Peanut Butter Cup Cheesecake

When I worked for a local car dealership one of our techs was this guy named Shawn. He was a big guy, loved to eat and loved to cook! He was taking culinary classes at Sinclair CC here in Dayton and working full time for Key Mobility. Shawn brought us this cheesecake one day and it was GONE by lunch. He gladly shared the recipe with the office girls. He had used this cheesecake recipe for a project where they needed to cut the fat. RIGHT ... so he used Neufatchel cheese instead of cream cheese, I am sure it made a small difference, but not THAT much.
I have made it a dozen times and it's always delicious. One little tip for baking cheesecakes; put a small oven safe dish filled 1/2 way with water into the bottom of your oven. This creates the moisture necessary so that you don't get that cheesecake crack in the middle. You're going to LOVE this recipe.

Peanut Butter Cup Cheesecake

Cheesecake Filling:
3 (8 oz.) Neufatchel cream cheese
6 eggs
1 c. sugar
1 t. vanilla extract
25 mini peanut butter cups, chunked

Crust:
1 1/2 c. graham crackers, crushed
1/3 c. melted butter
1/2 T. sugar

1. Mix crust ingredients and press into the bottom and up the sides of a springform pan that has been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.

2. In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth; add eggs one at a time, making sure to incorporate after each addition. Add sugar and vanilla extract. Blend smooth. Add peanut butter cups; mix in by hand.

3. Place filling into crust. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 - 45 minutes. Remove right before it looks as if center is set. Cool on baking rack 4 hours; refrigerate. Refrigerate any leftovers.

Basil Grilled Chicken

Talk about an easy herb to grow! Lowe's had 4 or 5 different varieties of basil to plant. My little herb garden boxes might be "ditched". I don't think I have enough wood to do what I wanted to do, but I think I have another idea. Needless to say, no herbs yet on my deck, but parsley in my window. That sounds like a bad country song. Ok, here is Basil Grilled Chicken. I would like to serve this with some yummy asparagus baked with olive oil and sea salt and a nice salad.

Basil Grilled Chicken Serves 4

3/4 t. coarsely ground pepper
4 chicken breast halves, skinned
1/3 c. butter or margarine, melted
1/4 c. chopped fresh basil
1/2 c. butter or margarine, softened
2 T. minced fresh basil
1 T. grated parmesan cheese
1/4 t. garlic powder
1/8 t. salt
1/8 t. pepper
fresh basil sprigs, optional

1. Press 3/4 t. pepper into meaty sides of chicken breast halves.

2. Combine 1/3 c. melted butter and 1/4 c. chopped basil; stir well. Brush chicken lightly with melted butter mixture.

3. Combine 1/2 c. softened butter, 2 T. basil, Parmesan cheese, garlic powder, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Beat at low speed with an electric mixer until blended and smooth. Transfer to a small serving bowl; set aside.

4. Grill chicken 6 - 8 minutes each side, basting frequently with remaining melted butter mixture. Grill until meat is completely cooked.

5. Serve grilled chicken with basil-butter mixture dalloped on top of each breast. Garnish with fresh basil sprigs.

Ribbon Salad

Do you like Jell-o like we like Jell-o? There are just times when nothing will satisfy your craving for Jell-o. I prefer mine with fruit, my family, plain with a bit of Cool Whip. Either way, I still love the jiggly treat. This Ribbon Salad takes a bit longer to prepare, but it's worth it in the end. With summer coming, I think it's a nice yummy treat. You can change the flavors but just be sure they are complimentary to each other. My kids always want the blue raspberry and I can't stand that flavor with anything but just plain. Wait, maybe that is why they want it, they know I won't add crushed pineapple or mandarin oranges to it?? Smarties .... Enjoy!

Ribbon Salad Serves 24

2 packages (3 oz. each) Lime Jell-o
5 c. boiling water - (2 c. / 1 c. / 2 c.)
4 c. cold water - (2 c. / 2 c.)
1 can (20 oz.) crushed pineapple
1 package (3 oz.) Lemon Jell-o
1/2 c. cut up mini marshmallows
1 package (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened
1 c. whipping cream, whipped
1 c. mayonnaise
2 packages (3 oz. each) Cherry Jell-o

1. In a bowl, dissolve Lime Jell-o in 2 c. boiling water. Stir in 2 c. of the cold water. Pour into a 9 x 13" baking pan. Chill in refrigerator until set (it will still be a little sticky to the touch, but will not pour if pan is tipped)

2. Drain the pineapple, reserving 1 c. of the juice. Set aside.

3. Dissolve the Lemon Jell-o in 1 c. of the boiling water in top of double boiler (or like I have said before, a saucepan set on top of another saucepan). Add marshmallows; place over simmering water. Stir until marshmallows are melted. Remove from heat. Add 1 c. of the reserved pineapple juice and cream cheese. Beat with rotary beater until well blended. Stir in pineapple; cool in refrigerator for about 10 minutes. Fold in whipped cream and mayonnaise; chill again until thickened.

4. Pour Lemon / pineapple layer over lime layer. Chill until almost set (again, a bit sticky to the touch, but will not pour if pan is tipped).

5. In a bowl, dissolve Cherry Jell-o in remaining 2 c. boiling water. Stir in last 2 c. of cold water. Chill until thick and syrup-like. Pour over Lemon / pineapple layer (carefully so that the top layer doesn't become cloudy with the middle layer). Chill until set (no longer sticky). Cut into squares to serve.

Chicken Squares at The Club

I am always looking for appetizer recipes that will fill people up. Seems like we have people over in the summer right after work hours and you really don't want a heavy meal, but you want a snack that is more than just chips and salsa. These Chicken Squares are perfect! They will remind you of Vegetable Pizza, but with a heartier twist. In the summer I will grill a few extra chicken breasts, a few for chicken salad and one to make this appetizer. Enjoy!

Chicken Squares at The Club Serves 12 (or more depending on how you cut them)

2 packages (8 oz. each) refrigerated crescent rolls
1 package (8 oz.) cream cheese
2 T. mayonnaise
1 minced garlic clove
1 t. dried Ranch dressing mix
1 c. chicken; grilled, shredded or 1 can (10 oz.) chunk white, drained and flaked
1/2 small cucumber, seeded, sliced and diced
2 plum tomatoes, seeded and diced
1/2 c. shredded cheddar cheese
6 slices bacon, crisply cooked, drained and crumbled

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Unroll one package of crescent rolls across one end of a 12 x 17" jelly roll pan; which has been lightly sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Press dough to seal perforations. Continue with the second package of crescent rolls. Bake 12 - 15 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven; cool completely.

2. In a medium size bowl, combine cream cheese, mayonnaise, garlic and ranch dressing mix; mix well. Spread cream cheese mixture evenly over crust; top with chicken.

3. Top chicken with shredded cheese. Add diced cucumbers, tomatoes and bacon. Refrigerate 20 minutes or until you are ready to serve on the same day. Cut into squares. Refrigerate any leftovers.