Weekly Menu Plan – Sep. 16 to Sep. 22

This week’s menu plan includes two of our favorite tomato recipes to use up all those yummy garden tomatoes! It is one of the best times of year! I make the tomato basil soup in bulk and freeze if for the whole year. It is so dang good! Enjoy!

READ: Weekly Menu Plan – Sep. 16 to Sep. 22

Creamy, rich vanilla ice cream is swirled with handfuls of colorful sweet sprinkles to make this homemade sprinkles ice cream.

Sprinkles Ice Cream

Oh, sprinkles, I’ve come full circle. I love you now. The difference between good sprinkles and the waxy plastic-y tasting years-old sprinkles from grandma’s baking cupboard can not be overstated.

The first time I tasted quality sprinkles, I think my jaw may have actually dropped. It turns out that good sprinkles should taste like little bits of frosting. They’ll melt in your mouth and have their own unique sweet flavor. They’re worth every penny and they’re now a staple in my pantry.

Swirled into creamy homemade ice cream, sprinkles ice cream is a treat that is a hit with both kids and adults. Each bowl is colorful, sweet, and fun to eat!

Ever since I made Birthday Cake Ice Cream earlier this year, I’ve been a wee bit obsessed with sprinkles. Prior to making that ice cream, I don’t remember the last time I tasted a funfetti cake topped with sprinkles frosting.

And let me tell you, that cake was a taste bud time machine straight bac

Whoever said you can have too much of a good thing clearly never had a bite of the best cheesecake cookie bars. Gooey caramel and buttery toffee stud the ultimate cookie bar with a perfect layer of creamy cold cheesecake in the center.

Cheesecake Cookie Bars

No joke, my friends, these bars are amazing. I know better than to make them when I’ll be left alone with the whole pan. They’re an awesome potluck or party treat, perfect for sharing with friends.

I’ve included instructions on how to make these cheesecake bars gluten free if you need or want to. I can honestly tell you these taste just as good when gluten free!

I have quite a few desserts that are naturally gluten-free or are easily modified to be gluten-free here. Check out all of the Gluten Free Dessert Recipes on this website.

While your cheesecake bars are baking, you may want to whip up a quick Cafe con Leche to sip once your sweet snack is complete. Or if you’re more of a tea lover, try out this Homemade Chai.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Cheesecake Bars

To make this recipe, you’ll need the following ingredients:

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Ground Beef Stroganoff puts a new spin on the classic dish. Easy and fast enough for any weeknight, this stroganoff tastes every bit as good as the original–maybe even better! 

This recipe has all the ingredients that we love from classic beef stroganoff combined in a quick and easy weeknight-friendly meal. Use ground beef to make this stroganoff for a fast dinner that still has an abundance of flavor.

Fall is finally on its way here in Ohio and the cooler weather has me craving our favorite comfort foods. We’ve been warming ourselves up with Lasagna Soup and White Chicken Chili and all other kinds of soups and stews. The other day I had a very specific craving for Beef Stroganoff. I wanted those creamy noodles and tender pieces of beef served with savory mushrooms.

Easy Ground Beef Stroganoff

When I checked the freezer, however, I realized I didn’t have the chuck roast that I use in my Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff recipe. Now that I had Stroganoff on the brain I was not about to be deterred, so I looked through the meat drawer to see what else I might be able to substitute.

When I saw the ground beef, I knew I was in business. I’ve seen people making their stroganoff with ground beef before but I’d never tried it myself. Since ground beef cooks quickly, I skipped the slow cooker for this recipe and made it all on the stovetop.

Not only is ground beef stroganoff every bit as tasty as traditional beef stroganoff, it comes together in hardly any time at all! 

With just about 5 minutes of prep time to slice the mushrooms and onions, and 20 minutes on the stove, you can have a delicious homemade stick-to-your-ribs meal in less than 30 minutes.

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Apple Crisp Cookies [+Video]

Apple crisp cookies are like a classic apple crisp but in cookie form. They have a brown sugar cookie base topped with cinnamon apple filling and a crunchy buttery oat topping. They are the best fall cookie!

I actually don’t know where my love for apple crisp began, it certainly wasn’t in my own home for my Mom hates cooked apples. And I don’t know when it began because I don’t remember a time in my life that I didn’t love hot apple crisp with that brown sugar oat crumble on top.

Pause this conversation for a sidebar.

I do not want a few dry oats, nor do I want a soggy oat topping on my apple crisp. I want to practically feel like I’m devouring both apple pie and a warm oatmeal cookie when I dig in. Restaurant apple crisp disappoints me 9/10.

But back to my meanderings. Apple crisp feels like the perfect dessert no matter the time of year. It’s warm for those bundle up, freezing cold months and it’s All-American for summertime BBQs. But it’s also one of those desserts that’s a little hard to take to a big gathering, so after making a batch last fall I suddenly had the thought- this should be a cookie!!

And that my friends is why you’re here today. Because not only did I do exactly what I thought, but oh my goodness, this is the best cookie ever!!!

What Do I Need to Make Apple Crisp Cookies?

I’m going to give you a quick overview of what ingredients you will need for each part of this recipe, but there is quite a bit of overlap between the components. So the list of ingredients really isn’t as long as it appears! Here is what you will need…

• Crisp Topping: Flour, Old Fashioned Oatmeal, Brown Sugar, Cinnamon, Salt and Unsalted Butter
• Cookie Base: Unsalted Butter, Cream Cheese, Brown Sugar, White Sugar, Egg, Vanilla, Flour, Cornstarch, Baking Powder, Baking Soda and Salt
• Apple Filling: Apples (Granny Smith or Honeycrisp), Sugar, Water, Ground Cinnamon, Salt and Cornstarch
• Glaze (optional): Unsalted Butter, Powdered Sugar, Vanilla Extract and Milk

Keep scrolling to the end of this post to see the measurements of each ingredient.

Watch How These Cookies are Made…

How to Mak