Cream Cheese Coffee Cake - YEH Baby!

OH.MY.GOODNESS! This is revised version of an older recipe and is definitely one of my all-time favorites - ever! 

I hope your family will enjoy it as much as ours does.

We have enjoyed this for family brunches and for ladies meetings at church also.

When my friend Lois and I took our first bites of this coffee cake when it was served at church, we looked at each other and we both said "I need this recipe!"

You know it's gotta be good!

If you love cream cheese...and crescent rolls too...like I do...try it, you'll like it! It is mighty delicious!

Such an excellent combination!!

A good friend reminded me that you can also add pie filling on top of the cream cheese, before adding the top crust...or fresh blueberries or apples!

Try it - you'll love it!

(In this photo, I added fresh blueberries to one side of the coffee cake, 
peach pie filling to the other!)

CREAM CHEESE COFFEE CAKE

2-8 ozs. pkg. crescent rolls (they make a whole sheet now you know=)

2-8 ozs. blocks cream cheese, softened

1-1/2 cup sugar, divided

1 egg, separated

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 cup chopped nuts

 

Preheat oven to 350. Spray a 9" X 13" X 2" baking dish, lightly with cooking spray. Spread first tube of rolls in bottom of pan, sealing perforations. Beat cream cheese together with 1 cup sugar, egg yolk and vanilla. Spread evenly over base.

Spread second tube of rolls evenly over cream cheese mixture, sealing edges to pan. Mix remaining 1/2 cup sugar, cinnamon and nuts. Beat egg white slightly and brush evenly over rolls. Sprinkle with sugar-cinnamon-nut mixture and bake 30 - 35 minutes. Serve warm.

Can be made a day ahead and refrigerated overnight.

 

GOBBLE! SWOON! MMM!  AAAHHHHH!!!!!!!!

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In Memory of my Dear Mother - Sweet Recipes for Life

In honor of my precious mom's birthday (Marie I. King would have been 88 on Sept. 18) I'm sharing these sweet thoughts.  Mom went to her Heavenly Home after developing blood clots in her lungs post-- knee replacement surgery.  She was only 64). Everyone in our family refers to her as a saint. She was one in a million for sure.

(And as a sidenote...I didn't mention my dad's recent birthday earlier this month.  We 4 siblings and families got together to help dad celebrate his 86th.  We are so thankful for his steadfast and unconditional love for his family and his Savior.  A good friend bought him this hat to wear while he opened gifts...too funny!)

Mom's Recipe for Love

Take a cup or two of laughter,
And a pinch of good advice.
Pour in patience by the bowlfull,
Then stir it once or twice.
Fold in lots of hugs and kisses,
And a mother's gentle care.
Cook until it's nice and warm,
And spread it everywhere.

~T. Speer

Recipe for life . . .

Ingredients:

1 part of knowing who you are
1 part of knowing who you aren't
1 part of knowing what you want
1 part of knowing who you wish to be
1 part of knowing what you already have
1 part of choosing wisely from what you have
1 part of loving & thanking for ALL you have

Instructions:

Combine ingredients together gently and carefully, using faith and vision. Mix together with strong belief of the outcome until finely blended. Use thoughts, words and actions for best results. Bake until Blessed.

Yield: Unlimited servings

~ Author Unknown

Pastor Chuck Swindoll says, "As significant as political, military, educational or religious figures may be, none compare to the impact made by mothers. Their words are never fully forgotten, their touch leaves an indelible impression… the memory of their presence lasts a lifetime. I ask you, who else has that kind of influence?"

Happy September Birthdays to my Mom & Dad!!

Pina Colada Fruit Dip

Autumn is my favorite season of the year. As  much as I enjoy it, with the changing colors, the apple, pumpkin and squash dishes, I hate to see summer come to an end.

I enjoy not having to wear a jacket or coat, or wrapping myself in a scarf...mittens...boots...UGH!

I HAD to try this simple and yummy-licious (not to forget...easy...only five ingredients) fruit dip after checking it out at Joy McMillan's blog Simply Bloom.

Last year I was privileged to hear Joy (my middle name!) speak at a Ladies Day over an hour from home. She spoke about wellness - physical and spiritual. She was raised in Africa and has a delightful accent. 

She's simply beautiful and unpretentious.

I could listen to her speak all day long - she has been gifted with a terrific sense of humor (she spoke to us while barefooted!) and it's obvious knows what she's talking about. 

And in her own words, she's 'easily enamored with life'.

I LOVE THAT about her!  Just read her blog post Oh How He Loves
and you'll see what she means.

When I got home that day, I came to the computer (of course!) and checked out her blog...left her a comment...she left me one...and the rest is history.  We became fast e-friends.  She remembered who I was after talking with her briefly after she spoke!!

I do hope you'll check out her blog - she shares about her family, her faith, her life. She calls her children "Bean" and "Bug".

She cracks me up often!

She has such a sweet & innocent perspective on life! And that adorable sense of humor always shines through.

I made this dip this week for 2 ladies meetings at church - both on the same day! (We Baptists know how to enjoy fellowship AND food!) A busy day & one of those where I sampled far too many yummies.

(I'm still having a problem sucking my gut in...not that I didn't before those meetings! UGH!)

I was asked for this recipe multiple times, so I think that's a good indication that it was a real hit!

I had fun putting fruit on kebobs...enjoying those last delicious strawberries of the season.

I'm very fond of this recipe because it can be whipped up in no time, and can be made sugar free!!  That's an important factor in this house....with a diabetic hubby.

And I always have these ingredients on hand too!

PINA COLADA FRUIT DIP

1 (8 ounce) can crushed pineapple in own juice, undrained

1 (3 1/2 ounce) packages (sugar free) vanilla instant pudding mix

1 teaspoon coconut extract

3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup sour cream (I used light)

Whip up all the ingredients in a food processor or blender {for about 30 seconds or until well blended}

Refrigerate for several hours to mingle the yummy flavors.

Serve with fresh fruit.

Hope you can find some tasty fresh fruit to enjoy this before summer is over.

JOY TO YOU!!

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Easy Cheese Scalloped Cabbage

Cabbage is in season now and this is one terrific way to eat it up!

(Have you checked out the "Seasonal Foods" chart in my sidebar?  I find it very informative and interesting)

I don't have an actual written recipe for this dish, but it's very simple and simply superb!

I will give you a guideline recipe at the end of this post so you can have something to go by.

If you like cabbage...and cheese...you're sure to love this tasty dish.

This recipe calls for Velveeta - I'm a big fan!
(I always use the 2% - can't tell a lick of difference)

Begin by chopping a head of cabbage.  You don't want the slices to be too thin. They'll become limp - we want some 'sturdy' slices of cabbage.

I think I used about 8 cups of cabbage for this dish.

Boil it until it's el dente - it will bake a while longer, and you don't want it to end up mushy.

Drain well.

Spray a 2.5 qt. with cooking spray and sprinkle some ritz cracker crumbs in the bottom...to cover lightly.

Add a layer of cabbage and then place small chunks of Velveeta cheese over the top...like this...

Sprinkle another light layer of cracker crumbs, then another layer of cabbage, then cheese, topping with cheese and crumbs. It should look similar to this....

Bake in preheated 350 oven for about 20 - 25 minutes, or until bubbly around edges.

This is sooo creamy and a wonderful company dish.

 It's one of my favorites and something I make often.

CHEESE-SCALLOPED CABBAGE

About 8 cups chopped raw cabbage

chopped onion, if desired

About 3 ozs. Velveeta cheese, chunked or sliced

About 15 ritz crackers, crushed

Boil cabbage (& onion) in salted water until el dente. Drain well.

In Pam-sprayed casserole dish, sprinkle about 5 crackers, crumbled.

Make a layer of cabbage (I ended up with 3 layers total)

then lay as much cheese on top as you'd like, but don't cover it totally.  

Sprinkle with a few more crumbs, then do it all again two more times, ending with cheese and then topped with crumbs.

Bake uncovered in preheated 350 oven for about 20- 25 minutes, or until bubbly around edges.

Be careful not to use too many crackers as the casserole will be too dry.  You want just a light coating between all layers.

I love that I can make as much, or as little, of this recipe as I'd like...I can fix 4 servings or 14.

Enjoy!  I'd love to know if you try it.

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LowFat Lemon/Blueberry Biscuits

I began making this recipe many years ago. I found it in a Taste of Home magazine.

{If you haven't figured it out yet...I'm a HUGE fan of Taste of Home recipes.}

This is deliciously wonderful. If you choose to make these sugar free/fat free...no one will guess. They are healthy nibbles of yumminess!

I think the marriage of lemon and blueberry is a perfect match....and that resulting thought is expressed beautifully in this biscuit.

Oh...another thing that I love about this recipe is that you stir it by hand. No need to get out the mixer and dirty the beaters.

It's easy to make and very tasty.

Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl, and add the blended wet ingredients, then stir. I love using my curved spatula...or spoonula, as Rachel Ray calls it.

I enjoyed some warm biscuits and hot tea in the middle of the afternoon! Such pampering!

LEMON BLUEBERRY BISCUIT
(From The Better Baker)

2 c. all purpose flour (I replaced 1/3 c. with whole wheat)

1/3 c. sugar (I use xylitol)

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1 carton (8 ozs) lemon yogurt

(I only had vanilla, so I added a tsp. or lemon flavoring to yogurt)

1 egg, lightly beaten (or 2 egg whites)

1/4 c. butter or margarine, melted

(I've substituted liquid Butter Buds to

make this totally fat free)

1 tsp. grated lemon peel

1 c. fresh or frozen blueberries

(I like a little more lemon 'zing', so I add a little more lemon flavoring even when I use lemon yogurt)

GLAZE:

1/2 c. powdered sugar

1 Tb. lemon juice

1/2 tsp. grated lemon peel

Preheat oven to 400. In a large bowl, combine dry ingredients. Combine yogurt, egg, butter and lemon peel; stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in blueberries. Drop by tablespoonsful onto a greased baking sheet. Bake 15 - 18 minutes or until lightly browned. (Remember the Splenda 'rule'...it bakes faster). Combine glaze ingredients; drizzle over warm biscuits.

Yield: 1 dozen