neighborhood bbq

Last night we had thirty neighbors at our house. The stars aligned so that all but one household were in town! I spent the day cleaning out the garage, thinking we'd be in there because of the rain, but then it cleared up for a glorious evening.

It was awesome. Neighbors started coming at 5:15 and most left around 9. Ivar asked each person if they would like to see his little tomatoes and then gave garden tours. Everyone met the chickens and many got to see Rory's office in the woods.

We grilled burgers and hot dogs and a neighbor brought salmon and halibut he had just caught in Alaska a few weeks ago. Everyone else brought salads and bars and I was once again reminded how passionately I love a good picnic and potluck. Yum.

When I was cleaning the garage earlier in the day I was thinking, "it takes some doing to have so much company" and when I was cleaning up the kitchen late last night I was thinking, "but it is worth every minute to build that kind of community."

cheesecake bars

I was temped to name these bars You're-gonna-die Bars for two reasons. 1) They're that good. 2) When you see what is in them, you will realize the great risk of a massive coronary upon consumption.

It was at a neighborhood bbq that I was first introduced to these bars. I took a bite and then stopped the picnic yelling, "excuse me! who brought these bars?!!" It was our next door neighbors and I begged them for the recipe. When he sent it he wrote, "I am sorry for what you are about to read. There is a reason I need to drop twenty pounds."

This week I made a pan for our small group. That's sort of the perfect excuse to make them...a large group to help you eat the pan. Now brace yourselves:

Cheesecake Bars
3 packages cream cheese
1 cup white sugar
1 tsp Mexican vanilla
2 cans refrigerated crescent rolls
3/4 cup white sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1/4 cup honey

Preheat oven to 350
Spray 9x13 baking dish
Beat cream cheese with 1 cup sugar and vanilla until smooth
Unroll first tube crescent dough on bottom of the baking dish
Spread cream cheese mixture on dough
Cover cream cheese mixture with second tube of dough
Stir 3/4 cup sugar, cinnamon and butter together.
Dot butter mixture over the cheesecake
Bake until dough is golden brown, about 30 minutes
Remove from oven and drizzle with honey
Chill completely in the fridge

That last step is probably the most important. You have to make these far enough in advance that they are good and set and very cold when you serve them. In fact, I made them on Monday afternoon and served them around 8pm and they were great. But the next morning I had half a bar with the kids and it was sublime. And that must be really good, because I've never used the word sublime in my life before this moment. So I'd recommend making them a day ahead.

File this one away for your next potluck or party. It's a winner!