Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake Bars

I made these yummy bars last week after finding them on Pinterest. Have you joined it yet? It is a place where people can "pin" a lot of creative ideas for others and themselves to use. It's sort of like a giant bulletin board. Anyway, here is my slightly adapted version:

Ingredients:
Crust:
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough:
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 egg
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup flour
2/3 cup chocolate chips

Cheesecake Filling:
10 oz cream cheese, room temperature
1/4 cup sugar
1 large egg, room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract


1. Preheat the oven to 325 F. Line an 8" square baking pan with parchment paper or foil allowing a little overhang and spray with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
2. Mix the melted butter and graham cracker crumbs until thoroughly combined. Press the mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake in preheated oven for 6 minutes. Remove pan to a cooling rack. Leave your oven on while you prepare the dough.
3. While the crust is cooling, prepare the chocolate chip cookie dough. In a food processor with the slicer attachment or in a mixer, beat butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, egg, salt and vanilla until smooth and thoroughly combined, about 1 minute. Mix in the flour on low speed, and mix until just incorporated. Mix in the chocolate chips with a spoon. Set aside.
4. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in a large bowl with an electric mixer cream together the cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Mix in the egg and vanilla on low speed just until incorporated. Pour the cheesecake batter into the prepared crust. Using your hand to form clumps, distribute the cookie dough onto the top of the cheesecake batter in teaspoon-sized clumps. Be sure to use all of the dough.
5. Bake for about 30 minutes, until the top feels dry and firm (the cookie dough) and the entire pan looks set if given a gentle shake. Move bars to a cooling rack and allow to cool completely. Chill in refrigerator overnight or for at least a couple hours.
6. Lift the bars out by the overhang and cut into squares for serving.

Sneeze

We are all down with colds this week. I've been simply resting, drinking liquids, watching/enjoying my children and husband. I'll be back in the blogging world after we all recover! Until then keep your noses dry...

Back to School

Back to School

Summer months have come and gone,
splashing pools and early dawn.
Now the leaves go rustling fast,
as the children are walking past.
On to school with book and pen,
to learn counting, spelling, reading and then
Make new friends on the playground yard,
Bringing home stories and report cards.

Preschool Activity: Making Butter

I have been reading through Little House in the Big Woods with Princess Posy. We go very slow and I explain what's happening as we go along. She seems to enjoy it as long as I keep our reading times short. Today we read the part where Laura describes butter-making. Then I told Princess Posy we were going to make butter too! She helped me pour cream into a little jar, then we screwed on the lid and started shaking the jar. We took turns and eventually (after lots of shaking!) we had a little mound of butter. I let Posy try the buttermilk and we put our little butter in the fridge. It was a fun hands on activity she seemed to really enjoy. She asked if we could make more...Maybe after my arm recovers from all that shaking.





Prince Jack was the official taster. He loved it!

First day of School!

We started Princess Posy's first day of preschool today. She has been practically begging me to give her eager mind a challenge after staying indoors this summer out of the 100+ heat. We are starting out small and doing simple counting and letter sound exercises. It's basically a more structured playtime for her, as we have been learning bits and pieces throughout the day already. Here is a peek at our schedule:

Mon, Wed, Fri: Math - counting with counters, learning to add

Mon thru Fri: Reading - learn the letter sounds and putting them together

Mon thru Fri: Story time

Thursdays: Art - draw with crayons, finger paint, etc.

Tues, Thurs: Writing - learn to draw letters.

Mon thru Fri: Music - sing songs

Friday - Library Day

I am trying to not bite off more than we can chew right now, since it's already overwhelming to look at the different curriculum and unit studies one could do! I am reserving the right to change the schedule if it doesn't seem to be working. That's one of the perks of being the teacher. ;)

Boys and Bugs

Buggy Bug

Giggling, on all fours facing the ground.
A tiny bug crawling,
causes him to stop and watch.
"Buggy bug!"

He can't understand why
the bug runs away.
He wants it to stay
and play.

Maybe he pretends its
a lion at a circus.
Or trace it's path
to make an invisible map.

"Buggy bug!"
Under the cupboard.
Farewell until another rainy day.

Learning and Salads

Princess Posy playing a harmonica like a little hobo on a street corner

When I was in college I remember a teacher explaining to us that learning takes place when we can associate a new idea or fact to existing ideas in our memory and becomes part of that network of information. I try to remember it when seeking to teach my little ones: Always connect the new information with something they already know. I was explaining seasons to my daughter using her experience with snow, leaves, heat, and flowers. Then I told her what those times were called. Now Annie goes around the house saying, "When the leaves fall down it's Fall! When the snow comes its Winter!" If I just told her that it's first spring, then summer, fall, and then winter in a cycle she would be lost at sea trying to understand. I bet you didn't analyze the process of teaching that microscopically did you? I'm weird like that.