Blueberry Cream-Cheese Coffee Cake

 My daughter is a wonderful cook and baker too.  This is one of her recent desserts.  She does not blog hop, well maybe she does because I am always sending her links to blogs to check out all the wonderful recipes I've found.  The other night when she made this my oldest grandson Josh came down and asked if I wanted pictures of the cake for the blog....oh course I said yes as long as a piece came too.  Ya know she was going to give me a piece but I wanted to make sure.  :-)  This cake is delicious and is very good when it's warmed slightly...say 15 sec or so in the micro.  She found this recipe here  .  She did add more sugar to the topping than listed, I'll make a note by it.  She said she added about a 1/4 cup.

Printable recipe

Ingredients

• 1  cup  fresh blueberries, rinsed, or frozen blueberries
• 1/4  cup  apple juice
• 1  teaspoon  cornstarch
• 2  cups  all-purpose flour
• 1  cup  sugar + 1/4 cup more for topping
• 1/2  cup  (1/4 lb.) cold butter, cut into chunks
• 1/2  teaspoon  baking powder
• 1/2  teaspoon  baking soda
• 1/4  teaspoon  salt
• 1  teaspoon  grated lemon peel
• 3/4  cup  plain low-fat yogurt
• 1  teaspoon  vanilla
• 2  large eggs
• 6  ounces  cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1  teaspoon  lemon juice
• 1/2  cup  sliced almonds

Preparation

1. In a 1- to 2-quart pan over medium heat, bring blueberries and apple juice to a boil. Lower heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until blueberries have released their juices, about 3 minutes. In a small bowl, blend cornstarch and 2 teaspoons water. Add to blueberry mixture; stir until it simmers and thickens, about 1 minute. Let cool to room temperature.

2. In a bowl or food processor, mix or whirl flour and 3/4 cup sugar. Add butter to flour mixture. Cut in with a pastry blender or pulse until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Reserve 1/2 cup; pour remaining into a large bowl. Stir in baking powder, baking soda, salt, and lemon peel.

3. In a bowl, mix yogurt, vanilla, and 1 egg until blended; stir into flour-baking powder mixture until incorporated. Spread batter in a buttered 9-inch round cake pan with a removable rim.

4. In a bowl or food processor (no need to wash from step 2), beat with an electric mixer on high speed or whirl cream cheese, remaining 1/4 cup sugar, remaining egg, and lemon juice until smooth. Spread over batter in pan, leaving a 1/2-inch border bare. Gently spread blueberry mixture over cream cheese mixture, leaving some visible. Stir almonds into reserved flour mixture and sprinkle over cake, concentrating most around edge of batter.

5. Bake in a 350° oven until center of cake barely jiggles when pan is gently shaken and top of cake is golden brown, 30 to 40 minutes. Let cool on a rack for 15 minutes, then remove pan rim. Serve warm or at room temperature.

 This cake could be also be great for breakfast or possibly to serve at a brunch.     

Have a wonderful day and remember to find the time to do all the things you love, including the time to eat dessert.  ;-)
Donna

Peach Galette

Saturday my daughter and I went to a small town southeast of us to go to some of the local farms there  We went for corn, black cherry tomatoes, some slicing tomatoes, (we only have a few from our garden) and peaches.  My daughter also bought some blueberries.  This recipe is very simple and quick and the family just loved them.  They asked that I make more.  :-)  So they were a big hit.    Peach Galette from the Joy of Baking Frangipane (Almond Cream): 1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated white sugar 3 tablespoons (42 grams) unsalted butter 1 large  egg 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 1/2 cup (42 grams) almond meal (flour) 1 tablespoon (12 grams) all purpose flour Printable recipe this is the paste Crust: 1 pound (454 grams) frozen puff pastry, defrosted

Frangipane:  In the bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the sugar and butter until creamy.  Beat in the egg and vanilla extract until smooth.  Add the almond meal and flour and beat until it forms a smooth paste. Transfer to a small bowl, cover and refrigerate. (you can make your own almond meal by putting almonds in a food grinder/processor and pulse until you have a very fine meal.  Be careful not to make it too fine or you will have a paste.  If you do it this way add the flour from the recipe above and pulse it with the almonds....picture  on right)

Puff Pastry: Once the puff pastry has been defrosted, as per manufacturer's instructions: Unfold one sheet of puff pastry onto a lightly floured surface and cut the sheet into thirds with a sharp knife. Then cut each third in half. Repeat with the second layer of puff pastry. Place the  pastries (you will have 12 altogether) on a parchment lined baking sheet. Then, with an offset spatula or large knife, spread a thin layer of frangipane (about 1 heaping tablespoon) on each pastry, leaving about a 1/4 inch (1 cm) border. Cover and refrigerate the pastries for about 15 minutes. 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (205 degrees C) and place the oven rack in the middle of the oven

Meanwhile, dip the peaches  into a large pot of boiling water for about 30 - 60 seconds, depending on the ripeness of each peach. Transfer the fruit to a large bowl of ice water (this stops the cooking process). The skins should now slip easily off the peaches. Cut the peaches in half, remove the stones, and cut the fruit into slices. Place the peach slices in a large bowl and toss with the sugar and ground cinnamon (if using). Remove the puff pastry from the refrigerator and lay the sugar coated peach slices on top of the frangipane.  

Bake  for about 15 - 20 minutes or until the peaches are tender and the puff pastry is golden brown. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack. 

Preheat the oven broiler and move the rack to 

the top shelf of the oven. Lightly dust the tops of the peaches with confectioners sugar (powdered or icing) and place under the broiler until the tips of the peaches start to caramelize.  Watch closely and move the pan as needed.  Serve warm or cold with softly whipped cream or vanilla ice cream .

This is the peaches sliced and the sugar and cinnamon added.

This is them all mixed up, see all the yummy juices?

 Here is the Frangepane on the puff pastry ready to rest in the the refrigerator.

 And here they are out of the oven.  The next step would be to let them cool then when you're ready to serve is when you would pop them in the broiler with the powdered sugar.  Hope you'll try this recipe.  I would think it would be good with other fruits that are in season, give it a try and let me know if you make them.

Have a wonderful day and Remember to Find the Time to do All the Things you Love.

Donna

Tortilla

 Like Fajita's, quesadilla, burrito, or Mexican food well you must try this recipe for tortillas?  Quick and easy. 
Back in the 70's I moved from New York to New Mexico and had my first taste of Southwestern and Mexican Food.  I'll admit I was not crazy about it, and I still don't like things if they are hot...if it burns to the point that you can no longer taste anything else, how on earth could that be good.  But there are many out there that love the heat in Mexican Food, my son's, son in law and grandsons.  I just can't handle the heat but love the flavors you can accomplish and yes you can make some delish recipes without all that heat.  I make a chicken enchilada casserole with a green sauce that my family loves.  And yet another dish to post in the future.  Ok back to the tortillas and my story.  In the 80's I had a job at a small cafe in Albuquerque and Bennie (the owner) made tortillas every morning, I still remember how good they tasted.  I always ate mine with my breakfast with just butter....oh my gosh soooooooooooooooooooo good.  I have never tried to make these until just recently and now that I am retired I can try all sorts of recipes for foods that I LOVE!  For father's day this year I decided to do a Mexican menu,  So this is the start of the menu I made.  I will post each recipe in the days to follow.  We had mini chimmies (made with spring roll wrappers) home made salsa, a pork dish and my daughter made her Spanish rice.  We had ice cream cake and cookies I call JR's cookies, another recipe that I will share.

Printable recipe
Tortilla
4 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 tablespoons cold shortening (or bacon grease)
1½ cups hot water
Put first 4 ingredients in the food processor and pulse until well mixed. Add hot water while machine is running. Turn machine off when dough comes together. Remove dough and knead about half a dozen times or until the dough becomes smooth and elastic. Wrap it in plastic wrap and let it sit for about 15 minutes.

After 15 minutes, turn dough out onto lightly floured counter and roll into balls about the size of a small golf ball. Roll out tortillas (starting in center and rolling outwards, turning often).

To cook the tortillas, the recipe says to use a cast iron skillet, or your favorite fry pan, or you could use an electric skillet.   I fried them in a dry skillet, but you can use a tiny bit of oil to get the big flaky bubbles,  Keep the tortillas warm in a kitchen towel while you cook the others.

I found the recipe for the Tortillas one day when I was blog hopping.  Here is where I found it, take the time to look around she has some good recipes.
Another easy recipe to try, hope you will.

Have a wonderful day and remember to Find the Time to Do All the Things you Love.
Donna

Orange Glazed Baked Ham

This is a wonderful recipe to make for any occasion.  Not very difficult but very tasty.  I found this recipe at the food network here, and it's from the Barefoot Contessa...she has some wonderful recipes.

Ingredients

nocoupons

• 1 (14 to 16-pound) fully cooked, spiral-cut smoked ham on the bone *I didn't use the spiral*
• 6 garlic cloves
• 8 1/2 ounces orange marmalade
• 1/2 cup Dijon mustard
• 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 1 orange, zested
• 1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice *or from a carton*

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place the ham in a heavy roasting pan.
Mince the garlic in a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Add the marmalade, mustard, brown sugar, orange zest, and orange juice and process until smooth. Pour the glaze over the ham and bake for 1 hour or per instructions for the size and type of ham you are cooking., until the ham is fully heated and the glaze is well browned. Serve hot or at room temperature.I also basted mine during the cooking because I used a Bone In Butt, I did but some slits on the top so the glaze would get into the meat.    

The ham is just delicious on a sandwich especially if you put it on the Deli-Rye bread, but them would be good on any of the homemade breads.  Think I'm not totally spoiled, won't be eating any store bread anytime soon.  Try this ham for a nice Sunday dinner, then you'll have leftovers for those great sandwiches and oh yes you can make a nice casserole  of potatoes, cheese and ham.  Will try to post that one soon.  I will have to make this again so I can take pictures of the casserole dish.
Have a wonderful day and Find the Time to do the Things you Love.
Donna

Easy Biscuit

These are quick and simple and very yummy.  Seems I use that word a lot.  Sometimes it the best word to describe food.  LOL I made two batches of these, 1 was without cheese...strange some people don't like cheese in their biscuits.....can you imagine??  :-)

Ingredients

• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 5 tablespoons butter
• 1 cup milk *can use 2%*
• 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese *or your choice as long as it's a hard cheese*
•  
  
  

  Directions

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).
• In a large bowl, sift together flour, salt and baking powder. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Make a well in the center of flour mixture. Add the milk and cheddar cheese; stir to combine. Drop batter by spoonfuls onto an ungreased baking sheet.*or parchment lined*
• Bake in preheated oven for 12 to 15 minutes, until lightly browned.

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).
2. In a large bowl, sift together flour, salt and baking powder. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Make a well in the center of flour mixture. Add the milk and cheddar cheese; stir to combine. Drop batter by spoonfuls onto an ungreased baking sheet.
3. Bake in preheated oven for 12 to 15 minutes, until lightly browned.     

Hope you'll try these, they would be good with a breakfast dish also.  I have a recipe I will share of a breakfast or brunch type meal.  My daughter makes it often and everyone that has ever had it loves it.
Have a wonderful day and remember to Find the Time to do All the Things You Love.

Blueberry Bread

This time of year there are so many wonderful fruits in season.  Normally I make blueberry muffins but really wanted something different this time.  This bread came out very tasty and moist.  I cooked the blueberries (which I don't do for muffins).   When the ingredients were ready to put in the pan it sure looked funny.  Almost like dirty wet dark clay.  The end result was really good so guess the beginning color you can live with.

I made one loaf and 10 mini bites.  The little ones really look like mini loaves.  And that's about what you get with them maybe 3 bites if you don't bite too much.  Guess these would be wonderful for the dieter.  Definitely portion control.  So there you have yet another yummy dessert.

Printable recipe   
Blueberry's

1 1/2 - 2 cups blueberries

1 tsp. cinnamom

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

2 TBL spoon sugar

3 TBL red wine

cook until sauce reduces on very low heat.  I cooked mine about 20 minutes.  Let cool to luke warm

The batter is the same I use sometimes for my banana bread with nuts added.  The batter is a Betty Crocker recipe.

Bake at 350 for about an hour if using 8 inch loaf pans, if you use 9x5x3 you'll need to cook about 1 1/4 hr.  Test with pick when it comes out clean it's done.

Batter

1 1/4 cp sugar

1/2 cp stick butter

2 large eggs

1 1/2- 2 cps blueberries

1/2 cp milk (I used 2%)

1 tsp. vanilla

2 1/2 cps flour

1 tsp salt

1 tsp. baking soda 

Thanks for stopping by.   The weekend is upon us once again.  Have a wonderful days (s) and I'll be back with a yeast bread next time.  Remember to Find the Time to do the Things You Love.

Donna

Country Spare Ribs

Here's another easy but yet very tasty dish.  I first par boiled the ribs with some onion *about 20 mintues*.  I cooked theses on the bbq but ran out of propane so I had to finish them in the oven.  I set the oven on Broil and it only took about 10 minutes.  I basted these with the bbq sauce every 2 - minutes.  I don't like KC BBQ, it's just sauce poured over cooked meat....ick!  Guess it's all what you're used to.  On the east coast they cook it like above.

BBQ Sauce (this is my sister- in-law Winnie's Recipe)
1/2 cup ketchup
1 lemon (squeezed) *I only used 1/2*
2 Tsp. chili sauce (Hunt's)
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
t tsp. molasses (dark)
salt and pepper
dash garlic powder or salt
Printable recipe

I forgot to put the dressing on the salad before I took the top picture so here's a picture of it just before the plate was devoured.  :-)  The bread that is on the plate is the deli-rye another YUM!
Have a wonderful day and Remember to Find the Time for the Things You Love.
Donna

Bing Cherry Shortcake - YUM

Ok this was one of those ideas that came from having a bowl of bing cherry's on the countertop and thinking oh gee I better eat all of them soon or they will go bad.   Soooooooooooooooo what better to do with them than turn them into a YUMMY Dessert.  I first rewashed them all then  painstakingly took the time to pit them.  I did that like you would do a peach, by cutting around the pit and twisting, didn't take much time at all. but is a bit messy.   I think I had about 3/4 of lb.  I then put them into a pan and cooked them til the juice was reduced to a nice syrup.

Cherry filing:
3/4 lbs. bing cherries (or whatever you want to put in them)
1/4 sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon *you can add more if you want*
1 tsp. nutmeg  *you can add more if you want*
2 TBL butter (unsalted)
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 cup red wine ( I used Redwood Creek California Cabernet Sauvignon -  2008) *more or less  if you want but don't go over board* LOL

Shortcake:
***Shortcake***
1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup cold butter or margarine
1 egg
3/4 cup sour cream
For shortcake, combine dry ingredients in a large bowl; cut in butter until crumbly. In a small bowl, beat egg; add sour cream. Stir into the crumb mixture just until moistened.

Turn onto a floured board; knead 25 times or until smooth. Roll out into a 7 1/2 inch circle. Cut a 2-inch hole in center to form a ring. For mine I used this pan.  I used a large glass and cut circles and pushed them into the pan so they would take that shape.

Place on a lightly greased baking sheet. Bake at 425 for 12-14 minutes or until golden. Remove from baking sheet; cool on a wire rack.

This recipe was found here  I wanted to make a cake tort like you buy at the grocery store but was not sure about the ingredents, so this will be something I will tackle soon and will post the recipe for that at another time.  I bought one of those shortcake pans at Michael's this past week (they had a 50% off coupon).  *see above*

From the oven

And now served with the whipped cream.  Oh these are soooooo good you must try them.

Thanks for stopping by.  Have a wonderful day, and Do Find the Time to Do the Things you Love.

Donna

Digital Layout

This is a Digital LO I did of my grandchildren.  They are so funny and as you can see where having lots of fun.  We had taken the train from Los Lunas, NM to Santa Fe.  My son Danny, his wife Monica, Lyndsey and Jake live in New Mexico and we had been there visiting for Lyndsey's 1st  Communion.   We had a such a wonderful day and visit. I really wish we were closer because I really miss all of them.

I will have to look up my info to tell you where I got the elements for this LO.

Top Left is AJ and top right Lyndsey, bottom left is Josh and last Jake.

Thanks for stopping by.  Have a wonderful day and remember to Find the Time to Do the Things You Love.
Donna

Anniversary Card

I made this for friends who are having their 50th Golden Wedding Anniversary.  WOW, that's a long, long time...  I was not very successful with Wedding Bliss, won't go there cause it's in the past.  Life is good and I have not regrets.  I started with a 5 x 7 card made from white card stock.  I then made a mat in white 4 3/4 x 6 3/4 and ran it through my Cuttle Bug and used the Large Heart embossing folder by Provo Craft and as you can see it fit in the middle so I then used my Score It, (wouldn't be without that little gem) and scored 1 line on the top and 2 on the bottom.  I then attached some gold ribbon..(don't ask where that came from, I have ribbon stash that is 5 yrs old and better, but my guess would be that it came from either Michael's or Hobby Lobby)  I then cut 2 of the double hearts, (one for the front one for the inside) from the Love Language plate, also by Provo Craft, from gold poster board, bought from Hobby Lobby.  The inside is matted on the same gold poster board and the sentiment was done on the PC using the Black Jack font which I found here.

 Hope you enjoyed looking at the other things in life I enjoy.  I will try to post a scrapbook page very soon.  I do both paper and digital so you'll get to see some of each.  I may try a digital card also, never did one of those (yet).  :)














 Have a wonderful day and remember to Find the Time to Do the things you LOVE!
Donna

Seasoned Croutons

Well this was something I did Monday when I was getting ready to make more bread.  I had some pieces of loaves left and thought, oh geesh I really don't want to toss these there has to be something I can do with them.  We eat a lot of salads so I thought, hmmmmmmmmmmm how about making some Croutons???  I first cut them into chunks, just like the ones you buy placed them on a foil lined baking sheet (easy clean up) then sprinkled them generously with Extra Virgin Olive Oil, next I sprinkled Garlic Salt, Italian Seasoning,  Onion Flakes and Pepper over the top.  I put them into a 425 oven for about 10 minutes then turned them and cooked for about another 10 minutes. The picture on the left is them cut up and on baking sheet, the small right one is them seasoned.

The house smelled like I was making pizza.

Let them cool, store in a plastic bag and use on your next great salad.  The Tomatoe in the photo above is from my garden, boy are they yummy this year.  I've had several blt's, nothing better than those especially if they are on the home made bread you've made.

Have a wonderful day and remember to Find the Time to do the Things you love.
Donna

No Knead Sub/Hero Rolls

This is such an easy recipe, hardly any work.  I found this bread recipe here , take the time to look around the site has some yummy stuff and lots of great baking items.  I'm hoping to go there when we go to Maine the end of this month.  This recipe can be used for so many things, it makes a really nice sandwich loaf for a regular sandwich or grilled/panni ones.  Give it a try you won't be disappointed and you can always have fresh bread.   Here are the rolls and I also made a round loaf that was great for the sandwiches I mentioned above.

No-Knead White Bread   (printable recipe)

• 3 cups lukewarm water
• 6 1/2 to 7 1/2 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour* or what you have
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 1/2 tablespoons instant yeast

Directions

*The flour/liquid ratio is important in this recipe. If you measure flour by sprinkling it into your measuring cup, then gently sweeping off the excess, use 7 1/2 cups. If you measure flour by dipping your cup into the canister, then sweeping off the excess, use 6 1/2 cups. Most accurate of all, and guaranteed to give you the best results, if you measure flour by weight, use 32 ounces.

1) Combine all of the ingredients in a large mixing bowl, or a large (6-quart), food-safe plastic bucket. For first-timers, "lukewarm" means about 105°F, but don't stress over getting the temperatures exact here. Comfortably warm is fine; "OUCH, that's hot!" is not. Yeast is a living thing; treat it nicely.

2) Mix and stir everything together to make a very sticky, rough dough. If you have a stand mixer, beat at medium speed with the beater blade for 30 to 60 seconds. If you don't have a mixer, just stir-stir-stir with a big spoon or dough whisk till everything is combined.

3) Next, you're going to let the dough rise. If you've made the dough in a plastic bucket, you're all set — just let it stay there, covering the bucket with a lid or plastic wrap; a shower cap actually works well here. If you've made the dough in a bowl that's not at least 6-quart capacity, transfer it to a large bowl; it's going to rise a lot. There's no need to grease the bowl, though you can if you like; it makes it a bit easier to get the dough out when it's time to bake bread.

4) Cover the bowl or bucket, and let the dough rise at room temperature for 2 hours. Then refrigerate it for at least 2 hours, or for up to about 7 days. (If you're pressed for time, skip the room-temperature rise, and stick it right into the fridge). The longer you keep it in the fridge, the tangier it'll get; if you chill it for 7 days, it will taste like sourdough. Over the course of the first day or so, it'll rise, then fall. That's OK; that's what it's supposed to do.

5) When you're ready to make bread, sprinkle the top of the dough with flour; this will make it easier to grab a hunk. Grease your hands, and pull off about 1/4 to 1/3 of the dough — a 14-ounce to 19-ounce piece, if you have a scale. It'll be about the size of a softball, or a large grapefruit.

6) Plop the sticky dough onto a floured work surface, and round it into a ball, or a longer log. Don't fuss around trying to make it perfect; just do the best you can.

7) Place the dough on a piece of parchment (if you're going to use a baking stone); or onto a lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheet. Sift a light coating of flour over the top; this will help keep the dough moist as it rests before baking.

8) Let the dough rise for about 45 to 60 minutes. It won't appear to rise upwards that much; rather, it'll seem to settle and expand. Preheat your oven (and baking stone, if you're using one) to 450°F while the dough rests. Place a shallow pan on the lowest oven rack, and have 1 cup of hot water ready to go.

9) When you're ready to bake, take a sharp knife and slash the bread 2 or 3 times, making a cut about 1/2" deep. The bread may deflate a bit; that's OK, it'll pick right up in the hot oven.

10) Place the bread in the oven, and carefully pour the 1 cup hot water into the shallow pan on the rack beneath. It'll bubble and steam; close the oven door quickly.

11) Bake the bread for 25 to 35 minutes, until it's a deep, golden brown.

12) Remove the bread from the oven, and cool it on a rack. Store leftover bread in a plastic bag at room temperature.

13) Yield: 3 or 4 loaves, depending on size. Hope you try this recipe, especially if you would really like to make fresh bread for yourself and your family. To me bread is such a comfort food, I'd eat bread over a piece of chocolate any day.  Yikes did I say that, oh well it's the truth. Have a wonderful day, remember to take the time to do the things you love. Donna