Cream Cheese Spreads

As part of Paige's Baptism brunch, I served mini bagels with a couple different flavored cream cheeses. These aren't really exact recipes - add or subtract to taste.


Sweet Orange
4 oz. softened cream cheese
zest of 1/2 orange
1 Tbsp. powdered sugar - more or less to taste
dash of salt

Mix well and chill for several hours.

Sun-dried Tomato & Basil
4 oz. softened cream cheese
3 or 4 sun-dried tomatoes(that have been packed in olive oil), finely chopped
4 or so fresh basil leaves, finely chopped
Couple dashes of garlic salt

Mix well and chill for several hours.

Caramelized Apple Upside-Down Cake

A moist cake and caramelized apples - yummy!

-Shar's Kitchen newsletter/ad, slightly modified

2 large Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and sliced
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/8 tsp. nutmeg

Toss apples with lemon juice, vanilla, and spices and set aside.

1 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup butter
1/2 tsp. butter rum oil (I used some imitation rum extract)
1 cup toasted pecans, chopped

In a 10" cast iron skillet melt 1/4 cup butter over low heat add butter rum oil. Sprinkle with brown sugar and then pecans. Arrange apples over the top of the brown sugar. Set aside.

1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp.  shortening
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup sour cream
2 cups pastry flour
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. fresh ground nutmeg

In a medium bowl with the hand mixer cream together the butter, shortening, and granulated sugar. Add eggs one at a time. Add milk, sour cream, and vanilla, beat just until blended. in a separate bowl combine  flour, baking powder, salt and spices. Add to the butter mixture beat until just blended. Spread the batter over the apples in the skillet.

Bake at 350 for 55-60 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes then run a knife along the edge of the cake to loosen. Invert cake onto a serving plate.

Quick Caramel Corn

There's nothing like Grandma Carling's soft caramel corn with freshly shelled pecans from their trees! We made this twice while my Mom and Aunt Beth were here visiting. Yum!
This is half the original recipe and still makes a big bowl.


-Grandma Carling

1 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup Karo
1 cube margarine (or butter)

Put ingredients in pan and boil 1 minute. Remove from heat and stir in 1 teaspoon vanilla. This will be sticky and is good eaten right away hot. if you cook it for 3 minutes it is harder and less sticky. Pour syrup over large pan of popped corn and pecans, if desired.

Canadian Buttermilk Honey Rolls

I know... another roll recipe, but how do I know I haven't missed out on a really fabulous one because I'm stuck on my old standbys? :) This one is slightly different from the other buttermilk rolls I posted - equally delicious, but this one doesn't call for eggs and I liked the honey as the sweetener. I've had this recipe kicking around for about 5 years now - it was time to try it! The recipe calls for rolling the dough and cutting it with a biscuit cutter, but I went ahead and shaped them as I normally do. Soft and yummy in less than an hour and a half!


-Book of Bread

2 cups buttermilk
1 Tbsp active dry yeast
2 Tbsp honey
2 tsp coarse salt or 1 tsp table salt
2 Tbsp butter or lard
1/4 tsp baking soda
4-4 1/2 cups white flour, preferably unbleached
Melted butter

Makes 20 large rolls

Heat the buttermilk to lukewarm. Pour 1/3 cup of it into a medium size bowl and sprinkle in the yeast. Let stand until the yeast is dissolved and starts to swell.

Meanwhile melt the honey, salt, and butter or lard in the rest of the buttermilk. Add the baking soda and let cool to lukewarm, then mix in with the yeast. Add the flour 1 cup at a time, beating thoroughly after each addition.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 2-3 minutes until smooth and resilient; the dough should not be sticky, so add a little more flour if necessary. Roll the dough out to 3/4" thickness and with a floured cutter or glass 2 1/2 inches in diameter, cut out circles and place on a greased baking sheet about 1 inch apart. Cover with a porous towel and let rise until double in bulk- about 1 hour.

Brush tops generously with melted butter and bake in a preheated 400 degree oven 20 minutes; the rolls will be golden-topped puffy cushions and should be eaten warm.

Roasted Cinnamon Almonds

These are delicious and easy to make!


-The Sister's Cafe

1 cup white sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 egg white
1 tsp. vanilla
4 cups almonds

Preheat oven to 250. Cover a 13x17" baking sheet with parchment paper (or Silpat), or grease well. In small bowl combine sugar, salt and cinnamon. Set aside. In a large bowl slightly beat the egg white. Add vanilla and beat until very frothy, but not stiff. Add the almonds and stir until well coated. Add the cinnamon mixture and toss until evenly coated. Spread evenly on the prepared pan. Bake for one hour, stirring half way through. Allow to cool, then store in an airtight container.

Vanilla 'Hunny' Shake

At the beginning of summer, I had the kids go through the most recent Family Fun magazines and pick the activities and recipes they would like to try. This was one of the recipes, and we all enjoyed the subtle honey and cinnamon flavors.

-Family Fun, June/July 2011

Makes about two 8oz servings.

1 cup vanilla ice cream
1/2 cup whole milk
1 tsp. honey
Pinch of cinnamon

Blend until all ingredients are combined. Pour into chilled glasses and serve immediately.

Dijon-Rosemary Steak Kabobs

We had these kabobs for dinner at a friend's house and they were amazing! I made them for dinner tonight and although I need to fine-tune the grilling, they were really flavorful and delicious. Yay for an easy summer meal. This recipe was perfect for our young family, but you might need to increase it to accommodate your family.

-Food Network via Jessica Winger

1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
2 Tbsp fresh rosemary, stemmed
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 lb. sirloin steak, cut into 1-inch cubes
cherry tomatoes
onion, cut into 1 inch squares

Whisk together all of the ingredients (except the steak) in a bowl. Toss the steak in the mixture until evenly coated. Cover and marinate in refrigerator for at least 2 hours.

Soak bamboo skewers for at least one hour to prevent burning on the grill.

Assemble kabobs and grill directly over heat source for about 10 to 15 minutes, turning 1/4 rotation every 2 to 3 minutes, or until the meat is cooked throughout.