Blueberry Cheesecake Bars

These taste so summery!

What You'll Need: 

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup plus 3/4 cup sugar, divided
2/3 cup cold butter, cut up
2 8 oz pkgs cream cheese, soft
2 eggs
1 tbsp lemon zest
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 cup blueberry jam
2 cups blueberries

How to Make It: 

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9x13 pan. In a bowl, combine the flour and the sugar. Cut in the butter until the mixture is crumbly. Press the flour mixture evenly into the prepared baking pan. Bake the crust until the edges are slightly browned, about 12-15 minutes. Let the crust cool in the pan on a wire rack.
Meanwhile, beat the cream cheese and sugar in a bowl until smooth. Add the eggs, lemon zest and juice, beating until the mixture is creamy and smooth. Spread the blueberry jam evenly over the crust. Sprinkle the blueberries over the jam layer. Drop the cream cheese mixture, a spoonful at a time, over the berries, then carefully spread it out evenly. Return the pan to the oven and bake just until set, 25-30 minutes. Let the bars cool completely in the pan on a wire rack. Cut into bars and serve.

Creamy Tomato Pasta Bake

I think this is what some people would call a "weeknight dinner." It's easy and pretty cheap, and doesn't take long to prepare. It tasted good, too- much better than just plan pasta and marinara! This is adapted from a recipe I found on pinterest. 

What You'll Need: 

1 16 oz box tubular pasta (I used maltagliati)
1 jar marinara (I used a roasted garlic and onion flavor- I like chunky sauce!)
1 jar alfredo
2 cups shredded mozzarella
Grated parmesan
1 packet Italian dressing mix, optional

How to Make It: 

Cook the pasta according to the package directions. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees (I set mine to 425 degrees because I heated up frozen garlic breadsticks to serve with the meal. You can always adjust the cooking time if you'd like to do something similar.) In a large bowl, combine the two sauces and 1 1/2 cups of the mozzarella. Shake in some of the grated parmesan and the dressing mix, if you're using it, and stir to combine completely. When the pasta is cooked, drain it and add it to the sauce mixture. Stir to coat all the noodles, and pour everything into a 9x13 pan. Top the pasta with the remaining shredded cheese, and some extra parmesan if you'd like. Throw it in the oven for 8-10 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and the whole dish is heated through.

Chocolate Ganache Frosting

This ganache is for spreading, not for pouring. I am putting it on cupcakes. It is pretty delicious. I am tempted to make a bowl just to eat by myself. : )

What You'll Need: 

4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
5 1/2 tbsp butter, cut into small pieces
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup sugar
Pinch of salt


How to Make It: 

Put the chocolate and the butter in a medium bowl, and set aside. Combine the cream, the sugar, and the salt in a saucepan and bring to a simmer (just before it starts to boil- but don't scald it!) Let the cream mixture simmer for 4 minutes, stirring frequently. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and the butter in the bowl. Whisk everything together until the chocolate and butter are melted, and the ganache is silky smooth. Let it sit on the counter (without stirring) for 2-3 hours, or refrigerate for about 45 minutes. If you refrigerate it, bring the ganache to room temperature before stirring it and spreading it on cake, cupcakes, you name it.

Actually Tasty Onion Dip

I have made several onion dips in the past (I won't eat potato chips without it!) and this is the first homemade version that I actually really liked. I hope you like it, too!

What You'll Need: 

2 tsp olive oil or 1 tbsp butter
1 medium to large onion, diced
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1 1/2 cups sour cream
3/4 cup mayo
1/4 tsp garlic powder
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

How to Make It: 

Heat the oil or butter in a medium pan over medium heat. Add the onions and the salt, and let the onions caramelize, stirring occasionally (it took about 25 minutes on my stove.) The onions should be golden brown and they should be reduced in size- but not burned to a crisp! Remove the onions from the heat and let them cool a little. Meanwhile, in a bowl, combine the sour cream, mayo, garlic powder, and salt and pepper. Add the onions and stir well to combine. Cover the dip and refrigerate at least an hour to let the flavors mingle. Stir the dip again before serving.

Cheesy Pecan Chicken Casserole

I made this for dinner tonight with roasted carrots and cannellini beans. It was pretty yummy!

What You'll Need: 

1 cup all purpose flour
2 cups finely shredded cheddar cheese, divided
3/4 cup finely chopped pecans
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp paprika
1/3 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1 cup chicken broth
4 cups diced cooked chicken
1/2 onion, finely diced*
1/4 cup mayo
1/8 tsp hot pepper sauce, or more to taste
1 tbsp dijon or spicy brown mustard

How to Make It:

Preheat the oven to 350. In a bowl, combine the flour, 1 cup of the cheese, the pecans, salt, paprika, and vegetable oil. Set aside about 2 cups of the crumb mixture for the topping. Press the remaining crumb mixture on the bottom of a greased 13x9 baking dish. The crust will be crumbly- don't worry about it! Bake the crust for 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, lightly beat the eggs. Add the remaining ingredients and stir well to combine. Pour the mixture over the baked crust, and sprinkle it with the remaining cheesy pecan crumbs. Bake the casserole for 25-30 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Let the casserole stand for 5-10 minutes before serving. This will make 8 very generous servings!

*I don't even bother dicing onion anymore, unless I can throw it in my food processor with something else. Invest in a decent box grater (cheese is better when you grate it yourself, anyway) and just grate the onion. You don't have to touch it as much and it takes a lot less time!

Balsamic and Brown Sugar Glazed Pork Loin

Drop everything you're doing, go to the grocery and get the ingredients for this right now. It is so good. I want to make batches of the sauce and put it on everything- I have a feeling that it would be very yummy on chicken, as well.

What You'll Need:

1 2 lb boneless pork loin

1 tsp ground sage

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1 garlic clove, crushed

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 tbsp cornstarch

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1/2 cup water

2 tbsp soy sauce

How to Make It:

Combine the sage, salt, pepper and garlic in a small bowl. Rub the spice mixture over the pork. Place the pork in a slow cooker, and pour the 1/2 cup water in there with it. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours. About an hour before the pork loin is done, combine the brown sugar, cornstarch, balsamic vinegar, water and soy sauce in a small saucepan, and heat the pan until the mixture thickens. Stir the sauce frequently so you don't get little lumps of cornstarch in it. Brush the roast with the glaze two or three times in the last hour of cooking, and serve the roast with whatever sauce you have left over. Or you can be like me and double the sauce recipe so you'll have plenty to go around!

Glazed Lemon Pound Cake

Be sure to properly grease and flour your cake pan. I wasn't paying attention, missed a spot, and my cake broke in half. It was still good, though!

What You'll Need:

For the cake:

1 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup shortening

3 cups sugar

6 large eggs

3 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/8 tsp salt

1 cup milk

Zest of 1 lemon

1 tsp vanilla

Juice of 1 lemon

For the glaze:

Powdered sugar

Lemon juice

How to Make It:

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees. Beat the butter and shortening at medium speed until creamy. Gradually add the sugar, beating until the mixture is light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating just until combined after each addition. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt, and add it to the butter mixture alternately with the milk, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Beat at low speed just until blended after each addition. Stir in the lemon zest, vanilla, and lemon juice. Pour the batter into a greased and floured Bundt or tube pan. Bake for 1 hour 15 minutes, or until a long wooden skewer inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool the cake on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Invert the pan onto a serving platter, and top with the glaze.

For the glaze, start with a healthy amount of powdered sugar- I used 1 1/2 cups, but you might want to use a little less. Add lemon juice to the powdered sugar and whisk until it's a nice, glaze-y consistency. You can use the bottled lemon juice for this, or freshly squeezed lemon juice. Either way, you're going to use several tablespoons of juice. When your glaze is finished, drizzle it over the cake, and you're done!