Oreo Cheesecake Bars

It's getting near Christmas time, and that means I've caught the "baking bug." I plan on making all sorts of delicious treats for my classmates, friends, and family. Jonathan is super excited...he has quite the sweet tooth. Here are some amazing oreo cheesecake bars that I plan on making again soon:

For the crust:
23 Oreo cookies
2 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted

For the cheesecake:
12 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
6 tbsp. sugar
6 tbsp. sour cream, at room temperature
½ tsp. vanilla extract
¼ tsp. salt
1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk
12 Oreo cookies, roughly chopped

Preheat oven to 350. Line a 9x9 square pan with foil. Crush oreos for crust in a bag or food processor until fine. Add in melted butter and mix until crumbs are moistened. Press crumbs into bottom of baking pan in an even layer. Bake for 10 minutes in the oven, and set aside.

To prepare filling, beat cream cheese on medium-high in an electric mixer for about 2 minutes until smooth. Mix in sugar until well combined. Blend in sour cream, vanilla, and salt. Beat in egg and egg yolk until incorporated. Stir in chopped oreos with a rubber spatula. Pour batter over crust and bake 40 minutes (or until edges are set but center is slightly wobbly). Let cool one hour on wire rack, then refrigerate for at least 3 hours.

To serve, lift foil out of pan, peel away from cheesecake, and slice into bars.

Recipe Source: Annie's Eats

MATCH

This just in...Jonathan and I will be moving to IOWA!!! Why hello University of Iowa! Are you ready for us??

But seriously, we are so thrilled and thankful to God for allowing me to match at such a wonderful orthodontic residency program. We cannot wait to begin this new adventure together. We'll be moving there in June after I graduate from dental school. Woohoo!

Christmas Time!

Jonathan and I are already getting into the holiday spirit. Over Thanksgiving, my mother-in-law, sister-in-law, and I had girls' craft day and made yarn wreaths. I really liked how mine turned out! I hung it above our fireplace mantle:

On Sunday, we decorated our Christmas tree. Here's Jonathan using his height and long arms to put the star on top of the tree.


I can't wait for the weather to get a little colder so we can drink hot chocolate by the fire :)

Southwest Chicken Chili Mac

I spotted this recipe over at Picky Palate, and I knew I wanted to make it this fall. It was such a comforting, delicious meal on a cool fall night. I'm definitely adding it to my recipe box. It's funny because it calls for wagon wheel pasta (probably to please picky kid eaters), but I decided to live a little and get the wagon wheel pasta, too. It entertained this adult :) Here's the recipe:

8 ounces wagon wheel pasta noodles

2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 cup finely chopped white onion
1/2 cup finely chopped yellow bell pepper
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 cups cooked shredded chicken breast
1o ounce can Rotel diced tomatoes, mild
1 1/2 cups reduced sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup corn, drained
1/2 cup white beans, drained and rinsed
1 Tablespoon chili powder
1 Tablespoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dry Ranch seasoning from packet
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and run under cool water. Heat oil in 9 inch deep cast iron skillet (or a regular skillet if you don't have one). Add onions and peppers, cook stirring about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring for 1 minute. Add chicken, tomatoes, broth, corn, beans, wagon wheel pasta, chili powder, cumin, Ranch seasoning and cilantro. Stir until well combined. Reduce heat to low and simmer until ready to serve.

Monkey Bread

Hello blog! I'm sorry I've neglected you lately :) I'm finally done with all of my orthodontic residency interviews, and I'm trying to get my life back to normal. This weekend, all that is on the agenda is RELAXATION. Woo hoo! Here's a recipe I've been meaning to post for a while:

I was hanging out with a few of my classmates the other day, and the subject of monkey bread came up. They looked at me like I was crazy, and I was astonished that they had never experienced the delectable treat. So I decided to whip some up for them, and it turned out great.

**Notice Jonathan holding the platter for me. He wasn't too happy that I was taking away the deliciousness to give it away at school :)

4 pack of 7.5 oz refrigerated biscuit dough
1 cup white sugar
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 cup butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional, but in my opinion, so not optional)

Preheat oven to 350˚. Grease one bundt pan.

Mix white sugar and cinnamon in a plastic bag. Cut biscuits into quarters. Shake 6 to 8 biscuit pieces in the sugar cinnamon mix. Arrange pieces in the bottom of the prepared pan. Continue until all biscuits are coated and placed in pan. If using pecans, arrange them in and among the biscuit pieces as you go along.

In a small saucepan, melt the butter with the brown sugar over medium heat. Boil for 1 minute. Pour over the biscuits.

Bake at 350˚F for 35 minutes. Let bread cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a plate. Pull apart and enjoy!

Source: Pennies on a Platter

Traditional Mashed Potatoes

I LOVE mashed potatoes. Ever since I was a kid, I have always loved the comfort of homemade mashed potatoes (I could give or take the gravy). Here's a recipe for mashed potatoes that came from the cookbook Jonathan got me for my birthday in July. I added blue cheese to spice it up a bit, because that is Jonathan's favorite!


1.5 lbs. russet potatoes
2 Tbsp. real butter
2 Tbsp. (plus more if needed) milk
Salt and black pepper

Cut the potatoes into uniform 1/2 inch pieces. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Once water boils, add potatoes and cook until very tender (test this with a fork; you want to pierce the biggest piece and have it crumble).

Drain and place the potatoes in a large mixing bowl. Add the butter and beat with an electric mixer until butter is melted and incorporated (electric mixer gives a creamy result). Slowly add in milk, until desired consistency is reached. Season with salt and pepper and serve.

Source: Our Best Bites cookbook

Whirlwind

Lots of exciting things have been happening lately. I really enjoyed my Iowa interview, and I flew back home on Saturday, then headed to Auburn Saturday afternoon for the Auburn v. Florida game.

We won! Here's us and my fabulous in-laws celebrating :)

We got back home at midnight Saturday night, and I basically slept the day away on Sunday. I also found out I passed by National Boards Part 2 that I took a couple of weeks ago. Hooray! It feels good to have that over with.

Tomorrow is my UAB interview, and I can't wait. I promise to post some recipes soon!