Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars - Paula Deen/ The girl who ate everything's recipe

Crust:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened



Cheesecake Filling:
3 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup sugar, plus 2 tablespoons, divided
3 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract


Apples:
3 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg


Streusel topping, recipe follows
1/2 cup caramel topping


Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a medium bowl, combine flour and brown sugar. Cut in butter with a pastry blender (or 2 forks) until mixture is crumbly. Press evenly into a 9x13 baking pan lined with heavy-duty aluminum foil. Bake 15 minutes or until lightly browned.


In a large bowl, beat cream cheese with 3/4 cup sugar in an electric mixer at medium speed until smooth. Then add eggs, 1 at a time, and vanilla. Stir to combine. Pour over warm crust.


In a small bowl, stir together chopped apples, remaining 2 tablespoons sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Spoon evenly over cream cheese mixture. Sprinkle evenly with Streusel topping. Bake 40-45 minutes, or until filling is set. Drizzle with caramel topping and let cool. Serve cold and enjoy!


Streusel Topping:

1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup quick cooking oats
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened



In a small bowl, combine all ingredients. I like to really combine it by using my clean hands to thoroughly combine the butter into the mixture.

Lemon Artichoke Chicken

4 (8 oz.) boned, skinned chicken breast halves
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
2 Tbsp. butter
1 (14 oz) can artichoke hearts, drained
1 Tbsp. grated lemon peel
2 tsp. lemon juice
1/2 c. whipping cream
1/2 c. grated parmesan cheese
3 T checken broth

Rinse, dry and pound chicken into an even thickness of 1/4 to 1/2 inch. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Sprinkle chicken (liberally) on both sides with salt and pepper. In a frying pan over medium- high heat, melt the butter. Add chicken in batches and cook, turning once, until browned on both sides. About 4 minutes per side. Tranfer chicken into 9 x 13 baking dish and scatter artichoke hearts on top. Add chicken broth, lemon peel and lemon juice to remaining butter (if there is any. If not, melt 1 Tbsp.) in frying pan. Stir over medium heat until well blended and hot, 2 to 3 minutes. Add cream and stir. remove from heat and pour sauce over chicken. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake until sauce is bubbling and golden brown on top, 20 to 25 minutes. Serve with orzo pasta. (or rice. or whatever other starch sounds good to you).

Coconut Chicken Fingers & Grilled Peach Salad

I'm feeling fruity lately. Maybe because summer is soon coming to an end and I want to eat up all the delicious fruits that won't be available during the "winter" we get here in Arizona. Here's what's on our menu tonight:

COCONUT CHICKEN FINGERS

1.5-2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breast strips

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ground red pepper

1 C rice flour

1C whole buttermilk

1 large egg

1 1/2 C unsweetened coconut flakes

3T canola oil

Sweet chile sauce (optional)

Directions

1. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Place flour in a shallow dish. Combine buttermilk and egg in a shallow dish, stirring well. Place coconut in a shallow dish. Dredge chicken in flour. Shake off excess. Dip chicken in egg mixture; dredge in coconut flakes.

2. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add chicken to pan; cook 6 minutes or until done; turning to brown. Serve with chili sauce.

GRILLED PEACHES OVER ARUGULA WITH GOAT CHEESE & PROSCIUTTO

1/4 C balsamic vinegar

2T honey

1 lb peaches, pitted and sliced into 6 wedges per peach

cooking spray

1T EVOO

1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper

dash of kosher salt

10C (10 oz) trimmed arugula

2 oz thinly sliced prosciutto cut into 1/4 inch strips

2T crumbled goat cheese (or feta)

Directions:

1. Bring vinegar to boil in a small saucepan over med-high heat. Reduce heat & simmer until vinegar is reduced to 2T (about 2 mins). Remove from heat. Stir in honey. Cool to room temp.

2. Preheat grill to high heat

3. Place peach wedges on grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 30 secs on each side or until grill marks appear but peaches are still firm. Remove from grill & set aside.

4. Combine oil, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Stir with whisk. Add arugula tossing gently. Arrange arugula mixture on platter. Top with peaches & prosciutto. Drizzle with balsamic syrup; top with cheese.

Corn Dog Casserole

Please don't laugh at me for posting this. I found it in the newspaper a couple weeks ago, cut it out on a whim and now my family is in love with it. Please don't judge our palate because of it, but I do have to say it was easy, all the ingredients were cheap and on hand, and well, it was tasty too. And I bet it can even be gluten free. I halved it and put it in an 8x8 pan. Check it at 20 minutes though--ours was a little toasty.

Corn Dog Casserole

2 cups celery, chopped (I left these out)
1 bunch green onions, chopped
2 Tbsp. butter
1 1/2 lbs. hot dogs, cut into bite-sized slices
2 boxes corn muffin or cornbread mix
1/4 tsp. ground sage (left this out)
1/4 tsp. pepper
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
3 cups shredded cheese, divided (I used Colby Jack; Mike recommends Cheddar)
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Saute the celery and onions in the butter for about 5 minutes. Add the hot dogs and saute 5 minutes more.
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In a large bowl, combine the cornbread mix, sage, and pepper. Stir in the eggs and milk until the batter is combined. Stir in 2 cups of the cheese, then add all but 1 cup of the hot dog mixture, and stir to combine.
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Pour the mixture into a greased 3-quart baking dish and top with the remaining cheese and the reserved hot dog mixture. Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes or until golden brown and set in the center.