Chess Pie Bars

I am a part of a dinner club that meets once a month. Whoever hosts the dinner for that month, picks the theme for the dinner and we each make a dish that goes along with that theme. It is so much fun! We get to eat great food and have a lot of great conversation! This month's theme happened to be Southern Hospitality...otherwise-known-as good ol' southern comfort food! We had pot roast, mac and cheese, sweet potato casserole, biscuits, homemade ice cream sundaes and these highly addictive Chess Pie Bars! We even had a southern cocktail....Sweet Tea vodka and lemonade served in a mason jar!!! All the food was fantastic! I seriously think I gained 20 lbs. that night!!! haha

If you guys aren't familiar with Chess Pie, it is truly a southern delicacy. I never had it or knew what it was until I moved to the south. It is pretty much a sugary/buttery heaven in a pie crust! So incredibly rich, but so delicious! The Chess Pie Bar is a perfect take on the pie. It takes exactly like the pie, but it's a little easier to prepare. If you need a quick easy dessert recipe, this is it! People won't believe how easy it is, and how delicious it is! The only challenge...try to eat only one piece! Go on TRY!!! ;o)

Chess Pie Bars

1 package yellow cake mix
2 eggs

1/2 cup softened butter
1 lb. powdered sugar

1 8 oz. package cream cheese, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Grease 9x13 pan. Beat eggs. Combine eggs with cake mix and softened butter. Mix well until all ingredients are combined. (You may need to use your hands, but I usually can get away with just using a whisk.) Press cake mixture into the well greased pan. (Trick - I usually spray my hands with non-stick cooking spray that way the mixture doesn't stick to my hands!)

In a separate bowl, combine cream cheese, powdered sugar and vanilla. Beat until smooth and creamy. Spread cream cheese mixture over cake mixture.

Bake for about 35 minutes. Cool completely and cut into squares.

S'mores Ice Cream

I LOVE ICE CREAM (as you can tell, by my most recent giveaway!)!! I was so excited when my sister told me she had an ice cream maker laying around collecting dust. I told her I had been wanting one for a very long time and she graciously offered me hers! I was so happy, although I am sure my waistline won't like all the ice cream I will be making! HA! Thanks Jennifer!!! ;o)

My next task, now that I knew I was going to have an ice cream maker any day, was to figure out what my very first flavor would be. Seriously people, that's a hard thing to decide on!! lol I mean I have soooooooooo many ice cream recipes bookmarked, and on top of that my sister sent me an ice cream cookbook! I finally decide I wanted to make S'mores Ice Cream! S'mores are one of my all time favorite treats, so I thought it would be a great thing to experiment with.

I was never a big fan of just plain chocolate ice cream (really any plain chocolate in general), so I knew I didn't want a chocolate based ice cream. Then I found this recipe! The pictures themselves did it for me...I knew right away that was going to be it!

The ice cream was SOOO delicious! It is a marshmallow ice cream with bits of graham cracker and hershey bar throughout it. The ice cream base was so creamy and smooth, I could have eaten it even without all the additions!!! I told my good friend Erin, from Erin's Food Files, that I was going to make it for a friend of ours who was having a birthday at work. She thought it was a great idea and offered to make homemade graham crackers to go with it - so we could make ice cream sandwiches!!! (See photo at the bottom, courtesy of Erin!) It was such a great idea! The ice cream sandwiches were incredible!!! Erin's homemade graham crackers went perfectly with the ice cream!

S'mores Ice Cream
(recipe from Bonnie the Baker)

1 package marshmallows
2cup milk
3cups heavy cream
2 Hershey’s Chocolate Bars
6 or so Honeymaid Graham crackers (I used the plain variety)

Place Marshmallows, cream and milk into a large saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly until the mallows are melted, and the liquids blend nicely with the marshmallows. The texture will be thick and gooey. Remove from heat and let cool (I let mine cool to touch - about 10 minutes before putting into my ice cream maker), stirring occasionally. Pour mixture into ice cream maker that has been frozen according to manufacturer’s instructions, and churn for about 30-35 minutes.

While the ice cream is churning, cut chocolate into whatever size chunks you desire, I did bite size. Break graham cracker pieces into larger pieces, you want them to stay in tact so that they will freeze well, and still resemble graham cracker pieces after the freezing process is done.

After churning is completed, turn off ice cream maker, and fold in chocolate pieces and then graham cracker pieces. Be gentle when folding in the graham cracker pieces, or they will break. After folding, the ice will be somewhat soft, just place in an airtight container for a couple of hours until set. Makes about 1 Quart of ice cream. (feel free to cut the recipe in half)

To find the recipe for Erin's delicious homemade graham crackers, check out her blog post here! Last photo courtesy of Erin, of Erin's Food Files! I had to show you how cute the ice cream sandwiches looked!

Spicy Sausage Dip

I am always looking for new quick go-to recipes for appetizers. The hubs is always in need of something to take to school functions and I tend to lean towards sweet treats! As much as I LOVE my sweets, I really want to start making more appetizers. It seems like those are often what are needed most at get-togethers. So when I saw this recipe pop up in my google reader, I knew I had to bookmark it and make it soon! It didn't take long to make it, and I was so glad I had! This dip was fantastic! Perfect for school functions, parties, or just a plan old lazy Sunday's catching up on the DVR!! This recipe is definitely a keeper!

Spicy Sausage Dip

(as seen on Annies Eats)

1 (16 oz.) package spicy/zesty sausage

1 (15 oz.) can diced tomatoes with green chiles, undrained

2 (8 oz.) packages cream cheese

Hot sauce, to taste

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook the crumbled sausage until browned. Drain off any excess fat. Reduce the heat to medium and mix in the tomatoes, cream cheese, and hot sauce. Continue to cook, stirring frequently, until the mixture is warmed through and the ingredients are well blended. Taste and adjust seasonings as necessary. Serve warm with Fritos or crackers of choice.

Winner!

Thanks to everyone who entered the contest for the ice cream maker! I got a lot of great responses for flavors!

The winner is......

11 -
Valen said...
I would love to make mint chocolate chip ice cream, my favorite!

Please contact me within 48 hrs (or a new winner will be selected) at lieslsconfectiondissection@gmail.com with your shipping information.

Congratulations! Let me know how the ice cream turns out!