No Bake Cheesecake ~SUPER YUMMY~

No Bake Cheesecake
From Anna Thomas
Image from Kraft Recipes

Filling:

1- 8oz. Cream Cheese (room temp)
1 - 8oz Cool Whip
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. Lemon Juice

Cream together sugar, cream cheese, vanilla, and lemon juice. Fold in cool whip.

Crust:
1 sleeve of graham crackers
1/4 cup butter
2 TBSP Brown Sugar

Melt butter with brown sugar. Add to crushed graham crackers. Mold into pie pan.

Delicious Caramel Corn

Caramel Corn

Recipe from www.tidymom.net

Ingredients:

1 1/2 c sugar

1/2 c (1 stick) margarine/butter

1/2 c light karo syrup

1 t vanilla

2 bags of “homestyle” popcorn

Directions:

On Medium heat melt butter and karo syrup.

Slowly stir in sugar until dissolved .

Stir continually for about 10 minutes until nice and bubbly. Remove from heat and add vanilla.

Pour over popcorn in large bowl. Then lay on wax paper to cool.

Spread with m&m’s.

Creamy Berry Goodness!

Creamy Berry Goodness!
Recipe from www.bcomingbetty.blogspot.com

Frozen mixed berries (I used two smaller bags from Walmart)
1 tub Cool Whip*
1 large container of vanilla yogurt (I used Stoneyfield french vanilla)
1 small package of cheesecake pudding mix

Pour berries into a large bowl. Add the Cool Whip and yogurt and then sprinkle on the pudding mix.
Stir together really well until it's all combined and looks pretty. Chill before serving.

{Oreo Chicks}

Oreo Chicks
Recipe from www.brownpaper--packages.com

ITEMS YOU NEED:

• Double Stuf Oreos
• Yellow Candy Melts OR white chocolate chips & yellow food coloring
• Pretzel sticks
• Mini chocolate chips
• Orange candy melts OR white chocolate chips & orange food coloring

DIRECTIONS:

1. Melt the yellow candy melts according to package directions. Or, melt white chocolate chips in the microwave or over a double boiler until smooth. Add yellow food coloring and stir well.

2. Dip Oreos into the chocolate, using whatever means necessary. :) I ended up just holding one end with my fingers, dipping it in to cover most of it, then using a spoon to coat the rest. Lay them out on a piece of aluminum foil.

3. Use the mini chocolate chips for eyes, and break the pretzels into small pieces for the legs. I placed the pretzels into the middle of the cookie when they were still wet. I did have a couple fall out, so I just dipped them into the chocolate and stuck them back on.

4. You can do a couple of things for the orange beak. You can use orange candy melts, or melt white chocolate chips and add orange food coloring. I actually used some white buttercream frosting that I had, and used food coloring to get the color I wanted. Whatever you decide to use, place it in a small sandwich bag, and push into one of the corners. Snip a *tiny* piece of off the corner, and pipe on the beak.

5. Let dry completely, then EAT!!

Leprechaun Pie

Leprechaun Pie
Recipe from www.oopsey-daisy.blogspot.com

* Instant pistachio pudding mix.

(I am not a huge pistachio fan, so I chose to do Cookies N' Cream with a bit of green food coloring!)

* Milk

* Whipped cream

* Oreo and sprinkles (optional)

* Foil-wrapped chocolate coin (I could NOT track these down, so I just used a Dove chocolate.)

* Clear plastic cup

Click on link to get cute poem to go with this
http://oopsey-daisy.blogspot.com/2011/03/leprechaun-pie.html

Rainbow Waffles

Quickly and carefully add the colored batter to your warmed
{ROUND} waffle iron. I found it was easiest to start in the
center with a small circle of the purple and
work my way to the outside with the colors making
rings around the center. The batter will spread a
little, just make sure to work quickly and get
the circle sort of right! I think this would be easiest
using squeeze bottles or maybe even putting the
batter in ziploc bags, but I was in a hurry and
spooning the batter onto
the waffle iron worked just fine too!

Strawberry Lemonade Cookies with Pink Lemonade Frosting

Strawberry Lemonade Cookies
with Pink Lemonade Frosting
Recipe from www.eatathomecook.com

For the cookies:

• Strawberry cake mix
• 1 stick butter, softened
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1 Tbs. water
• 1/2 cup pink lemonade mix

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and beat with a mixer till well blended. Drop by teaspoons onto a baking stone or cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes.

Frostings:

• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 3 Tbs. pink lemonade mix
• 3 Tbs. soft butter
• 1-3 Tbs. milk

Stir the powdered sugar and lemonade mix together in a small bowl. Stir in the butter. Add the milk gradually, until the frosting reaches a spreadable consistency. You want it thick, but smooth enough to spread. Frost cooled cookies.

Cream Cheese Melts

Cream Cheese Melts
From www.parents.com

Ingredients

• 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1 Tbs. butter, softened
• 1 Tbs. light corn syrup
• 1/4 tsp. mint extract
• 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• Red paste food coloring

Directions

In a large mixing bowl beat cream cheese, butter, corn syrup, and mint extract with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Gradually beat in 3 cups of the powdered sugar until combined. Turn mixture out onto a clean surface dusted with remaining powdered sugar and knead until smooth and no longer sticky.

Divide dough into 3 portions. Tint one portion pink and one portion darker pink. Leave one portion white.

Roll each portion into a 15-inch-long rope. Twist ropes together and form into a rope about 3/4-inch wide. Flatten slightly and cut into 3/4 inch pieces. Arrange pieces on a parchment-paper-lined tray. Cover and chill at least 4 hours. Store covered in the refrigerator up to 1 week.

Brownie 'N Fruit Kabobs

Brownie 'N Fruit Kabobs
Recipe and picture from Betty Crocker

1	box Betty Crocker® fudge brownie mix
	Water, vegetable oil and eggs as called for on brownie mix box
4	cups fresh pineapple chunks
5	cups halved fresh strawberries
10	large bananas, cut into 1-inch pieces
1/2	cup Hershey's® semisweet chocolate chips
1/4	cup butter or margarine
21	(10-inch) bamboo skewers

	Print these coupons...
	$1.00 off Any 2 MARS Valentine's Day Products Plus 34 more...
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1. Heat oven to 350° F (325° F for dark or nonstick pan). Line pan with foil, letting foil hang 2 inches over side of pan. Spray or grease bottom only of foil. Make brownies as directed. Spread in pan.
2. Bake 28 to 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted 2 inches from side comes out almost clean. Cool completely. Lift brownie from pan; remove foil. Cut brownies into 1 1/4-inch squares.
3. Line cookie sheets with waxed paper. Alternately, thread 3 brownie squares, 2 pineapple chunks, 2 strawberry halves and 2 banana slices on each skewer. Place kabobs on waxed paper.
4. In small microwaveable bowl, microwave chocolate chips and butter uncovered on High 1 to 2 minutes, stirring once until chocolate is melted. Drizzle over kabobs.

Chocolate Mint Cookies

Recipe & Picture from www.sugardoodle.net

1 Devil’s Food Cake Mix
2 eggs
1/2 C. oil
One Andes Mint per cookie

Mix first three ingredients together and drop in spoonfuls onto a cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and lightly pat each cookie with the back of a spatula to flatten cookies. Immediately after removing from oven, place an Andes Mint on the top of each cookie. After it starts to melt, take a spoon and gently move the Andes Mint around on each cookie until it is completely smeared over the top of the cookie. Allow to cool completely before serving or eat immediately for a deliciously rich warm cookie.

Hot Chocolate On a Stick

Hot Chocolate On A Stick
Recipe from www.thenovicechefblog.com

You will need:

8 oz. chocolate with 70% cocoa or higher

1/4 cup cocoa, sifted
1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar, sifted
pinch of salt

Equipment:
Ziplock bags or piping bags
A double boiler or pan with a glass bowl that can sit over the simmering water
Some kind of chocolate mold, ice trays work great
Stir sticks or a bag of wooden craft sticks

If your chocolate is in a block, chop it into even-sized meltable pieces. Simmer a couple inches of water in a
pan, then turn down the heat so the water is below a simmer. I like to remove the pan from the heat, but if
you keep it on, keep that water below a simmer. Place glass or stainless steel bowl over the top to make
a double boiler. If the bowl touches the water it’s alright, as long as your water isn’t too hot. Dump
chocolate into the clean, dry bowl and stir as the chocolate melts. (If you are patient and let those chunks
melt slowly, keeping them from getting over 90 degrees F or 88 degrees F for milk and white chocolate,
the chocolate will stay “in temper” and will still be nice and pretty when it cools.)

Once the chocolate is 2/3 melted, with just some pieces of the chocolate unmelted, remove the bowl from
the pan, dry the bottom with a towel and continue stirring until chocolate is fully melted. This is just one
more step to keep the chocolate from getting too hot.

Add cocoa, sugar, and salt and continue to stir until combined. The chocolate will be thicker, almost
as thick as frosting, but still glossy and smooth and very fun to stir. If it looks grainy or more like fudge
and is difficult to stir, it’s possible you’ve accidentally gotten a drop of water in the mixture.
Scoop chocolate into a ziplock bag and clip off the corner.

Pipe the chocolate into your chocolate mold, tapping the mold on the counter to make sure all the
chocolate settles into the mold. Add a stir stick and you’re done. The stir stick should stay upright
without any trouble.
Let the chocolate cool either at room temperature or in the fridge if you’re in a hurry.

If you don’t like the look of the chocolate once it is removed from the mold, you can dip the cubes
into a new batch of plain melted chocolate for a shinier finish (again, try to keep chocolate from heating
over 90 degrees, or use candy melts, which will stay shiny and pretty even if you go above 90 degrees).
This also lets you add sprinkles or crushed candy or just lets you dip in fun patterns. I like dipping at an
angle into a different color of chocolate.

In order to enjoy these, heat up any combo of milk, water, half and half, or cream. I like 6 cups milk

with 2 cups heavy cream. One ounce of chocolate on a stick should be melted into one

cup milk or cream. So a standard ice cube-tray block, which is 3/4 an ounce, should be melted into

a mug with 3/4 cup milk or cream in it.

Peppermint Bark Recipe

Peppermint Bark Recipe

Recipe and picture from www.thelongthread.com

Click HERE for a free printable gift tag

• 24 ounces white chocolate chips
• 24 ounces milk chocolate chips
• 1 teaspoon peppermint extract
• 20 candy canes

1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray.
2. Pour the milk chocolate chips onto the pan and spread them around. Bake for a couple of minutes until they look a bit melted. Then take the pan from the oven and spread the chocolate around with a spatula. Put the pan in the refrigerator to cool and harden for about 30 minutes.
3. Next open the candy canes, place them on a cookie sheet under a clean dishtowel and crush them with a hammer (this part is fun for kids). Sort the larger candy cane pieces from the candy cane dust.
4. Melt the white chocolate chips in a double boiler (I used a smaller pan in a bigger pan), stirring constantly. Add the peppermint extract and stir in the candy cane dust which will color your chocolate a light shade of pink. Let it cool a bit, then pour it over the top of your milk chocolate layer.
5. Sprinkle with candy cane pieces and press them down gently so that they stick.
6. Refrigerate for several hours, shake off the excess candy pieces, then break the bark into chunks. Best kept refrigerated.

Peppermint Candy Cookie

Peppermint Candy Cookie
Recipe and picture from www.brightideas.com

• 1 tube (18 oz.) refrigerated sugar cookie dough
• 1 teaspoon peppermint extract
• 1 container (16 oz.) vanilla frosting
• Green food coloring
• 1 2-inch round cookie cutter
• 1½ cups M&M’S® Brand Chocolate Candies
• 24 pieces 12 x 12-inch clear squares cellophane
• 1/2-inch holiday ribbon

• 1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
• 2. Tint the cookie dough with the green food coloring and flavor it with the peppermint extract. Roll it to 1/4-inch thickness, and then press out 24 circles using the cookie cutter. Bake for 10-12 minutes.
• 3. When the cookies are cool, spread with frosting. Before the frosting dries, arrange red and green M&M’S® Brand Chocolate Candies over the frosting.
• 4. When the frosting is firm, gently wrap the cookies in cellophane and tie the ends with ribbon.

Turkey Cheese Ball

Turkey Cheese Ball
Recipe from www.brandyscrafts.blogspot.com

Here is a fun appetizer that I made for Thanksgiving last year. It was a HIT!

I used felt to create a turkey head. I used 2 pieces, sewed all the way around

with a small hole in the bottom, then slid a skewer in the bottom to attach the turkey to the ball. You could make a head out of cardstock as well and glue a toothpick or skewer in between the layers of cardstock).

Then I added crackers and pretzels in it for the feathers and loaded up the platter with more crackers.

This makes a lot!

But since it is made from cream cheese, it will store for a while in the refrigerator.

Easy Cheese Ball

3 packages of cream cheese

1 package of dry ranch mix

3 1/2 c. shredded cheese, whatever you like

1/3 c. diced green onions

2 c. almonds (toasted)

Mash cream cheese in a bowl. Add next 3 ingredients. Form into a ball shape and roll in nuts. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 8 hours (to allow ranch to distribute evenly...otherwise it'll be too salty).

Serve with crackers.

Make sure to let the cheese ball chill for the 8 hours, then add the crackers right before serving. Do not refrigerate the crackers and the assembled turkey for 8 hours. The crackers will get soft.


*Should of posted this last week. But I guess it will be good for next year :)

Jack-o-Latern Sloppy Joe Pie

Jack-o-Lantern Sloppy Joe Pie
Recipe from www.tasteofhome.com

Ingredients

• 1-1/2 pounds lean ground beef (90% lean)
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
• 1 cup salsa
• 1/2 cup chili sauce
• 1 cup frozen corn
• 1 can (4 ounces) chopped green chilies
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 sheet refrigerated pie pastry
• 1 egg
• Orange paste food coloring

Directions

• In a large skillet, cook beef and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. In a small bowl, combine the flour, salsa and chili sauce until blended; stir into skillet. Add the corn, chilies and brown sugar.
• Transfer to a deep-dish 9-in. pie plate. Unroll pastry; place over filling. With a sharp knife, cut out a face to resemble a jack-o'-lantern; flute edges. Beat egg and food coloring; brush over pastry.
• Bake at 450° for 9-11 minutes or until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbly. Yield: 6 servings.

Nutrition Facts: 1 serving equals 428 calories, 19 g fat (8 g saturated fat), 97 mg cholesterol, 764 mg sodium, 38 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 25 g protein.

Oreo Pumpkins

Oreo Pumpkins
Recipe from www.oopsey-daisy.blogspot.com

These are so incredibly easy and fun to make! And your kids will love them!

Here is what you need:

* Orange candy melts

* Oreos

* Dipping stick (popsicle stick or candy stick)

* Pretzel sticks, cut in half

* Ribbon

Melt the orange candy melts according to the package directions. Using a dipping stick, dip an Oreo into the orange candy melt. (I wasn't very good at this, and I ended up just spreading the candy melt all over the Oreos!) Let set on wax paper. Stick a half pretzel stick into the top to create the pumpkin's stem. Tie green ribbon around the stem to form the leaves. Enjoy!

Pumpkin Spice Brownie Bites

PUMPKIN SPICE BROWNIE BITES
Recipe from www.insidebrucrewlife.blogspot.com

1 brownie mix and ingredients
(see I told you they were easy)
24 pumpkin kisses- usually at Target (or another flavor if you don't like pumpkin)
chocolate coating for dipping
another chocolate color or sprinkles

Make the brownies just like the package calls for. Bake and cool. Cut into small squares. Place on kiss in the center of a square and smush (yes that is a technical baking term) the brownie around the kiss. After you have finished smushing all the brownies, place in the freezer until firm. Melt the chocolate in the microwave (don't overheat it, because it will burn...yes, I have done that before) Add a little bit of shortening to thin the chocolate out. Drop the bites in the chocolate and roll them around a bit. Remove from the choc and place on wax paper until the choc sets up. It will set up super fast because the bites are frozen, so if you are going to sprinkle, do it quickly. After the chocolate is all set, melt a contrasting chocolate color and drizzle on the bites. I just use a plastic baggie and cut a small hole in one corner. (I kinda cut too big of a whole this time, so my drizzles were a little larger than I like...but they sure tasted good)

Eye Ball Cupcakes

Eye Ball Cupcakes
Recipe www.brightideas.com

• 1 box (18.25 oz.) your favorite cake mix
• 1 can (16 oz.) vanilla frosting
• 1 tube (6 oz.) blue decorating icing
• 1 tube (0.68 oz.) red decorating gel
• 24 M&M’S® Brand Peanut Butter Chocolate Candies
• 24 paper cupcake liners
• 2 regular-size cupcake pans

• 1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line the cupcake pans with the paper cupcake liners.
• 2. Prepare the cake mix according to the package instructions. Fill cups with 2/3 cup of batter. Bake for 18-21 minutes.
• 3. Remove pans from oven, transfer to a wire rack, and let cool completely.
• 4. To decorate: Frost the cupcake tops with the vanilla icing. Use the blue icing to pipe a 1-1/2 inch circle in the middle of each cupcake. Place one M&M’S® Brand Peanut Butter Chocolate Candies in the center of each blue circle.
• 5. Make squiggly lines using the red gel, starting at the blue circle and going to the edge of each cupcake.

Spider Cupcakes

Spider Cupcakes
From www.brightideas.com

• 1 box (18.25 oz.) Devil’s Food cake mix
• 1 can (16 oz.) dark chocolate frosting
• 1 can (10.5 oz.) chocolate sprinkles
• 24 large marshmallows
• ¼ cup M&M’S® Brand Chocolate Candies
• 48 red or black licorice laces
• 1 toothpick

• 1. Prepare the cake mix according to the package instructions.
• 2. Line cupcake pans with paper-liners. Fill each cup with 2/3 cup of batter.
• 3. Bake in a preheated 350°F for 18-21 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack, and cool completely.
• 4. Reserve 2 tablespoons of the chocolate frosting in a resealable plastic bag.
• 5. Spread the tops of the cupcakes with the remaining frosting. Then, coat the tops with the chocolate sprinkles.
• 6. Cut the marshmallows in half crosswise. Using the reserved frosting, attach two marshmallow pieces to each cupcake as eyes. Dot the center of each marshmallow piece with frosting and attach M&M’S® Brand Chocolate Candies. Then, attach another marshmallow piece with frosting and attach M&M’S® Brand Chocolate Candies for the mouth.
• 7. Cut each licorice lace into four equal pieces. Press four holes into 2 sides of each cupcake using the toothpick. Insert a licorice piece into each hole for each spider’s legs, 8 pieces per cupcake.

Hot Dog on a Stick

Hot Dog on a Stick

Ingredients

• 1 package(s) (16-oz.) hot dogs
• 1 can(s) (11-oz.) refrigerated soft bread stick dough

---

Directions

1. Preheat greased skill or prepare campfire. Insert a 10-inch wooden skewer into one end of each hot dog until the skewer reaches the opposite end. Wrap the exposed end of the skewer in aluminum foil.
2. Unroll brread sticks; separate into strips. Wrap one bread stick around each hot dog, in a spiral fashion. Place on grill grate over medium-low heat or hold over campfire.
3. Cook for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the hot dog is cooked through and the dough is golden brown, turning frequently.