Something Old, Something New

5th Sunday of the month + awesome food and great times after Sunday services at our church = one very excited me! :) They had asked us to bring two dishes to go along with ham (which is great because everything goes along with ham!) so I finally made it through all of my recipes and was able to narrow it down to two. The best part about these two dishes is that one is really really good for you so you don't feel so bad about consuming the sinfully delicious one afterwards!

The first dish is a Spaghetti Salad. My father-in-law is a vegetarian (for health reasons) so I'm always looking for new meat-free dishes to make for him. So far he says this one is his favorite pasta dish! :) This recipe came from one of my college roommates, Kellen.

Spaghetti Salad

1 package Spaghetti Noodles, cooked

1-2 cans stewed tomatoes, drained (I used 2 cans for the salad in the picture)

1-2 Bell Peppers

Onion

To Taste:

Garlic Salt

Seasonal Salt

Italian Dressing (The Zesty kind makes it even better! I'm all about the spicy/zesty/kick-it-up-a-notch flavors!)

Mix well, and refrigerate until ready to serve.

The second recipe is one that I was introduced to my first year of teaching and I've since learned it is a staple at a lot of get-togethers in this area. It's so good it should be illegal. It's definitely a diet-buster and not for the faint-of-heart! It is the most amazing, sugary, cinnamony (I'm not sure if that's a word or not), melt-in-your-mouth-goodness type of conncoction known to man! It's like a fiesta in your mouth! It's....drum roll please....

Sopapilla Cheesecake!!!!! :) I've had it several times, but this was my first time to make it so I was more than a little nervous about not being able to really sample it before taking it to church (my kind and considerate husband said we could take a sample from the middle in the shape of a heart so that it would be decorative. Always thinking of others, that man!) Considering we made it back home with a few minor crumbs left, I think it went over pretty well. The recipe came from a co-teacher of mine and it's actually really easy to make!



Sopapilla Cheesecake

2 cans crescent rolls (I used the reduced-fat kind to make it seem "healthier." You'll see why in a minute!)

2- 8 oz. cream cheese cartons

1 stick of butter (that would be why I used reduced fat crescent rolls)

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

1 tsp. cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Blend the cream cheese and 1 cup of sugar together. Add the vanilla and blend together. Spray the bottom of your pan with cooking spray and spread out one can of crescent rolls. Place the cream cheese mixture on top of the crescent rolls and spread out. Spread the other can of crescent rolls on top of the cream cheese mixture. Melt the stick of butter and pour on top of the crescent rolls. Mix together 1/2 cup of sugar and 1 tsp. cinnamon. Sprinkle the sugar/cinnamon mixture on top of the butter. Bake for 30 minutes. Serve warm or cold.



So break out the stretchy pants and make sure to enjoy the healthier dish first (so that you don't feel so bad)!

Typing this post has taken great self-control today. High cholesterol runs on my dad's side of the family and even though she says I shouldn't have anything to worry about at my age, my doctor's been on me for the last year to get my cholesterol checked. I'm currently fasting until my bloodwork appointment at 9:00, so it took great determination to finish this post on an empty stomach. I'm also researching the best breakfast eats in town in between typing. Never have I looked more forward to being stuck with a needle! Need....food....