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Archive for the ‘Quick and Easy’ Category

Easy Cheese Danish

Posted in Breakfast, Danish, Dessert, Pastry, Quick and Easy, tagged , , , , , , on October 3, 2011| 9 Comments »

Easy Cheese Danish

Easy Cheese Danish

I saw Ina make these cheese Danish on Barefoot Contessa. They are easy, quick and very delicious. What’s not to like? They are wonderful served warm as well as the following day at room temperature. After the pastries are filled and folded, Ina tells you to refrigerate the pastries for 15 minutes before baking…which I failed to do. 😦 So the first four pastries I baked opened up during baking, not a pretty site (still tasted fantastic though). The next four I put in the refrigerator, as instructed, and these pastries stayed folded after baking. So I can only guess that the refrigeration of the pastries is an important step to keep the folded pastries closed during baking. I’ll remember this for next time 🙂

Ingredients:

2 sheets puff pastry (1 box)

8 oz cream cheese, at room temperature

1/3 cup sugar

2 extra-large egg yolks, at room temperature

2 tbsp ricotta cheese

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1/4 tsp kosher salt

zest from 1 small lemon

1 egg, beaten, for egg wash

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line two baking pans with parchment paper.

Mix together cream cheese and sugar with an electrical mixer on low-speed. With the mixer still on low, add egg yolks, ricotta cheese, vanilla, salt and lemon zest, mix just until smooth. Place in refrigerator for 1 hour.

Unfold 1 sheet of puff pastry onto a lightly floured surface. If needed, roll it to a 10 x 10 inch square. Cut pastry into 4 smaller squares. Brush borders of each square with egg wash and then place a heaping tablespoon of cream cheese filling in the centers. Fold one corner gently over the filling, brush this corner with egg wash. Fold the opposing second corner over the first corner allowing the egg wash to seal the two corners together. Finish brushing the top of pastry with egg wash. Repeat with the second sheet of puff pastry. Makes a total of 8 pastries.

Using a spatula, place pastries on baking pans and refrigerate for 15 minutes. Then bake pastries for about 20 minutes until golden brown. Enjoy!

Cheese Danish

Source: Barefoot Contessa

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Kaja’s Corn Salad (borrowed from Henriette)

Posted in Appetizers, Lunch, Quick and Easy, Salad, Side dish, tagged , , , , , , , , on September 12, 2011| 3 Comments »

Kaja's Corn Salad

My Danish friend Kaja served this wonderful salad for our last get-together, which she in turn got from my other Danish friend Henriette. It is simple, refreshing and good for you. Kaja served it with walnuts which was very delicious but my favorite kinda nut is pine nuts and so I choose pine for this presentation. The raspberry walnut vinaigrette adds a perfect finishing touch.  I hope you enjoy this salad as much as I do.

Kaja's Corn Salad

Ingredients:

1 cup frozen corn

1 cup frozen peas

1 cup red bell pepper, diced

1 cup cucumber, diced

3/4 cup dried cranberries

Pine Nuts for topping

Ken’s Lite Raspberry Walnut Vinaigrette

Directions:

Dice red bell pepper and cucumber to size of corn kernels. Mix together corn, peas, bell pepper, cucumber and cranberries. Drizzle with Raspberry vinaigrette and top with pine nuts. Enjoy!

Source: slightly adapted from Kaja Mosley

Salad in the making

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Pasta Salad with Sun-dried Tomatoes

Posted in Appetizers, pasta, Quick and Easy, Salad, Side dish, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , on August 15, 2011| 15 Comments »

Pasta Salad with sun-dried tomatoes

I was looking for a good Pasta Salad to serve for the “BurleyMen Club” 🙂 aka Artist Blacksmith Group of Tidewater for their monthly meeting held at Gentile Forge. I came across this Pasta Salad and thought it sounded super delicious. Sun-dried tomatoes and Kalamate olives, what a winning combination. And it was delicious!….but….I’m now thinking that it might have been the wrong type of food to serve for all those MEN. Don’t get me wrong, they liked it, but the wrong type of food nonetheless. The sun-dried tomatoes may have been too refined, too delicate and too modern. This Pasta Salad would fit-in much better at my work with all the GIRLS there. I’ll try it out there for our next potluck.

Sun-dried Tomato Dressing

If your not able to find pitted olives use a Cherry Pitter, it works great. 

Pasta Salad

Ingredients:

Dressing:

7 oz Sun-dried Tomatoes in oil, drained

2 small or 1 large Garlic Clove

3 tbsp Red Wine Vinegar

1 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Salt and Pepper to taste

Salad:

8 oz Spiral Pasta

20 Kalamata Olives (a good handful), sliced or chopped

1 pint Cherry Tomatoes, cut in halves

10 Basil leaves, julienned

1 1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese, grated

Directions:

In a food processor combine sun-dried tomatoes (drained), garlic, red wine vinegar and salt and pepper. Start the food processor and add the olive oil in a steady stream. Continue blending until a homogeneous mass. Store in an airtight container for 1-3 hours or preferably until the following day to allow flavors to marry. Note: this dressing recipe makes enough for 2 pasta salads.

Cook pasta in salted water until desired consistency, rinse under cold running water and drain. Add about 1/4 of dressing to pasta and stir. Add cherry tomatoes, olives, Basil and about 2/3 cup Parmesan, stir gently. Continue to add more dressing and Parmesan cheese to your liking. Note: reserve a small amount of Parmesan for topping. Enjoy.

Source: adapted from Barefoot Contessa

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Rabarber Koldskål – Rhubarb Koldskål

Posted in Breakfast, Danish, Dessert, Quick and Easy, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , on May 22, 2011| 5 Comments »

Rabarber Koldskål

I know what you’re thinking, and your right. It’s time for Koldskål! The days are longer and the temperatures are rising and Koldskål is just such a perfect dish for summer evenings. This version is made with rhubarb which makes it a little more tart but you can always add more sugar if you like. I like the tang though. I also chose to used Greek yogurt which made it a little thicker, yet it turned out with a wonderful “airy” consistency which I really enjoyed. When ready to serve make sure you serve it very cold and with your favorite topping. I hope you enjoy this Danish summer dish.

Koldskål – 3 servings

Ingredients:

2 cups buttermilk

1 cup Greek plain non-fat yogurt

4 tablespoons sugar

Rhubarb Compote:

1 1/2 large Rhubarbs

4 tbsp sugar (50g)

1/2 vanilla bean

1/2 cup cold water (1 dl)

Topping:

Kammerjunkere – delicious cookies typically served with Koldskål

Direction:

Beat buttermilk, yogurt and sugar together. Cover and place in refrigerator.

Meanwhile, clean and cut rhubarbs into 2 inch slices and place in small cooking pot. Add sugar, seeds plus vanilla bean and water. Simmer covered for 15 minutes, uncover, turn off heat and let stand another 5 minutes. Remove vanilla bean ,place in blender and blend until smooth. Allow to cool before whipping it into the Koldskål. Place back in refrigerator until ready to serve. Add your favorite topping. Enjoy.

Rabarber Koldskål med Kammerjunkere

Adapted from: Det Søde Liv

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Tortellini Soup

Posted in Comfort food, Italien, Lunch, Main course, Quick and Easy, Soup, tagged , , , , , on March 7, 2011| 5 Comments »

Tortellini Soup

I was searching high and low for something to make for dinner when I came across this recipe. It’s a wonderful Tortellini soup that is so quick and easy to make, perfect for when you get home from work and you’re too tired to make anything that requires any complex thinking. The ingredients are simple and you probably already have most of them on hand. I used a three cheese tortellini which brought a wonderful subtle cheese flavor into the soup but any type of tortellini would do great. An added bonus is that the soup also is perfect for left-over lunch the next day 🙂 

Ingredients:

olive oil

1/2 cup onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1 (15 oz) can diced tomatoes, with juices

4 cups low-sodium vegetable or chicken stock

9 oz. tortellini

3 cups fresh baby spinach, loosely packed

salt and pepper, to taste

Parmesano reggiano, grated for serving

Directions:

In a large pot heat olive oil to medium-high heat. Add onions and cook until translucent. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Mix in dried oregano and diced tomatoes. Add the stock and bring to a simmer. Season with salt and pepper. Add tortellini and cook according to package directions. When tortellini is cooked, add baby spinach and remove from heat. Once the spinach has wilted, 1 to 2 minutes, serve warm with grated Parmesano reggiano cheese. Enjoy.

Source: originally from The Well-Fed Newlyweds via Annie’s Eats

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Koldskål

Posted in Breakfast, Danish, Dessert, Quick and Easy, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , on June 25, 2010| 21 Comments »

Danish Koldskål

Danish Koldskål

This is a traditional Danish dish served in the summertime. I recall having this either as a dessert, breakfast or even as a light dinner on a warm summer evening. I don’t think my husband and son would easily accept this as a dinner dish…. what, where is the meat 🙂 ….but I actually think this makes a perfect dinner because it’s so refreshing and light, especially in 90 degree weather. Some make this with eggs but I prefer to leave them out. You can also add vanilla sugar and lemon for added flavor. Buttermilk has a tangy flavor which is offset by the sugar. It has high levels of lactic acid which makes it’s easily digested and increases the absorption of calcium. Serve this refreshing dish cold with your choice of topping.

Koldskål ingredients

Koldskål ingredients

Koldskål – 3 servings

Ingredients:

2 cups buttermilk

1 cup plain nonfat yogurt

3 – 4 tablespoons sugar

Directions:

Whip buttermilk, yogurt and sugar together. Serve very cold with a topping of your choice.

Toppings:

Kammerjunker – sweet cookies typically served with Koldskål

fresh fruit (sliced strawberries, raspberries, peaches)

biscotti

toasted oatmeal (toast on pan; 1/2 cup oatmeal, 1-2 tbsp butter, sliced almonds or hazelnuts, careful not to burn)

tvebakker – twice baked cookies popular during WWII

Koldskål

Koldskål

Source: My Danish Kitchen

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