Chocolate Chip Caramel Cookie Bars

Anyone who knows me knows I have a terrible sweet tooth.  That, combined with my love of baking and my genetic predisposition towards chubbiness means I am in a constant battle against those malevolent little creatures who sew your clothes tighter at night - calories.  I have lost, and gained back, the same 30 pounds four times in the last 15 years, and since I am currently on the wrong side of that cycle, I'm trying very hard to resist making all the delectable dessert recipes I've been accumulating on Pinterest for the last several years.  All that self control came to a screeching halt a few days ago, though, when someone posted one of those video recipes on Facebook and I was subjected to a vision of molten caramel flowing over chocolate chip cookie dough while I was innocently browsing my newsfeed looking at cat pictures.  My resistance instantly crumbled and I soon found myself in the kitchen making these bars.  OMG, they were SO worth it!  I didn't look at the calorie count on these until just now (it's even worse than I imagined) because I agree with the adage that if you know how many calories are in your dessert you're eating it wrong.  These are definitely not diet-friendly in any way, but they were so amazing I don't regret making them one bit.  I did, however, send 3/4 of them with my husband and daughter to share with their classmates and coworkers, and although I wish I still had some left, it's probably for the best that I don't because I would be eating every last one of them myself!

Chocolate Chip Caramel Cookie Bars

Prep time: 10 min Bake time: 30 min
serves 24

2 1/4 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips (I normally prefer milk chocolate, but these bars are so rich that I think semi-sweet or a combination is best)

5 oz evaporated milk
1 bag (14 oz) caramels
1/2 c. peanut butter

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 9 x 13 inch pan.

Combine flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl. Beat butter, sugar, brown sugar and vanilla in a large mixing bowl until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually mix in flour mixture. Stir in chocolate chips.

Spread half of cookie dough into the prepared pan. Bake for 8-10 minutes. Remove from oven.

While the cookie dough is baking, melt caramels and evaporated milk in a double boiler. Add peanut butter after caramels are melted. Melt thoroughly. Spread over baked cookie dough base.
With the remaining cookie dough, drop by spoonfuls on top of the caramel mixture.
Bake for 15-20 minutes or until light golden brown.

340 calories per serving.  Click here for more nutritional info and shopping list!

French Onion Cheese Toast

I've had this recipe saved for more than a year but I never got around to making it because the prep time is so long! If you haven't figured it out yet, I'm into instant gratification. I don't want to slave over the stove for hours. Very few foods are worth all that! But my husband LOVES sautéed onions and I love cheesy bread, so I finally decided to break down and make this.

I AM SO GLAD!!!! This was so freakin' delicious. The onions were AMAZING. I lost count of the number of times my husband said something along the lines of "this is so good." And making it really wasn't that bad--most of the prep time was hands-off.  You could probably even make the onions ahead of time and then bake this when you're ready. This would be great as a party appetizer, but we had it as a side dish with steak and it was perfect. I couldn't find Gruyere or Fontina cheese at Wally World today, so I just used some mozzarella and parmesan, but the fancy cheese might've been better. Hard to imagine it could get much better, though!

French Onion Cheese Toast

Prep time: 90 min Bake time:15 min
Serves 16

3 Tbs butter
3 onions, peeled and thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, chopped
3 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves only
1 Tbs sugar
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp black pepper
1/2 Tbs balsamic vinegar
1 loaf french bread, sliced 1 inch thick
2 cups Gruyère or Fontina cheese, shredded

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions, garlic and thyme leaves and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Lower heat to medium low, cover and cook for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

Add sugar, kosher salt and pepper and cook for 10 minutes.

Add balsamic vinegar and cook for another 10 minutes or until onions are caramelized.

Preheat oven to 400°F.
Place bread slices on a baking sheet. Sprinkle evenly with shredded cheese then spoon caramelized onion on top.  Bake for 10-15 minutes or until cheese has melted and bread turns golden brown.

Garnish with extra thyme leaves if desired.  Serve immediately.

100 calories per serving.  Click here for more nutritional info and shopping list!

Stuffed Pepper Soup

I felt the need to don a chunky sweater and closed-toe shoes for the first time since last winter today, so I guess fall has officially, well, fallen. I'm not too excited about having to trade my shorts and tees for heavy jeans and sweaters, but I am definitely ready for some hearty fall food! All my friends are doing this extreme diet challenge and I'm over here like: need more carbs!  Carbs are my favorite. Next to cheese. And chocolate. Wait, I think that's a carb, too. But I digress.

This recipe isn't exactly health food, but it's got all the major food groups so it can't be that bad. I suppose if you wanted to lighten it up a little you could swap the beef for ground turkey and leave off the cheese. I might try the ground turkey next time, but you'll have to pry my cheddar from my cold, dead hands.

If you like stuffed peppers, this tastes exactly the same, just in belly-warming soup form, and although it's not really any quicker, it is a little easier and it makes a ton so you can feed an average size family a couple times or invite over all your friends and tempt them off their diets.

Stuffed Pepper Soup

Prep time:5 min  Cook time:45 min
Serves 10

2 pounds ground beef
2 quarts water
1 can (28 oz) tomato sauce
1 can (28 oz) diced tomatoes
2 cups uncooked long grain rice
3 chopped green peppers
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 tsp salt
2 tsp beef bouillon granules
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
2 cups shredded cheddar

In a Dutch oven, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Stir in all remaining ingredients except for the cheese; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 30-40 minutes or until peppers are tender.  Sprinkle with cheese before serving.

430 calories per serving.  Click here for more nutritional info and shopping list!

Grape Salad

I am not a big fan of salad.  Sure, I'll scarf down that tiny little pile of lettuce slathered in Ranch dressing that they give you at the restaurant to placate you while they cook your steak, but traditional salad is not one of those things I could ever get excited about.  However, I do love the "salads" that have nothing in common with a Caesar or Cobb -- you know, the ones that are more like dessert!

This salad makes a half-hearted effort to be healthier by using light sour cream and low-fat cream cheese, but I definitely wouldn't call it health food by any means, but it is definitely good food, and super quick and easy!

Grape Salad
Prep time: 5 min
Serves 8

1 ½ lbs green seedless grapes
1 ½ lbs red seedless grapes
8 oz light sour cream
8 oz low-fat cream cheese, softened
½ cup granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla

Topping:
¼ cup brown sugar
½ cup chopped pecans

Remove stems from grapes and rinse. Beat sour cream, cream cheese, granulated sugar and vanilla with mixer. Stir grapes into the mixture and place in a serving dish. Combine topping ingredients and sprinkle over top right before serving.

338 calories per serving.  Click here for more nutritional info and shopping list!

Cheesy Sausage Pasta

One of the most popular posts on this blog is my Cheesy Sausage Pot, which is an amazing Crock-Pot dish chock full of cheesy, sausage-y deliciousness. It's great when you need dinner to be ready as soon as you get home. But what if you forget to fill the Crock-Pot in the morning? Yeah, been there, done that. No worries, you can still have that amazing flavor in less that 30 minutes and with only one pot to wash! This recipe uses pasta instead of potatoes so it cooks up super quick and requires practically no prep time at all.  I got off work at 5 and was putting away the leftovers by 6!

Cheesy Sausage Pasta
Prep time: 5 min  Cook time: 20 min
Serves 5

1 Tbsp olive oil
1 lb smoked sausage, sliced
1 cup diced onion
1 Tbsp minced garlic
2 cups chicken broth
1 (10 oz) can diced tomatoes
1/2 cup milk or heavy cream
8 oz dry pasta (any small pasta will do)
1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper, each
1 cup shredded Cheddar-Jack cheese
1/3 cup chopped green onions

Add olive oil to a 4-5 quart saute pan over medium high heat. Add onions and sausage and cook until lightly browned. Add garlic and cook for about 30 seconds.

Add chicken broth, tomatoes, milk, pasta, and seasonings. Bring the mixture to a boil, cover, and reduce heat to low. Simmer for about 15 minutes, or until pasta is tender.

Turn off the heat and stir in 1/2 cup of cheese. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top and cover for about five minutes to allow cheese to melt. Top with sliced scallions and serve.

601 calories per serving.  Click here for more nutritional info and shopping list!