Crescent Cheese Danish

My fabulous mother-in-law is to thank for this one. I have eaten it many times but never tried to make it before. I made it over the weekend for a large group to snack on while breakfast was cooking. Then I ate some more for elevensies and after lunch and before I left to go back home and then it was mysteriously all gone! I wonder where it went?

The Ingredients

2 cans crescent rolls (I was so happy to find the sheet style cans again!)
2 8 oz packages cream cheese (as always, if the recipe calls for softened, I use whipped instead of softening a brick)
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg yolk
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp lemon juice

Lay one sheet of rolls in the bottom of a 9 x 13 pan that you have lightly sprayed with cooking spray.

Mix the cream cheese, sugar, vanilla and lemon together until smooth. I find a pastry blender does a great job with this task.

Spread cream cheese mixture evenly on top of rolls.

Top with remaining roll of crescents. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until top is golden brown.

Cut into squares or smaller pieces if you like.

DEVOUR! Er, em, I mean ENJOY :)

Kinda Sorta Caprese Salad

Once upon a time when I was a skinny mother of one, my fantastic friend Ann had a girls night at her house. She served a classic Caprese salad with the thick slices of fresh mozzarella sandwiched between a slice of Roma tomato and a basil leaf. The whole thing was drizzled with extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar and liberally sprinkled with salt, pepper and grated Parmesan cheese. It was kind of like heaven on a plate. I have periodically craved it ever since.
At my new favorite restaurant, BJ's Brewhouse, they have a "Tomato and Mozzarella" salad that reminded me of this one. It's a different take on it with salad greens instead of the basil but the taste was amazing. I decided to try to make something like it at home for my mom and I to enjoy. Here's how it went:
The Ingredients

1 ball of fresh mozzarella, cut into bite sized pieces You could also buy the little balls that come in a small container
1 carton of small tomatoes such as cherry or grape tomatoes. I found this amazing package of baby    heirloom tomatoes. Halve them if you'd like or leave them whole.
Balsamic Vinaigrette, to taste
Salad greens of your choosing. I like the Half & Half blend or the Baby Spinach

Mix the cheese and tomatoes with the dressing in a large bowl.

Add enough of the greens to make a tasty looking salad.

Put some on your plate, add more dressing if you want to.

So very good and really easy and quick. If you don't quite eat it all the first time, remove any greens (they'll get soggy) and refrigerate the cheese and tomatoes to add to your next salad.