No-Bake Sweet Potato Cheesecake

 
This is the time of year when many grocery stores will put sweet potatoes on sale. The best way to cook them is in the oven, but you can also make them in the microwave. Earlier in the week, I had made two HUGE sweet potatoes for dinner and there was a half of one left.  I was racking my brain trying to think of a creative way to use it up.  Muffins? Pancakes? Waffles? Biscuits?  All good ideas, but how about using it in a cheesecake??  I took a little bit of help from the Keebler Elves and used their graham cracker crust.  Remember my whoopie pie recipe from earlier in November that used marshmallow creme? Well, I used a cup of it in this cheesecake!!  Now, I have just a dollop of the creme left in the jar.  I heard the other day about a "fluffernutter" sandwich.  It's peanut butter and marshmallow creme on white bread.  Since I have never had one of those in my life, I'm thinking that's for lunch tomorrow!!!!

Ingredients:

6-ounce graham cracker crust
1/2 cup cooked sweet potato
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 tablespoon orange juice
1 cup marshmallow creme

In large bowl, put the sweet potato, cream cheese, cinnamon, nutmeg, orange juice and the marshmallow creme.  Using an electric mixer, beat on medium speed until the mixture is smooth.  Spread evenly into the graham cracker crust, cover and put in fridge for a minimum of three hours. If you want to make this cheesecake extra special for the holidays, try putting some Reddi-Wip topping on it right before you serve a slice to your family and/or friends.  I promise you, they will be super impressed!!

No-Bake Trail Mix Bars

If you took a look in my purse right now, you would probably find a prepackaged granola or trail mix bar. I ALWAYS carry at least one in there for times when I'm out and about and need just a little snack, but don't want to go all the way back home to eat something or be enticed by fast food!!  I was pretty confident that I could make my own homemade version of a trail mix bar that didn't require baking or running out to the grocery store for additional ingredients.  I am happy to report that mission was accomplished! I woke up early this morning before the rest of my family.  Since Lauren was at a sleepover and Dominic and the hubby were "sleeping in," it was very quiet here in this household.  I enjoyed a few of these bars by myself with a steaming, hot cup of coffee. When the hubby finally woke up and was eating some waffles and a grapefruit, I slipped him one of these bars.  After he had a bite, he told me he thought they were a "dessert" bar!! Well, I guess they would be good later on with a small scoop of ice cream :)

Ingredients:

1 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup honey
1 cup smooth peanut butter
2 1/2 cups quick oats
2 cups crisp rice cereal (like Rice Krispies)
1/3 cup dried cranberries (I used Craisins)
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate morsels
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Cover a jelly roll pan (11 x 17 inches) with aluminum foil and spray lightly with non-stick cooking spray.  You can also make these bars in a 9 x 13 inch pan (they will just be thicker). Set aside.  In large bowl, put the oats, rice cereal, cranberries, semi-sweet morsels and pecans. Set aside.  In large saucepan, put the brown sugar, butter, honey and the peanut butter.  Bring to boil slowly, then turn down to medium heat and stir constantly for 2 minutes.  Remove from heat and pour over the ingredients in the large bowl.  Mix well with a large spoon and then press evenly into the prepared pan. Refrigerate for a minimum of two hours.  Cut in bars.  If you make them the size I did, you will have 28 bars.  Feel free to make them larger or smaller! Store covered at room temperature or in the fridge.

Spicy Vegetarian Chili

I have been using carrots in so many recipes lately, that it was only a matter of time before I made them the star ingredient in this vegetarian chili!!! Since there was a college football game on late yesterday afternoon that both the hubby and I wanted to watch, I dug out my trusty slow cooker and tossed all the ingredients in at noon.

By about halftime, the entire house smelled yummy and the chili was ready to eat! There are many different brands and varieties of canned tomatoes available at the grocery store.  I personally can't taste a difference between the "house" brand and the name brand and since my favorite store (Kroger) had a good sale on canned tomatoes, I stocked up on a bunch of different kinds!! I used the mexican style stewed tomatoes because I wanted to make it a little spicy.  It gave the chili a little bit of a "kick," but not so much that you needed to drink a gallon of water after you ate a spoonful :)  When I make chili (whether it's with meat or with veggies), I usually make up some elbow macaroni to use as a "base" at the bottom of the bowl and then put the chili on top.  This time I whipped up some white rice instead.  Try it sometime - it's pretty tasty together.  If you have a larger slow cooker, this recipe could easily be doubled or even tripled!

Ingredients:

2 cups carrots, peeled and chopped
1/2 cup onions, chopped
1 cup corn
1 1/2 cups water
15.25 ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
14.5 ounce can mexican style stewed tomatoes, undrained
1.25 ounce package chili seasoning mix

In a 2 1/2 quart slow cooker/crock pot, put all ingredients in the order given.  Stir with spoon and cover.  Set to the high temperature and cook for five hours.  Makes four servings. Top with shredded cheddar cheese if desired.

Whoopie Pies

 

Pennsylvania, Maine, New Hampshire and the City of Boston all claim the origin of the whoopie pie. There is actually quite a rivalry going on between Pennsylvania and Maine :)  Before I did a bit of research, I didn't even know exactly what that kind of "pie" was!  It is basically a chocolate cookie with cream in the middle. The "cream" in the middle of my version is marshmallow creme.   Did you know the largest whoopie pie ever made was back in 2011 and weighed over 1,000 pounds?!?!?! Yikes, I wonder how long that would take to eat?!?!?! Like a year????

Ingredients:

1 cup white flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 cup margarine, softened
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup milk
1/2 cup honey

Topping:

1 tablespoon white sugar

Filling:

7-ounce jar Kraft Jet-Puffed Marshmallow Creme

Put all ingredients in a large bowl (except the topping and the filling) and mix with large spoon by hand until well combined and becomes a soft dough.  Cover with plastic wrap and put in fridge at least two hours.  When ready to make, preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a separate small bowl, put the one tablespoon of white sugar and set aside. Take the batter and roll into 36 equal sized balls with the palms of your hands. Put a dozen at a time on an ungreased cookie sheet.  With the bottom of a small cup/glass, first dip in the one tablespoon of white sugar and then press down gently on each cookie.  Bake for 13 minutes and then remove from oven.  Let cool five minutes and then remove to wire rack. When completely cool, take two cookies and put a tablespoon of marshmallow creme in between and press gently.  If you have any of the creme left over, the Kraft customer service guy I talked to said the jar can be stored in a cool, dry place (like a pantry) for three months. All I can say is, "whoopie!"