Category: Recipes

Blueberry Cream Cheese Danishes

I received a lot of comments about pictures of these danishes on social media. I haven’t posted a recipe in a while so I thought I’d share this one.

The most frustrating part of finding recipes online is the long, drawn out stories that coincide with them. Well, today you’re in luck. No story here. I’m pregnant and wanted a danish. So I made some. Below should be easy enough to screenshot and save to your phone. Because we all know that’s what we do when we find a recipe we want to try. Am I right?

Ingredients:

  • 2 tbs butter
  • 1/4 brown sugar
  • 2 rolls crescent dough
  • 1 package cream cheese, 8oz
  • 1/2 sugar
  • 1 tsp lemon juice
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract, divided
  • 1/2 cup confectioners sugar
  • 4 tsp milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

  • Melt butter, mix in brown sugar
  • Do not separate crescent rolls. Instead, cut 8, 1 inch thick slices. Lay on a parchment lined cookie sheet facing up so you can see the layers. (1st picture)
  • Using the back of a spoon, take some of the brown sugar/butter mixture and press gently into each slice of dough. Try turning the spoon back and forth. This will create a well for the filling and coat each danish at the same time (2nd picture)
  • If you have left over brown sugar mixture, brush the remaining amount in each danish
  • Combine white sugar, cream cheese, lemon juice, and 1 tsp vanilla with hand mixer
  • scoop cream cheese mixture into each danish. About a tablespoon full. (3rd picture)
  • I used Stonewall Kitchens blueberry preserves in this recipe but I’m sure any would do. I used about a teaspoon in the center.
  • Bake for 16 minutes
  • Mix confectionery sugar, milk and vanilla with fork to get out clumps.
  • Once danishes are slightly cooled, brush glaze over each danish.

Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread

My news feed has been filled with things about “Self-Care” lately.  Now, admittedly I’m not the most open-minded person I know.  But, it just seemed so ridiculous for a new mom to concern herself with any sort of “Self-Care”.  “How selfish”, I thought.

We had a rough week last week with the baby being sick.  It’s totally thrown his whole sleeping schedule out of whack.  He wakes up very early, doesn’t like to nap, and gets bored easily.  I have been exhausted to a point that I’ve never felt before. My husband asked me last night if I wanted him to take the baby to daycare in the morning. I hesitated, and then said yes. I immediately felt guilty.  I had to work the closing shift today. I went in at 4 and didn’t get home until 2am. I knew I needed sleep but it didn’t matter.  Guilt of a parent is palpable at times.

As my husband pulled out of the driveway this morning, our son in the backseat, I almost ran after him.  I didn’t want the baby to go to daycare. I missed him the second they were out the door. But he needed to.  For all of us.

I had a list a mile long of things that needed to be done today.  Clothes put away, closets cleaned out, carpets washed. Yada, yada, yada. I didn’t get the carpets washed.  That’s on the docket for tomorrow.  Instead I did something I love.  Something I’ve been wanting to do but haven’t had the energy or time in several months.  I tried a new recipe and made something from scratch.

Hello Self-Care

It came out of the oven looking like absolute perfection.  And all was right in the world. It centered me, inspired me, excited me.  I guess this whole Self-Care stuff isn’t such bologna after all.

Tomorrow I’m going to buy a book. Maybe a new cookbook. Reading is another thing I love that I haven’t taken the time to do. And if that isn’t the epitome of optimism for a new mom, well then, I don’t know what is.

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 cups All purpose flour
  • 1/2 tsp Baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp Baking soda
  • 1/2 cup Brown sugar, lightly packed
  • 1 tsp Cinnamon
  • 1 pinch Nutmeg
  • 1/2 tsp Salt
  • 1 cup Milk chocolate chips
  • 1/2 cup Sugar
  • 1 tsp Vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup Canola oil
  • 1/2 cup Greek yogurt, plain
  • 1 cup Shredded Zucchini
  • 1 Egg

Recipe:

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • Butter and flour a 9 x 5 loaf pan and set aside.
  • In a large bowl mix together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg.
  • In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg, oil, both sugars, greek yogurt and vanilla extract until combined.
  • Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and fold gently. Do not over mix.
  • Fold in the zucchini and chocolate chips.
  • Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 40-50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
  • Remove from the oven and let cool in the pan for 20 minutes.
  • Take the loaf out of the pan and allow it to cool completely on a wire rack.

If any of you would like to share how you “Self-Care”, I’d love to read it.  Or if you have a good book to recommend, I’m all ears.  Well… Eyes.

Find the original recipe here!

4 Ingredient​ Almond Joy Cookies

These have to be the easiest and most delicious cookies I have ever made.  The most important thing to keep in mind is, to use exactly what the recipe calls for.  Now, this isn’t my normal way of cooking.  I like to improvise. And I tried to a couple of times with this recipe and was disappointed with the outcome each time. So, with that in mind, are you ready?

Ingredients:

2 cups milk chocolate chips

1, 14oz can sweetened condensed milk

1, 14 oz bag of sweetened coconut flakes

2/3 cup of slivered almonds

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 325°. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  You HAVE TO use parchment paper.  Not wax paper. If you do, they won’t come out right.

Mix all ingredients together well.  If you’re like me, and second guess things sometimes.  This will be one of those times.  I guarantee you’re going to think “this can’t possibly be enough milk.  It’s too dry!”  I hear ya.  But, don’t add any more. They’ll still taste good but will look weird if you do.

Size doesn’t really matter when arranging them on the pan whereas the cookies don’t spread out during baking.  You can use either a tablespoon or teaspoon.  I like mine to be smaller, so I generally use a teaspoon or a pampered chef cookie dough scoop.

Put in the oven for 12-14 minutes or until the coconut starts to turn a light brown.

And that’s it.  Like I said, super easy recipe.  I hope you love them!  Whats the easiest recipe you know?

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No Churn Homemade Maine Blueberry Ice Cream

When I was wracking my brain trying to come up with blueberry recipes, I remembered making ice cream in a bag back in my 10th grade biology class.  Unfotunately, that may have been the only thing that stuck with me from that class. But,  I thought that the recipe was would be  perfect to share here.  Now, the recipe itself is easy, but you may want to skip arm day at the gym before making this.  You are about to get one hell of a workout.

Ingredients:

2 Cups half and half

4 Tbs sugar

1 Tsp vanilla extract

2 cups of blueberries

You will also need:

Ice

1/2 Cup kosher salt

1 Gallon size Ziplock bag

Several plastic shopping bags.

Instructions:

Fill one of the shopping bags about half way with ice.  Keep in mind, it’s going to leak so I highly recommend double or triple bagging it.  Pour the kosher salt over the ice and let sit while making the ice cream mixture.  In a food processor, pour in the half and half, blueberries, sugar and vanilla and mix on high for a few minutes.  Pour mixture into ziplock bag and seal tightly.  Place the ziplock bag into the shopping bag with ice.  Shake for 10 minutes.  You’re arms will get tired, and time will go by slow, and you’ll worry that you did something wrong when it doesn’t harden.  Keep shaking.  I found that tying the shopping bag and rolling it on a table worked well too.  Once you feel the consistency get harder, pour mixture in a freezer safe container.  And there ya have it. Enjoy!