Every now and then I’ll be scrolling through Facebook and something just stops me dead in my tracks. Last night’s post that did just that was this…
“At some point in your childhood, you and your friends went outside to play for the last time, and nobody knew it.”
Wow. It gave me chills. It took my breath.
It took me aback because it was so true. We aren’t normally fortunate enough to know when the last time actually is the last time.
Last Friday night we got the call that Heather’s precious great aunt had been killed in a car accident. Who would have thought that the last time we saw her, would be the last time we saw her?
We’ve been blessed to never have to deal with a tragic death like that. It put things into perspective. It’s caused us to pull our family a little closer and realize that we truly have to do our best to squeeze the goodness out of every single day because we don’t know when it will be the last.
While we are all devastated, this post isn’t about sadness. This post is about realizing how fortunate we each are to have another day. And it’s about encouraging you to make the best of it. You will never get another chance at this very day. Never.
Eat the dessert. Take the trip. Ignore the laundry. Be spontaneous. Live life. Smile. Tell folks you love them.
Speaking of dessert, it’s no secret that I love strawberries. And it’s also no secret I love nearly every version of Gooey Butter Cake – sometimes called Chess Cake or Chess Squares. So it makes perfect sense to combine the two, right? Of course it does!! So that’s just what I did.
Start with a boxed strawberry cake mix, add in some fresh chopped strawberries and a few other ingredients and you have a dessert that everyone will love. Did I mention there’s butter and cream cheese? 🙂
Recipe Card
Strawberry Chess Bars
Ingredients
For the crust:
- 1 (15.25-ounce) box strawberry cake mix
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
- 1 egg
- 1 cup diced fresh strawberries
For the filling:
- 1 (8-ounce) block cream cheese, softened
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and lightly spray a 13x9-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, stir the cake mix, melted butter, and egg together to make the crust. Fold in the strawberries. Press the mixture evenly into the bottom of the pan. It may make it easier to lightly spray your hands with nonstick cooking spray and pat the crust dough down.
- In another large bowl, use a mixer to beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add the eggs and mix well. Add the butter and mix well. Gradually add the powdered sugar and mix until combined. Mix in the vanilla. Pour the filling mixture over the crust.
- Bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until the edges are just firm and lightly golden brown but the middle is still jiggly. Cool completely before slicing into squares.
