Almost Homemade: Blueberry Cream Cheese Cake
Showing posts with label Recipes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Recipes. Show all posts
Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting
Have you ever made something from Pinterest, having high hopes it will turn out as great as it looks online?
- 2 eight ounce packages of cream cheese, room temperature
- 2 stick of unsalted butter, room temperature
- 4 cups of powdered sugar
- 1/2 cup seedless strawberry jam (I used 100% fruit...read ingredients)
- 3/4 chilled heavy whipping cream
In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and butter until it is smooth.
Beat in the powdered sugar, and then the jam. Put that mixture into a bowl, cover and chill in the fridge.
Beat the whipping cream in the chilled bowl until peaks form.
Fold the whipped cream into the original cream cheese mixture. I used a large spatula for this...so easy!
Cover and chill for a couple of hours in the fridge or about 30 minutes in the freezer. (I used the freezer because I was short on time)
To frost my cake, I cut my 2 8 inch circle cakes into 2 layers (allowing for 4 total)
One of my layers broke, so my cake only ended up being 3 layers.
Following that cake recipe referenced above, I placed a layer of cake, spread jam, some frosting, and thin sliced strawberries in that order repeatedly until all layers were used.
On the outside, I frosted the whole thing, and covered with more layered strawberries.
Shortbread Cookies With Strawberry Jam
You may remember the post with the recipe for homemade peach jam and shortbread window cookies. These are so delicious, I have a hard time not eating all of the dough. Who doesn't like butter, flour, sugar all mixed together?
1 cup cold, unsalted butter cut into cubes
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 tsp salt
Set your oven to 325 degrees.
Put all ingredients into your mixer bowl, and mix on low for about 30 sec. Make sure to use the right attachment for your mixer to make dough.
Roll out until the dough is about 1/8th inch thick.
Refrigerate for 20 minutes.
Cut your bottoms and tops of your cookies out using any cookie cutters you wish.
Set them on a pan and refrigerate for another 15 minutes.
Take your cold dough cookies out, and bake for about 13-15 minutes until a light brown.
Cool.
Simple Food Friday
Every Friday I plan on sharing a few of the recipes my family ate throughout the previous week. I will give you the inside "scoop" on what worked and what didn't. Some dishes may have been sides, lunch, or for dinner. These were all made by us this past week or weekend, and I've also included a few photos of some of the dishes.
Some weeks I may include just 2 or 3 recipes, and other weeks I will try to give more.
Just so you know...
1) For all of my dairy, meat and eggs, you can assume I used organic/cage free/vegetarian fed...no need to repeat those words a hundred times in each recipe. For my fruits and vegetables, I also buy organic anytime I can (about 90% of the time). You can decide for yourself if you want to do the same, or not. At least either way, you won't have to read the word "organic" over and over. ;)
2) All of these meals are estimated to feed 4 people. You can adjust according to the number of people you want to feed.
3) My 2 kids eat what we eat...I don't cook separate meals for them.
4) I encourage you to read labels before buying. Try to buy items with just a few ingredients, and things you can readily own/make in your own kitchen. If the list looks like a bunch of chemicals, skip it.
Recipes and Table Decor Idea
Looking to mix it up a little more in the kitchen?
Every Friday I plan on sharing a few of the recipes my family ate throughout the previous week. I will give you the inside "scoop" on what worked and what didn't. Some dishes may have been sides, lunch, or for dinner. These were all made by us this past week or weekend, and I've also included a few photos of some of the dishes.
Some weeks I may include just 2 or 3 recipes, and other weeks I will try to give more.
2) All of these meals are estimated to feed 4 people. You can adjust according to the number of people you want to feed.
3) My 2 kids eat what we eat...I don't cook separate meals for them.
4) I encourage you to read labels before buying. Try to buy items with just a few ingredients, and things you can readily own/make in your own kitchen. If the list looks like a bunch of chemicals, skip it.
_____________________
1) Spinach & Mozzarella Salad
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Get a cookie sheet lined with foil and a thin layer of olive oil to prevent sticking.
Wash, peel and slice your potatoes into sticks/fries however large/thick or thin you want them to be. The thicker you make them, the longer you should cook them. I cut ours to be like steak fries.
In a bowl, pour your honey and microwave until it just starts to become warm/thin.
In another bowl, combine your potato fries, warmed honey, cinnamon and stir until all fries are coated. Pour out onto greased pan and in a single layer. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt...the sweet and salty tastes together are a hit. Cook for 20-25 minutes or until done how you like.
My kids love these!
I hope you decide to make one of the recipes I shared above. They are all very easy, and you can enjoy them as a family.
If you want to decorate your table with a pretty centerpiece, try finding a jar and your preferred color of paint. Coat the inside of the jar with the paint and let dry. Add whatever flowers you like...I like baby's breath which can be dried and still looks pretty. (NOTE: Don't add water because the paint will ruin..only use flowers you don't mind to have dry out.)
Come back next week and I'll share a little more about the bouquet medallion I made for these jars.
Thank you for reading, and Id love to have you as a GFC & Facebook follower;)
Every Friday I plan on sharing a few of the recipes my family ate throughout the previous week. I will give you the inside "scoop" on what worked and what didn't. Some dishes may have been sides, lunch, or for dinner. These were all made by us this past week or weekend, and I've also included a few photos of some of the dishes.
Some weeks I may include just 2 or 3 recipes, and other weeks I will try to give more.
Just so you know...
1) For all of my dairy, meat and eggs, you can assume I used organic/cage free/vegetarian fed...no need to repeat those words a hundred times in each recipe. For my fruits and vegetables, I also buy organic anytime I can (about 90% of the time). You can decide for yourself if you want to do the same, or not. At least either way, you won't have to read the word "organic" over and over. ;)2) All of these meals are estimated to feed 4 people. You can adjust according to the number of people you want to feed.
3) My 2 kids eat what we eat...I don't cook separate meals for them.
4) I encourage you to read labels before buying. Try to buy items with just a few ingredients, and things you can readily own/make in your own kitchen. If the list looks like a bunch of chemicals, skip it.
_____________________
For this Foodie Friday post, below you will find the following 3 recipes.
1) Spinach & Mozzarella Salad (prep time: 10 minutes, cook time: 0 minutes)
2) Homemade Crock Pot Chicken Noodle Soup (prep time 20 minutes, cook time 2 1/2 hrs)
3) Homemade Sweet Potato Fries (prep time 10 minutes, cook time 25 minutes)
Ingredients: Fresh spinach, walnuts, dried cranberries, mozzarella, extra virgin olive oil, black pepper, mushrooms, tomatoes.
After all ingredients are washed, slice your mushrooms, shred some mozzarella, and slice your tomatoes. Simply combine all ingredients in a bowl, sprinkle cracked pepper on top, and add a drizzle of olive oil. You'd be surprised at how yummy a salad is without salad dressing all over it, and quality extra virgin olive oil is also very yummy. Save your EVOO for dipping and sauces, while using regular olive oil for cooking.
Feel free to add any other salad ingredients you love.
2) Homemade Crock Pot Chicken Noodle Soup
Ingredients: Chicken broth (I used 2 32 oz cartons of Organic chicken broth), carrots (I used about 20 baby carrots), 1 cup sliced mushrooms, 3 chopped celery stalks, 1 bag of egg noodles, fresh chicken cut into chunks, any herbs you like (I used rosemary).
I suggest you buy crock pot liners ASAP. If you've never used them, you'll ask yourself why you hadn't sooner. Line your crock pot (don't turn it on yet) and pour the chicken broth in. Add your baby carrots, herbs, set it on high and put the lid on. Let cook for about 40 minutes and add your celery, mushrooms and chicken if you haven't cooked it already. (If you precooked your chicken already, you can add it towards the end of the soup.) Cook another hour on high and take a peek through the lid...chicken should be cooked through...you should have a good amount of broth vs. veggies. Feel free to lower heat on your crock pot and let simmer while you cook your egg noddles. We used whole wheat egg noodles, and you can cook them just like you would spaghetti. Drain and add to your soup. Check your baby carrots for "doneness"..leave on low setting until you are ready to eat.
We also served this with some bread that I broiled with minced garlic and butter on top.
3) Homemade Sweet Potato Fries
Ingredients: 2 big sweet potatoes, 1/4-1/2 cup honey, 1 tbs. cinnamon, pinch of saltPreheat oven to 400 degrees.
Get a cookie sheet lined with foil and a thin layer of olive oil to prevent sticking.
Wash, peel and slice your potatoes into sticks/fries however large/thick or thin you want them to be. The thicker you make them, the longer you should cook them. I cut ours to be like steak fries.
In a bowl, pour your honey and microwave until it just starts to become warm/thin.
In another bowl, combine your potato fries, warmed honey, cinnamon and stir until all fries are coated. Pour out onto greased pan and in a single layer. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt...the sweet and salty tastes together are a hit. Cook for 20-25 minutes or until done how you like.
My kids love these!
I hope you decide to make one of the recipes I shared above. They are all very easy, and you can enjoy them as a family.
If you want to decorate your table with a pretty centerpiece, try finding a jar and your preferred color of paint. Coat the inside of the jar with the paint and let dry. Add whatever flowers you like...I like baby's breath which can be dried and still looks pretty. (NOTE: Don't add water because the paint will ruin..only use flowers you don't mind to have dry out.)
Use different colors of paint for different jars, and change them out periodically.
PINK works great for Valentines day!
Come back next week and I'll share a little more about the bouquet medallion I made for these jars.
Thank you for reading, and Id love to have you as a GFC & Facebook follower;)
A Fun Lunch For Kids
While walking through the grocery store, I couldn't help but browse the Christmas clearance isle. "Sale" and "clearance" are very eye-catching words for me. ;)
I found a few goodies, including these red and green silicone cupcake cups for just 50 cents a 4 pack!
I snatched about a dozen boxes of them, knowing I wanted to write this post, use them for my kids' lunches, and also give some away to friends.
I had seen 100 Days of Real Food use them in her kids' lunches, so I was on the lookout for some for a while.
I brought my cups home, and started brainstorming what treats I could give my daughters...and the ideas started flowing.
One day, I made a tapas style lunch for them, and I could barely take a picture of the cups without them devouring the plate.
What to put in them?
We had baby carrots, hard boiled organic/cage free eggs, organic popcorn with olive oil (Trader Joes), strawberries, frozen wild organic blueberries, mandarin oranges, grapes, cheese cubes and black olives.
Cups like these can be found online and also in the baking/kitchen sections of many stores.
Try whatever foods you want...here are some more ideas:
-Other veggies: peas, corn etc.
-Other fruits: berries, kiwi, mango etc.
-Cereal
-Crackers
-Muffins
-Raisins
Feel free to comment with ways to make lunch fun!
Chocolate Pecan Pie Recipe
I had hoped to post this Friday, but it has been a crazy few days, so here it is on your relaxing Sunday!
Do you have a favorite pie? Pecan is one of my top 3, and adding chocolate to it makes it that much better. Maybe you can find a moment to make it, and I hope you do, because it really is a very yummy recipe! I got this one from my mom...
Chocolate Pecan Pie
4 ounces of chocolate chips
19" pie crust, unbaked
2 tbs. unsalted butter
3 eggs
1 cup light corn syrup
1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/8 tsp. salt
1.5 cups of pecan halves
DIRECTIONS: Heat oven to 325 degrees. In double boiler over hot water, melt chocolate and butter. In large bowl with mixer or whisk, beat eggs, corn syrup, sugar, vanilla and salt until blended; beat in chocolate mixture. Stir in pecans; pour into pie crust. Place pie on baking sheet on middle rack of oven; bake about 55 minutes or until filling is set. Cool completely at room temp. Serve with whipped cream or ice cream.
Spiced Waffle Cone Cookies
If you are a coffee/hot cocoa/tea drinker, this recipe would be great for you!
If you know someone who likes eggnog during the holidays, or biscotti with their beverages, this might be a nice alternative this year.
You may not have considered buying a waffle cone maker, but I highly recommend you take the plunge and go buy one. A great model will run you $40, and you can use this recipe to make all of your Christmas gifts this year. Waffle cone makers are also handy for making waffle cones and bowls for family ice cream sundae nights at home and other special occasions.
This is the maker I got for my daughter's first birthday party where we served ice cream in waffle cone bowls. It is a nice model and can easily be purchased on Amazon.
For these cookies, I altered the recipe for a regular waffle cone. This version adds a nice spiced flavor to the cookies and makes them perfect for the holidays!
2 whole eggs
1/4 tsp salt
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2 tbs vegetable oil
1 cup cake flour
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground Cinnamon
1. Turn on waffle cone maker
2. Stir eggs and salt in a small bowl with fork until well blended.
3. Beat sugar in for a minute until incorporated fully.
4. Stir in oil.
5. Slowly add flour until all lumps are gone.
6. Add spices and vanilla
This recipe makes approximately 5-7 waffle cones and depending on the size of your cookie cutter, can make about 30 small cookies!
Spoon a small amount onto your cone maker and close. Once waffle cone is cooked, lay it out on a piece of parchment paper and quickly use the cookie cutters of your choice to cut out cookie shapes. If you allow the cone to cool, it will harden and not be able to be cut by the cookie cutter.
Once all of the shapes have cooled, lightly dust them with a little more Cinnamon and package how you wish!
Make sure you package in a sealed container to keep them hard and fresh ;)
Apple Sandwiches
How about using those apples in place of bread from time to time, to make having sandwiches AND fruit more fun?!
I loved this idea I got from the blog I love (and you've probably already read about), 100 days of Real Food. She inspires families to eat REAL food, instead of things that are processed and then full of food dyes and other preservatives.
Her apple sandwiches looked so yummy, I just HAD to make them for my daughter.
Apples are never turned down around here, so I had a feeling they would be "a hit", and they were!
Here is her post about her apple sandwiches, and here are the pictures of me making mine! Her post is great, so you should check it out.
Since her kids go to the nut-free school she gives alternative school lunch ideas, such as sunflower butter (sunflower seeds)....sounds yummy!
I don't have a "corer", so I just used the bottom of a funnel.
Take your slices, and add your peanut butter (or whatever), raisins, etc.
Sandwich them together for apple sandwiches!
100 Days of Real Food also mentions to: "Squirt with lemon juice to help keep apple from turning brown. You can also mix lemon with a little water so it doesn’t taste so “lemony” or like “cleaner” as my daughter once told me."
When Noel woke up from her nap, I gave the apple sandwiches to her, and she asked for more! ;)
I loved this idea I got from the blog I love (and you've probably already read about), 100 days of Real Food. She inspires families to eat REAL food, instead of things that are processed and then full of food dyes and other preservatives.
Her apple sandwiches looked so yummy, I just HAD to make them for my daughter.
Apples are never turned down around here, so I had a feeling they would be "a hit", and they were!
Here is her post about her apple sandwiches, and here are the pictures of me making mine! Her post is great, so you should check it out.
Since her kids go to the nut-free school she gives alternative school lunch ideas, such as sunflower butter (sunflower seeds)....sounds yummy!
I don't have a "corer", so I just used the bottom of a funnel.
Take your slices, and add your peanut butter (or whatever), raisins, etc.
Sandwich them together for apple sandwiches!
100 Days of Real Food also mentions to: "Squirt with lemon juice to help keep apple from turning brown. You can also mix lemon with a little water so it doesn’t taste so “lemony” or like “cleaner” as my daughter once told me."
When Noel woke up from her nap, I gave the apple sandwiches to her, and she asked for more! ;)
Grandma's Gravy
I love being able to say Im Italian. Its amazing to hear the story of family "coming over" and building a life in New York and other places.
My grandparents both grew up in New York. My grandpa was 10 years older and he lied about his age....they had been a blind date. Shortly after they met, my grandma's mom was dying, so to make sure she could be at the wedding, they got married quickly.
My dad was their first of 5 children, and being a Gallucci, he was raised on some of the best food you could ask for. I know, because I have had the luxury of eating some of it during my lifetime too.
Going to visit New York when I was little, introduced me to fine cannolis, and other pastries we would get and bring home. To this day they are my favorite.
I remember the cheesecake downtown.
I remember going to the top of the Statue of Liberty.
I remember her house with the wrap-around porch, and shag carpet upstairs...the seltzer that was delivered on the porch, and the mature trees that lined the street. The beautiful deck and "little house" that was more like my grandpa's version of a workshop (he was a wood craftsman).
If I ever won the lottery, I would go to NY, find that house and buy it back.
Luckily, I can still call my grandma when I need help with a recipe. She calls pasta sauce "gravy" and from our phone call, I learned a couple of key things about making gravy that I thought I should share:
From the mouth of Grandma Gallucci:
1. If using a fork, turn your meatballs over from the bottom. Use a spoon otherwise.
2. The meat flavors the sauce. Choose good quality meat.
3. When simmering, leave the lid only on half-way. Otherwise, condensation will build up and make your sauce watery.
4. Top your spaghetti with real cheese, not fake stuff from a container. You don't have to settle for Parmesan all of the time. Step out of your comfort zone and try other Italian cheeses.
Well, I made homemade spaghetti last night and it turned out great! I was excited for Levi to come home and eat it.
Sadly, he came home and told me his work had fed everyone a free spaghetti lunch that day! I was pretty frustrated, but thankful he ate it anyway and told me mine was better.
<3
My grandparents both grew up in New York. My grandpa was 10 years older and he lied about his age....they had been a blind date. Shortly after they met, my grandma's mom was dying, so to make sure she could be at the wedding, they got married quickly.
My dad was their first of 5 children, and being a Gallucci, he was raised on some of the best food you could ask for. I know, because I have had the luxury of eating some of it during my lifetime too.
Going to visit New York when I was little, introduced me to fine cannolis, and other pastries we would get and bring home. To this day they are my favorite.
I remember the cheesecake downtown.
I remember going to the top of the Statue of Liberty.
I remember her house with the wrap-around porch, and shag carpet upstairs...the seltzer that was delivered on the porch, and the mature trees that lined the street. The beautiful deck and "little house" that was more like my grandpa's version of a workshop (he was a wood craftsman).
If I ever won the lottery, I would go to NY, find that house and buy it back.
Luckily, I can still call my grandma when I need help with a recipe. She calls pasta sauce "gravy" and from our phone call, I learned a couple of key things about making gravy that I thought I should share:
From the mouth of Grandma Gallucci:
1. If using a fork, turn your meatballs over from the bottom. Use a spoon otherwise.
2. The meat flavors the sauce. Choose good quality meat.
3. When simmering, leave the lid only on half-way. Otherwise, condensation will build up and make your sauce watery.
4. Top your spaghetti with real cheese, not fake stuff from a container. You don't have to settle for Parmesan all of the time. Step out of your comfort zone and try other Italian cheeses.
Well, I made homemade spaghetti last night and it turned out great! I was excited for Levi to come home and eat it.
Sadly, he came home and told me his work had fed everyone a free spaghetti lunch that day! I was pretty frustrated, but thankful he ate it anyway and told me mine was better.
<3
Hope's 1st Birthday
It's been a few days since Ive written a new post, and that was mostly because Hope's first birthday last week brought a lot of excitement and busy times! We actually had grandparents come from California and Texas for her special day, and we couldn't have enjoyed that more.
We escaped to the park across the street for some quick pictures on her actual birthday. She wore a vintage handmade dress we found at my fav antique store. She held a Peter Rabbit I have had since I was a baby.
Our arrival to the park was about 20 minutes later than I really wanted, so the sun was already mostly down :(. It was bath time, and she was at the end of her rope.
Luckily, Peter Rabbit helped her squeeze out a few smiles!
She's in the beginning stages of walking...
I'm all about cute parties, but I also want to be able to look at the pictures and know my kid had fun. She sure loved her cupcake, and blueberries and strawberries.
More walking practice...
When she woke up in the morning, she got to open presents and play with grandpa!
We escaped to the park across the street for some quick pictures on her actual birthday. She wore a vintage handmade dress we found at my fav antique store. She held a Peter Rabbit I have had since I was a baby.
Our arrival to the park was about 20 minutes later than I really wanted, so the sun was already mostly down :(. It was bath time, and she was at the end of her rope.
Luckily, Peter Rabbit helped her squeeze out a few smiles!
Her party was almost as I had envisioned it. I didn't have time to hang the garlands, and time to organize. It seemed like the 30 minutes I gave myself for set up was more like 10 minutes...people arrived before I even got half of the things on the table...hence the very few pictures of the tables before it got dark. :(
I'm all about cute parties, but I also want to be able to look at the pictures and know my kid had fun. She sure loved her cupcake, and blueberries and strawberries.
The banana split table was a blast!
The cupcakes were an added touch for those who didn't want banana splits. Thanks to Edible Details for designing some adorable pink heart toppers for me!
favors....
She loves her grandmas!
When she woke up in the morning, she got to open presents and play with grandpa!
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