Throwback Thursday

           I moved into an apartment with a friend for my junior and senior years of college.  Though the new-found independence is exciting, what I really love is grocery shopping and cooking for myself!  I have documented some of my cooking accomplishments on my iPhone (my first smart phone that I got for Christmas my junior year - LIFE-CHANGING!!).  Instead of just having an album full of delicious-looking foods, I decided I should go a step further and actually record what the recipes are that I have made.  It's going to take me awhile to catch up for the last year and a half, but hey - delicious food never goes out of style (which brings one of my favorite Taylor Swift songs to mind...)!
        So, first up are some delicious treats I made for last year's Super Bowl party (2/1/2014).  On the right are Patterned Cheesecake Squares from the  Taste of Home website.  On the left is Lovin' Peanuts Chex Mix (party mixes are always a personal weakness of mine!).  Finally, the container in the back holds Southwest Chicken Wrap filling (which wasn't actually for the Super Bowl party, but still made the picture...); this recipe  is one that my mom makes frequently out of our church's cookbook. 

Patterned Cheesecake Squares

Ingredients

1 tube (16.5 oz.) refrigerated peanut butter cookie dough
1 package (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 cup (8 oz.) sour cream
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups chocolate ice cream topping, divided

Directions

1. Cut cookie dough into 24 slices.  Arrange side-by-side in a 13" x 9" baking pan; press together to close gaps.  Bake at 350 degrees for 12-14 minutes or until lightly browned.

2. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth.  Beat in the sour cream, egg, and vanilla; mix well.  Spread 3/4 cup chocolate topping over warm crust.  Carefully spread cream cheese mixture evenly over topping.

3. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.  Cool on a wire rack.  Cut into bars.

4. Optional: Place remaining chocolate topping in a heavy-duty releasable plastic bag; cut a small hole in a corner of a bag.  Pipe patterns on bars.  Refrigerate until serving.
Yield: 2 dozen

My Notes: I only had to bake the cookie dough crust for 10 minutes.  I used a little bit more than 1/4 cup of sugar.  I used milk chocolate ice cream topping (more similar to hot fudge than chocolate syrup).  I drizzled the chocolate over the whole cheesecake instead of making patterns.

Lovin' Peanuts Chex Mix

Ingredients

2 cups Corn Chex cereal

2 cups Honey Nut Chex cereal

2 cups Chocolate Chex cereal

1 cup honey-roasted or dry-roasted peanuts

1/4 cup margarine or butter

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup peanut butter

1/4 cup peanut butter chips

Directions

1. In a large microwaveable bowl, mix cereals and peanuts.

2. Microwave butter until melted, about 30 seconds. Stir in peanut butter and brown sugar.  Microwave about 30 seconds or until boiling.  Pour over cereal.

3. Microwave on high 3 to 4 minutes, stirring every minute, until browned.  Spread on a wax paper or foil-lined baking sheet.

4. Microwave peanut butter chips in small microwaveable bowl 40-50 seconds or until they can be stirred smooth.   Pour into small zip-type bag, snip a tiny corner, and drizzle over top.

My Notes: I used 3 cups of Honey Nut Chex & 3 cups of Chocolate Chex instead of buying Corn Chex (I mean, how many boxes of Chex does a person really need to have around?). I cut the hole in the corner of my bag a bit large, so the drizzling didn't go very well - cut a very tiny hole!

Southwest Chicken Wraps

Ingredients

1 cup sour cream

1 cup salsa (Picante sauce)

2 Tbsp. mayonnaise or Miracle Whip

2 10-12 oz. cans chicken breast, drained & shredded

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Flour tortillas for serving

Directions

1. Combine sour cream, salsa, and mayonnaise in a large bowl. Stir in chicken and cheese.

2. Serve cold on tortillas with additional toppings and salsa, if desired.

My Notes: This is one of my favorite meals ever!! I typically use colby jack cheese because that's what I keep on hand, but I'm sure it would be delicious with any kind of cheese.