Cheesecake Lemon and Raspberry Flower Pastry

Hello Friends, It has been a busy summer here at the Smith’s. We are loving this weather, Summer vacations, slumber parties and trips to the water park. I was inspired by a video I saw on Facebook that showed how to create these flower pastries. I decided to fill them with lemon and raspberry cheesecake. YUMMMMM!! This is super simple and a real WOW. Great for Sunday Brunch, my favorite kind of project.

Cheesecake Filling
2- 8oz package of cream cheese
1 1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 egg

Take softened cream cheese and whip in the sugar and vanilla and egg with a mixer until creamy.

Raspberry jam
lemon curd

1 box -Puff Pastry

Unfold and roll out puff pastry dough

Cut into 6 equal squares

With a small knife, cut the corners about 1/2 inch in.

Add a spoonful of cheese cake mixture.

Add a spoonful of raspberry jam or lemon curd.

Take two opposite corners and pinch together.

Take the other two corners and pinch them together. Place on lightly greased cookie sheet. Brush with an egg wash to get perfect golden brown.

Bake at 350 degrees for 15-18 min or until golden brown. The cheese cake will be soft when you first take the pastries out of the oven. Once they cool off they will set.

Spicy Cornbread Waffles

Ever had one of those days when you have worked all day and you feet are sore and all you want to do is sit down and not have to think about anything. This is a simple recipe you can make as fancy as you want or just plain and simple. I love a cornbread that is loaded with green chilis, corn and cheese, so if you make it a waffle iron and smother it with chili and cheese I am in heaven.

Spicy Corn Bread Waffles. www.ourlifeinspired.com

Cornbread:
1 box Jiffy Cornbread mix
1/2 cup milk
1 can diced green chilis
1 can cream of corn
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 egg
Mix just until combined. Spray waffle iron with cooking spray so the waffles don’t stick and cook according to you waffle makers directions. Mine is pretty old so I have to just keep an eye on it.*****Time saver tip- Use your favorite canned chili and have dinner on the table in less than 20 min.Chili:
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
1 Cup Onion- chopped
1 Tablespoon Garlic- minced
1/4 Cup Green Pepper- chopped
1/4 Cup Serrano Pepper- chopped
1 Jalapeno Pepper- Chopped
1 lb Ground Turkey
28 oz Crushed Tomatoes
16 oz can Kidney Beans- drained
16 oz can Navy Beans- drained
1 Tablespoon Chili Powder
1 Tablespoon Sugar
1 Tablespoon Chipotle powder
2 Cups Chicken Stock
1/2 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
1 1/2 Teaspoons Italian Seasoning

Add olive oil and onion and ground turkey to large pot. Saute until onion is translucent and meat is browned. Add peppers and garlic, saute an additional 5 min. Add remaining ingredients. Simmer for 1 hour.

How to build a Wood Fired Oven

Beginnings…

So I had been baking bread for a number of years and collecting many recipe books on the craft of artisan bread. Many of these authors discussed the different options for baking bread. The topic of wood fired ovens kept popping up. I was intrigued. I had never thought about baking bread outdoors. I guess it could be done in a dutch oven over a fire or with charcoal, but what was this oven that they kept talking about.

That stayed in the back of my mind for a while until one day at work (I worked in a book store at the time) I read an article in Mother Earth News that discussed how simple it is to build your own oven. I thought that there is no way that it could be so easy. After more research and finding that a “typical” masonry oven could easily cost tens of thousands of dollars, there was no way I could afford to build something like that (remember – bookstore).

If you follow the link above, you will see some great pictures and get some great instruction on building a very simple “mud oven”. This may sound odd, trust me, I thought it was really weird at first. I kept reading, then discovered that the author of that article, Kiko Denzer, had also written a book on the topic. Build Your Own Earth Oven, has a wealth of information on how achievable it is for anyone to have their own oven.

Pizza Party at the Smith’s

Everyone NEEDS one of these is their backyard!

This oven has been one of the most rewarding projects we have ever done. It was really fun to build as you can see here. We have enjoyed countless Pizza Parties with Friends and Family over the years. This oven will cook a Pizza in about 1-2 min. Dave has perfected his pizza dough and marinara sauce recipes. Dave tells me his marinara recipe is coming soon!

marinara sauce | www.ourlifeinspired.com

Dave's Pizza Dough | www.ourlifeinspired.com

Dave starts his dough the night before and divides them into 200 gram dough balls. That way it is easy to grab one and roll it out just as you need it.

Step 1: Roll out dough and place on a pizza peel with a little corn meal underneath. Other wise you will not get it off the peel and into the oven.

Step 2: With a pastry brush, brush olive oil around the dough edge.
Step 3: Add marinara sauce. Leave about an inch border.

Step 4: Add a little cheese

Step 5: Add your yummy toppings. The secret to this style of pizza is less is more. Only use a few toppings. I like to be able to savor the flavor of everything. If you add too much or too many toppings the crust will not cook evenly. Burnt edges and doughy center kills the pizza excitement quickly.

Add a little more cheese

Put pizza in oven and watch as it turns golden brown. 1-2 min

Make sure you keep an eye on it while it is baking. You want to remove the pizza just as it starts to char slightly around the edges. With a little practice you will be making the best pizzas of your life!

Slice it up and watch it disapear

If you are interested in building one of these, we would love to answer any questions.

#backyardpizzaoven

Ravioli Lasagna

Ravioli Lazagnia

I love a good Lasagna or Ravioli with a side of garlic bread. So I decided to make both at the same time. I call in Lasagna Ravioli. It is a combo of my two favorite pastas surrounded with layers of tomatoes, spinach and melty cheeses.

Ingredients:
1 lb ground beef
1 small onion,diced
1- 14 oz can of your favorite pasta sauce
1 carton of cottage cheese
1 egg
2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1- 10 oz package frozen diced spinach
1- 24 oz package of frozen cheese ravioliDirections:
Brown ground beef with diced onion. Drain dripping and add pasta sauce. Set aside. cook frozen spinach following package directions. strain the excess water out and set aside. I a bowl combine cottage cheese, egg, 1 cup of mozzarella cheese and drained spinach., set aside.In a 9 x 13 casserole pan put 3/4 cup of the meat mixture in the bottom of the pan and spread around.

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Next layer the frozen ravioli all over the pan. No need to cook or thaw ravioli

spread the spinach cheese mixture over the ravioli.

repeat the layers again until you run out of space in your pan or ingredients. Top with remaining mozzarella cheese and bake at 350 for 35-40 min.

LuAnn’s Awesome Salsa

salsa

I have been addicted to this salsa for years. LuAnn is Dave’s cousin and she is an amazing lady! Her salsa recipe is soooo good. I tease Dave and tell him one of the reasons I married him was so I could be related to LuAnn. I am so glad she allowed me to share it with all of you. I plant lots of peppers and tomatoes in my garden just so I can make this salsa. The best thing about this recipe is you can make it as hot or mild as you like.

6 qts tomatoes- peeled & diced
12 or more chilis & peppers (variety best) 2-3 should be jalapeños
6 sweet bell peppers (green and red)- chopped
3 onions- chopped
5 cloves of garlic- minced
3 Tablespoons salt
2 cups white vinegar
3 Tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon cumin powder
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon cilantro

Where rubber gloves when removing seed from hot peppers and save the seeds to add later- they are what add the hotness.

In a large pot start to simmer the tomatoes, peppers, onion and garlic. While simmering add: salt, vinegar, sugar, cumin powder, oregano and cilantro. Simmer for a total of 45 min from start to finish. Add hot pepper seeds if desired. Add 5-6 Tablespoons of corn starch to a bit of water and stir into salsa to thicken.

fill up mason jars and cold pack 45 min for quarts or 35 min for pints. If you are not sure how to cold pack. It is really easy. Here is a link to a free kindle book.

Hope you enjoy this as much as we do. Let me know how it turns out.

LuAnns Salsa. www.ourlifeinspired.com

Buckets of Love

Are you ready for Valentines Day? It is a fun holiday to celebrate with the little ones. I love to give the kids a fun treat for Valentines. This is such a fun way to let them know they are loved and they can use the bucket to keep their pencils and pens in.

This fun printable is free for you to use. Just click on the image below.

Loaded Baked Potato Soup

This soup is a huge hit at our house. It is full of yummy bacon, cheddar, sour cream and of course potatoes. It is a definite comfort food. Perfect for warming you up after being out in the cold. This recipe can be made on the stovetop in about 20 minutes. It is also great in the crockpot in a couple of hours.

Ingredients:
1- 10.5 oz can cream of chicken soup
2 cups chicken broth
6 slices of bacon, crumbled (extra for garnish if desired)
1 small onion, diced
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1 cup sour cream
1- 32 oz bag frozen southern style hash browns
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 cup cheddar cheese
salt and pepper to tasteDirections:
In a large pot, saute onion in olive oil until translucent. Add Chicken soup, chicken stock, bacon, garlic powder and frozen hash browns. Simmer until potatoes are desired tenderness. Add cheese and sour cream. Once cheese is melted and sour cream is mixed in it is ready. *don’t add sour cream until just before you serve. If it gets too hot is could curdle.

To make in slow cooker place everything but sour cream in slow cooker. Stir together and allow to cook for 2 hours on low. Perfect for cold winter evenings serve with a fresh roll or in a bread bowl. YUMMY!

Last Minute Christmas Gift- Apron in a Jar

Do you still have some names on your list that need to be marked off. This is a simple last minute gift. Easy to put together and fun to receive.

Apron in a Jar | www.ourlifeinspired.com

All you need is: mason jar, apron, cookie cutter, scrap of fabric for bow and a recipe. This time of year you can find aprons everywhere. I found these cute ones at Seagull Book. I included one of my cookie recipes. The free printables are attached.

Vanilla Bean Christmas Cookie Recipe. www.ourlifeinspired.com

Andrew cookies recipe

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Christmas in a Jar

The smell of oranges, cinnamon and other spices mulling on the stove is a definite sign that Christmas is almost here. I love Cinnamon pinecones at christmas time. I love the smell of gingerbread baking and watching the snow fall. My mom would simmer this mixture on the stove when I was small so it always reminds me of my childhood and the magic of Christmas.

This year the kids and I decided to make a huge batch of simmering mix. We started with a few oranges, lemons and limes. Sliced them thin and put them in the food dehydrator. If you don’t have a food dehydrator you can do it in the oven. Check out this article at The Kitchn. We took a mixture of dried cranberries, whole cloves, cinnamon sticks, star anise and whole allspice. Mixed it all together and then placed it in small mason jars with the sliced dried citrus. This is the perfect gift for the neighbors and you can make it way ahead of time because everything is dry.

Winter Village DIY

Vanilla Bean Christmas Cookies

There is still time to enter the Sweetest Seasons Cookie giveaway. Click on the image below.

We received free product from Imperial Sugar, Dixie Crystals and Bob’s Red Mill as part of The Sweetest Season Cookie Exchange. As always, all opinions and recipe are our own. Thanks for supporting the brands that support Our Life Inspired!

I have been making these cookies for years. I am not sure where the original recipe came from. I have add a few of my own touches to make them even better. These are soft and light. They make the perfect “Sugar Cookie”.

Ingredients:
6 Cups flour
2 Tsp Baking Soda
1 Tsp salt
1 Cup Butter, softened
2 Cups Sugar
2 Eggs
2 Tsp Vanilla Bean Powder
1 Cup Sour Cream

Directions:
Cream sugar and butter together. Add eggs, Vanilla Bean Powder and sour cream. Once nice and creamy add the Baking Soda, Salt. Add the flour gradually, Makes a stiff batter, may have to finish mixing with hands if your mixer is not up to the task. In small batches, roll out dough 1/4 inch thick and use your favorite cookie cutter. Place on un-greased cookie sheet and bake for 8-10 min at 325 degrees. Remove from oven when edges start to brown. Cool and frost.

* This makes a lot! Recipe can easily be halfed.

I used a simple glaze for the frosting. Check out this recipe from Cleverly Simple.

Free Printable Recipe Card Below.

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