Feta Bruschetta

(From the Taste of Home Contest-Winning Recipes)

1/4 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup olive oil
10 slices French bread (1" thick)
1 4-oz. package crumbled Feta cheese
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
1 T. minced fresh basil or 1 tsp. dried basil
1 large tomato, seeded and chopped

In a small bowl, combine butter and oil; brush onto both sides of bread. Place on a baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned on top.

Combine the feta cheese, garlic and basil; sprinkle over toast. Top with tomato. Bake 8-10 minutes longer or until heated through. Serve warm.

These were delicious. (I love feta cheese & garlic, though.) Leftovers can be stored in the fridge and reheated in the microwave. All amounts can be varied depending on how strong you want the flavors.

Pasta Fritatta

(From the Taste of Home Contest-Winning Recipes)

I had to make a few variations because out of necessity. What I changed is in parenthesis.

1 large onion, chopped
1 T. vegetable oil
12 ounces sliced deli ham, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
6 eggs
3 egg whites
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
2 T. minced fresh parsley (used 1 T. dried)
1 - 1 1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning (thought I had but didn't so I used a pinch of oregano and basil instead)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
dash of cayenne pepper
2 cups cooked angel hair pasta

In an ovenproof skillet (don't have one so I used a regular skillet), saute onion in oil. Add ham & garlic; saute 1 minute longer. Remove and set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk the eggs and the egg whites. Add cheese, parsley & seasonings. Add the ham mixture and pasta.

Coat the same skillet (I used an 11x7 baking dish) with cooking spray if necessary. (It was necessary.) Add pasta mixture. Cover and cook over medium heat for 3 minutes. (I just stuck it in the 400 degree oven for an extra 3 minutes.) Uncover. Bake at 400 degrees for 13 minutes or until set. (It took about 18 minutes in an 11x7.) Let stand for 5 minutes before cutting.

This goes great with a green salad!

Caramel-Pecan Cheesecake Bars

This recipe is from Kraft Foods. They are the best homemade cheesecake bars I've ever tried. :) YUMMY!! Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 cup PLANTERS Pecan Pieces, divided

1-1/2 cups crushed NILLA Wafers (about 50)

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, melted

4 pkg. (8 oz. each) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened

1 cup sugar

1 cup BREAKSTONE'S or KNUDSEN Sour Cream

3 Tbsp. flour

1 Tbsp. vanilla

4 eggs

24 KRAFT Caramels

1 Tbsp. water

3 squares BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Chocolate

How to make it:

HEAT oven to 325°F. Line 13x9-inch baking pan with foil, with ends of foil extending over sides. Remove 1/2 cup nuts; set aside. Finely chop remaining nuts; mix with wafer crumbs and butter. Press onto bottom of pan. Refrigerate until ready to use.

BEAT cream cheese and sugar in large bowl with mixer until blended. Add sour cream, flour and vanilla; mix well. Add eggs, 1 at a time, mixing on low speed after each just until blended. Pour over crust.

BAKE 45 min. or until center is almost set. Cool completely. Microwave caramels and water in microwaveable bowl on HIGH 1 min. or until caramels are completely melted when stirred. Pour over cheesecake; top with reserved nuts. Melt chocolate; drizzle over cheesecake. Refrigerate 4 hours. Use foil handles to remove cheesecake from pan before cutting to serve.