CCC: Pecan Pie Cheesecake

**August is Cheesecake month!**

A big change has happened for the Crazy Cooking Challenge! Now participants can find their recipe ANYWHERE. Famous or not famous. Or create your own. I am still going to try and find mine on blogs though. That's how I roll :P I like to share other blogs.

So I have umpteen million different cheesecake recipes on my list of recipes I want to try. My decision was based solely on wanting to spoil my husband before he went out to the field for 2 weeks and survived on MREs. My husband loves pecan pie. I don't. He only gets it at Christmas if his Granny brings it for Christmas Day dinner. I had a Pecan Pie Cheesecake recipe in my arsenal from a blog called Heidi's So-Called Life and decided that even though it's not autumn yet, it would hit the spot perfectly for my husband. :)

The recipe itself was actually pretty simple even though it looks complex. I took Heidi's tip of a casserole dish full of hot water underneath the cheesecake while it baked and I had NO cracking! I don't have a dish big enough to sit my springform pan in to do an actual water bath. This was the best cheesecake I've made - I'd almost say my very first successful cheesecake.

The cheesecake was rich and decadent - perfectly smooth and the crust with the vanilla wafers was so much more delicate than the traditional graham crackers. Do I really need to sell the pecan pie filling part? It was the traditional gooey, sweet pecan pie layered in between the cheesecake and crust. Even though I'm not the biggest fan of pecan pie, the crunchy sweetness paired perfectly with the cheesecake. This is sure to be a hit for any pecan pie lover!

I will be hopping around today - stumbling, pinning, tweeting, and FB-ing lots of entries :)

CCC: Pretzel Ranch Chicken

**July is Fried Chicken month!**

A big change has happened for the Crazy Cooking Challenge! Now participants can find their recipe ANYWHERE. Famous or not famous. Or create your own. I am still going to try and find mine on blogs though. That's how I roll :P I like to share other blogs.

When I was looking around, I was trying to find something other than just plain fried chicken. I'm not the biggest fan of fried chicken in the first place, so I wanted something that wasn't traditional fried chicken. I got this recipe from Hezzi-D's Books and Cooks, a blogger I follow and adore. Heather blogs about food and books - two of my favorite things. Last reveal day, Heather posted these chicken tenders on her blog. I was really intrigued by the idea of using pretzels for the crumb base and I really loved the bite of the ranch. I actually dipped mine in buffalo sauce, which was great with it. I know lots of people dip buffalo chicken in ranch dressing.

Also I wanted to point out how ugly mine turned out. I was talking to my friends about how hard it is to sell ugly delicious food. Like "Oh there is this recipe I love, check it out!" and then it doesn't look good. I assure you, these are super delicious. My husband tried one (cold) and loved it and he hates ranch anything, if that gives you any idea of how good they are. Food is not one of those things that you can "judge by its cover" so to speak.

I will be hopping around today - stumbling, pinning, tweeting, and FB-ing lots of entries :)

{To vote for my recipe: click on # below in the linky list}

(Print)
What you need:

• 1 lb. chicken tenderloins
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 cup pretzels
• 1 packet Ranch seasoning mix {or homemade}
• 1 tsp. black pepper
• 1/2 tsp. paprika
• 1 egg
• 2 tbsp. Ranch dressing

Directions:

Place pretzels, ranch seasoning mix, pepper, and paprika in a food processer and run it until you have pretty crumbs. Then place in a shallow dish or plate.

Mix together egg and dressing in a shallow bowl.

Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat.

Dredge chicken through egg mixture and then pretzel crumbs.

Fry on each side for 4 to 6 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

Recipe from Hezzi-D's Books and Cooks

{Click here to see what blog hops I participate in}

My previous Crazy Cooking Challenge recipes: Mac and Cheese for Two, Thick & Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies, Mashed Potatoes with Bacon and Cheddar, Pralines & Cream Fudge, Triple Chocolate Cake, Baked Spaghetti with Cream Cheese and French Fried Onions, Sour Cream Blueberry-Blackberry Muffins, Buffalo Chicken Grilled Cheese Sandwiches, and Blueberry Cheesecake Milkshakes.

Below you can find all the other fried chicken recipes from the other Crazy Cooking Challengers, make sure you stop by and show them some love :)

CCC: Blueberry Cheesecake Milkshake

June is Fruit Smoothie/Shake month!

I had a little more trouble this month finding a good recipe from a blog. I had plenty from Kraft or Betty Crocker, etc. In fact, my first smoothie/shake was a Kraft recipe that I will be sharing next Wednesday. I was lucky to stumble upon Lauren's Strawberry Cheesecake Milkshake right after my oopsie shake was made. Be still my heart! Anything cheesecake is just fabulous in my book!! And if you haven't heard of Lauren's Latest or you don't follow it, GO DO IT NOW!! Lauren is completely hilarious and she keeps it real :)

I also decided to switch up the recipe, ever so slightly. I had just discovered one of Ben & Jerry's limited edition flavors of ice cream...Blueberry Cheesecake. So I've been craving blueberry cheesecake! I will be trying Lauren's milkshake in its original form very soon, but for today - I made the blueberry version of it.

{Half of my inspiration}

I will be hopping around today - stumbling, pinning, tweeting, and FB-ing lots of entries :)

{To vote for my recipe: click on #26 below in the linky list}

CCC: Buffalo Chicken Grilled Cheese Sandwich

May is Grilled Cheese Sandwich month!

Aren't grilled cheese sandwiches the best? I mean, there are so so many variations you can make!

This recipe came from Kevin of Closet Cooking. I'm sure you all have seen some of his other recipes...like Pizza Dip, Jalapeno Popper Dip, Buffalo Chicken Chili, and his other grilled cheese sandwich recipes, like Jalapeno Popper Grilled Cheese and Bacon Guacamole Grilled Cheese (I am actually not surprised if a few of the other CCCers make one of these recipes). I personally love all the spicy foods he shares :)

My selection for this challenge was a no-brainer. I've tried many forms of grilled cheese. It's one of my kids' favorite lunches. I've tried jalapeno popper grilled cheese and pizza grilled cheese. I make different variations all the time. We have yet to try buffalo chicken grilled cheese. We were not disappointed in the least bit. This was such a fantastic sandwich!

I will be hopping around today - stumbling, pinning, tweeting, and FB-ing lots of entries :)

{To vote for my recipe: click on #7 below in the linky list}

(Print)
What you need:

• 1/4 cup cooked, shredded chicken, warm
• 1 tbsp. hot sauce
• 1/2 tbsp. mayo
• 1 tbsp. grated carrot
• 1 tbsp. diced celery
• 1 tbsp. diced green onion
• 1 tbsp. mozzarella cheese {Kevin's called for blue cheese which we do not eat}
• 1/4 cup cheddar cheese, room temp
• 1 tbsp. butter
• 2 slices bread

Directions:

Combine chicken, hot sauce, mayo, carrot, celery, and green onion in a small bowl.

Butter one side of two pieces of bread.

Top one unbuttered side with chicken mixture, then cheese. 

Cover with other piece of bread, butter side on the outside.
Cook until browned on each side and cheese is melted on a preheated skillet or griddle.

Recipe from Closet Cooking

{Click here to see what blog hops I participate in}

My previous Crazy Cooking Challenge recipes: Mac and Cheese for Two, Thick & Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies, Mashed Potatoes with Bacon and Cheddar, Pralines & Cream Fudge, Triple Chocolate Cake, Baked Spaghetti with Cream Cheese and French Fried Onions, and Sour Cream Blueberry-Blackberry Muffins.

Below you can find all the other grilled cheese recipes from the other Crazy Cooking Challengers, make sure you stop by and leave them some sweet notes :)

CCC: Sour Cream Blueberry-Blackberry Muffins

April is Blueberry Muffin month!

I am not a morning person. AT ALL. A majority of the time, what I plan to make for breakfast doesn't get made because I am far too asleep yet to coherently do any cooking/baking. Muffins are one of my favorite things to make for breakfast because you can typically make them in one bowl and then in paper-lined muffin cups (no messy dish to wash) - you pop them in the oven for 20ish minutes and wah-la, breakfast is done!

I have a very large, large collection of recipes that I've been trying to work through. I have many duds to weed out and many duplicates...hidden in there are recipes that once upon a time, I was really wanting to make like the next week. For this month, I wanted to find a recipe to use that I already had on hand. The first blueberry muffin recipe I found that I hadn't made in my collection was Tina from MOMS CRAZY COOKING: Sour Cream Blueberry-Blackberry Muffins.

I have mentioned before my love of sour cream in baking recipes, so I knew this one ought to be a keeper. I really liked how fluffy and moist they turned out. I also really loved the blackberries in with the blueberries. Oh and the sugar mixture on top was a killer addition to these already wonderful muffins! We will definitely be having these again.

And as always, I will be jumping around today stumbling, pinning, tweeting, and FB-ing everyone's recipes.

CCC: Baked Spaghetti with Cream Cheese and French Fried Onions

March is Spaghetti month (:

Now as far as spaghetti goes, I really love it. By love, I mean whenever I am asked what I would want for my last meal, I always say spaghetti. I'll try any spaghetti recipe once. I was more than ready for this challenge! You can see some more spaghetti recipes {here}.

I chose Baked Spaghetti with Cream Cheese from Let's Dish. I had actually found it just a few days before Tina announced March would be all about red sauce spaghetti recipes. Like I really needed an excuse to make it!  It's definitely a keeper - the cream cheese was incredible. It added a nice smooth texture as well as a very rich taste to the sauce. The crunchy onions are always a plus in my book!

Can't wait to see what everyone else has made - I'll be a stumbling, pinning, tweeting, FBing machine today!

(Printable Version)
Recipe from Let's Dish

What you need:

• 8 oz. spaghetti
• 1 lb. ground beef
• 1 (24 oz.) jar spaghetti sauce (I used Hunt's Garlic & Herb)
• 1 tbsp. butter
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 8 oz. cream cheese, softened
• 1/3 cup water
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese
• Small can French fried onions

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350* while cooking your spaghetti according to the box. Drain and set aside.
Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat.

Add ground beef, onions, and garlic. Cook until beef is browned.

Add cream cheese and water. Stir until cream cheese is completely melted.

Add in spaghetti sauce, season with salt and pepper, and cook until heated through.

Add a little sauce on the bottom of a greased 9x13" dish.

Add spaghetti and then pour sauce evenly over the top.

Top with mozzarella and Parmesan.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes.
Add French fried onions and bake for 5 more minutes.

Linked up at...

Triple Chocolate Cake

February is Chocolate Cake Month!!

This girl loves chocolate cake...and I really mean that. Chocolate cake is probably my favorite of all desserts. So I was completely stoked when I found out February was chocolate cake month for the Crazy Cooking challenge. At the end of this post, you will find a linky list that showcases all the recipes that everyone participating has posted. Go visit them!! Share your favorites with family and friends. I love to use StumbleUpon - to stumble, share on Facebook, and tweet about recipes I find. I also love to pin my favorite finds! Next week, Tina will announce the ULTIMATE chocolate cake recipe. {P.S. I'm going to try and stumble, pin, facebook, and tweet as many of these as possible!}

Now, in my recipe arsenal I have plenty of cake recipes. However, I immediately knew what recipe I was going to try when I found out Feb's theme. I recently saw Triple Chocolate Birthday Cake on Hannah in the Kitchen. Hannah posted this recipe and shared it on the Sweet Tooth Friday link up. She made this gorgeous cake for her grandmother's birthday. Why did I choose this one? For one, it's TRIPLE chocolate. You cannot go wrong with that. Two, it's got mousse in it. Three, it uses a from scratch recipe instead of a box mix of chocolate cake. I'm trying really hard to learn how to make a successful cake from scratch.

Hannah doesn't post often, but every recipe she has on her blog is one I want to try. They are all very delicious looking!! This particular recipe was absolutely incredible. It's rich, the cake is so fluffy and moist, and the mousse and frosting combo - *drool*

Triple Chocolate Birthday Cake
Recipe from Hannah in the Kitchen

Pralines & Cream Fudge

December is Fudge Month!!

Doesn't that sound legendary? I love fudge! At the end of this post, you will find a linky list that showcases all the recipes that everyone participating has posted. Go vote on your favorite one! Even if you didn't participate, you can still vote. Even if you don't have a GFC account, you can vote. :) Next week, Tina will announce the ULTIMATE fudge recipe.

I had a bit of trouble this month. I had just made a Rocky Road fudge a couple months ago and I had chosen a mint chocolate fudge because I figured everyone would be making peppermint or candy cane for Christmas. I had all my stuff to make the fudge and realized that it didn't come from a blog. Shame on me! Luckily, the same exact day, Ashton from Something Swanky posted her pralines & cream fudge. I can't remember how I found her blog, but I am a very new follower. I saw her first page of recipes and immediately subscribed in every which way that I could. I still have yet to find the time to go through all her blog's recipes, but I am very excited to!

Mashed Potatoes with Bacon & Cheddar

November is Mashed Potatoes Month - just in time for Thanksgiving planning, right? Today everyone participating is posting delicious mashed potato recipes. At the end of this post, you will find a linky list that showcases all the recipes that everyone participating has posted. Go vote on your favorite one! The ultimate recipe will be chosen next week!

This recipe comes from Sippity Sup. Initially the bacon and cheddar drew me in. You can never go wrong by adding in bacon or cheddar cheese. Never. It's a scientific fact. Next time I may use a little less cream cheese, as I am accustomed to using sour cream instead of cream cheese. Just a little personal preference. These mashed potatoes are on the line up for Thanksgiving. We usually do a collective Thanksgiving because all of the soldiers tend to be too far away from family and it's always better to surround yourself with good friends and good food.

Mac 'n Cheese for Two or Three

I was very excited to get an email from Tina over at MOMS CRAZY COOKING about a new challenge she was hosting. Along with 70+ other bloggers, we will find a themed recipe each month from another blogger, make it, and all blog about it on the same day at the same time. We'll be hopping and voting on our favorite recipe and Tina will announce and feature the ultimate recipe for that month!

September is Macaroni & Cheese Month. So today everyone is posting some awesome macaroni and cheese recipes. Make sure to check the other bloggers' postings out too :)

My recipe comes from my new blogging buddy, Desi @ SteakNPotatoesKindaGurl. This is definitely one of the better macaroni and cheese recipes I've tried lately. Next time I'm going to try adding a dash of hot sauce - this time I didn't have it. I find that little dash goes a long way in homemade macaroni and cheese!