrigerated pie crust

2 large Granny Smith apples

1 can (19 oz) cherry pie filling, divided

Preheat oven to 400 F.

For topping, in a bowl, combine flour, brown sugar, cinnamon and butter. Blend thoroughly. Chop pecans, add to bowl. Mix well; set aside.

Roll pastry on floured board or 13 inch circle. Place on round pizza stone or a cookie sheet.

Peel, core and slice apples. Cut slices crosswise in half; layer apples evenly over crust to within 1 inch of edge of crust. Spread 1/2 cup of pie filling over apples; sprinkle topping over top.

Fold outer edge of pastry over filling to form rim (Pastry will cover outer edge of filling only). Bake 30-35 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Cool slightly.

To serve, cut with Slice 'N Serve . Serve warm with ice cream and remaining pie filling.

Yield:12 servings

Moo Shu Sloppy Joes

This is my new favorite meal. Hands down. LOVED THIS. Healthy, tasty, cheap...the trifecta of yumm. Try it. You'll love it.

Moo Shu Sloppy Joes

2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/2 cup cold water
1/4 cup barbecue sauce
1/4 cup hoisin sauce
2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
2 teaspoons minced fresh gingerroot
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 small onion, sliced
1 small sweet red pepper, sliced
2 teaspoons canola oil
1 pound lean ground beef (90% lean)
3 cups coleslaw mix
8 flour tortillas (6 inches), warmed

In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch, water, barbecue sauce, hoisin sauce, soy sauce, ginger, garlic and salt until blended; set aside.
In a large skillet, saute onion and red pepper in oil until crisp-tender; remove and set aside. In the same skillet, cook beef over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain.
Stir cornstarch mixture and add to the skillet. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 1-2 minutes or until thickened. Add coleslaw mix; stir to coat. Spoon meat mixture into the center of each tortilla; top with onion mixture. Roll up tightly. Yield: 4 servings.

*NOTE: I used ground turkey in this recipe.

Nutrition Facts: 2 wraps equals 454 calories, 17 g fat (4 g saturated fat), 56 mg cholesterol, 1,387 mg sodium, 43 g carbohydrate, 2 g fiber, 30 g protein.

Bailey's Irish Cream White Chocolate Cheesecake

This was soooo good! Creamy with just the right amount of irish cream to add flavor and something different to a traditional cheesecake. I did leave the white chocolate chunks on the larger side so one could actually taste them in the cheesecake. MMMMMMM!

BAILEY'S IRISH CREAM CHEESECAKE

CRUST:
10 whole graham crackers, broken into pieces

1 1/4 c. pecans, about 5 oz.

1/4 c. sugar

6 tbsp. (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Lightly butter 9" diameter spring form pan with 2 3/4" high sides. Finely grind graham crackers, pecans and sugar in processor or chopper. Add butter and blend using on/off turns. Press crumbs onto bottom and sides of pan, refrigerate for 20 minutes.

FILLING:
1 1/2 lbs. cream cheese, room temperature

3/4 c. sugar

3 lg. eggs

1/3 c. Bailey's Irish Cream liqueur

1 tsp. vanilla

3 oz. white chocolate morsels

Using an electric mixer, beat cream cheese and sugar in large bowl until smooth. Whisk eggs, Bailey's and vanilla in medium bowl until just blended. Beat egg mixture into cream cheese mixture. Finely chop white chocolate and add to the cream cheese mixture.
Transfer filling to the crust lined pan. Bake until edges are puffed and dry looking and center is just set, about 50 minutes. Cool on rack.

TOPPING:
1 1/2 c. sour cream

1/4 c. powdered sugar

1 1/2 oz. white chocolate, chopped or grated

24 pecan halves

Mix sour cream and sugar in small bowl. Spread onto cooled cake. Refrigerate until well chilled, about 6 hours. Garnish with grated chocolate and place pecan halves around edge.

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins

These are a cross between a pumpkin muffin and cheesecake! Perfect with coffee. Love it!

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins

1 pkg. (2-layer size) spice cake mix
1 pkg. (3.4 oz.) JELL-O Vanilla Flavor Instant Pudding
1 cup canned pumpkin

1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup sugar
1 egg

HEAT oven to 350ºF.
PREPARE cake batter as directed on package. Add dry pudding mix and pumpkin; mix well. Spoon into 24 paper-lined muffin cups.
BEAT cream cheese with mixer until creamy. Blend in sugar and egg; spoon over batter. Swirl gently with small spoon.
BAKE 18 to 21 min. or until toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean. Cool 5 min.; remove to wire racks. Cool completely.

Tex-mex Chili

I made this for my annual Christmas party and people loved it! It was mildly spicey. Just perfect.

Tex-mex chili

3 pounds beef stew meat
1 tablespoon canola oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
3 cans (16 ounces each) kidney beans, rinsed and drained
3 cans (15 ounces each) tomato sauce
1 can (14-1/2 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 cup water
1 can (6 ounces) tomato paste
3/4 cup salsa verde
1 envelope chili seasoning
2 teaspoons dried minced onion
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Shredded cheddar cheese and minced fresh cilantro

Directions
In a large skillet, brown beef in oil in batches. Add garlic to the pan; cook and stir for 1 minute. Transfer to a 6-qt. slow cooker.
Stir in the remaining ingredients. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or until meat is tender. Garnish each serving with cheese and cilantro. Yield: 12 servings (1-1/3 cups each).

Slap 'Yo Mama Margaritas

Oh lawd. These go down waaaay toooooo smooooth. The best of the best. Trust me.

Slap 'Yo Mama Margaritas

2 cans 7 - up (I actually use Diet Sprite or Sprite Zero, cut back on calories a little... also, I just buy the 2 liter and fill the limemade container up twice)

1 12 oz. can frozen limeade

8 oz tequila (use the good stuff people)

1 bottle Corona beer(no substitutes)


Just dump everything into the QUICK STIR PITCHER (a Pampered Chef product and worth the money!) and plunge. To make it even “slushier”, freeze the 7-up, beer and tequila ahead of time. If you have the family size Quick Stir Pitcher you can make 2-3 batches at once (they go fast!).

Pecan Goody Cups

These didn't quite turn out as perfect as the picture but boy were they good!

Pecan Goody Cups

3/4 cup butter, softened
2 packages (3 ounces each) cream cheese, softened
2 cups all-purpose flour
FILLING:
1-1/2 cups packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tablespoon butter, melted
48 pecan halves

In a large bowl, beat butter and cream cheese until light and fluffy. Gradually add flour, beating until mixture forms a ball. Cover and refrigerate for 15 minutes.

For filling, in a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, eggs and butter.
Roll dough into 1-in. balls. Press onto the bottoms and up the sides of greased miniature muffin cups. Spoon filling into cups; top each with a pecan half.
Bake at 350° for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Cool for 2-3 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks.

Yield: 4 dozen.

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Cake

This was yummy! Dense and sweet, it's the perfect treat to have with a cup of coffee or tea.

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Cake

3/4 cup butter, softened
1-1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 can (15 ounces) solid-pack pumpkin
1 cup (6 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled
3/4 cup finely chopped pecans, divided

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon; add to the creamed mixture alternately with pumpkin. Fold in chocolate chips.

Divide batter in half. Stir melted chocolate into one portion. In a well-greased 10-in. fluted tube pan, sprinkle 1/2 cup pecans. Spoon chocolate batter over pecans; top with pumpkin batter. Sprinkle with remaining pecans.

Bake at 325° for 65-70 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 15 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack. Yield: 12 servings.

Easy Chicken Enchiladas

These were soooo good!! I LOVE the cream cheese base vs. the cream of whatever soup. The medium salsa and chopped green chiles added some extra flavor and kick. I'll make these again for sure!

Easy Chicken Enchiladas

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
1 cup salsa (I used medium)
2 cups chopped cooked chicken breast meat
1 (15.5 ounce) can pinto beans, drained
6 (6 inch) flour tortillas
2 cups shredded Colby-Jack cheese (I used taco cheese)
1 small can chopped green chilies
1 can of enchilada sauce (I used an 8oz jar)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.
In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the cream cheese and salsa. Cook, stirring until melted and well blended. Stir in chicken and pinto beans. Pour small amount of enchilada sauce in bottom of dish, enough to cover. Fill tortillas with the mixture, roll and place into the prepared baking dish. Pour remaining enchilada sauce over enchiladas. Spread cheese over the top. Cover with aluminum foil.
Bake for 30 minutes, or until heated through. Garnish with your favorite toppings such as lettuce and tomatoes, or sour cream.