New Baked Good: July!

It's the beginning of July and I already baked something new! I got this recipe for Blueberry Lemon Cheesecake Bars from my sister. She is on Pinterest (a devilish time-sucker I just cannot let myself get into) and finds good recipes all the time. I told her I had been wanting to make something berry-and-cheese-cakey and she had just the recipe I was looking for!
This one comes from Inspired Taste:

For the Crust:

• 9 graham cracker rectangles
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
  
  For the Cheesecake Filling:
• 2 packages (8 oz each) cream cheese, softened
• 2 eggs
• 2 tablespoons grated lemon zest
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries
  
  For the Streusel Topping:
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter

1. Heat oven to 325°F then lightly spray an 8- or 9-inch square pan with non-stick cooking spray or grease with butter or oil.
2. If you have a food processor, add graham crackers, 2 tablespoons granulated sugar and 1 teaspoon lemon zest to it then cover and process until fine crumbs form. Add the melted butter then cover and process with until the cracker crumbs are evenly moistened. If you do not have or want to use a food processor, add graham crackers to a plastic bag then use something heavy such as a pan or rolling pan to bash the crackers until fine crumbs form. Then, add crumbs to a medium bowl along with 2 tablespoons of sugar, lemon zest and melted butter. Stir until the cracker crumbs are evenly moistened.
3. Press graham cracker crumb mixture evenly into the bottom of the pan and bake 10 minutes until lightly toasted. Cool 10-15 minutes.
4. While the graham cracker base cools, make the cheesecake bar filling: If using a food processor, wipe it with a paper towel to remove any crumbs from earlier then add cream cheese, eggs, 2 tablespoons lemon zest, the lemon juice and 1/2 cup of granulated sugar. Cover then process until smooth and creamy. If you do not have or do not want to use a food processor, use a hand blender to blend cream cheese, eggs, 2 tablespoons lemon zest, the lemon juice and 1/2 cup of granulated sugar until smooth and creamy.
5. Pour cheesecake filling over crust, and then top with blueberries.
6.  Make the streusel topping by adding brown sugar, flour and cold butter to a medium bowl then use a fork or your fingers to mix until crumbly, and then sprinkle over filling.
7. Bake cheesecake 35 to 40 minutes or until topping is lightly browned and center is almost set (center should jiggle only slightly when moved).
8. Cool 1 hour on at room temperature then refrigerate about 1 hour or until chilled. Cut into 9 bars.

 

Voila!

I actually made this last week for the 4th of July. We went to a barbecue with some friends and I was lucky to even get a little piece! The guys were just totally devouring it. It is definitely a make-again recipe!

New Baked Good: June #2

I wanted to make something fruity and maybe cheesecake-y for June because it's summer and, especially in Michigan, it's been HOT! However... my mom asked me to make those Lucky Charms cupcakes for my brother's graduation party so I was a little shorter on time this week. I went to again to Just Call Me Maria's site for something quick and easy. I settled on her recipe for Peanutty Buckeye Bars.

Ingredients:
1 19 1/2 ounce package brownie mix
2 eggs
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 cup chopped peanuts
1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup peanut butter

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl stir together brownie mix, eggs, and oil until combined. Then stir in chopped peanuts.
2. Press half of the batter evenly into the bottom of a lightly greased 13x9 pan, set the other half aside.
3. In a medium bowl mix sweetened condensed milk and peanut butter until smooth. Spread evenly over the brownie mixture in the pan. Take the remaining brownie mixture and separate into pieces, flatten them with your fingers into disks and evenly place on top of the peanut butter mixture in the pan.
4. Bake for 28-33 minutes or until the top is set and the edges are lightly browned. Cool completely before cutting into bars.

Super yummy and easy. My sister sent me a few recipes she found on Pinterest, so July should hopefully contain a fruity, cheesecake-y dessert. :)

Two birds, one stone

Saturday, I knocked two things off of my list of things I wanted to do this year- attend a beer-tasting event and attend an outdoor concert.

Founders Fest in Grand Rapids

A whole day of delicious beer, good food and a wide variety of musical selections. Including this guy:

He goes by "That One Guy"- very cool, creative music. Fun to listen to!

So there you have it. Two birds, one stone.

Thanks, Founders Fest.

Run for los niños - 5K!

One more thing to check off my list of things I want to do this year of my life- run a 5K.

Our church does one big fundraising event every year for the organization we work with in Mexico. Since running a 5K was on my list of things to do this year and I have a heart for orphans in Mexico, I figured this would be a great way to knock this one out. I don't personally have any pictures of me running the race, but the link below will show me crossing the finish line:

http://photos.brettmaxwellphoto.com/riv-5k/e2f0e4742#h1e4e79c3

 It only took me 34 minutes- not bad considering in all of my training I was running 12-minute miles.

More info on what my church is doing in Mexico here: http://rivchurch.com/go/rivmexico/

New Baked Good: June #1

 

Well, this may be cheating but I missed baking something new in May and thought I would give this pie-in-a-box a try. It's a kit, just add melted butter and water. A few minutes blending, a few hours in the fridge and- voila!

 

Graham cracker crust- check!

 

I forgot to snap the lime filling, but you can see it in the background. Whipped topping- check!

 

Looks wonderful, but it did not come out as easy as it looks. I may have packed the crust into the dish too firmly because the slices did not come out as they should have. It was more like a crumbled mess. A delicious mess, but a mess nonetheless. Oh well- it was definitely worth a shot. There was an option on the box to fix the dessert in 8 individual cups instead of a pie form. If I ever do this again, I will try the cups instead. 

One more to come before June is over... :)

Graduation season!

 Well, it's official. I'm old. My little brother is a high-school graduate!

 

Look at him! I can't believe it.

It was a little strange, as it's been eight years since I graduated high school. Thinking about what that night was like for me. Remembering the person I was then and seeing how far I've come. If I could give him- or any graduating senior, for that matter- one piece of advice it would be to get out and experience the world outside of your hometown/state/country. It's much bigger than you and only being humbled by God's creation can you begin to impact the world around you for good. This may be an ending... but it's really just the beginning.

The Return Reflections

Well, now that I have been home for almost a month, I should probably take some time to work out the things God revealed to me during my return to Mazatlan. It was really hard to go back, to be there, to see all of the cool things God is doing there, to see all of the things that used to be a part of my everyday life...
 To be completely honest, it did make me want to go back. To be living there again. To be a part of all of the cool things God is doing there RIGHT NOW. 
Alas, that is not what God has for me right now. I also had some interesting revelations in light of how I was feeling. 
#1 - Just because I like something doesn't mean it is a "desire of my heart"  that God needs to give to me.
You know that verse from psalm, "Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart." (Psalm 37:4) Well, just because I like something or really enjoy something does NOT mean that it is a "desire of my heart." For example, I like singing. A lot, actually. But just because I like singing doesn't mean that I will ever sing in one of the bands at my church. Or that I will ever be a popular singer and have a single on itunes. Sure, I like it. And either of those things would be really cool. BUT just because I like it doesn't mean that it is a "desire of my heart." Or that God is going to give me either of them.
#2 - If something is a desire of my heart, God does NOT need my help to give it to me. 
I realized that I can be like Rebekah sometimes. Like, God has shown me what he WILL do, and I feel like I need to DO a whole bunch of stuff to make that happen. God did not need Rebekah to trick her husband into giving the youngest son the blessing for the youngest son to rule over the oldest son. She didn't trust that God would do what he said he would do. She felt she needed to help God out to accomplish his plans. God does not need my help to do anything. Period. Just because I might think something is a desire of my heart doesn't mean I need to DO things to help God give me those things. I need to trust that God knows best, he knows my heart, and he will give me whatever the desires of my heart are WHEN I delight myself IN HIM.
It's not about me at all. It's about HIM. Less of me, more of Him. All of this also brings up another question I need to ask God and seek wisdom on... what makes something a "desire of my heart"? That will be for another post...