No-bake cheesecake

I was craving cheesecake as any normal pregnant person should. And I had all the ingredients. in my house. at the same time. So I just needed an excuse and my excuse was our anniversary. 

His

2 packages of cream cheese (8oz each) - room temperature

1-2 tsp of vanilla extract

3/4 cup of sugar

1 (8 oz) cartoon of Cool Whip, Whipped Topping, etc.

Graham cracker crust 

Hers

With a kitchen aid mixer or hand mixer, whip together the first three ingredients. Scrape frequently to get it mixed well. 

Add about a third of the Cool Whip to the cream cheese mixture. Gently whip it until well mixed. 

Scoop half of that mixture into the graham cracker crust. Gently spread it evenly across the bottom of the crust. 

Add another third of the Cool Whip to the other half of the cream cheese/cool whip mixture. Gently whip this also, and then spread gently and evenly on the first layer. 

Top with remaining Cool Whip, spreading evenly across the 2 layer. I used the back of a spoon to make little swirls in the topping.  

Refrigerate. 

Our toppings- added right before serving- were strawberries for me and chocolate peanut butter sauce for him. 

Chocolate peanut butter sauce was just chocolate chips, peanut butter, butter and sugar melted together and mixed together. 

~You don't have to do this many steps or layer it this way, but I wanted to try it and well, my son was napping too~

Eat it up and Enjoy!!!

in my pantry.

I have been working on rearranging and organizing. We moved in about 2 1/2 months ago and I've been working on one box at a time. Thank goodness we've had company several times, otherwise my house would be in a state of chaos all the time. But today I thought I would share what's in my pantry:

In the past couple days- I made some delicious strawberry jam! 

I've also put together a couple jars of homemade mixes. It makes whipping together a breakfast or a quick dessert nice and easy! Two oatmeal cookie mixes and a pancake mix.

Chicken Salad

I am borrowing this recipe from Food Network. I always check the reviews and I found lots of people complaining about the salt. So I changed that in this recipe. I also split the mayo with half regular/ half fat free to keep the flavor but not all the calories. I had extra celery stalks so I also added a bit more of that for more crunch! I also recommend using rotisserie chicken, from the store, your own recipe, or leftover from a previous meal.

4 cups cooked chicken, cubed
1 stalk celery, cut into 1/4-inch dice
4 scallions, trimmed and thinly sliced
        or 1/4 cup sweet onion cut into 1/4-inch dice
1 1/2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh tarragon or fresh dill
2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
1 cup prepared or homemade mayonnaise
2 teaspoons strained freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper

In a mixing bowl, toss together the chicken, celery, scallions and herbs. Set aside.
In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, lemon juice, mustard, salt and pepper to taste.

Add to the chicken and mix gently until combined.
Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Serve on a Croissant. Other cooks suggest adding a couple strips of bacon and some lettuce and tomato. It's good either way!

Zesty Tuna Salad

Now, I am not a huge fan of tuna. period. I rarely eat it. But I found a recipe that sounded really good. I mean, come on, it's better than the tuna and mayo slush they have at Scumway. (I can call it that, I use to work there!)
I found this recipe on allrecipes.com
I made it better, I added a bit more mayo mixing fat free and regular, to keep the taste but not the calories. I also added an additional teaspoon on sweet relish. it sounded so good, then it tasted good too!

2 (6 ounce) cans tuna, drained
2 teaspoons mayonnaise (or 4)
2 teaspoons sweet pickle relish (or 3)
2 teaspoons Dijon-style prepared mustard
2 stalks celery, chopped
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Mash tuna in a small bowl with a fork. Add mayonnaise, pickle relish, mustard, celery, onion, and black pepper; stir to combine. Chill and serve.
And it's delicious on a croissant!

Little Cooking Shortcuts 101- In-a-Pinch Salads

This one can be done by anyone... It's a great little something to throw together quickly. There are several methods to my madness and different ways of throwing this together. The reason why I do this is because I would end up buying a head of lettuce and a package of carrots and a bag of tomatoes, etc. and most of it would wilt or go bad before I was able to use it up. If this isn't the case for you, you can read this for your own amusement. I did this for the convenience of it saving money, of it being right around the corner, and of it only being $4.99/lb at the Salad Bar.

browneyedbaker's pic

1 package of precut lettuce
A Dillon's or other supermarket with a Salad Bar

If in a hurry or late also grab on your way out the door:
~Cute (and large) plastic bowl with lid**
~Serving utensils
~Salad Dressing

Go through the Salad Bar picking out your favorite veggies- tomatoes, cucumber, carrots, onions, etc. (sky's the limit, or your pocketbook)
Method 1. Scrap remembering the dressing as you are running out the door. Buy some at the store when you are there. Especially if you can't read the expiration date on your bottle at home.
Method 2*. Use the dressing at the Salad Bar. Cover the veggies with a lite Vinaigrette. (Good idea if you don't know who is going to be at this party)
When you get out to the car toss the package of lettuce and the veggies  (*and dressing) into your cute bowl, cover and shake.
You are now ready to party!

P.S. This is a good one to teach the guy in your life. Show him once or twice which veggies you prefer and he can stop on the way home and pick this up! Then you can toss it together at home for your own party or before you head to someone else's party.


**Good thing to invest in... you never know when it will come in handy.