Raspberry Cream Cheese Danish Braid

Raspberry Cream Cheese Danish Braid

Ingredients

RASPBERRY SAUCE

• ¾ cup raspberries
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1½ Tablespoons cornstarch
• ½ cup sugar

CREAM CHEESE FILLING

• 1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese, softened
• ⅓ cup sugar
• ½ teaspoon Almond Extract

PASTRY

• 1 box puff pastry (2 sheets), thawed to room temperature

FROSTING

• 1¼ cup powdered sugar
• ¼ Heavy Cream
• 1 teaspoon Almond Extract
• pinch of salt

Instructions

RASPBERRY SAUCE

1. In a medium sauce pan, combine all the raspberry sauce ingredients ingredients and bring to a boil. Cook for 2 minutes. Set aside

CREAM CHEESE FILLING

1. In a medium mixing bowl, combine cream cheese, sugar, and almond extract. Beat until smooth and creamy and set aside.

ASSEMBLY DIRECTIONS

1. Open thawed puff pastry sheets on a flat working that has been sprinkled lightly with flour surface.
2. Roll dough to make the square even. You aren't rolling to hard though, just lightly enough that you can get all the sides even. The dough will still look like a trifold with creases.
3. With kitchen scissors, or a pizza cutter, make 9 even slits on both sides of the puff pastry, leaving the middle third of the 'trifold' untouched. BE CAREFUL NOT TO GO PAST THE FOLD LINES. Do this to both pastry sheets.
4. Divide the cream cheese filling in half and carefully spread down the center of the pastry sheet of both pastries.
5. Next carefully spoon some of the raspberry sauce over the cream cheese layer. Repeat for both pastures.
6. Next starting at the top of the pasty fold the flaps diagonally and alternately over the raspberry layer. When you get to the end, tuck the ends under the pastry sheet. Repeat with remaining pastry. Place on cookie sheet line with parchment.
7. Bake at 375 degrees F for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown.
8. Cool for 10 minutes.

WHILE COOLING, PREPARE FROSTING.

1. Combine all the ingredients in a small bowl and mix well. Drizzle the frosting over the top of pastry after it has been allowed its cooling time.

Yum! And Wow! This was super easy and looks so pretty!! Plus it's delicious. Puff pastry is amazing! I've never used it before and I'm hooked now. I liked making the raspberry sauce but you could also just use jam if you were in a pinch. I want to try different flavors like lemon and blueberry!

https://www.chef-in-training.com/2016/07/raspberry-cream-cheese-danish-braid/

Crockpot Chicken Curry

Crockpot Chicken Curry
3 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed
2 medium onions, thinly sliced
8 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
16 thin slices peeled fresh ginger (about 1 ounce)
2 tablespoons curry powder
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
Salt
2 packages green peas (10 oz. each)
2 cups unsweetened coconut milk
1/2 cup toasted cashews (optional, for serving)
1/4 cup cilantro leaves (optional, for serving)

In a 5-quart slow cooker, toss chicken, onion, garlic, ginger, curry powder, coriander, and cumin to coat. Season with 2 teaspoons salt. Cover, cook on high setting until chicken is fork-tender, about 4 hours (do not uncover while cooking).

Stir in coconut milk and peas; cover, cook until peas are heated through, about 20 minutes.

Transfer chicken to a large bowl; shred with fork. Return to pot; toss with sauce.

Serve over rice, garnish with 1/2 cup toasted cashews and 1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves, if desired.

I've never had curry and I don't like coconut so I wasn't sure how I would like this. There was a bit too much cumin for me but it was very good! Never made anything like this before. I halved this recipe and it was plenty for our family.

Link: https://www.marthastewart.com/341088/chicken-curry

Garden Turkey Melt

Garden Turkey Melt
3 Tablespoons mayonnaise
2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups fresh spinach, coarsely chopped
1 14-oz. can artichoke hearts, coarsely chopped
2 8-oz. loaves Ciabatta, French or Italian bread loaves (not baguettes), halved lengthwise
6 ounces sliced mozzarella cheese (8 slices)
1 medium tomato, thinly sliced
Red onion slices
8 ounces sliced smoked turkey

1. Preheat oven to 400F. Combine mayonnaise, rosemary, and garlic in medium bowl. Add spinach and artichokes and stir to combine.
2. Remove bread from each half to create a 1-inch shell. Lay each bread half on a baking sheet. Line each with mozzarella, tearing to cover as necessary. Spoon the spinach mixture onto each bottom shell. Top with tomato, onion, and turkey
3. Bake for 10 minutes or until toasted and heated through. Put sandwiches together and cut each in half.

Delicious!!!! It was like eating at Kneaders. I love the garlic rosemary mayo!! Definitely making these again!

Recipe from Better Homes and Gardens: http://www.bhg.com/recipe/overgrown-garden-turkey-melt/

Cauliflower Alfredo Sauce

Cauliflower Alfredo Sauce
Salt and pepper
2 cups cauliflower florets
1 pound fettuccine noodles
1 cup 2% milk
3 tablespoons butter
1 clove garlic, lightly smashed
1 1/2 cups grated Parmesan
Olive oil, for searing chicken
3 cups diced chicken

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the cauliflower and cook at a low boil until very tender, about 20 minutes. Remove the cauliflower with a slotted spoon and set aside to drain in a colander, reserving the boiling water for the pasta.

Add the fettuccine to the boiling water and cook according to the package instructions (usually about 10 minutes).

Make the sauce while the pasta cooks. In a blender, combine the cauliflower with the milk and puree until smooth.

In a large skillet over medium-low heat, heat the butter and garlic until the butter melts. Add the cauliflower puree and cook for 2 minutes. Remove the garlic. Season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Turn off the heat and stir in the Parmesan.

Heat a separate skillet over medium-high heat and add some olive oil. Sear the chicken briefly on both sides until just cooked through.

Use tongs to remove the pasta from the water and transfer to the skillet with the sauce. Add 1/3 cup pasta water. Turn the heat back to medium and toss to combine until the pasta is evenly coated with the sauce. Add the chicken and garnish with parsley. Makes 6 servings.

YUM!!! This was so delicious. I was a little skeptical at first but, wow. You would never know this sauce has cauliflower in it. Kids asked for more! This picture makes it looks like the pasta is dry but I promise it wasn't. I added some cooked broccoli for even more veggies! You could use spinach or asparagus too. Mmmm.

Courtesy of Food Network: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/katie-lee/cauliflower-alfredo-sauce

21 Day Fix Portions = 1 Green, 1 Red, 1 Blue, 1 Yellow per 1 cup serving

Garlic Herb Roasted Carrots

Garlic Herb Roasted Carrots
1 pound fresh carrots, washed
1/2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp Italian seasoning
salt and pepper to taste
2 T olive oil

1. Preheat oven to 375 F degrees. Lightly oil a baking sheet with cooking spray.
2. In a small bowl mix the garlic, oregano, basil, parsley, thyme, salt and pepper together. Sprinkle the garlic herb mixture over the carrots along with the 2 tbsp of olive oil. Toss everything together, making sure each carrot is seasoned with the garlic and herb mixture.
3. Arrange the carrots in a single layer on the baking sheet and bake for 35 minutes or until fork tender

I am doing the 21 Day Fix and am eating lots of vegetables. Finishing up week 1 and I'm in need of a little variety. I can only handle so many salads. I'm trying to learn more about healthy ways to cook vegetables. I've never roasted them before and thought I'd give it a shot. It was very good! This was a great recipe. I'd like to try a variety of vegetables this way. I've heard roasted brussell sprouts are good. 

One serving = 1 Green container, 2 tsp
(I think you could get away with using only 1T oil and then counting that as a only 1 teaspoon)

Grandma's Spinach Salad

Grandma's Spinach Salad
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup canola oil
1/4 cup white vinegar
1/2 tsp celery seed
10 ounces fresh baby spinach
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
1/2 pound sliced fresh mushrooms
5 hard-cooked large eggs, sliced
8 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled

1. Whisk first four ingredients until sugar is dissolved.
2. In a 13x9-in. dish, layer half of each of the following: spinach, onion, mushrooms and eggs. Repeat layers. Drizzle with dressing; top with bacon. Yield: 8 servings.

This was delicious!! Mom and I made this for a get-together at her house. We added the tomatoes and loved it. Everyone loved it! The dressing was a bit sweet for me so I may reduce the amount of sugar next time I make it. Enjoy!!!

Lemon Lush

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese
• 1 cup white sugar

• 2 (3.4 ounce) packages instant lemon pudding mix
• 3 1/2 cups milk
• 1 (12 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). In a medium bowl, combine the flour and butter using a pastry cutter until a ball forms. Press into the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish.
2. Bake for 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until lightly golden. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely.
3. In a medium bowl, beat the cream cheese and sugar together until smooth and well blended. Spread evenly over the cooled crust. In another bowl, whisk together the lemon pudding mix and milk for 3 to 5 minutes. Spread over the cream cheese layer. Chill until set, then top with whipped topping.

I think it's time to start up my food blog again. Sean requested this and, wow, it's delicious! It's like a mix between lemon bars and lemon pie. I love the cream cheese filling and the crust.