Easiest Soup Ever 1,2,3 GO!

Happy Snow Day to all you east coasters! We have a beautiful blanket of snow here in Virginia. And what does that mean for me? SNOW DAY! A few inches of snow mean an unexpected and much welcome day off. I'm excited to have the extra day to plan for my weekend visitor, yay Tara! I will be researching what's going on in the area to entertain my guest for the next few days. Any ideas?? Let me know!

So, what defines a snow day more than a warm and comforting soup for lunch?! Nothing. This will literally be the easiest soup you ever throw together. You can thank me later. It's warm and comforting and I guarantee almost everyone will love it. It is slightly reminiscent of early spring. While I enjoy the view of the crisp white snow, I will dream
of early spring when the crocuses start to pop up from the frozen ground.

Easy Pea Soup
3 boxes of frozen peas
4 scallions, white part only minced
1 tbsp. unsalted butter
1 15 oz. can of low sodium Chicken Broth
2 cups water
Salt and Pepper to taste

In a large pot, melt butter and add scallions. Sauté for 2-3 minutes then add peas, broth, and water. Allow to come to a boil then turn down the heat to simmer for approximately 5 minutes. Let mixture cool slightly. Then with an immersion blender, blend until desired consistency is reached. You may need to add a little water if you prefer a thinner soup. Finish with a little french sea salt and serve with warm cheesy toast. Savor the easiest soup you'll ever make.

Feel free to substitute the chicken broth for vegetable broth to make it vegetarian. A nice addition would be a few sprigs of mint to really kick up the feel of spring. I hope you all stay safe and enjoy the beautiful winter day. After digging my car out of the snow, I will be curling up later with a warm cup of tea and cheering on Team USA. I'm loving the Olympics!

Cherry Cheese Danishes

It's February, which means most people have abandoned their new year's resolutions and Valentine's Day is around the corner. I talked a lot about my goals and wishes for the new year in my last post but I didn't lay them out. One of my goals is to whittle down my credit card debt. And so far, I have been sticking to my guns. Part of that means I need to be much more frugal with my entertainment and food budget. You would really be surprised how much one person can spend on food in a month. Seriously, it's a lot! So I'm trying to be creative with the contents of my pantry and really try to use as much of it as I can. As I survey the contents, what is staring straight back at me but a can of light cherry pie filling. Now why may you ask is that in my pantry?? I'm not particularly fond of cherry pie and it's not an ingredient I use often. I had purchased it to use in my grandmother's holiday squares recipe but opted for a can of blueberry pie filling instead. So what to do with the filling?? After a few minutes on Pinterest the idea of a cherry cheese danish came to mind. This is a super easy and semi-homemade recipe.  

 With very little effort you will have the perfect Valentine's Day good morning treat.

Cherry Cheese Danishes

1 tube crescent rolls

1/2 block (4 oz.) of softened light cream cheese

1 Tbsp. sugar

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 tsp. lemon juice 

1/2 can light cherry pie filling (reduced sugar) 

egg wash (1 egg whisked with 2 tbsp. water for brushing) 

Preheat oven to 375 degree oven or follow directions on tube of rolls. On a parchment paper lined cookie sheet unroll and separate crescent rolls. In a small bowl, combine cream cheese, sugar, vanilla extract, and lemon juice. Using a small spatula, spread cheese mixture evenly over the crescent rolls until completely used up. At the wide end of the roll, place about 1 heaping tsp. of cherry filling. Continue with the rest of the rolls. Holding the wide end of the roll, take the narrow end over top the filling and around. Note: this will not seal the filling in, you will still see some cherry filling on each side. Brush assembled danishes with egg wash. Bake for 12-14 minutes or until danishes are golden brown. 

I hope you all are off to enjoy the Superbowl! Go Seahawks!! Don't forget to follow my blog if you like what you see!