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Time to Decide; Nature is Giving Me a Nudge

How hard is it for you to make decisions?  From choosing a pair of shoes to where to go on vacation; from "What's for dinner?" to a new pocketbook- the choices from big to small are just part of everyday living.  Thank goodness most decisions aren't the earth shattering, "Will I regret this?" ones.

I grew up having most of my path laid out in front of me.  I can tell you this is not the way to live and learn.  So I procrastinate and put off decisions even when my "gut instinct" tells me the right one to choose.  Sometimes backtracking is obtainable, but mostly a decision is a decision that can't be reversed.  From a bad choice comes life lessons and a new decision is made, but 20/20 rear view living is not smart or satisfying.

abstract acrylic canes and leaves
Abstract Acrylic
New End Studio 
If you're still with me, I have come to the conclusion that it's time "I made a Decision to Make a Decision!"  Can't get clearer than mud there.  Trying to go with my gut, checking out the experts, getting good advice and then stepping off into the mostly unknown.  Sort of like sky diving or bungee jumping might feel, all the anticipation and excitement wipes out the worry once you can't retract yourself from letting yourself go into the wide unsupported spaces, where only a rope and a parachute are your bosom companions.  Step out and then laugh, scream, and enjoy yourself.

Maybe it's the weather with all the wildlife in my neighborhood, you know, the birds, squirrels, chipmunks, bees, and other bugs all doing their thing- getting on with life and preparing to make some new lives, too, which are influencing me.  They live moment by moment, prepare a nest, gather the food, and do the best that they can.  So why shouldn't we all?  All, being me and you and any other worriers or procrastinators who may be reading this.    

I thought winter was the optimum time to draw within, observe, and think long on making choices, but the warm weather is nagging me with all the scents and noises saying it's, "Now or Never" to get on with IT.  We never know how short or long our lives will be.  

Thanks for reading this far.  Enjoy the summer (Northern Hemisphere people) and I hope the cooler weather people are having a beautiful change of seasons.

This is mostly about Faux Danish, and You can eat it, too

lemon danish crescent roll cakeWho's up for a quick Faux Danish recipe?

Ingredients:

  • One can of refrigerated Crescent rolls.
  • Cream Cheese or Neuchaftel (Low Fat Cream Cheese)  8 ounce package
  • Table Sugar and/or 10X Powdered Sugar
  • Fresh Lemon Wedge 
  • Cinnamon 
  • Chopped Walnuts or other topping you desire



Get to work:

Preheat the oven to the temp stated on the can label.

Have the Cheese at room temperature (in this summer heat it varies) but cheese should be pliable and not stiff. You could soften it in the microwave, just don't heat it up.

For one can of Crescent rolls I used 1/4 to 1/3 of the package of cheese.  Save the rest for something else or use more cheese if you want them to be heavy and gooey.  Your preference.

In a bowl:  Combine the Cheese, Juice of the Lemon wedge, and about 4 heaping tabletop (cutlery flatware) Tablespoons. I did not use a measuring spoon.  If you want to be more precise, use a little less than 1/4 cup of Table Sugar (granulated).

Blend well.

quick and easy home made danishOn a baking sheet, no need to grease it, place two crescent rolls long sides together, so they form a rectangle.  Squish the dough together where the two rolls are aligned.   Repeat until you have 4 rectangles of dough.  A package of 8 crescent rolls will make 4 Faux Danish.

Lightly sprinkle Cinnamon on the dough.   If you want to add nuts to the dough do this now or just sprinkle them on top once the crescents are shaped.

Start at the short side of the dough rectangle and roll it like a log.  Once you get to the end of the dough, bring the two sides together and squish them so they meet and hold their shape.  Stretch the little Faux Danish shape a bit and make a crater in the center with your palm or fingers.  The dough might shrink back so show it you're in charge and make it stay the way you want it to.  Down boy!

Take a spoonful of the cheese mixture and place it into the crater you just made.  Sprinkle some nuts onto the cheese if you like.

Bake according to the label, about 14 minutes.  Once cool add a drizzle of icing, or if you want a glazed danish, drizzle on the icing while they are still warm as it will melt and cover the roll.

I experimented with these a few times.  Sometimes I used 10X Sugar which made the filling very light and fluffy which made them taste better the day after because the filling firmed up in the fridge.  I also went part table sugar and part 10X, I thought this had the best flavor.

Another variation was to make the Danish with some fruit spread (sugar-free jam) and the cheese.  I also used fruit. Finally, I used refrigerated non-flaky round biscuits in the tube.   I thought dough in a tube would have the same flavor, but the tastes were not exactly the same.  For the round biscuits I made more filling as there were 8 biscuits.  I just baked them the same way, stretching the dough a bit and made a crater for the filling.

refrigerated crescents turned into home made danish treatsIf you have extra cheese mixture left over, you can keep it in the fridge and use another time or in other ways. Probably be safe to keep for 3-5 days?
  
For the drizzled icing I just used about 4 heaping tabletop Tablespoons of 10X and added a teensy bit of room temperature milk.

Cold milk makes the 10X lumpy and it's easier to not battle the little lumps.  Sometimes along with the milk I add clear color Vanilla Extract.  10X needs a small amount of liquid in case you aren't familiar with it.

This week I don't want to use the oven too often due to the summer temps.  Luckily I had a Lemon Ginger Honey Tea Cake already baked.  I've also used the slow cooker a few times.  Slow cooked chicken falls right off the bones and made many meals- chicken noodle soup, chicken and rice, chicken with fresh spinach and noodles, chicken sandwiches, and oh, all those tidbits for Lucy.

Have a great weekend and try to stay cool, use sunscreen!
 


It Hasn't Just Been All Tea and Chocolate Around Here

Tea!  Chocolate!  No, there have been Green Smoothies full of healthy veg and fruit, too.  Ah, well.
It's been about a month since I showed myself here on the blog and it was busy times with sickness, to boot. Feeling better now and so is the other party who had me a little worried.

I was hoping that the kidnapped Nigerian girls would have been rescued and reunited with their families by now, but it hasn't happened.  All the hashtags and blogging haven't made any difference, at least not yet. With a hopeful heart, I will continue to keep good thoughts and prayers for the girls.  May their suffering soon be over.

Three am this morning I was busy making a birthday cake, my icing skills not the best, but the taste made up for the lack of curly swirlings.

Friday the 13th has turned out to be quite a nice day so far.  The weather is gorgeous after the humidity of the morning and the birds are so loud I wanted to tell them to Button Up about 5am. Sometimes it feels a privilege to listen to their songs.

Have a safe and wonderful weekend.  Get up to something fun!