No Bake Nutella Cheesecake

Chris made this amazing cheesecake for our Valentine's Day dinner!  

The recipe comes from the website My Baking Addiction.  It calls for making adorable little individual cheesecakes, but we didn't have enough small bowls to use up the filling.  So Chris just put it in a pie pan and made a big cheesecake instead.

This recipe is DIVINE.  Make it.  It's rare to find a recipe that is so simple and this good!!!

No Bake Nutella Cheesecake

For the Crust
12 Oreo cookies, crushed
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

For the Filling
1 8 oz package of cream cheese, softened
2/3 cup Nutella
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 (8 ounce) tub frozen whipped topping, thawed

For the Garnish
whipped topping, optional
chocolate shavings, optional
toasted, chopped hazelnuts, optional

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, stir together the Oreo cookie crumbs and melted butter. Evenly divide the crumbs between your individual serving dishes and press into the bottoms of the dishes to form a crust layer.

2. In a large bowl, with an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese and Nutella until smooth. Add vanilla and mix to combine. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the whipped topping until well blended and no streaks remain.

3. Evenly pipe or spoon the filling into individual serving dishes. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving.

4. If desired, garnish with additional whipped topping, chocolate shavings, and/or toasted, chopped hazelnuts.

Beer Macaroni & Cheese

What a yummy mac and cheese!  Although it doesn't call for much beer, it's just the right amount to make a very good sauce.  And the bacon takes it over the top.

I used a special reserve extra sharp cheddar which has a great taste, but doesn't melt well.  The texture of my sauce was a little grainy.  The fontina is tangy enough, so I think next time I'll make it with regular cheddar instead of something quite so sharp.

I halved the recipe -- as written you can make it in a 9 x 13 pan which will feed a crowd!  Plus it's awfully rich, so you can't eat as much as you THINK you can.

This recipe comes from the February/March 2013 issue of Taste of Home.

Beer Macaroni & Cheese

1 pkg (16 oz) elbow macaroni
1/4 cup butter
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup flour
1 Tbsp ground mustard
1 tsp salt
3/4 tsp pepper
2 1/2 cups 2% milk
3/4 cup amber beer (I used Sam Adams Boston Lager)
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
3 cups (12 oz) shredded cheddar cheese, divided
2 cups (8 oz) shredded fontina cheese
2 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese, divided
2 Tbsp minced chives
5 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled

Directions

Cook macaroni according to package directions for al dente.

Meanwhile, in a Dutch oven, heat butter over medium-high heat.  Add garlic.  Cook and stir for 1 minute.  Stir in the flour, mustard, salt and pepper until smooth.  Gradually whisk in the milk, beer and cream.  Bring to a boil.  Cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened.

Reduce heat.  Stir in 2 cups of cheddar, the fontina, and 1 Tbsp of the Parmesan until melted.  Add chives.

Drain macaroni.  Stir into sauce.  Transfer to a greased 3-quart baking dish.  Sprinkle with remaining cheddar and Parmesan cheeses.

Bake, uncovered, at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown and heated through.  Top with crumbled bacon.  Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Chicken Fajitas

I put fresh avocado in mine -- delicious!

Last night I tried Chicken Fajitas in the crock pot -- another Crockin' Girls recipe.  This one I found on their website, rather than in the cookbook.  I think it was the recipe of the week last week.  Anyway, it is actually from the Reynolds kitchens, which I assume is a sponsor of Crockin' Girls because they make crock pot liners.

It was really delicious!  But next time I'm cutting WAY back on the seasonings.  It calls for TWO packets of fajita seasoning, and I think one would be plenty.  I also used 1 cup of salsa, because 3/4 cup didn't seem like enough to me.

The best part of this recipe is you can just throw the chicken tenders in without cutting them up raw.  When it's done, you stir up the filling and the chicken breaks apart into large chunks.

Chris topped his with sour cream, and I put fresh avocado inside mine.  I put shredded cheddar inside all of them!

This is what they look like before wrapping them up.  (This one was for Chris -- no avocado!)

 

The filling warmed up on the stove top for lunch leftovers!

Chicken Fajitas

1 Reynolds® Slow Cooker Liner
2 Pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast tenders
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
1 large red bell pepper, cut into thin strips
1 large green bell pepper, cut into thin strips
3/4 Cup chunky salsa
2 Packages (1.4 ounces each) fajita seasoning mix
1/4 Teaspoon cayenne pepper
16 (10-inch) flour tortillas
Shredded cheese, chopped tomatoes, guacamole, sour cream (optional)



Directions

Open slow cooker liner and place it inside a 5- to 6 1/2 quart slow cooker. Fit liner snugly against the bottom and sides of bowl; pull top of liner over rim of bowl.

Place chicken in slow cooker liner and add onions and bell peppers on top of chicken.

1. 
   Mix salsa, fajita seasoning mix and cayenne pepper in a medium bowl. Pour over chicken. Place lid on slow cooker.
   
   Cook on LOW for 6 to 7 hours or on HIGH for 3 to 4 hours until chicken is done.
   
   Carefully remove lid to allow steam to escape. Gently stir chicken and sauce with a plastic or wooden slotted spoon. Spoon 1/2 cup of chicken mixture into center of each tortilla; add desired toppings and fold tortilla over filling. Do not lift or transport liner with food inside. Cool slow cooker completely; remove liner and toss.