Food & Drink

Grab and Go Salads

February 6, 2021

This post is sponsored by Samsung. Thank you for supporting the brands that help make this blog possible.

A new year always motivates me to have a little more organization and routine in my life. We’ve been working through The Month of Minimizing, where we daily tackle one area of our home that could use a little less “stuff” and a little more organizing. When we hit day 6 and cleaned out and organize the fridge, I realized again how spacious and organized my  Samsung Family Hub ™ refrigerator already was. Last year we upgraded to this fridge and we gained over 10% more space. Fridge organization is my happy place. 10% more interior space is a big deal when EVERYONE is home all the time and we are cooking and eating EVERY meal at home. With fatigue from cooking so many meals, I decided I had space to stock my fridge with a weeks worth of grab-and-go salads for both my husband and I.

I know salads are a great lunch option, but sometimes they can feel like just another task to put together. With grab-and-go salads in jars, there are not excuses. I shop and prep once and then the work is down and we can eat healthy all week. I’ve put together 3 salads and homemade salad dressing recipes for you. These are our 3 favorite salad combinations, but really you can add any of your favorite salad ingredients. (Keep reading for the recipes.)


Whenever I share a picture of the inside of our fridge, I get questions about fridge organization. I have 2 simple fridge organization ideas for you. It’s not complicated, but these two ideas really help me keep some order.

1. ZONES – Create zones so that like items need to live together. Then you don’t end up with 4 half used ketchup bottles because they get lost deep in the fridge.

2. CONTAIN – Contain those zones. I love clean fridge bins. They keep like items together and they made cleaning up spills and leaks a lot easier.

Our new Samsung Family Hub ™ refrigerator has so many great features that make it so much more then just a place to chill your food. We use the family calendar, the white board for to-do lists and chore charts, and the shopping list and live interior view is so handy when you are at the store. With the Family Hub app, you can literally see what is in your fridge no matter where you are. If I’m at the store and I’m not sure if we need more milk or eggs, I can just pull up a live view. This really is a smart grocery list and I definitely feel like I’m living in the future.

*inside view image* I need to reshoot this, but it’s a shot with the phone in hand showing the fridge interior view.

We also love being able to change up the art and photos on the Family Hub Screen from time to time. You can customize everything, from color to style to fonts.

Since we are not leaving the house much and everyone is still working from home, there are no lunch bags to pack. So, I decided to leave the dressings in separate jars and then just add a little when we are ready too eat them. Just empty the contents of the jar into a large bowl or plate, drizzle with the dressing and then toss.

Honey Mustard Spinach + Berries Salad

  • spinach
  • raspberries (or any other berry)
  • roasted chopped almonds
  • chevre or feta cheese
  • red onion

Honey Mustard Dressing

  • 1 tbsp. honey
  • 1 tbsp. dijon mustard
  • 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1/4 tsp. salt
  • 1/4 tsp. lemon pepper

In a mixing bowl, combine all the ingredients except the olive oil. Then, while whisking, slowly drizzle in the olive oil. The dressing should begin to thicken and emusify. Refrigerate for up to a month or serve immediately.

Loaded Italian Salad

  • romaine or iceberg lettuce
  • cherry or grape tomatoes
  • salami
  • grated parmesan cheese
  • black olives
  • peppercino
  • grated and chopped carrot

Italian Vinaigrette

  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • 1/4 cup white balsamic vinegar
  • 3 tbsp. water
  • 2 cloves of garlic minced
  • 1 teaspoon fresh oregano and basil
  • 2 tbsp. fresh parsley
  • a pinch of red chili flakes
  • 1/2 tsp. coarse salt
  • 1/4 tsp. fresh ground pepper

In a large mason jar combine all the ingredients and shake well.  You can add a little dressing too the bottom on the jar or you can store it in a separate jar and just add a little dressing when you are ready to eat.

Spicy Chinese Chicken + Cabbage Slaw

  • shredded cabbage
  • cooked chicken (I used a rotisserie chicken and removed the meat from the bones and shredded it.)
  • green onions finely chopped
  • mandarine orange slices
  • ramen noodles
  • sesame seeds
  • chopped almonds

Crunch up the uncooked ramen noodles and place them on a baking sheet with the sesame seeds and almonds. Place in a 350 F oven for about 12 mins or until they are just golden and toasty.

Ginger Wasabi Vinaigrette

  • 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 1 tsp. wasabi paste (more or less depending on how hot you like)
  • 1 tsp. sesame oil
  • 1 tbsp. fleshly grate ginger

In a large mason jar combine all the ingredients and shake well.  This makes enough dressing for a couple salads, so go ahead and store the extra dressing in the jar in the the fridge.

We added a little spring vibe to our Family Hub screen with a picture I took of some tulips. If you have any questions about this awesome fridge, leave it in the comments below. We are definitely fans of this high tech appliance.

DIY

Stairway Makeover

February 5, 2021

It’s hard to believe that we have lived in this house for more than 4 years now. We’ve slowly made LOTS of improvements, one room at a time. The stairway and banisters were always put on the back burner, because it just felt like a space/room that just wasn’t very important. But, really it’s room we pass through the most. It’s kind of visible from every other room and actually, my “office” space is even in this room. We had stalled long enough, and it was time to tackle this big job. When Sherwin Williams reached out to me about using Urbane Bronze, the 2021 Color of the Year somewhere in our home, I knew it had to be this space!

Above is the plan and below is the finished product!!!

I had originally thought I would paint the banister black, but when I saw Urbane Bronze, I was smitten. It’s a rich charcoal grey, but with a warm, almost green undertone. It felt so much more sophisticated than just black. I love high contrast, and in many rooms of our house, we have the original wood trim paired with white walls. I felt like Urbane Bronze would compliment the warm wood tones throughout our house. I white banister just didn’t seem right in this 100 year old house. I wanted something that felt a little historic and not out of place with our 1918 craftsman.

So, let’s take a look at the BEFORE. There was a lot of work to be done. You can see that the trim was half painted, the banister and stair backs are all a yellowed dingy cream, and the rug was so sad and worn. To give us a little credit, when we moved in there was floor to ceiling yellow striped wallpaper. We scraped and peeled that paper off for weeks and gave it a nice coat of crisp white paint (Alabaster White).

And here’s the BEFORE BEFORE! This is what the house looked like when we bought it, with the dreaded wallpaper that did not come off easily.

I think it’s pretty clear to see that this stairway makeover made a HUGE improvement to our home. Because, it’s a room we actually walk through all day long, it’s made our whole house feel fresh. Before it was a space I hoped guests wouldn’t notice, now (once we make it through this pandemic) I can’t wait for folks to see it.

Now for the how-to and what we used. First, you are going to need to make sure you have a handy, perfectionist type brother that is will to help you. My brother Ash, put in so many hours, I was just his assistant. I don’t have a lot of process images here. But, I am putting together some videos that will be on instagram. But, here’s a pretty extensive list of all the steps and materials we used.

  1. Demo – for this project it was just tearing out that old worn out carpet runner and all the staples that got left behind.
  2. Prep – this is the most important step in any painting job. Ash sanded these banisters for DAYS. We also knew that the runner would cover up the center of each tread, so we eliminated most of the squeakiness but screwing down each step in a few places.
  3. More Prep – a lot of tack cloth and shop vacuuming to get all the dust from sanding under control.
  4. Taping and Tenting – we taped and tented the banister area so that we could use a sprayer to get a polished and professional finish on all the railings. But, we also needed too leave a passageway for the kids to come up and down the stairs and also go to the bathroom at night. We knew that this would probably take 3 coats, so with at least a day between each coat, we had to create a pretty involved tent. I would say the taping along took about a day and a half.
  5. Prime – we used our favorite bonding primer because the paint used previously on the banister was oil based. in order to get a nice even coat on all sides, it took two spray sessions. We use a Graeco sprayer with a fine tip. It’s kind of a pricey machine but, we’ve really gotten our money’s worth out of it since we DIY almost everything.
  6. Dry Time – this was a really important step that we almost messed up. While we do live in sunny California, it was late November and our house can be pretty cold. We figured out that we had to vent the tent at both the top and the bottom of the staircase tent and then add some space heaters. Overnight, the coats of paint dried nicely.
  7. Paint – We used Sherwin-Williams Emerald Enamel Trim Paint in Satin. We painted the banisters in 2 passes. Many light coats is so much better than heavy paint that can drip or run.
  8. Carpet Pad – we used carpet tape to adhere the runner pad in place before stapling it down. Most of the staples are in the back of each step and just under the nose of each tread.
  9. Runner Installation – we used more carpet tape, a lot of it to hold the run in place. Carpets and rugs can stretch over time, especially on stairs. The tape helps prevent some of that slipping and stretching, it’s the staples that really hold it in place. We started with the very top step and worked our way down. We also stapled the runner in place as well. Because this is a very chunky weave rug, we used a wider staple than just an average carpet staple. We wanted to make sure it would grab the fibers and not just pull all the way through.

The new runner plays soooo well with the new paint.

It feels like a “real” room now. So, I even hung art! The top right piece is a photograph I took in Iceland of a glacier. The top left is a sketch of our first house and the bottom piece is a sketch of a log covered in lichen, I bought it at an estate sale in Kansas City and framed it in a clean, modern white frame.

And when I say it changed our whole house, I mean it. Every room upstairs leads to this staircase and banister as well. The banister completely grounds this space. And this dark color feels like it was always meant to be there.

We left all the stair treads their natural wood color, and I’m so glad we did. I love the layers of colors and textures with banister, treads and runner.

Wouldn’t you agree that my little “office” has a much better view now?

Design

Holiday Home Tour 2020

January 27, 2021

I know we are almost all the way through the first month of 2021, but I wanted to post these holiday pictures of our house here on the blog. So, it’s a “better late than never” blog post situation. And honestly, next year when I pull out my Christmas decorations, I’ll be happy to have these as a reference. Because, I can never remember how and where I use my decorations from year to year.

Also, even though there is Christmas everywhere, this is still a great way to have a little tour of our house. I won’t go into the details, and I definitely won’t link anything (because most of my holiday decor is old stuff I’ve had for many many years or I thrifted it), I’ll just let you scroll.

Welcome to our home for the holidays.

Until next year, thanks for dropping by.

DIY

Holiday Door Hangers

December 12, 2020

The post is sponsored by Ghirardelli. Thank you for supporting the brands that help make this blog possible.

It’s definitely a weird year and I feel like I have to reinvent traditions with each holiday that comes and goes. But, one thing is for sure, everyone need lots and lots of treats. So, this year instead of hosting our friends and neighbors for our annual open house, we are delivering treats to their front doors to spread a little cheer. Holiday Door Hangers to the rescue!

I enlisted my daughters to help me make these cute Holiday Door Hangers. Olivia especially LOVES a craft and with all the time we are spending at home, we need activities to keep little hands busy. She loved painting these and drilling out the holes all by herself. And then when the paint was dry, we loaded up with the BEST holiday sweet we could think of – Ghirardelli Peppermint Bark Squares! It feels like the perfect covid safe way to leave a gift. And after all the chocolate has been enjoyed, this door hanger can be used to tie a little bunch of evergreen or holly to their door.

We decided to keep it really simple and painted the wooden door hangers to match the colors of ribbon we liked. But, you could get really creative and definitely paint polka dots or stripes or add a Happy Holidays or Merry Christmas message.

Here’s what you’ll need:

  • Ghirardelli Peppermint Bark Squares
  • clear treat bags
  • wooden chipboard door hangers (available at any craft store)
  • craft paint
  • paint brushes
  • velvet or satin ribbon
  • a few fresh green or florals
  • gold jingle bells or little ornaments
  • masking tape
  • pencil and ruler
  • drill and 1/4 inch bit
  • sand paper

Start by marking off where you will drill your holes. Place a piece of masking tape across the door hanger, this will help the wood not to splinter when you drill it. I placed my two holes 1 inch apart and 1 inch down from the bottom of the door handle hole. Using a power drill or just a simple hand crank drill (perfect for kids), drill two holes for threading the ribbon through.

We gave the door hangers a good sanding before painting both sides with craft paint to match the ribbon.

Then, using little clear treat bags, we filled them with the chocolate squares. We fit 10 squares in each bag. Thread the ribbon through the holes and tie it in a bow to hold the little bag of treats in place. And add a sprig of fresh green and something shiny, like jingle bells or a little glass ornament.

Wouldn’t you like to find one of these on your front door?

How are you delivering a little cheer to the friends and family you can’t be with this year?

Food & Drink

Roasted Acorn Squash Taco

November 23, 2020

The recipe was created for Fetzer Wines. Thank you for supporting the awesome companies that help make this blog possible.

Roasted Acorn Squash Tacos

Well, what a weird Holiday season we are all heading into. I’m afraid it will be a very lonely season for a lot of folks. Including us, we are spending our Thanksgiving home. We usually travel to be with family because we don’t have any family in town. But it’s going to be ok, maybe even great. A simple Thanksgiving isn’t going to hurt us, but giving or getting covid 19 would be awful. So, we stay home this year so that we can have many many more holidays with our families for years to come. I hope you all can find ways to celebrate family and what we all are thankful for in safe way.

And now that thanksgiving is just around the corner, we are trying to eat a few lighter meals before we dive into a turkey, all the rich sides and pies!

These delicious Roasted Acorn Squash Tacos are a perfect light meal packed with lots of yummy, fresh flavors. I promise you, meat is not missed in these tacos.

Roasted Acorn Squash Taco

You can find the full recipe over on Fetzer. And while you are there, be sure to take a look around, they have an awesome library of recipes!

Design

Samsung French Door Refrigerator

September 7, 2020

This post is sponsored by Samsung. Thank you for supporting the brands that help make this blog possible.

Our kitchen got a HUGE upgrade during quarantine. To be honest, it couldn’t have come at a better time. We have been cooking and eating so (too) much lately. If the kitchen is the heart of the home, I think the fridge is the heart of the kitchen. Good cooking only starts when you have yummy fresh food, and your fridge is to credit for that. We upgraded to the new Samsung French Door Family Hub Refrigerator and we are so pumped.

We previously owned a Samsung 3-door French Door Refrigerator, and we loved it. But it was almost 12 years old and we needed a little more space. And the new Samsung models literally provide you with 10% more storage space for groceries. The new design is very clever and I’m especially happy with all the generous storage there is just in the doors. The new fridge fits beautifully into our new kitchen that we renovated just a year ago. We kept all our old appliances during the renovation and we just holding out to upgrade the appliances to match the rest of the space.

Besides offer even more interior space, there are a couple really cool features that I’m loving. This fridge has fingerprint resistant surfaces!!! What? Yes, beautiful stainless steel without the mess of kid fingerprints ANYWHERE. And the new LED lighting is so bright and crisp, there’s no more lost leftovers somewhere in a back corner of the fridge.

And now, let’s address the fact that this is THE FUTURE when it comes to fridges. You guys might have noticed, there is a touchscreen on the front of my fridge!!!!!!!! This is the Samsung Family Hub ™. Yes, I can access calendars, music, all my favorite apps like Pinterest and Instagram, I can leave messages for my family, display photos and videos from our last trip and I can even view what’s in my fridge when I get to the store. Yep, all that and more! I already spend so much of my day in the kitchen, this very SMART refrigerator is my new assistant. The Samsung Family Hub ™ is keeping my life in order.

I can search and pull up all my favorite recipes. I even make shopping lists and I can access them on my phone through the SmartThings app. We are still discovering new tricks this fridge has daily. And I love being able to listen to music or watch the news while I’m cooking.

So, what’s for dinner tonight? Yep, we are still at home, still cooking all those meals.

Stay Healthy Safe Friends!

Food & Drink

Apple Pecan Slaw Salad

August 7, 2020

While folks in other parts of the country start talking about Fall in the air, we are still faced with a couple more months of Summer. So salads are our dinner go-to. But, this salad just barely hints at the coming season with some classic Fall flavors light apples + pecans. Cabbage really makes for a great salad base, but I’m not a huge fan of a creamy, mayo type coleslaw. I prefer a crisp, bright vinaigrette almost always, so this salad checks all the boxes of me. It’s really a well balanced salad with a little sweet, a little spice, lots of crunch, and a great tangy dressing (that can be used for all kinds of salads).

Pecan Apple Slaw

Apple Pecan Slaw

  • 1/2 head of cabbage (shredded)
  • 1 apple (finely chopped)
  • 4 radishes (sliced
  • 1/4 cup fresh cilantro (chopped)
  • 1/2 a red onion (sliced)
  • Candied Curry Pecans (see recipe below)
  • Honey Mustard Vinaigrette (see recipe below)

Candied Curry Pecans

  • 1/2 cup whole pecan halves
  • 1/4 sugar
  • 1/2 tsp. curry powder
  • 1/2 tsp. cumin
  • pinch of salt

In a shallow pan. Heat the sugar, curry, cumin and salt until the sugar starts to melt and liquify. Immediately add the pecan and stir until all the nuts are coated. Remove from the heat and spread the pecans out an a piece of parchment paper to cool. While they are still warm, but not too hot to touch, put apart the nuts that are in big clumps. You can also just let them cool completely and then chop them up as well.

Pecan Apple Slaw

Honey Mustard Vinaigrette

  • 1 tbsp. honey
  • 1 tbsp. dijon mustard
  • 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1/4 tsp. salt
  • 1/4 tsp. lemon pepper

In a mixing bowl, combine all the ingredients except the olive oil. Then, while whisking, slowly drizzle in the olive oil. The dressing should begin to thicken and emusify. Refrigerate for up to a month or serve immediately.

Now to assemble the salad, start with a base of the shredded cabbage, layer on the rest of the veggies. drizzle the dressing over the top and then finally top with the candied nuts just before serving. Give the salad a good toss to make sure every bite is covered with yummy vinaigrette.

We are actually going to eat this salad this weekend on our overnight camping trip. I’m going to make the dressing ahead of time and just store it in a mason jar and then I’ll just chop up all the other ingredients at our campsite. Cabbage is such a great veggie for packing and traveling with, it’s hard to get it to wilt or go limp. It’s made for outdoor eating. Happy Weekend friends!

Design

Dylan’s Bedroom Makeover

May 1, 2020

This post is sponsored by Article. Thank you for supporting the companies that help make this blog possible.

Well, we are finally at the AFTER, after all of it this time. I shared the painted 70’s style arch last week, and now I’m back with the full room reveal!

I really thought I might not be able to finish this room, with Covid-19 quarantine. I found it hard to source items to finish this space that way I really wanted to. It turns out, I am not a great online shopper. I like to see and touch things in person. While I didn’t love all the accessories I found online, I did make one really good decision and that was Dylan’s new bed and night stand. Both pieces are from Article and I am so impressed with the quality and design. We chose the Lenia Walnut Queen Bed and the Equa Side Table in Black. These two pieces were the only new additions to the space. The desk and credenza are both midcentury pieces I bought at yard sales over the years and the black high boy dresser is a piece that was my Grandma’s. I knew we wanted to keep those furniture pieces, but the bunk beds had to go! I was on the hunt for a bed and nightstand that would work seamlessly with the midcentury shapes I love so much. I also wanted to make sure that the new pieces felt timeless (because eventually this room will become our guest room), yet still young and masculine for a 16 year old boy.

Dylan’s room is very spacious, so he has room for a desk/homework area and even a mini living room of his own. And because we just have a formal living room, Dyl’s room also serves as the “family room” or at least the room all our kids hang out it to watch a movie or play video games. It’s funny how different this room looks, and really almost every piece of furniture is in exactly the same place, even the new bed fit perfectly on the wall where the bunks used to live. But, with a little (actually a lot) of paint and new queen sized bed, this space feels so much more grown up.

Should we go back and look at some “befores” again?

And not let’s come back to the AFTERS. Because they are a lot prettier.

The desk got a little update with some new slick metal shelves.

During this very weird Covid-19 season of life, it’s really nice to know that Article is offering contactless delivery in a lot of areas. The also offer free ground shipping on orders over $999, and for order under that Article offers a flat shipping fee of $49 (or $19 for small shipments). And if you are like me and are just not a confident online shopper, Article offers a 30-day satisfaction guarantee so you can try out the new furniture in your home. If you’re not completely happy, they’ll pick up the furniture and provide a refund, minus the delivery and pickup charges which is $49 in most cases.

And now, I want to try to give you are many sources as I can for this room. Because, I didn’t really buy too many new things, I tried to source similar items for you.

Brass Coffee Table / Stone Chain / Sheets / Quilt / Lumbar Pillow / Arch Print / Walnut Bed / Bubble Clock / Side Table / Mirror / Metal Wall Shelf / Butterfly Chair / Credenza / Lamp / Desk Chair

So, while this isn’t exactly how I’d like the room to look, I feel like it’s very close. And as soon as this quarantine is over, I’m sure I’ll make a few tweaks and re-shoot the space.

Next item on the agenda is CURTAINS!!!!!

Food & Drink

Goat Cheese Guacamole

April 29, 2020

What kind of a Californian would I be if I didn’t have a go-to guac recipe? I think after over 20 years living here, I finally have landed on my BEST guacamole recipe. This guac is a little decadent with creamy chevre and has a little crunch with toasted pepitas – the perfect combo.

After I shared this recipe on stories, I’ve gotten quite a few requests to put this recipe on the blog for future reference. So, here it is friends.

Goat Cheese Guacamole

  • 3-4 large avocados
  • 1/2 cup fresh chopped cilantro
  • juice of two limes (or lemon)
  • 3-4 garlic cloves
  • salt + pepper
  • 1 tbsp. hot sauce (I like the Chipotle Cholula)
  • 1 jalapeno seeded and diced
  • 6 oz. chevre or goat cheese (cut into 1/2 inch chunks)
  • 1/4 cup pepitas (toasted pumpkin seeds)

In a large bowl, peel and pit the avocados. Using a fork (or a pastry blended is what I use) mash up the avocados. I like my guac a little chunky. Add the all the ingredients, except the goat cheese and pepitas and mix well. Gently fold in the goat cheese and pepitas. I like there to still be a few chunks of the cheese. Add a few more pepitas to the top and serve with tortilla chips.

And for the BEST guac, I recommend getting fresh, ripe avocados from your neighbors tree 🙂

So, do you like to stick only with the “classic” version of a recipe, or are you one of those folks that likes the TWIST? I’m obviously always team twist! I appreciate the craft and history of a classic, but I like adding something a little unexpected or fresh take. A good example is yesterday I made fresh strawberry jam, but I added lavender and lemon because I like to play with flavors. So, where do you stand? Team classic or team twist?

etc. / Food & Drink

Light + Fluffy Cinnamon Rolls

April 26, 2020

Is there anything better then fresh Cinnamon Rolls on a Sunday morning? I can’t think of anything. I couple weeks ago I got on a Cinnamon Roll kick and made a few batches, trying to perfect my recipe. Baked goods are the way to my husband’s heart, and probably cinnamon rolls are his most favorite baked good of all.

After 22 years of making cinnamon rolls for him, I think I finally landed on my BEST recipe yet. This rolls are light and fluffy and loaded with cream cheese icing of course.

We are definitely eating our way through this quarantine as best as we can. I don’t know what else to do. But, baking brings a little zen.

Light + Fluffy Cinnamon Rolls

  • 3 cups milk
  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 2 tsp. salt
  • 2 tbsp. sugar
  • 4 eggs
  • 8 cups flour
  • 4 packages of yeast (1 package = 2 1/4 tsp.)

Place the milk, butter, salt and sugar in a sauce pan and heat just until the butter melts. The milk should be very warm, but not hot (about 120 F).

In a separate bowl, beat the eggs. Set aside.

In a stand mixer, fitted with a dough hook, place 6 cups of flour with the yeast. Mix the yeast into the flour. With the mixer running, pour the milk mixture into the flour, and then immediately add the eggs. Mix until all the ingredients are will incorporated. Then add one cup of flour at a time. Knead until all the four is mixed in.

The dough will be very sticky. Turn the dough into a greased bowl and cover with a towel.

Allow the dough to double in size (about 30 mins.)

Punch down the dough, divide it into 2 equal parts and roll out the dough to a large rectangle (about 18 x 14 inches). Or if you are looking for giant more bready cinnamon rolls, don’t divide that dough and just roll out one thicker rectangle (again about 18 x 14 inches). Spread 1/4 cup softened butter on each of the rectangles of dough. sprinkle with cinnamon and brown sugar. Roll the dough and cut into 1 inch rolls with floss or string.

  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 2 cups brown sugar
  • 2 tbsp. cinnamon

Place the rolls on a parchment lined cookie sheet. Cover with a clean towel and allow to rise another 30 mins.

Bake at 375 F for 12-14 mins. Spread a generous amount of cream cheese icing (see recipe below) on each roll while they are still warm

Cream Cheese Icing

  • 8 oz. cream cheese
  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 1 tsp. vanilla bean paste, or the one bean scraped.
  • 2-3 tbsp. half and half
  • 4 cups powdered sugar

In a stand mixer beat the butter and cream cheese on high for about 2 mins. or until it is light and fluffy. Add the Vanilla bean and half and half, beat again. Add the powdered sugar, one cup at a time. Beat until smooth and creamy. This will be a runny icing, it’s somewhere in between an icing and a glaze.

Well, if we are going to be stuck home, let’s have some yummy treats. It’s the simple pleasures in life right now. For me, I’m trying to balance home baked goods with long long walks in my neighborhood.