I’m on a cheesecake kick it seems!  :)

Actually I made this for our Pastor’s Appreciation Dinner.  Our pastor loves peanut butter and I wanted to make a special dessert.  This rich cheesecake was very tasty and gone within just a few minutes.

Butterfinger Cheesecake with a Brownie Crust

For the crust:

Bake your favorite brownie recipe in a springform baking pan lined with parchment paper.

Cheesecake filling:

16 oz cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
1teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 tub 8 oz whipped topping
3 Butterfinger candy bars (2.1 oz ea), frozen and
chopped

Blend the first five ingredients in a large mixing bowl.  Fold in the whipped topping and crushed candy bars.  Spread the cheesecake mixture into the brownie crust.  Sprinkle with crushed candy bars and brownie crumbs.  Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Topping:

1 Butterfinger candy bar (2.1 ounces), frozen and chopped

brownie crumbs, optional

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Sharing with…

PITY PARTY 71 over at 30 Handmade Days

Here’s a great little dessert from Pinterest that’s fast and easy to make, plus it’s yummy!

I only tried it plain, but I’m thinking it would be great topped with some fresh fruit and whipped cream just to raise the special factory just a little.   Hope you enjoy it.

Sopapilla Cheesecake

2 cans crescent rolls
1-1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon cinnamon (I used a little more)
16 ounces cream cheese softened
1 stick butter
1/4 cup honey

Preheat oven to 350.  Press 1 can of crescent rolls into bottom of rectangular 9×13 pan.

Mix cream cheese, 1 cup sugar and vanilla until creamy then spread over rolls in pan.  Cover with the other can of crescent rolls.

Melt butter and stir in rest of sugar and cinnamon then pour over top.

Bake in the preheated oven until the crescent dough has puffed and turned golden brown,  about 30 minutes.

Remove from the oven and drizzle with honey.  Cool completely in the
pan before cutting.  Serves about 12.  (I also sprinkled with more cinnamon before cutting.)

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Partying over at

Talk about the ultimate comfort food.   It has everything I love…bacon…pasta…and cheese!  Yummo!

Disclaimer: I am not an expert on authentic Italian cooking.  :)

Carbonara

1 lb. spaghetti *pasta
8 slices bacon, cut in small pieces
1 clove garlic, minced
4 egg yolks
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
diced green onions
salt and pepper

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  Cook the pasta as directed on package.

Fry bacon and garlic in a heavy skillet until crisp (mine is actually more done that what it looks like ).   Remove bacon from pan and drain on paper towels. Set bacon aside.  Set skillet aside, but save bacon fat.

Meanwhile, combine the egg yolks, half of the Parmesan cheese and salt and pepper in a medium bowl until well blended.

When the pasta is cooked, drain, reserving about 1/3 cup cooking water, and immediately add to the skillet with the bacon drippings.   Place over low heat and toss for 1 minute, scraping the pan to loosen the pan drippings.

Stir in the egg mixture and toss thoroughly until combined. Add the pasta cooking water as needed to form a creamy sauce.  Add the bacon and remaining cheese and toss again to coat.  Top with diced green onions.  Serve immediately.

*Can substitute Dreamfields Spaghetti to lower carbs.

Another option is to use diced ham instead of bacon.  I believe the authentic recipe calls for pancetta, which is a yummy salt-cured Italian bacon made from un-smoked pork belly.

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From Wikipedia:

Pasta alla carbonara (usually spaghetti, but also fettuccine, rigatoni or bucatini) is an Italianpasta dish based on eggs, cheese (pecorino or Parmigiano-Reggiano), bacon (guanciale orpancetta), and black pepper. The dish was created in the middle of the 20th century.

The pork is fried in fat (olive oil or lard), then hot pasta is dropped into the pan to finish cooking for a few seconds. A mixture of raw eggs, cheese, and a fat (butter, olive oil, or cream) is then combined with the hot pasta away from additional direct heat to avoid coagulating the egg, which must remain a liquid component of the sauce as it cooks.  Guanciale is the most usual meat, but pancetta, or local bacon are also used.

Cream is not common in Italian recipes, but is often used elsewhere.  Other variations on carbonara outside Italy may include peas, broccoli, mushrooms, or other vegetables.  Many of these preparations have more sauce than the Italian versions.   As with many other dishes, there are ersatz versions made with commercial bottled sauces.

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Linking up over at

New Year in 2012!

I know I didn’t post a lot of new recipes this year, but I am so glad you’ve hung in there with me.  It makes me feel very grateful.  I’m hoping 2012 brings better health and more happiness!

In the meantime, some of my oldest posts got the most visits.  I thought I’d share just a few of them with you.

The 5th most popular post was…

Sugar Free Butterscotch Cheesecake

In the number 4 place was…

Buttermilk Biscuits

And in 3rd place…

Yummy Sour Cream Pound Cake

In 2nd place…

Sugar Free Chocolate Oatmeal No Bake Cookies

and finally the most looked at post this past year is…

Aunt Mary’s Chicken and Dumplings

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Thanks again for your support, comments, and visits!

Happy New Year!

]]> http://heartofacountryhome.wordpress.com/2011/12/31/happy-new-year-and-2011-top-posts/feed/ 3 Jillian http://heartofacountryhome.wordpress.com/2011/12/27/strawberry-smoothie/ http://heartofacountryhome.wordpress.com/2011/12/27/strawberry-smoothie/#comments Tue, 27 Dec 2011 22:09:55 +0000 Jillian http://heartofacountryhome.wordpress.com/?p=2483 Continue reading →]]> This past summer I got on a smoothie-making kick!

This is just one of the delicious, satisfying smoothies I made for breakfast.

Strawberry Smoothie

6-8 medium size frozen strawberries, partially thawed
1/3 cup low fat cottage cheese
1 tablespoon 2%  milk
4 -6 ice cubes
2 packets of Stevia or your sweetener of choice

Put all of the ingredients into a blender.  Place the lid on the blender and blend for 45 to 60 seconds, or until smooth.  Pour your smoothie into a glass and enjoy.  (Can add extra water while blending if necessary.)

Also, for added nutrition, I sometimes add fresh baby spinach.

I usually serve with corn chips or tortilla chips, but it’s great served warm with crackers and celery sticks.

It’s kinda spicy for some folks, but the delicious flavor keeps’em coming back for more!

Buffalo Chicken Dip

6 chicken tenderloins, cooked and shredded
2 (8 oz) packages cream cheese, softened
1 cup Ranch dressing (I made my own)
3/4 cup pepper sauce (*see below)
1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

Heat shredded chicken and hot sauce in a large pot over medium heat, until heated through.  Stir in cream cheese and ranch dressing.  Cook, stirring until well blended and warm.

Mix in half of the shredded cheese, and transfer the mixture to a slow cooker. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top, cover and cook on low setting until hot and bubbly.  Serve with celery sticks and crackers, corn chips, or tortilla chips.

* I used Louisianna brand hot sauce:

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This is the birthday of a special lady…my Aunt Mary.

Love and miss her very much!

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Sharing with

]]> http://heartofacountryhome.wordpress.com/2011/12/22/buffalo-chicken-dip/feed/ 10 Jillian dip http://heartofacountryhome.wordpress.com/2011/12/21/leibster-award-thanks-grace2882/ http://heartofacountryhome.wordpress.com/2011/12/21/leibster-award-thanks-grace2882/#comments Wed, 21 Dec 2011 21:36:10 +0000 Jillian http://heartofacountryhome.wordpress.com/?p=2474 Continue reading →]]> My First Award!

My friend and fellow blogger over at Grace2882 gave me an award and I want to thank her.  I really appreciate all of the support that she has given to me with her visits and kind comments on my blog.

Her blog is full of healthy living tips and great low carb recipes.  Visit her blog by clicking on her name above.

Now on to the award…

“Leibster is German and means dearest or beloved but it can also mean favorite.  The award is given to talented bloggers who have 200 followers or less, it is a way to show appreciation for other blogs, bring attention to their work and encourage new connections.”

I am so pleased to receive this recognition, I want to follow the rules and tag a few other of our favorite blogs.

I give the award to the following people…

Dee over at Low Carb Pinay…for sharing some great low carb recipes, personal experiments, exercises, and the ups and downs of her low carb journey while trying to achieve better health for herself.  Welcome to the USA, Dee!

Nancy over at Blue Skies and Low Carb Pies…for her sweet disposition and self-demeaning nature.  She doesn’t even know she’s beautiful!  She has lots of great low carb recipes and tips on her blog.  Thanks for your inspiration, Nancy!

CJ over at CJ’s Low Carb Corner…talk about an inspiration!  This lady has lost a lot of weight and has great menu ideas and recipes on her blog.  Way to go, CJ!

I hope they all have as much fun with this as I did.  :) Thanks, Grace2882!

This year I made it to add to our family’s Thanksgiving feast.

Cheesy, moist and satisfying, this cornbread recipe is a winner!

Broccoli Cheese Cornbread

2 packages (8.5 oz each) corn bread/muffin mix
4 eggs
1-1/2 cups (12 oz) 4% cottage cheese
3/4 cup butter, melted
3 cups frozen chopped broccoli, thawed
1 large onion, chopped

In a large bowl, combine corn bread mixes.  In another bowl, beat
eggs, cottage cheese and butter.  Stir into corn bread mixes just
until moistened.  Fold in broccoli and onion.

Pour into a greased 13 x 9 baking pan.  Bake at 350° for
40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes
out clean.  Let stand for 10 minutes before cutting. Serve warm.
Yield: 12-15 servings.

Nutrition Facts: 1 serving (1 piece) equals 196 calories, 13 g fat (7 g saturated fat), 89 mg cholesterol, 323 mg sodium, 14 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 6 g protein.

After a long hard day at work, I love coming in to the smell of a roast cooking in the crock pot and knowing that supper is almost ready.

Here’s some of my favorite crock pot/slow cooker or one dish meals.

Click on the picture to go to the recipe.

Aunt Dorothy’s Creamy Potato Soup

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Slow Cooker Italian Pork Chops

.

One Pot Beefy Cabbage Casserole

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My Handyman’s Jambalaya

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Aunt Mary’s Chicken & Dumplings

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Cheesy Burger Skillet

.

and my supper tonight…

Vegetable Beef Soup with Cornbread

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From some of my favorite spots around the web…

TSLC’s Slow Cooker Cabbage, Potatoes, & Smoked Sausage

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Grace’s Ham & Bean Soup

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Hope you enjoy this cool day.  If you’d like to share your own crock pot or one dish recipes, leave a link in the comments.  Thanks for visiting!

]]> http://heartofacountryhome.wordpress.com/2011/11/28/cool-weather-crock-pot-one-dish-one-pan-meals/feed/ 2 Jillian