Ja cię kocham…

After the roads have finally be cleared of the 2ft+ of snow that the Northeastern part of the US just received, we are again in the midst of a Nor’easter.  As I sit here, I see the snow piling up on my deck, inch by inch.  And I just got word that my school is closed tomorrow.  Ahhh…a day off.  What shall I bake?

We’ve been fortunate enough (or unfortunate – depending how you look at it) to have our major snowstorms of the 2009-2010 winter on SATURDAYS.  I won’t mention the fact that the first one that blew through in December destroyed my birthday plans at a Tapas and Vodka bar.

No, strike that.

The FIRST real snow prevented my Drexel U ladies from trekking to my house for a Girls’ Weekend, the SECOND snowstorm caused the cancellation of my much needed and highly anticipated tapas and vodka ON TAP with 30 of my closest friends and family members.  This storm owes me an appearance during the week when my house is already clean, and I can just kick back and relax.

May we have Thursday off, too?  Chances look good.  How about a 2hr delay on Friday?  Am I dreaming?  Maybe, but it’s fun to dream!  Plus, Old Man Winter owes me.

A day work-free means I get to spend some quality time in my beloved kitchen, and since I only have an iPhone to take pictures for now (my camera lens STILL won’t open… grrrr*), I can manage to squeak in some pics of food with some decent sunlight.  I loathe the dark food photos.  But what’s a girl gonna do when BOTH cameras decided to fart and die on her?  Maybe my dead cameras and Old Man Winter should have a party somewhere else and give me my tapas party back.

During the snowstorm this weekend, I whipped up a batch of my sister’s Whole Wheat Crackers that very much remind me of our family favorite, Wheat Thins.  These were a hint sweeter because of the added vanilla and sugar, but don’t worry they were savory enough to go along with the adored fruit and cheese platter that so many of us include when we entertain.  And my sister is right, these bad boys go quickly.  One batch is good for a small party of 6-8, but you might as well double it so you can enjoy some later.

Simply the best crackers I have ever had.  Thanks for the recipe, Emmy.  Loveyou.

I’m totally thinking about adding cocoa to these and turning it into a chocolate cereal.  Okay, maybe that’s what I’ll do tomorrow since I’m snowed in.

Sweet Whole Wheat Crackers

Source: Cleanliness is Next to Godliness & King Arthur Flour Whole Grain Baking Cookbook

1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour or white whole wheat
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp paprika
4 Tbs (1/2 stick) cold butter
1/4 cup cold water
1/4 tsp vanilla
Additional salt for topping (optional)

Combine the flour, sugar, salt and paprika in a medium bowl. Cut the butter into small pieces and mix it in thoroughly, using your fingers, a pastry blender, a mixer or a food processor. Combine the water and vanilla, and add to the flour mixture, mixing until smooth.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly grease baking sheets or line with parchment paper.

Divide the dough into 4 pieces; keep the other pieces covered while you work with one at a time. Lightly flour your work surface and your rolling pin and roll the piece of dough into a large rectangle, which should be at least 12 inches square when trimmed. Keep your pin and the surface of your dough evenly floured. Flip the dough frequently to keep it from sticking, but too much flour will make it difficult to roll. Keep rolling until the dough is as thin as you can get it without tearing, at least 1/16 inch thick. Trim the dough to even the edges and use a pizza cutter or a sharp knife to cut the piece into squares approximately 1 1/2 inches wide.

Transfer the squares to a prepared baking sheet; you can crowd them together, as they don’t expand while baking. Sprinkle the squares lightly with salt, if desired. Repeat with the remaining pieces of dough. Save the scraps under plastic wrap and re-roll them all at once just one time.

Bake the crackers, one sheet at a time, until crisp and browned, 5 to 7 minutes. If some of the thinner crackers brown too quickly, remove them and return the remaining crackers to the oven to finish baking. These crackers bake quickly, so watch them closely – even 30 seconds can turn them from golden brown to toast! Remove the crackers from the oven and cool on the pan or on a plate; they cool quickly. These crackers will stay crisp for several days, but are best stored in airtight containers.

I woke up yesterday morning to find 2 feet of snow at my door step.  That’s a lot of snow, at least for people in my area.  Noodles, on the other hand, had no issues with it.  She was in her glory. (Probably because she didn’t have to shovel!)

For some reason massive amounts of snow bring on a baking bug for a lot of us.  So many of my friends told me that they were baking this weekend because of the snow.  Being cooped up causes us to get ants in our pants!  Since the superbowl is this weekend, I decided to make something that would go with the beer that the husbands will be consuming.  I’m not a beer drinker, but I do love my pretzels!

They were super simple, but a little time consuming.  Anything that needs to be kneaded then rise, then rolled, then risen again will take time so make sure that you have the day to relax and enjoy making your pretzels.

They were bland in my opinion (probably because I didn’t put the huge chunks of salt on them – the huge salt makes me cringe), but this is easily remedied by putting that salt on them, sprinkling some cinnamon sugar on them or dunking them in salsa con queso!  Mmmmmmm….

Whole Wheat Soft Pretzels

Source: Delicious Wisdom
Yields: 12 small pretzels

Prep Time:  About 2 Hours (mostly inactive)
Cooking Time:  15 Minutes

Ingredients:
1 Cup Warm Water
1 Package of Dry Active Yeast
1 ½ Cups + 1 ¼ Cups Whole Wheat Flour
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
3/4 Tsp Sea Salt
3 Cups Water
2 Tbsp Baking Soda
Course Sea Salt (optional)

In a large bowl, stir yeast into warm water and set aside to dissolve for 10 minutes.  Stir in olive oil, sea salt and 1 ½ cups of flour.  Once well combined, add remaining flour and knead for about 5 minutes.  Place into a dry bowl, lightly cover with a kitchen towel and let rise for 1 hour.

Divide dough into 12 equal portions and roll into balls.  Roll each ball into a long snake-y piece and form into pretzel shapes.  (See below.) Let them rise for about 30 minutes.  Preheat oven to 475 degrees F.  Bring water and baking soda to a simmer in a deep pan.  Simmer pretzels in simmering water for about one minute, flipping halfway through.  Place pretzels on a lightly greased baking sheet, sprinkle with sea salt, and bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden.

Try to eat them the day of baking that’s when they are the best!

For Christmas my parents got me this awesome cookbook – Simply Salads by Jennifer Chandler.  Now my Ma knows that I LOVE when my cookbooks have pictures to go with each recipe.  Lucky for me, these cookbooks tend to be less expensive than the ones without pictures.  Not sure why, but it works for me!

Perusing this book, I had no idea that it would be an inspiration for using up MORE of my leftover ham.  The recipe calls for pancetta, which is a dry cured meat that reminds me of bacon.  Instead of buying pancetta, I just used my Christmas ham.  Ham doesn’t create the same drippings in the skillet as bacon when you cook it, but a little olive oil solves that problem.  You still get the flavor, you just need a little assistance from the oil.

We had this salad right after church.  It hit the spot!  We wanted something light, but we wanted something that felt like a meal.  We served this salad with my homemade Ham and Cheddar Biscuits.  Home run, I tell you!  Never thought to warm wild mushrooms and place them on a salad.  Good call, Jennifer!

Warm Wild Mushroom Salad

Serves 4 for a meal or 6 for an appetizer

Source: Simply Salads by Jennifer Chandler, pg. 128 (& pg. 106 for salad dressing)

Ingredients:

Salad:

1/4 cup Sherry Vinaigrette – *recipe follows
1/4 pound pancetta, bacon, or ham ** if using ham, add 1-2 Tbs. olive oil
1 shallot, minced
1/2 lb. assorted wild mushrooms (I used oyster, porcini, and shiitake), ends trimmed
1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted
Kosher salt and pepper to taste
1 bag (8oz) Field Greens

Sherry Vinaigrette:

(I doubled this recipe for my salads)

1 shallot, minced
1 tsp. dijon mustard
2 Tbs. sherry wine vinegar (or red wine vinegar)
6 Tbs. olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Prepare the Sherry Vinaigrette - In a small bowl whisk together shallot, mustard, and vinegar.  Slowly add the olive oil in a stream, whisking to emulsify.  Season with salt and pepper.  (Makes about 1/4 cup)

In a medium skillet, over medium-low heat, cook the ham (with olive oil) or pancetta/bacon without oil.  Cook until outside is crisp, about 4 minutes.  Transfer ham to paper-towel lined plate to drain, reserving the drippings in the pan.

Increase the heat to medium.  Add the shallot and cook, stirring often, until tender, 3-5 minutes.  Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring often, until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Transfer the mixture to a medium bowl.

Add the ham and pine nuts to the mushroom mixture and toss.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

In a large salad bowl, toss the Field Greens with the vinaigrette to taste.  Divide the salad among individual plates. Top with mushrooms.  Serve immediately!  (Otherwise the greens will get droopy!)

If I had known all along how easy this was to make, I would have been doing this instead of buying it!   I LOVE Greek yogurt.  I use it in dips, in desserts, and in my baking.  It’s so creamy and full that it makes other yogurt seem weak.  My only issue with Greek yogurt is its expense.  It’s $5 for a teeny container or nearly $2 for a single serving.  I can’t justify that.

Well, I have found a solution.

Are you ready for the easiest recipe of all time (aside from just buying something from the store)??

Homemade Greek Yogurt

Source: Sunny Anderson

Yields 2 1/2 cups

Ingredients:

4 cups plain lowfat yogurt

Directions:

Line a strainer with a paper towel and place the towel-covered strainer on top of a bowl.  You don’t want the bottom of the strainer to touch the bowl.

Pour yogurt into strainer and place in fridge for 7-8 hours or overnight.  When it’s done, the liquid will be in the bowl and you will be left with the delectable Greek yogurt in the strainer.  Please note that the amount of yogurt will reduce, but you will still have plenty to use.  Discard liquid in bowl.

Enjoy!

I love game days.  Saturday for the first time in…oh let’s see… 4 or 5 years, I put on my shin guards, picked up my old stick and stick bag and played some field hockey.  It felt so good to be a part of a team again, and I look forward to playing more and more.  (I just need to get back into shape before I REALLY enjoy it!)

I also love game days at home.  Jay had the picture-in-picture (PIP) on our television so we could watch two football games simultaneously.  Most of this multi-game interest can be attributed to a fantasy football league that someone is participating in addition to our Philadelphia Phillies who were ALSO playing at the same time.  Busy day!  A busy day of sports calls for game day snacks!

One of the snacks that I prepared for my darling sports-junkie husband was this hot and cheesy bean dip.  In 10 minutes I had it on the table with tortilla scoops.  The dip was so amazingly good that I wish that I had made more because between Jay, my sister, and myself, the bowl was completely polished clean!

Next time you have friends over to watch a game, whip up this dip.  It will be a crowd favorite, guaranteed.

Hot & Cheesy Bean Dip

Source: Annie’s Eats

Serves: 6 (or three piggies like the ones in my household!)

Ingredients:
1 Tbs. olive oil
½ onion, chopped
1 jalapeno, seeded and finely diced
1 (14.5 oz) can refried beans
2 Tbs. sour cream
¼ tsp. ground cumin
½ tsp. kosher salt
1/3 cup cheddar cheese, in ½-inch cubes
1/3 cup pepper jack cheese, in ½-inch cubes

Directions:
Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat.  Add the onions and jalapeno, and sauté until tender, about 3-5 minutes.

Stir in the refried beans and cook until smooth, stirring occasionally.

Stir in the remaining ingredients and cook until the cheese is melted.  Transfer to a bowl and serve hot.

Jay tells me that I’m a facebook addict.  Apparently I completely zone out and do not hear anything anyone is saying while I’m surfing my friends’ pages.   Sorry, honey.  You know I love you anyway.

Here are some perks to succumbing to online social pages:

1. You find out that dear friends from preschool and elementary school live a quarter mile down the road.  (Hi Christina!)
2. You don’t feel so lonely on lazy Saturday nights because you find out that there are other people staying home, too.
3. You can send out invitations to parties without having to spend a dime.  A simple mass message on FB does the trick… AND it keeps track of who’s coming and who isn’t.
4. People post food that they are making allowing you to be nosey and ask for their recipe.

This leads me to my friend Molly.  I have known Molly since elementary school.  (I even have our 4th grade class picture from Mrs. High’s class…hehehe.)  Well, yesterday on Facebook, she posted that she was making crab-stuffed mushrooms for a family picnic.  CRAB-STUFFED MUSHROOMS!  I immediately asked for the recipe because it just sounded so good.  What makes this recipe even better is how easy it is to make them!  In a matter of minutes, I have these adorable mushrooms on my table and a happy husband with delicious food while watching the Eagles game.

Thank you, Molly!  These are literally the best stuffed mushrooms I have ever had.

Molly’s Crab-Stuffed Mushrooms

Serves 6

Source: My childhood friend, Molly

Ingredients:

24 baby portobella mushrooms, stems removed, and cleaned with a damp paper towel
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
6-8 oz. lump crab meat (sift through it with your fingers to make sure there aren’t any shells)
1 Tbs. Parmesan cheese
1 Tbs. +1 tsp. fresh parsley or dill, chopped
1 tsp. garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste
cayenne pepper (optional)
mozzarella cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Spray baking sheet with cooking spray.  Place mushrooms on sheet.

In a medium-sized bowl, mix the cream cheese, crab, parmesan, 1 Tbs. dill/parsley, garlic powder, salt/pepper, and cayenne pepper.  Put a generous amount of cream cheese mixture into the cavity of each mushroom.  Add a dash of cayenne pepper and sprinkle with mozzarella cheese.

Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the mushrooms are hot and water starts to appear on the baking sheet underneath the mushrooms.  Garnish with dill/parsley.  Serve immediately.

I wish I could relive this moment over and over….

Despite the fact that our wedding day has passed, Jason and I continue to create and enjoy memories that are tender, loving, and sweet.

 

One fond memory is this weekend’s feast in celebration of our upcoming anniversary – made from scratch and made from love.

 

As I mentioned in my previous post, we wanted a fun and exciting meal, but we didn’t want to gorge ourselves into utter guilt and discomfort.  Our meal was made from just about all clean ingredients (we did have some wine spritzers!).  Eating clean simply means that you are staying away from processed foods.   Slightly processed items such as spices and extra virgin olive oil are perfectly fine, but the key is staying away from packaged goods with chemicals and scary toxins.

I will be the first to admit that I am not always good at eating clean.  Cake and ice cream just tempt me beyond belief (you know, the kind with all that high fructose corn syrup and “natural flavors”, which are nothing more than chemicals), but just know that it is okay to eat that kind of stuff as a treat every once in a while.  Just don’t make it a daily ritual.

I am reminded of an episode of Oprah I watched last year; a girl in her twenties was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer and was basically handed a death sentence.  She decided that it was not her time, bought a juicer and began consuming loads of fresh fruits and vegetables.  Her clean diet saved her life.  She is now in remission.  REMISSION!!!  Healthy food has power, people!  It saves lives!

Now that I have said my piece, I will step off of my soap box and focus on our anniversary meal ;o) …

Jason and I thoroughly enjoyed our clean meal.  We ate until we were full and an hour later, we felt great!  (Even ready to eat a little more!)   The next day, my little pudgy belly was flatter, and I felt incredible!   Need I say more?!

 

Here is our wonderful pre-anniversary dinner menu with recipes:

Roasted Eggplant Dip with Herb Rubbed Pita

Adapted from: Martha Stewart Living, July 2009

Serves: a hungry crowd

 

Ingredients for Dip:

3 medium eggplants
1 small garlic clove, minced
1/2 cup + 2 Tbs. olive oil
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt (the recipe calls for full-fat, but I used non-fat and it turned out well)
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (from two lemons)
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Chop up eggplant into small chunks.  Place on baking sheet, toss in 2 Tbs. olive oil, and bake for 20 minutes or until browned and tender.

Using a knife, press the flat side of the blade back and forth across the garlic with 1.5 tsp. salt to create a garlic paste.

Add eggplant and garlic into food processor.  Gradually add the remaining olive oil while processing.   Once done with processing, place mixture into a bowl.  Gently stir in yogurt and lemon juice.  Season with salt and pepper.

 

Ingredients for pitas:

1/4 cup finely chopped mint
1/4 cup finely chopped parsley
Coarse salt and pepper
1/4 cup olive oil
4-6 pitas, sliced horizontally if thick

 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degree F.  Stir herbs together in a small bowl.  Season with salt and pepper.

Rub over pitas, and slice into triangles.

Place on baking sheets and bake for 10-14 minutes until golden brown.

 

 

Pumpkin & Pear Soup

Source: Oxygen Magazine, June 2009

Serves: 4-6

 

Ingredients:

2 Tbs. olive oil
1 chopped onion
1/2 cup fresh ginger, minced
3 pears, peeled, cored and thinly sliced
2 small cans pumpkin puree
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
4 cups chicken broth

 

Directions:

Put first four ingredients in a large soup pot and saute until tender, about 10 minutes.

Stir in remaining ingredients and bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes.

Puree in batches in a blender or use a stick blender to blend until soup is smooth.

 

 

Moroccan Chicken and Lentils

Source: The Eat-Clean Diet Cookbook, p. 150

Serves: 12 (we made 4 servings for our meal)

 

Ingredients:

8 cups water
3 tsp. sea salt, divided
1 lb dried lentils, rinsed drained and picked over

1 cup plus 2 Tbs. olive oil
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
3 Tbs. ground cumin, divided
2 Tbsp. plus 2 tsp. chili powder
2 garlic clove, peeled and minced

1 large onion, peeled and chopped
2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken or turkey breast, thinly sliced
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 cup fresh parsley or cilantro

 

Directions:

Combine water and 1 tbs. salt in stock pot over high heat.  Add lentils.  Bring to a boil.  Cover and reduce to medium heat.  Simmer until lentils are soft, about 20-25 minutes.  Drain well.  Rinse under cold water and drain well.  Place in a large bowl and set aside.

In a small bowl, mix 1 cup oil, vinegar, 2 Tbs. cumin, 2 Tbs. chili powder, garlic and 1 tsp. salt.  Pour all but 2 Tbs. of this dressing over lentils.  Toss gently and set aside.

In a large skillet, heat 2 Tbs. oil.  Add onion and saute until well cooked, about 5 minutes.  Onion should appear dark brown and soft.  Add chicken or turkey and saute 2 minutes more.  Add 1 tsp salt, 1 Tbs. cumin, 2 tsp. chili powder and cinnamon.  Saute until chicken/turkey is cooked through.

Arrange lentils on a large serving platter.  Place sliced chicken on top of lentils.  Use any remaining dressing to pour on top.  Sprinkle with chopped parsley.  Serve at room temperature.

 

 

Marinated Zucchini with Mint

Source: Everyday Food, July/August 2009

Serves: 4

 

Ingredients:

3 zucchini, thinly sliced lengthwise
4 Tbs. olive oil
coarse salt and ground pepper
1 garlic clove, minced
1 Tbs. white wine vinegar
2 Tbs. fresh mint

 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 475 degrees F.  On two large rimmed baking sheets toss zucchini with 2 Tbs. oil.  Season with salt and pepper.  Roast until tender and brown underneath, about 10-15 minutes.

On a serving platter, sprinkle zucchini with garlic and 2 Tbs. oil and vinegar.  Let stand for an hour.  (If you don’t have time to let it stand, don’t worry about it.  It tastes great served immediately!)

Sprinkle with fresh mint.

If my husband had to survive on anything for the rest of his life (other than Yuengling Lager), it would be chips and salsa.  I buy jars and jars of it per week, and they are gone in a few hours.  We have all types – chipotle, tequila and lime, southwestern – and they are all big hits.  This time I wanted to make something a little different.

We’ve always been big fans of the mango salsa at Costco so I took the fruit salsa to the next level – completely tropical.  It’s bright, it’s colorful, and it’s versatile.  Next time I think I’m going to be even more daring and throw a papaya in this mix.  This salsa was a crowd pleaser, and the recipe yielded PLENTY for a huge group.  If you’re a chips and salsa lover like my man, try this one out.  It’s sure to please.

Tropical Fruit Salsa

Source: Party Food, p. 36

Serves 8-12

Ingredients:

1 pineapple, peeled, cored, and diced
2 mangoes or papayas (or one of each), seeded, peeled, and diced
1-2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped
1 fresh red chili, chopped
1 red onion, chopped
2 Tbs. sugar
juice of 2 limes
6 Tbs. fresh mint
salt to taste

Directions:

Combine all the ingredients in a nonmetallic bowl.  Cover and let chill until served.

My apologies for the not so fabulous pictures.  I was making it quick so I could serve them warm.  )

You will quickly notice that the pineapple is making an appearance in the next few postings.  Pineapple adds a subtle sweetness to the most savory dishes, and a little goes a long way.  It worked beautifully in my Stuffed Peppers with Pineapple Rice as it did with these delectable pizzas.

I am going to safely assume that these pizzas are incredibly tasty because no sooner did I have them on the platter, they were gone.   Nope, I didn’t get to taste them!   My family downed them in about 5 minutes or so!

If you’re having a get together and want to make something unique and popular without a lot of effort, I suggest trying this recipe out.  They will be ready in minutes – allowing you to mingle with your guests without have to stress about the food.

Petite Prosciutto and Pineapple Pizzas

Source: Party Food, Paragon Publishing, p. 227 – (One of the $5 cookbooks you can find in Barnes and Noble!)

Serves 8

Ingredients:

4 English Muffins
1/2 cup pizza sauce or marinara sauce
2 sun-dried tomatoes in oil, chopped (mine were dry, so I plumped them up in water over night and then tossed them in oil)
2 oz. prosciutto
2 rings fresh or canned pineapple, chopped (Dole has pineapple tidbits that save you from chopping)
1/2 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped (I omitted this)
4.5 oz. mozzarella cheese thinly sliced
olive oil, for drizzling
salt and pepper
fresh basil leaves, to garnish

Directions:

Preheat your broiler to medium.  Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.  Cut the English muffins in half and toast the cut side lightly.

Spread the tomato sauce evenly over the English muffins.  Sprinkle the sun-dried tomatoes on top of the sauce.

Cut the prosciutto into thin strips and place on the muffins with the pineapple and pepper.

Carefully arrange the cheese slices on top.

Drizzle each pizza with a little bit of olive oil and add salt and pepper to taste.

Place under hot broiler and cook until the cheese melts and bubbles.

Garnish with basil and serve immediately.

Well hello wonderful sandwich that is figure friendly, sweet, and simple.  Thank you for being so incredibly satisfying in that roaring belly of mine.  You make me happy, very happy.   I want to have you on my plate every night for the rest of my life.   Would you mind that?

This cute treat was a spectacularly light and satisfying dinner for Jay and me.  Typically this recipe is for a brunch but it worked well for us as night time.  I always have a huge craving for dessert after dinner but this sammie was nice and sweet and satisfied the Sugar Monster that visits me around 8 o’clock every night.  He looks remarkably similar to the big, hairy, orange Hunger Monster on the Weight Watchers commercials.  Sugar Monster doesn’t bother me all day, but as soon as dinner is over he throws Hershey kisses and ice cream sandwiches at my face.  Crazy monster.  Will you ever leave me be?  Probably not – unless, of course, I eat this sandwich for dinner every night.

Speaking of Weight Watchers, this sandwich is only 3 points (per full slice of bread with topping).  I recommend using the Pepperidge Farm Cinnamon Raisin Bread because it is only 80 calories a slice.  )

Hands-on prep was all of 10 minutes and cook time was as long as your toaster takes to make your toast.

If you’re a mom or dad, Mom-Mom or Pop-Pop, you’re (grand)kids will love these!  They can be cut into hearts, stars, or whatever cookie cutter shape you’ve got!  This recipe reminds me so much of my Mom-Mom and Poppy.   I used to go on summer vacation for a week at a time at their house, and they always made me sliced strawberries mixed with sugar.  Mmmmmm…. I love the fond memories.  This takes me back to the 1980s…

I regret that I didn’t have the required raspberries for this recipe, but I definitely added some lime zest for a kick and some contrasting coloring.

Berry and Cream Cheese Open-Face Sandwiches

Source: Weight Watchers All-Time Favorites Cookbook, p. 75

Serves 4

Ingredients:

4 large strawberries, hulled and sliced
1/2 cup raspberries
1 1/2 Tbs. sugar (I used turbinado)
1/2 tsp. grated orange zest
2 tsp. fresh orange juice
4 Tbs. light cream cheese
2 tsp. honey or agave nectar
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
4 slices cinnamon-raisin bread
lime zest for garnish

Directions:

Combine the berries, sugar, orange zest and juice in a small bowl.  Let it sit for 5 minutes (or until sugar dissolves) while stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, combine the cream cheese, honey, and vanilla in another small bowl.

Toast the bread; let cool about 30 seconds.

Spread 1 Tbs. of cream cheese mixture on each slice of bread.  Cut each slice in quarters and top each quarter wtih about 2 tsp. of berry mixture.  Sprinkle with lime zest.  Serve immediately.

So cute!  Enjoy guilt-free!