Blueberry Cream Cheese Danish

Blueberry Cream Cheese Danish

This breakfast is where heaven meets earth. Nothing beats this buttery flaky pastry with rich cream cheese filling and fresh blueberries. This really must be what heaven is like. These danishes would be fantastic for serving to guests for breakfast or brunch.

Blueberry Cream Cheese Danish

(Makes 4 pastries)

1 sheet of frozen puff pastry dough, cut into 4 squares
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons flour
1 cup fresh blueberries (or any berry of your choice)

Icing:

1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon milk

Set out 1 sheet of frozen puff pastry dough, cut into 4 even squares. Place the squares on a greased cookie sheet to defrost 40 minutes prior to baking. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Cream together cream cheese and sugar, then add the flour and vanilla & mix thoroughly. Portion out the cream cheese filling onto the four pastry squares and spread the cream cheese out into a level circle. Place a handful of blueberries onto each cream cheese & fold up two of the outside corners. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until puff pastry dough is golden brown. Let pastries cool and whisk together the icing ingredients, ensuring no lumps of powdered sugar (icing will be runny). Once pastries are room temperature, drizzle with the icing.

The original recipe can be found at Vision of Sugar-Plums. I modified it ever so slightly. Natalie did a great job of putting together that cream cheese filling recipe-fantastic!

Unfold 1 sheet of frozen puff pastry dough, and cut into 4 sheets.  Arrange the four squares on a greased cookie sheet to defrost (approximately 40 minutes before baking-according to the package).

While the puff pastry dough squares are defrosting, cream together the cream cheese and sugar, then add the flour and vanilla & mix thoroughly. (I used light cream cheese and it tasted great!)

After the cream cheese filling is all mixed together, portion out the filling onto the center of the pastry squares.

Use a knife to gently spread out the cream cheese filling, leveling it out to make a home for the blueberries. Not pushing the filling too far out to the edges where it would fall off the pastry and burn.

Like so.

Add a handful of fresh blueberries!

Fold up two opposite corners of the pastry.

Take care when folding up the portion of the pastry sheet that has the seam as that point is slightly weak & it could tear.

Bake at 400 degrees F for approximately 20 minutes. Puff pastry should be slightly golden in color throughout when done.

In a small bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup powdered sugar with 1 Tablespoon milk. Make sure there are no lumps of powdered sugar. The icing will be runny. Once the pastries have cooled, drizzle them with the icing.

Make sure to take the time to let the pastries cool to room temperature before drizzling with the icing or it will soak into the pastry, and it will not be as presentable. The icing is such a great addition to the creamy filling and fresh blueberries, it compliments the blueberries & adds a bit of sweetness to compensate for some of the berries that may be more tart since they are fresh.

 

Enjoy a little piece of heaven!

Per Danish: Puff Pastry: 8 WW points for 1/4 of a sheet; Cream Cheese Filling: 6 WW points (Made with light cream cheese); Icing: 2 WW points.

Total of 16 WW points per Danish, so I would recommend only eating half and saving the rest for another day!

Blueberry Banana Buttermilk Muffins

Blueberry Banana Buttermilk Muffins

(Makes approximately 24 muffins)

1 teaspoon vanilla

½ cup shortening

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

2 cups flour

½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

¾ teaspoon baking soda

¼ cup buttermilk

1 cup mashed bananas (approximately 2 ripened bananas)

1 cup blueberries

Mix ingredients together and spoon into cupcake liners.  Fill liners about half to three/fourths full.  Bake at 350 degrees F for 25 minutes.

Cream together the shortening and sugar.

Add the eggs and vanilla.

Add the mashed bananas & mix.

Just a quick tip: When you have bananas that are past their prime, but don’t necessarily want to make banana bread or muffins at the time, just peel the banana and put the banana in a Ziploc bag in the freezer. Some people like to store the bananas in the freezer, but they don’t peel them ahead of time-this causes an unnecessary struggle when you actually want to use them & you can lose some of the liquid that you need!

Add the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda & the buttermilk powder (if using dry buttermilk).

Supplies!

Mix & add 1/4 cup water (if using dry buttermilk) or add the liquid buttermilk at this time.

Now add the blueberries! Note: Use a spatula to mix in the blueberries so as not to smash them.

Fill the cupcake liners about 3/4 full.

Bake for approximately 25 minutes at 350 degrees F. Use a toothpick to test for doneness-should come out “clean” with no residue on the toothpick when you pull it out.

Fresh out of the oven.

Take a bite!

86 WW points/24 muffins=4 WW points per muffin

 

Italian Sausage Bread

This breakfast is sure to be a family favorite. The hearty sausage combines with the Italian seasoning, mozzarella cheese and bread to create a hand crafted artisan experience. This bread is a favorite among adults and children, and has only four ingredients so it is easy to assemble! 

YUM!

(Makes 2 loaves)

2 loaves Rhodes frozen bread dough

1 tube Rice’s brand Italian sausage

16 oz. of shredded mozzarella cheese (approx)

Let bread rise, covered, overnight on a greased cookie sheet. In the morning, roll each loaf out flat, as if making cinnamon rolls. Brown sausage, drain grease.  Sprinkle sausage evenly over dough.  Layer with shredded mozzarella cheese.  Roll up the dough, as if making cinnamon rolls, seal ends and long seam-place seam on the bottom of the roll when placing on a cookie sheet to bake.  Bake on greased cookie sheet at 350-375 degrees F for 20-25 minutes.  Once removed from oven, rub a stick of butter over the top and sides of each loaf to keep it soft. Slice loaf into 1 inch pieces and enjoy!

(FYI, I made one loaf of Italian Sausage Bread in the tutorial below. Repeat the same process if making 2 loaves.)

Let frozen bread dough rise overnight on a greased cookie sheet (helps make it mobile so it frees up your counter space). Cover with plastic wrap or clean dish towel to rise.

Note: The dough will continue to rise until it is rolled out. Consider this, and wait until you are going to bed to set out the bread dough to rise, so it only rises about 8 hours. If it is longer than that, it will just rise higher, but it is not a problem-just roll with it!

First step, brown your sausage to get it ready so it can cool a bit before you use you sprinkle it over the dough. The recipe calls for Rice’s Italian Sausage (it is best with this brand & it’s sometimes found in the freezer section) however, it is not available in all places-including where I live now. Therefore, I purchased 1 tube of Jimmy Dean’s Hot Pork Sausage and added Italian seasoning to it, which works just fine.

Brown the sausage on medium heat. (Yes, my kitchen is full of pink kitchen gadgets since its my favorite color. My husband loves that! 😉 )

Drain the grease.

Tip: Take the pan off the heat and turn the burner off. Tip the pan (like previous image) to separate the grease from the sausage and use paper towels to mop up the grease. Careful, grease will be hot. If too hot, set dirty rags in sink to cool and dispose in vented garbage can later, otherwise it could melt your thin plastic trash sack.

If using Hot Sausage, like I did. Add 1 Tablespoon + 1 teaspoon (or 2) of Italian seasoning to the sausage.

Let the sausage sit a minute while you prepare your counter to roll out the dough…

Flour your counter to prepare for rolling out the risen dough.

Lightly and evenly sprinkle flour on your counter, just enough to keep the dough from sticking to your counter. I like to flip the dough onto the floured counter top so that the bottom (part touching the cookie sheet) is on top (facing up) because I think the risen side has a nicer texture and look to become the top of the finished loaf. This also allows me to add a little flour to the raw side to keep it from sticking to my rolling pin. (Note: If you do not have a rolling pin, you may use a bottle of wine, etc. to roll out the dough. No judgement here!)

Begin rolling out the dough (like cinnamon rolls).

The dough rolled flat and ready for toppings!

Sprinkle 1/2 lb of the browned sausage over the dough.

Top with about 1 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese.

Roll up into a long roll.

Poke in the ends to keep the good stuff from spilling out the sides.

If your dough isn’t sealing to the outside to create a seam, use toothpicks to “sew” it shut, just remember to remove them before cutting into pieces later.

Bake on greased cookie sheet at 350-375 degrees F for 20-25 minutes. Fresh out of the oven. Good time to remove those toothpicks if you used them.

Butter the outside to keep it soft. (Tip: Great way to use small remnants of stick butter in your fridge.)

All buttered up. 🙂

Slice into 15 pieces plus the 2 ends.

Since I made one Sausage Bread this time, I will save the remaining browned sausage in the freezer for another time.

Store the cut slices in the fridge in a gallon size Ziploc bag. When re-heating the slices in the microwave, wrap in a paper towel and heat each slice for about 30 seconds.

YUM!

59 WW points/15 slices=4 WW points per 1” sliced piece

Cinnamon Butterscotch Bubble Bread

Perfection.

This is my #1, all time, absolute FAVORITE breakfast in the whole wide world! This is the breakfast I wanted for every birthday! My mom would prepare everything for this dish the night before so it could rise over night. Then she would bake it in the morning. I would always have this and a Strawberry Breeze flavored Julius drink for breakfast on my birthday.

Cinnamon Butterscotch Bubble Bread

24 frozen Rhodes Dinner Rolls

1 (3 oz.) pkg. butterscotch pudding mix (Cook & Serve kind ONLY, Instant does not work!)

1 cup brown sugar (packed)

1 teaspoon cinnamon

½ to ¾ cup chopped pecans (optional)

1 stick butter or margarine

Grease a bundt cake pan with cooking spray.  Place the 24 frozen rolls evenly in the pan.  Blend pudding mix, brown sugar, cinnamon and nuts (optional) in a medium bowl. Scatter over the frozen rolls (it will sift down between the rolls as they thaw and rise).  Cut butter or margarine into slices and arrange over top of the frozen rolls.  Cover pan with a kitchen dish towel and let rise on the counter at room temperature overnight.  Next morning, preheat oven to 350 degrees F and bake in center of oven for 35 minutes.  Cover with foil part way through if rolls start to brown on top. Test rolls on the bottom of the pan with a fork to ensure completely cooked through before removing from oven. Remove from oven and turn upside down onto a foil lined cookie sheet, removing the Bubble Bread from the pan.

Grease a bundt cake pan with cooking spray.

Place 24 frozen Rhodes Dinner Rolls in the greased pan & set aside.

Whisk together the pudding mix, packed brown sugar and 1 teaspoon of cinnamon (Yes, just 1 teaspoon-I promise, its enough).

Mix thoroughly until well blended.

Pour the mixture over the rolls.

Take a stick of butter…

and chop it into pieces.

Layer the butter pieces on top of the rolls & the dry pudding mixture.

Cover with a kitchen dish towel and let rise. Note: The bread will keep rising and getting larger. Therefore, it is usually best to make it right before bed, so it only rises about 8 hours max. If it exceeds the pan after rising, just poke it back in and bake, not a problem!

The next morning, preheat oven to 350 degrees F and bake in the center of oven for 35 minutes.  (Tip: Consider the pan height before preheating your oven, you may need to move a rack down a notch, or actually take a rack out. Also, if your dough rose to exceed your pan, you may consider placing a foil lined cookie tray below it to catch any caramel drips that may overflow-saves it from becoming a burnt mess on the bottom of your oven) Cover with foil part way through baking if rolls start to brown on top. Rotate pan in oven to brown evenly. 

Covered with foil for a few more minutes of cooking.

Test rolls on the bottom of the pan with a fork to ensure completely cooked through before removing from oven.

Poke a fork along the edge to get down to the bottom layer to test the bread for doneness. If not done, and top is starting to brown, cover with aluminum foil and put back in the oven.

A tasty morsel from the inside. 🙂

Remove from oven, and loosen the edges of the rolls from the sides and center of pan with a fork or knife. Carefully, (using hot mits) turn the pan upside down onto a foil lined cookie sheet, removing the Bubble Bread from the pan.

After coming out of the oven, loosen edges of rolls from sides and center of pan and immediately flip onto a foil lined pan.

Perfection.

Life is messy. Think of it as art…then immediately soak with hot water & dish soap.

After the meal, wrap up the left overs in the tin foil from the foil lined tray and use the foil used to protect it in the oven to cover the top. No waste, easy clean-up!

Total recipe points=121; 2 rolls per serving=10 WW points OR 1 roll per serving=5 WW points

Quiche

Ham, Mushroom & Spinach Quiche

I love quiche! Quiche was always a special treat growing up! It seemed to be a go-to breakfast food whenever we had company over. It is so quick and easy to make, but it tastes like you slaved away in the kitchen for hours! And the great thing about it is that it is customize-able to the tastes and likings of your guests.

For example, you could do half the quiche with the spinach, and half without. Or you could throw in other ingredients, use different cheeses, etc. Your imagination, and the size of the crust is your limit!

Quiche

(Make recipe twice for 2 pies)

9” deep dish unbaked pie shell

2 pieces of Swiss cheese (7×4 inches)

½ cup chopped spinach

½ cup sliced mushrooms

1 cans tender chunk ham (or deli ham slices)

3 eggs (beaten)

1 cup half & half

2 teaspoon flour

½ teaspoon salt

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese (or more)

Place the Swiss cheese flat on the bottom of the pie crust.  Layer with spinach, mushrooms and meat (If using canned ham-drain and separate the meat into little chunks and layer; if using deli ham, shred into little pieces and layer).  Mix next 4 ingredients in a bowl, whisking thoroughly until smooth (no lumps).  Pour into pie shell.  Sprinkle with cheddar cheese.  Bake at 350 degrees F for 40-45 minutes.

As the recipe says, you can double it and make two at the same time. This is what I do since the pie crust comes in two and the half and half comes in 2 cups, and I just love it! 🙂 It is important to place a pan underneath the two crusts as sometimes it can bubble up and over the edge while baking. This actually happened when I made it this time, so I was glad I had the pan there saving me from a mess in my oven!

Two 9″ pre-made unbaked frozen pie crusts. I use the Walmart Great Value brand.

Layer the bottom with cheese.

You can use provolone, baby swiss, swiss, etc. here. I know all of those taste great since I have used them at some point. I used baby swiss cheese this time, since that’s what I had.

Layer it on the bottom, like so. It helps to keep the bottom crust from getting soggy.

Now you layer in the spinach. I use frozen, and its okay if its still frozen when you put it in the quiche, just make sure there aren’t big clumps of it-if so, break it up into smaller pieces and spread evenly.

Add bits of frozen spinach.

The next layer is mushrooms (if you like them, if not-layer with something else, or double meat, etc.) A neat trick for quickly slicing mushrooms is to use an egg slicer to quickly slice them into pieces. (I have found with fresh mushrooms it is best to wash them right after I buy them and then slice them and store them in a bowl or Ziploc in the fridge. This makes them much more convenient to use for making eggs, salads, etc. Mushrooms are a great source of Vitamin D.

Trick for cutting up mushrooms (use an egg slicer).

Spread the pieces over the spinach layer.

Tear up some deli ham or use canned ham for the next layer.

Set those aside for a moment and …

Crack 3 eggs into a medium bowl.

Beat the eggs.

Add 1 cup of half & half and mix. Then add the 2 teaspoons of flour & whisk thoroughly until smooth (eliminate any flour clumps).

Pour over the layers in 1 crust and repeat the steps for the liquid in the other crust.

Layer with cheese, a thin layer just to finely cover the top. (And yep, I know this picture is kind of fuzzy, I accidentally deleted the good one instead-I call it “Cheese Mayhem” 🙂 )

You can use any cheese you have in your fridge here (I typically use Colby Jack) I also had a bunch of cheddar cheese that I used this time.

Carefully put in the oven and bake at 350 degrees F for 40-45 minutes, turning the pan after 20 minutes to brown evenly. Test with a toothpick or knife to check for doneness. Let stand to set before serving. Tastes great reheated as well.

Baking perfection!

Total Weight Watchers points for 1 Whole Quiche=53 WW Points/8 slices=6.6, so you round up.

7 WW points per serving (1/8 of the Quiche)

Healthy Breakfast Egg McMuffin Sandwich

When starting Weight Watchers, I knew that it would be important to start the day out right with some protein for breakfast. I was used to eating scrambled eggs and salsa, but I wanted to include a few whole wheat carbs for energy. Therefore, I created this little delight which is only 5 WW points!

Healthy Breakfast Egg McMuffin Sandwich: 

Whole Wheat English muffin=3 points

1 slice Weight Watcher’s brand cheese singles (low fat)=1 point

1 egg white (with salt & pepper)=0 points

5 slices deli ham=1 point

1 teaspoon light Miracle Whip=0 points

First I toast the English muffin in the toaster and get to work on frying the egg white (sprinkle with salt and pepper to flavor). Then I take 5 slices of deli ham ( I like to use the Great Value kind, because 1) its $2.50 for a package, and 2) the slices come in nice circles, perfect for this breakfast sandwich) and brown it on both sides in a stack in the same skillet as I cooked the egg white. This really adds a lot of nice flavor to the ham, and brings out the sugars. When the English muffin is done toasting, I put 1/2 Tbsp of mayo on the bottom layer, then I lay the egg white on top, then my browned ham. Then I carefully open my WW cheese single and set that on top, then I place it on a baking sheet and broil it for about 30 seconds to a minute in the oven to melt the cheese, and make it bubbly. Then I take it out and toss the top of the English muffin on the top of my sandwich & enjoy! Best 5 points you’ll have all day! (Unless you have dessert! 🙂 )

Heat greased pan on medium heat.

Crack egg & separate the yolk from the egg white.

Add a little salt and pepper and cook the egg white.

Brown 5 slices of ham in a stack in the same pan after done cooking the egg white.

Browning well under way!

Put 1 tsp light Miracle Whip on the toasted whole wheat English muffin. (I like to put it on the bottom bun.)

Stack the bottom layer with the egg white, then the ham.

Layer with 1 Weight Watcher’s cheese single (carefully removed from wrapper).

Broil in the oven for about 30 seconds until cheese is melty. Tip: Can use foil lined pan for easy clean up.

Remove from oven and top the sandwich with the other side of the English muffin.

Take a bite & enjoy! 🙂

5 WW points for 1 breakfast sandwich