Ham & Cheese Pastry Cups

Catherine made these for our book club last week and they are divine - so thanks to the Plautz family for the recipe!



















1 (17 1/4 oz) package frozen puff pastry (2 sheets)
1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened
1 cup Swiss cheese
4 ham slices, finely chopped
2 Tbsp dried, chopped chives or 3 Tbsp fresh
1 beaten egg
2 Tbsp Hidden Valley buttermilk ranch dressing powder

Preheat oven to 425 degrees

On a lightly floured surface unfold puff pastry. Cut each rectangle into 30 equal squares. Stretch each square to make 2-3 inch square. Place squares in greased mini muffin pans. Corners will hang over the edge.

Stir together cream cheese, Swiss cheese, ham, chives, egg, and ranch dressing powder until well blended. Spoon about one heaping teaspoon into each pastry cup. Bake for 15-18 minutes until golden brown.

Makes 5 dozen

Pumpkin Spice Cream Cheese Spread

I think this is yummy and simple treat for Autumn!
 

4 oz. cream cheese, softened
3 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
1/4 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a small bowl, beat softened cream cheese, sugar, and syrup til creamy. Add pumpkin, spices and vanilla and beat til smooth, Refrigerate for at least an hour.

When chilled I love to spread it on a toasted bagel.
 

 Enjoy!

Best Banana Bread

Ingredients

• 10 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon butter
• 1 cup mashed ripe bananas (about 2 large bananas)
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 2 large eggs
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
• 2 cups cake flour
• 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup toasted, chopped walnuts (I omitted these)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Lightly grease a 9 1/4 by 5 1/4 by 2 1/2-inch loaf pan with 1 teaspoon of the butter. (I used two silicone loaf pans - ungreased)

Blend the bananas, sour cream, eggs and vanilla in a stand mixer and set aside.

Sift the cake flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt into the bowl of a stand mixer fixed with a whisk attachment. Add the remaining 10 tablespoons butter and mix on medium-low speed until blended, about 30 seconds. Add the banana mixture in 3 batches, scraping the sides of the bowl and mixing on medium speed between each addition. Fold in the nuts.

Pour into the loaf pans. Bake until lightly browned and bread bounces back to the touch, about 1 hour 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool for 10 minutes before turning out onto wire rack to cool completely.

So yummy! We finished the whole loaf that night. Here is my picture:

The Perfect Smoothie

John's last post grossed me out, so I had to post something so I didn't have to look at those creepy pickles anymore!!

This makes 2 servings of the perfect fruit smoothie.

2 c. fresh (or frozen) fruit (we prefer strawberries)
1 c. milk (skim)
1/2 c vanilla yogurt (fat free)
10-12 ice cubes (if you use frozen fruit, leave these out)
...and the secret ingredient....
1/2 small box vanilla pudding (sugar free)
Place everything in blender and blend till smooth. It's delicious!! The pudding makes it a little thicker and more sweet. It's the best!!

Koolickles

A refreshing treat for the summer time, and it doesn't melt all over your hands!

How it's Done!

You pull the pickles from the jar, cut them in halves (or leave them whole), make double-strength Kool-Aid (Cherry is classic or as they say in the south RED Kool-aid), add a pound of sugar, shake and let it sit — best in the refrigerator — for about a week. The taste takes to anything, it's amazing.

Enjoy!

*You can also do this with foods like watermelon rind, green papaya, mango, and even peaches, or any porous fruit you like, try it! That is if you want a more sweet application.