Cranberry Cream Cheese Bars

I actually made these around Christmastime last year and have just not gotten around to posting them! But I made this recipe that I found in a Land O' Lakes recipe magazine on my our annual "bake day" and they were really yummy! Cranberry and orange blend beautifully together, that's for sure!

Cranberry Cream Cheese Bars

Crust:

1/2 cup butter softened

1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup uncooked quick-cooking oats

1 teaspoon freshly grated orange zest

1 cup mini real semi-sweet chocolate chips

3/4 cup sweetened dried cranberries, chopped

 

Filling:

4 ounces cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup sugar

1/3 cup whipping cream

1 teaspoon vanilla

 Heat oven to 350°F. Spray 8-inch square baking pan with no-stick cooking spray; set aside.

Combine butter and brown sugar in large bowl; beat at medium speed until creamy. Reduce speed to low; add flour, oats and orange zest. Beat until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in chocolate chips and cranberries. Reserve 1 cup crumb mixture.

Firmly press remaining crumb mixture into bottom of prepared pan. Bake 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine cream cheese and sugar in medium bowl. Beat at medium speed until smooth. Add whipping cream and vanilla, beat until smooth.

Pour cream cheese mixture evenly over hot, partially baked crust. Sprinkle reserved crumb mixture gently over filling. Continue baking for 27 to 30 minutes or until edges are light golden brown. Cool completely; cut into bars. Store refrigerated.

Cranberry-Orange Bread

 

This may well qualify as the WORST picture I have on this blog.  Oh my goodness I should just take it off.  You see, this bread gave me a little bit of trouble last week.  First time making this recipe of my grandmother's.  Instead of putting the bread in a large loaf pan, I poured it into two small loaf pans.  The batter was JUST about gone when the two pans were about full.  I knew I shouldn't pour any more batter into them, but it just didn't seem like I had enough to fill a third pan!!

Silly me.  They definitely over-flowed.  All over the oven racks and oven floor.  Luckily I noticed it before any real damage was done and put a baking sheet on the bottom rack to catch any remaining drippings.  Hence, the lack of this bread's beauty.  

BUT, it did not matter.  This is my new favorite bread.  Ever. It is SO good.  So incredibly moist and flavorful.  The orange juice and cranberries compliment each other so well! My family and hubby also raved about it.  Wow.  I want to make it again right now.  New. Favorite. Recipe.  Just make sure you don't over-fill the pans.  Yup.

Cranberry-Orange Bread

 recipe courtesy of my grandmother

2 cups flour

1 3/4 c. sugar

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 egg, beaten

3/4 cup orange juice

1/2 cup oil (I used vegetable)

1 cup fresh cranberries, chopped

1/2 cup walnuts, chopped

1 tsp. grated orange peel

Preheat oven to 350.  Sift or finely mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and baking soda.  Set aside.  In separate bowl, combine beaten egg, orange juice and oil.  Add to dry ingredients, stirring until moistened.  Stir in cranberries, walnuts and orange peel.  Bake in greased 9x5x3 pan for 50 minutes or until done.

Low-Fat Orange Dream Cheesecake

This chilled cheesecake is definitely still an appropriate treat for Arizona and other warm-even-though-it's almost fall biomes.  Even though I made this about a month ago, I still remember its creamy, orange-y taste and texture that was a perfect after-dinner treat.  One that doesn't leave you feeling guilty, either!



Low-Fat Orange Dream Cheesecake
adapted from Kraft

1 reduced-fat graham cracker crust (can do homemade)
2/3 cup boiling water

1 pkg. (3 oz.) JELL-O Orange Flavor Sugar Free Gelatin

1 cup low-fat Cottage Cheese

8 oz. fat-free cream cheese

2 cups thawed Cool Whip Free (or other fat-free) Whipped Topping

 Add boiling water to gelatin mix; stir 2 min. until completely dissolved. Cool 5 min.; pour into blender. Add cottage cheese and cream cheese; blend well. Pour into large bowl. Whisk in Cool Whip. Pour into prepared pan; smooth top.
Refrigerate 4 hours or until firm. Then serve! Can also freeze this cheesecake, and simply let it thaw for about 10 minutes before eating it.  

Orange, Walnut & Gorgonzola Mixed Greens Salad

Well, I'm back in my apartment in Utah now- back to my small kitchen and broken dishwasher- yep it leaked ALL over the kitchen floor today and needs to be fixed- so I will probably be cooking a little less.  Don't get me wrong, though- I will not revert to frozen "Lean Cuisines," Top Ramen, or even PB&J for every meal.... okay so maybe PB&J every once in a while...  :) but since I am only cooking for myself now, my cooking will be a lot simpler, easier, and quicker to fit my busy lifestyle!

However, I do still have some recipes from back home this summer when I cooked with my Mom almost every night for our family.  Good times that I will surely miss this coming semester. 

This salad screams summertime (whoa, way to alliterate!) and was absolutely delicious!  It's from allrecipes.com.  You must make the homemade citrus vinaigrette, though- it's super simple and really ties all of the flavors together!  

The only difference I'd make is to chop the onions into smaller pieces rather than slices so that they are not so over-powering.  I also carmelized the walnuts with a bit of sugar  which was very yummy!   This is definitely going to be one of my go-to recipes.

• 
  
• Orange, Walnut & Gorgonzola Mixed Greens Salad
• 
  
• 3/4 cup walnut halves
• 10 ounces mixed salad greens with arugula
• 2 large navel oranges, peeled and sectioned
• 1/2 cup sliced or chopped red onion
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 2/3 cup orange juice
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup crumbled Gorgonzola cheese

1. Place the walnuts in a skillet over medium heat. Cook 5 minutes, stirring constantly, until lightly browned.
2. In a large bowl, toss the toasted walnuts, salad greens, oranges, and red onion.
3. In a large jar with a lid, mix the olive oil, vegetable oil, orange juice, sugar, vinegar, mustard, oregano, and pepper. Seal jar, and shake to mix.
4. Divide the salad greens mixture into individual servings. To serve, sprinkle with Gorgonzola cheese, and drizzle with the dressing mixture.

Makes 6 servings

Nutrition (per serving):  368 calories, 30.1g fat, 8mg cholesterol

Chinese Chicken Salad

For being 195 calories, this was pretty darn good, if I must confess.  The broccoli slaw mix is a fast and easy and healthy way to jump start this recipe- it can be found next to the bagged lettuce in most stores. You really have to let it refrigerate for 2 hours though- this softens the slaw and combines all the flavors in a lovely, Asian-y way! Another shortcut- buy pre-cooked chicken strips and chop 'em up! Delish.

Chinese Chicken Salad

One 16-oz. package dry broccoli slaw mix

12 oz. cooked skinless lean chicken breast, chopped

1 cup canned water chestnuts, drained and sliced into thin strips
1 cup canned mandarin orange segments packed in water or juice, drained and chopped (and rinsed, if packed in juice)
1 cup chopped scallions
3/4 cup Newman's Own Lighten Up! Low Fat Sesame Ginger Dressing

In a large bowl, toss all ingredients together until well mixed.  Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.  Stir well before serving.  Enjoy!

Makes 5 (1 1/2 cup) servings

Nutrition per serving: 195 calories, 2.75g fat, 595mg sodium, 21g carbs, 4.5g fiber, 12.5g sugars, 22.5g protein