Easy Cheese Danish

4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature

2 1/2 Tbsp. sugar

1 extra-large egg yolk, at room temperature

1 Tbsp. ricotta cheese

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Zest of one lemon

2 sheets (1 box) frozen puff pastry, defrosted

1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water, for egg wash

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.

Place the cream cheese and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and cream them together until smooth. With the mixer still on low, add the egg yolks, ricotta, vanilla, salt, and lemon zest and mix until just combined.

Unfold 1 sheet of puff pastry onto a lightly floured board and roll it slightly with a floured rolling pin until it's a 10 by 10-inch square. Cut the sheet into quarters with a sharp knife. Place a heaping tablespoon of cheese filling into the middle of each of the 4 squares. Brush the border of each pastry with egg wash and fold 2 opposite corners to the center, brushing and overlapping the corners of each pastry so they firmly stick together. Brush the top of the pastries with egg wash. Place the pastries on the prepared sheet pan. Repeat with the second sheet of puff pastry and refrigerate the filled Danish for 15 minutes.

Bake the pastries for about 20 minutes, rotating the pan once during baking, until puffed and brown. Serve warm. (My husband actually likes them best at room temperature with a little powdered sugar glaze.)

Sweet Muffins

A recipe my Grandma Teichert gave me years ago while I was learning to make muffins in 4-H. Still just as tasty today as I remember them back then.

Sweet Muffins

1 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup butter
1 tsp soda dissolved in 1 cup milk
2 cups flour
2 tsps vanilla
pinch of salt (to your preference)
1/2 cup nuts

Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.


And here is the recipe in her handwriting.

Delicious Granola

Spread 4 cups rolled oats on ungreased sheet cake pan and bake at 350 for 10 minutes.
Stir in:
1 cup flaked coconut
1 cup peanuts, coarsely chopped (any nut will do. I used a combination of almonds and peanuts in this batch, but I have also used cashews)
3/4 cup wheat germ
Then add:
1/2 cup honey
1/3 cup oil (try to use something that is heart healthy, but light in flavor)
1 tsp. vanilla
Mix until dry ingredients are well coated. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes, stirring occassionally to brown evenly.
Stir in: 1 cup dried fruit (I used dried cranberries, but any type of dried fruit will work nicely.)
Store in an airtight container.

Mom's Enchiladas

My mom made these enchiladas for our family as we were growing up and it was a favorite.  When we were little she made them with corn tortillas and then we switched to flour as we got older.  They are good both ways, but I usually prepare them with white corn tortillas.  They are incredibly fast and easy, and I usually have the ingredients on hand, so they are perfect for those busy days where I haven't planned ahead.

Mom's Enchiladas

1 pound ground beef
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1 can condensed tomato soup
1 can tomato sauce
salt and pepper

Method:  Brown ground beef with onion.  Season with salt and pepper.  Add tomato soup and sauce and heat through.  Layer sauce mixture with tortillas, lettuce, cheese, green onions, sour cream and any other toppings that you like.  (Jeremy likes to top it all off with a fried egg, over easy.)

Fresh Strawberry Sorbet

This is one of our favorite summer treats. When strawberries are in season and on sale, we always try to make this yummy sorbet at least a couple of times. It tastes just like sweet fresh frozen strawberries!

Strawberry Sorbet

1 C water

1 C sugar

1/4 C light corn syrup

1 quart strawberries

4 T lemon juice

In a medium saucepan make a simple syrup of the sugar and water. Remove from heat and let cool completely.

Clean the strawberries and remove the stems. Place them in a blender and add the lemon juice. Puree completely. Press through strainer to remove most of the seeds. Add the simple syrup and corn syrup and stir well. Cover and refrigerate for at least one hour. Freeze in ice cream freezer as directed.

We love this right out of the ice cream maker at soft serve consistency and also after it has firmed up in the freezer

Divinity Cookies

These little meringue cookies are one of my moms recipes and they are easy to make. The have a lightly crispy exterior, with a chewy, chocolatey interior. We love them at our house, but, let me warn you, a sweet tooth is required to enjoy these.

Divinity Cookies

2 egg whites

1/8 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. cream of tartar

3/4 C. sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

1 6 oz. pkg. chocolate chips

1/4 cup finely chopped nuts (optional)

Beat egg whites with salt and cream of tartar until soft peaks form. With mixer still running, slowly add the sugar and beat until stiff. Fold in vanilla, chocolate chips, and nuts. Drop by rounded teaspoon (I use my cookie scoop) on wax paper covered cookie sheet. Bake for 25 minutes at 300 degrees. Makes 2 dozen cookies.

*Unfortunately, this recipe does not work out well if doubled

Oahu Gingersnaps

These cookies are delicious. Slightly crunchy on the outside and chewy on the inside with just the right amount of spices and molasses. I think these are the most perfect gingersnaps I have ever found. I got this recipe from my cousin. I have adapted it slightly because I never use shortening and don't have it in my house. The original recipe calls for 1/2 cup butter and 1/2 cup shortening. First I tried to just replace the shortening with butter. The results were awful. The cookies were greasy and flat. Nothing like the crispy, chewy, slightly puffy little cookies my cousin had always made. The next time, I just tried omitting the shortening, but that resulted in hard, crumbly, dry mounds. Yuck! I finally tried replacing the shortening with 1/4 cup canola oil. Jackpot!!! They were once again the perfect little gingersnaps I remembered. Here is my version of this recipe.

Oahu Gingersnaps

1/2 cup butter

1/4 cup canola oil

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup molasses

1 egg beaten

1 tsp. ginger

1 tsp. cloves

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. salt

2 tsp. baking soda

2 cups flour

Cream together all ingredients except the flour. Add flour and mix until well incorporated. Cover and chill dough. Roll into balls and then roll them in sugar. Place on ungreased baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.