Chocolate Chip Cheesecake

Let me start out by apologizing for the missing followup post on the Chicken Noodle Casserole...I did indeed make it that night, and it was a dud.  Hubby thought it had no taste, and I agreed.  The kids ate it, but they were really hungry, so that wasn't a good judge of taste either!!  So, I decided to just chalk it up to a new experience and move on.....to dessert!!!

CHOCOLATE CHIP CHEESECAKE

I got this recipe from a Nestle Eagle Brand Cookbook that I got a few years back that is full of desserts, desserts, and more desserts.  I had some cream cheese that was coming up on its lifespan (don't worry, it didn't expire until the end of the month) so I decided to do something with it....I'll show you my pictures, and then have the recipe at the end.

I started out with a home made Oreo cookie crust in a 9 inch springform pan.  You can't see it, but I lined the bottom with parchment paper....a springform pan's best friend!!!

Then I "sprinkled" a cup of chocolate chips on top of the crust...mmm...chocolate deliciousness....

Then I beat the cream cheese, sugar and vanilla until it was smooooooooth.....

I then added a little at a time of eggs, flour, evaporated milk (NOT sweetened condensed milk) and sour cream....then poured it on top of the chocolate chips and crust....and sprinkled another cup of chocolate chips on top of that (I think I see where they get the name for the cheesecake from now....)

I then put it in the oven and grabbed the camera and came to the computer to blog this delicious event.  I am trying to be better about blogging more, so I figured there wasn't a more perfect time than while it was in the oven (don't worry, I will come back and post a picture of the finished product when it's done!!

This is a kinda fuzzy picture from the cookbook of what it SHOULD look like...we'll see how close I get to the professionals!!

INGREDIENTS:

About 15 Oreos made into crumbs (one sleeve from the Costco box)

2 Tblsp. melted butter

2 cups chocolate chips, divided

2 packages (8 oz. each) cream cheese

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

2 eggs

2 Tblsp. flour

3/4 cup evaporated milk

1/2 cup sour cream

For clarification, the Oreo crumbs, butter and 1 cup of the chocolate chips are for the crust...the remaining ingredients are for the filling...and the last cup of chocolate chips goes on top!!

Doesn't that sounds delicious??? I asked my family if anyone wanted me to save them a piece and my husband texted me back that his entire team wanted a piece...maybe we'll send a few small pieces their way tomorrow, I love getting feedback from other people, and it means the calories don't stay in the house for me to eat!!!

Alright, that's the buzzer, I need to go put some foil on top and let it finish...can't wait to post the after pictures!!!

Child friendly chicken noodle soup...sort of....

So today I have been dinking around while I'm "working"...looking at blogs, getting kids endless snacks and constantly restarting new episodes of Bubble Guppies on TV for our 4-year-old...

While browsing the web I ended up on The Tasty Kitchen through Pioneer Woman...and there was a recipe on their blog - Chicken Noodle Soup Casserole (Clink on the link for the recipe).

I read it through and instantly decided it was perfect for dinner tonight.  The hubby has been sick the past 2 days and what better way to say you care than to make him a new-age Chicken Noodle Soup, right?? And I HATE serving the kids soup because it just makes a mess and ends up all over them and my floor...so I LOVE the chance to make the same flavors, but with more child-friendly options.  Anything my 2-year-old can eat by himself with a fork is a winner in my book!

I have everything to make this save the celery, garlic and onion, but there's a killer sale at Albertson's this afternoon on spaghetti sauce that I'm going to hit up, so I will be sure to get some of those things while I'm there.  I will make sure to take pictures and then let you know how it is tomorrow!!!

See, I told you I'd be back!! Hopefully I can find and post lots of good recipes for all 3 of you to use that read this blog.

Adios!!

Happy Birthday Big Boy!!

I'm back!!!

Well, I was never really gone, I just haven't had the time or energy to do any posting on this blog or our family blog.  BUT, I'm nearing the third trimester and I'm feeling good and have a newfound desire to blog away!!

It was our son's second birthday this past Sunday, so I decided to try something new and make a cake from a Wilton shaped pan (the pan has all the 3D bumps and details).  We decided on a firetruck thinking it would be an easy one.  I have to say, I wasn't super excited about my first attempt, but I've learned a lot from this one and can't wait to try another one, preferrably with no black frosting required (when you lick the beaters you andyour children's tongues are dyed purple....).

It was fun to do, but I have to say I still love doing cupcakes more...but this was definitely cheaper than the usual $30 we spend on a cake from the grocery store, so it was worth it.  And Freddie LOVED the firetruck and let's face it...he's the only one I wanted to impress!!

For this I used a Pillsbury cake mix which I haven't really bothered to try before but LOVED...they are my new favorite mixes.  They are much denser than the other brands and work WAY better for decorating!!  And I made frosting like usual, but this time I made a buttercream with much, much more "butter" than I normally would, and I have to say I really liked the way it worked with the decorating bags and holding up.