Artichoke and Mushroom Quiche

Fun things happening around here lately so that's why I've been a little MIA. Sorry, friends, although I do plan on posting regularly, I may not be on my twice a week schedule like usual for a little bit.



My sister came up two weekends ago had her hair and make-up run through for the wedding. Then, I hosted her Breakfast at Tiffany's themed wedding shower the next day for brunch. I usually make most of the food I serve at my parties from scratch but being that I was 37 weeks pregnant at the time I decided to cut myself some slack. I ordered the Meadows salad from Freshies, one of our favorite breakfast spots, and some biscuits and gravy from Creekside, one of our other favorites. My sister loves biscuits and gravy. Loves. Then I picked up some cake donuts from Milk Run in lieu of a cake. The only thing left to do was assemble a fruit platter and mimosa bar and bake up a few of these delicious artichoke and mushroom quiches.









I've been doing a lot of things I love lately which makes me happy. It's a celebratory time here with the wedding and maid of honor duties, plus the upcoming arrival of our baby girl. All this while the flowers are blooming, the weather is warming and the sun is out in full force marking the arrival of summer in just a few days. But to top it all off? I am huge. Officially now. Even I'll say it. Jeremy took this picture of me the other night and I thought Oh, I actually don't look that big. Maybe it's all in my head. 



But then this picture was taken the same night and I'm pretty sure I look like my stomach is photoshopped to be bigger than it actually is. I assure you it is not. It looks like I'm holding an enormous pillow or all-white beach ball or something. Just keeping it real.



Luckily, I wore black to my sisters shower, which was entirely appropriate being Breakfast at Tiffany's theme and all. Black is much more forgiving. She on the other hand wore white lace. Stunning white lace. Isn't she the prettiest?





This quiche is packed with ingredients which is how I like it. The egg part just sort of holds everything together. It's not the cleanest slicing quiche in history, just because of the chunks of artichoke and onions, but it's guaranteed super delicious.

Artichoke and Mushroom Quiche
adapted from The Pioneer Woman by Ree Drummond

makes two quiches

• 3/4 pounds Thick Cut, Peppered Bacon
•  5 tablespoons Butter
• 1 whole Onion, Very Thinly Sliced
• 2 boxes (4 Oz. Each) White Mushrooms, Washed And Sliced
• 1 can (14 Oz.) Quartered Artichoke Hearts
• 2 pie crusts ( I used Marie Calenders brand from the frozen section)
• 7 whole Eggs
• 1-1/2 cup Heavy Cream
• 2 cups Grated Swiss Cheese
• Salt And Pepper, to taste
• Optional: Fresh Parsley, Fresh Chives

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a skillet, fry bacon until crisp. Crumble and set aside. Pour out excess grease but don’t clean the pan.

Melt butter in the same skillet. Add onions and cook for a few minutes. Add mushrooms and artichokes and cook for a few more minutes. Salt mixture to taste. Remove from heat and allow to cool for about 20 minutes.

In a large bowl, beat eggs with cream. Add grated cheese, salt and pepper, and set aside. (Add cayenne pepper if you’d like a little kick.)

With a slotted spoon, add mushroom mixture into egg/cream mixture. Use your judgement with this. If it seems like it's way too much vegetable mixture for the amount of eggs, don't use it all. I know this is a vague instruction, so for reference, I ended up not using about a whole cup of the veggie mixture and reserved it for an omlette the next day. It's just that you can't half the ingredients or you won't have enough filling, so just make the whole batch. Stir together. Add bacon and stir. Add parsley or chives, if desired.

Pour into pie crust and press to submerge ingredients. Cover loosely with foil, place on a baking sheet, and bake at 400 degrees for 45min-1 hour. Bake for slightly longer if quiche is overly jiggly.

Remove from oven and allow to set for ten minutes before serving. 

Blackberry + Swiss Chard Smoothie

I may have a slight obsession with green smoothies. I love them. I can't get enough of them as long as they taste good. I have been in a great habit of making them most days with lunch. I have an arsenal of different Spinach smoothies, and refreshing blended Kale green drinks, but Swiss Chard is not one of those greens you see blended up everyday, and probably for good reason. It tastes dirty. Sorry, chard, but it is what it is. I wanted to make this one even though because it had enough "stuff" in it to overtake the dirtiness. Plus when else do I consume such a large amount of swiss chard along with a whole apple, and tons of good for you blackberries? We need more blackberries in our diets, plus the vitamin C in the berries helps the body to properly absorb all the iron in the greens. Win-win!

I had my friend Melissa over for a multiple course smoothie lunch the other day. Sounds fun right? Three different types, tons of vitamins and minerals and fiber and greens and antioxidants and good fats. It was so fun and awesome...until the great gut bomb of 2013 set in. Ever do that? Totally in the zone, thinking something is totally cool until you realize it's just so not...

Like when you are listening to Radiohead's song "Creep" in the kitchen when you realize -too late- that they say the F-word and your oldest kid totally heard it and you remind yourself what a stellar mother you are while rushing to press the pause button. Creep is a bad song to listen to with kids around even without the F-word, so double shame on me. Sometimes all judgement flies out the window and I just want to slowly jam and sway and sing "I'm a creep, I'm a weirdo, What the hell am I doing here? I don't belong here" between sautéing and slicing. Suddenly I'm in 6th grade gym class in awful red shorts and Katie McCaron has shin splints and Scott Cannistraci is the cutest boy in school. 



Just promise me you'll learn from our mistake. Combining that many foods in one sitting is not a good idea. Pick one smoothie and stick with it. Lesson learned. This chard and blackberry smoothie was not among the ones we made that day, so let me explain how we arrive here. The day after our smoothie blowout, Melissa reported that she made her usual savory green smoothie that morning and could not bring herself to drink it. She didn't know if she could ever eat spinach again. I felt similar and avoided anything green that day. However, the next day, because Melissa is one of the awesomest people on the planet, she arranged for me to leave with her to Denver for pedicures and tea at one of my favorite places in the world, The Brown Palace, to celebrate the new baby's impending arrival. It was my own special baby shower. She's a very good friend to me, you see. Our eating that day consisted of prime rib quesadillas, shrimp cocktail, Darjeeling black tea with milk and sugar, scones with devonshire cream and strawberry jam, tartlets of different variety, dainty tea sandwiches and a whole lot of nothing green.





And here, you have a prime example as to why you shouldn't be too extreme on either front. All that overload of sugary sweet, decadent food left me craving healthy green stuff again today. Melissa got a kale cucumber juice, and I picked the chard. I just went for it. And it was really, really good and light, even though it filled me right up. I usually steer clear of smoothies with grapes in them only because they are so high in sugar, but I figure a little natural sugar to get all that goodness in one glass is completely worth it.

Blackberry + Swiss Chard Smoothie
adapted from Green Smoothie Revolution via Higgins-McFarland Family Blog

1/2 head of Swiss Chard (I used rainbow chard, and 1/2 a head was two and a half monster sized leaves that filled up half my blender. I removed the tough rib down the center and discarded it)
1 sweet apple, chopped
1/2 cup green grapes
1 cup frozen blackberries
1/2 a banana
4 ice cubes
1/2 cup water

You'll want to use a powerful blender and blend on high until completely combined. 

Arugula, Steak and Lemony Roasted Potato Salad

So, I eat meat now. I know, try and keep up, will you? I got a complete and elaborate blood work up a few weeks ago with a trusted "whole wellness" doctor and friend. I'd say holistic, but that's not quite right. He's a real doctor who gets whole body wellness, health, nutrition, and is an advocate of vegetarianism and veganism as well as some good ole meat eating, providing it is grass fed and not too often. He looked at my numbers and said:

Krysta, you look great...except...you are low in iron, protein, B-12, and red blood cell count, all of which affect each other, all of which could be remedied by eating red meat twice a week until after the baby is born. Getting your levels up now will help with energy and stamina during labor and your bodies ability to bounce back after delivery and all that blood loss. 

I'm paraphrasing here, but coming from someone who knows me and my husband and and our diets, I completely trust him. Sure, he said I could raise my levels through eating mussels, oysters and wild salmon for my B-12 and spinach and beans (among other things) for my iron and protein...but the truth is it was going to be more work. I already eat those things. I need more, obviously, in higher quantities and I need to be taking vitamin C with it to ensure I get good absorption. In other words, it was going to require more work on my part...or I could just eat the meat and boost my spinach and call it good. I love red meat and my body feels good eating it. This choice was a no-brainer. I still take the vitamin C though, for good measure.

Springtime weather in the Mountains is perfect for roasted potato and steak salad


I am coming to believe the more I learn about health and wellness that there is no right way for everybody. It depends on what you are trying to accomplish and how you feel. Are you an ultra marathoner? You are going to need different types of food to fuel your body than a sedentary person. Do you need to loose a significant amount of weight? Yours is going to be a different story. I'm certain red meat would not be prescribed. And truthfully, I think some bodies can process certain foods better and more efficiently than others. So while I still believe animal protein is not good for the body for disease prevention in large quantities, it can be very beneficial for some in smaller quantities every so often. This is just personally what I think. You should explore and come to your own conclusions. It's like my doctor also said:

Your triglicerides are on the high side of normal. I'd tell you to watch that, but it depends on other factors as well. If your family history is one of heart disease and problems of that nature, I'd say we need to get that number down. On the other hand, if your family has a tendency to go crazy (dementia, etc) then I'd like that number to be higher because it's going to work for you and I'd tell you not to worry about it. Same thing with red wine. Red wine has many health benefits. I'm a big proponent of drinking a glass at night. However, if breast cancer runs in your family, it's not a good idea. The risk outweighs the benefit.  

Health is personal. I'm just trying to find the right things for me. I don't need to be defined as anything in particular. I believe in whole foods and lots of them. That's my statement as of now.



I got all giddy when I saw this recipe for a grilled steak salad because I could actually make it! And it was easily adaptable for Jeremy (who is not eating red meat) because I just added asparagus and he had a beautiful and simple filling salad, and I was free to just add the meat to mine. It's a hearty meal, but still light and bright for the season with the lemony-parsley filled dressing. I'll be making it again.

Arugula, Steak and Lemony Roasted Potato Salad
adapted from Women's Day Magazine, June 2013

For the Potatoes:
adapted from Dinner at My Place, by Tyler Florence

1 1/2 pounds fingerling potatoes
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 fresh rosemary sprig, leaves only
1 lemon, cut into quarters
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Wash potatoes and cut lengthwise. Toss potatoes with oil. Toss with rosemary and lemon wedges in a roasting pan. Season with salt and pepper, then roast potatoes for 35-45 minutes, until golden brown (sometimes, I crank the heat up to 375 for a few minutes if they are not browning as fast as I'd like). When done, toss the potatoes with the lemon wedges to make sure the juices get distributed evenly (the heat will release the oils from the skin and the juice from the inside). Season again with salt and pepper again and set aside to cool. 

For The Salad:
1 recipe lemony roasted potatoes (recipe above)
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 shallot, chopped
1 1/2 lb skirt steak, cut crosswise into 6 pieces (I just grilled a grass fed ribeye and sliced it thin)
Kosher salt and pepper
1 lemon, zested and juiced
1/2 cup fresh flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
2 teaspoons capers
1 clove garlic
1 bunch arugula, thick stems discarded (I used a 5oz container)

Heat the broiler. Season the steak with salt and pepper and place on a broiler-proof baking sheet. Broil to desired doneness, 2-3 minutes per side for medium rare. Transfer to a cutting board and let rest for at least 5 minutes before slicing.

For the dressing, place the shallot, lemon zest and 2 teaspoons of the lemon juice, parsley, capers, garlic, and 1/4 teaspoon each of salt and pepper in a mini food processor or magic bullet. Pulse until combined. Add 4 tablespoons olive oil and blend until just combined. Ideally you want it to be a bit chunky (although I pulverized mine and it was still delicious). Arrange the arugula, steak and potatoes on a platter. Drizzle with the dressing.

DIY S'mores Bar

So what has been going on over here you ask? A 34 week doctors appointment for baby, a meeting with four 5th grade girls to figure out how to make a cardboard boat for "the cardboard classic" (a school project), watching my friend Melissa's kids so her husband could take her on a date, an end of the year kindergarten picnic at Whistler Park for Jeremiah, a bike race in Gunnison for my athlete husband, and a 5th grade band concert for Isabella. I was warned the band might not be in the best shape.



Not sure how I was going to "perpere" myself since this is not actually a word.

I may be the rudest mom ever. I know. But I love her, and she won't read this until she's at least 16 and we can deal with it then. She plays trombone, by the way. Reluctantly.

PS. They were actually pretty good! It would have been better if I could have actually seen my daughter playing her instrument. She was in the back row. Hidden. I kept my eye on Riley who was front and center, and I don't even know Riley that well. So really, I listened and watched a random kid play the flute. That's how it went down.

It's amazing how when your kids get older your calendar seriously fills up like magic. Not because you are making plans but because there is just a lot of stuff going on.  Oh yeah, middle school orientation just happened too. I'm not ready for that crap.

You know what I am ready for? Summer! Not that's it's going to be any less busy because it won't. In fact my summer is looking to be fuller, but I just love the flexibility it provides. I really miss our fire pit when the nights start to warm up. We made a habit at the end of our long weekend summer days to build a fire and roast s'mores or dough boys under the stars.



Dough Boys are when we take a biscuit from a can of biscuit dough and stretch it out and wrap it tightly around a stick slightly overlapping each wind. You'll end up with a cylinder shape of dough about 4 inches long. When you place it over the fire, it bakes and puffs and when done can easily be slid off the end of the stick. Then, you roll it in melted butter (the fire melts the butter in one of those disposable foil containers) and then in another foil container of cinnamon sugar. It's good, I'm not gonna lie.



We did it just as a family a lot of nights, but we also had people over to partake. This is where the ingenious idea of a s'mores bar comes in handy. People can pick which chocolate they want and customize to their hearts desire. I realize this is not a "recipe" but it's a dang good idea, yes?

DIY S'mores Bar
adapted from Pinterest

Graham crackers (you can use different varieties of these too such as the cinnamon sugar)
Marshmallows
Different varieties of chocolate (dark, milk, white, oreo hersheys bars, milk almond chocolate, etc)

Arrange on a platter and voila!

Whole Food's Glowing Green Smoothie

My kids make me laugh.



There was the time that my little boy said this:

Jeremiah: Mom, why can't I say "damn it?"
Me: Because that's a bad word. It doesn't sound nice
Jeremiah: Oh man. Well can I at least say "damn?"

After I said no, he says:

"But mom, what about a beaver damn? I can say beaver damn, right?"



And then this conversation just took place the other day:

Jeremy: (sniff, sniff) Who farted?
Everyone: not me
Isabella: It wasn't me! I swear! Watch, Jeremiah, come here and smell my butt.
-Jeremiah starts crying-
Jeremy: What's wrong buddy?
Jeremiah: Isabella made me smell her butt and...and...she ACTUALLY FARTED!
Jeremy: (very, very seriously) Jeremiah. Don't you ever, EVER smell anyone's butt ever again. That is the lesson here. I mean it. Ever

Then, just weeks ago when Isabella was upset about her hair:

Isabella: Daddy, I look like a WHORE! 
-Jeremy stares at her stunned-
Isabella: I don't know what that means but that's what I think...

He told her what it meant, appropriately enough, when she got extremely embarrassed and said: 

"Oh, I thought it meant, like an ugly rat...or a horses liver" 

What?!

And...we bought her a hat.

I don't know if my family has problems or if everyone has stories like this, but I figure a little extra spinach in their diet couldn't hurt to help make them saner in the cabeza. Enter the Glowing Green Smoothie transformed into a popsicle. 



My kids don't even care that it's green. They know it has spinach in it, and that doesn't faze them in the least, probably because it tastes like a sweet tropical vacation with all that pineapple, peach, mango, and creamy coconut goodness contained within than pop mold. They propped themselves up in their outside chairs, feet up and flip flops on like it was summer out (it's not summer out) and slurped them down after a dinner of tomato and arugula pasta. I may have heard mention of "the good life" as this was happening.  Since then they have begged me for these as an after school snack almost everyday.

Here's the thing. The Glowing Green Smoothie does indeed make a mean green popsicle, but I prefer it in it's original form -smoothie style- for lunch or breakfast. Except who am I kidding? I get hungry for "real food" 45 minutes after downing this drink because that's the sad reality us eight and a half months pregnant women have to face. Bravely. With a tear in our eyes, shaking our fists, and wondering when we will ever feel satisfied. I digress.



I drank this smoothie 3-4 times when we visited Whole Foods. I'm learning that each Whole Foods with a smoothie and juice bar has their own specialties and this was the one I happened upon. Lucky me. I cannot stress this enough. Ready? I LOVE this smoothie. The taste is creamy and tropical with a slight hint of nuttiness, probably from the flax seed which I adore that they sneak in. At home I pretty much nailed the recipe. It tastes exactly like the Whole Foods version. Jeremy sometimes can get up in arms about smoothies like this because even though every single ingredient is very healthy, it's still high in sugar because of all the tropical fruit used. Not added sugar, mind you, but he still prefers his spinach smoothies blended with berries which are lower on the glycemic index, but hey, all fruit is good for you! I just don't drink this everyday. It's more like a twice a week thing. Luckily for him the Whole Foods had another smoothie that used the same base but subbed kale for the spinach and berries for the tropical fruit. Everything else was the same if that's more up your alley. I'll say mine tastes better though. 

Whole Foods Glowing Green Smoothie
adapted from Whole Food's Market
makes 1 large smoothie or two smaller smoothies

I only use organic fruit for my smoothies, but that is optional. Also, if you have fresh fruit instead of frozen you could use that as well; just make sure to add a couple ice cubes to keep everything cold. You also won't need as much almond milk if you are using fresh fruit, but keep in mind it won't be as thick. Do use both the "unsweetened" milk and coconut flakes. Trust me, it's sweet enough as it is. 

2 cups packed baby spinach
1 cup frozen organic peaches
1 cup frozen organic pineapple 
1/2 cup frozen organic mango
1/4 cup unsweetened coconut flakes 
1 tablespoon flax meal or flax seed (I use flax meal because it blends better)
1 cup unsweetened almond milk (add more if needed to blend)

Blend everything together well and drink.

Julia's Best Banana Bread

Oh, hello. No, I haven't had my baby, I've just been busy and not making much time for blogland...until now.



Olivia plays with this bop-it toy constantly. It's a game that shouts out commands such as "pull it!" or "twist it!" and you are supposed to keep pace and do what it says or it verbally berates you. Lots of nights Jeremy and I feel so bad for her because she hauls this thing around without a clue as to what it's saying and it just shouts horrible things at her like "Booooo", "epic fail" and "I'm going to sleep!" Of course she has no idea and It's funny and sad at the same time. We tell her "Don't listen to that thing, big girl! You are awesome!"



Something about the upcoming summer and baby's due date rapidly approaching (5 weeks to go!) has made me drawn to simplistic foods. I've been making green paletas (popsicles) for the kids, eggs on toast for breakfast, thick honeydew slices packed in kids lunches, bags of cherries, and whole wheat pastas and soups at night since our climate hasn't quite taken the hint that it should warm up indefinitely now. We're slow to catch on to such things up here. In short, exciting blog material has not been plentiful for a few weeks. However, I did stumble upon a simple banana bread recipe I've been dying to try out. It's definitely blog material. Oh, yes.



I don't usually make banana bread recipes I run across because I already have a great one with big banana flavor and studded with nuts. It's my standby and favorite with the hint of vanilla and buttermilk tang. But this one called to me. Andrew McCarthy wrote piece for Bon Appetit on this banana bread and it ran in their March issue. Yes, Andrew McCarthy the actor from movies such as Pretty In Pink and Weekend At Bernies. He's a thoughtful writer with a passion for travel and good food. He used to live on the Island of Maui where he would listen to the trade winds rustling palm fronds and dig his feet in the buttery sand while watching a fiery sun hang above the Pacific. He also swears that his most potent memory of Hawaii is the smell of warm, moist banana bread. Julia's banana bread to be exact. So he heads down the famous road to Hana chasing a memory.





Julia grew up on the Island of Molokai and started making banana bread out of necessity. She was selling fruit and the bananas got too ripe so she had to do something. It's the simplistic recipe that  makes it stand out for me. No buttermilk or sour cream, no vanilla extract, a hefty amount of eggs. This is just simply banana bread without need for the extra frills. As Andrew eats the last of his loaf he laughs to himself. He's thinking of moving back.

This bread is sturdier than my other recipe without losing any of the dense moistness, which I like. It almost has a mouth-feel like I've added a package of vanilla pudding but I most certainly have not. We like our slices thick and warm with a little salted butter. But as you know, theres no wrong way to eat banana bread.



Julia's Best Banana Bread
adapted from Bon Appetit, March 2013 by Andrew McCarthy

serves 8 or makes 1 loaf

This bread can also be baked in three small (5 3/4 x 3 1/4") loaf pans, which is how you'll find them at Julia's stand; cooking time will be 40-50 minutes. For deepest flavor, use ripe bananas with lots of freckles.

Nonstick vegetable oil spray
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoons kosher salt
3 large eggs
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup mashed ripe bananas (about 2 large)
3/4 vegetable oil (I used 1/4 cup coconut oil and 1/2 cup vegetable oil)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Coat a 9x5x3" loaf pan with nonstick spray. Whisk flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Whisk eggs, sugar, bananas, and oil in a large bowl until smooth. Add dry ingredients to banana mixture and stir just until combined. Scrape batter into prepared pan and smooth top. 

Bake until a tester inserted into the center of the bread comes out clean, 60-70 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack; let bread cool in pan for 15 minutes. Run a knife around inside of pan to release the bread. Turn out onto rack and let cool completely.

Tip- Bread can be made 3 days ahead. Store airtight at room temperature.

Easy Cheese Danishes and I'll tell you what I want...

What I really really want...

I want a...

I want a...

I really want a quilt for the new baby.

A quilt that looks like this.

Photo courtesy of Little Miss Momma


And I really, really want every special person in my life to gift a piece of fabric that they picked out to give to me so I can make this quilt. A patchwork with pieces of every one in my life right now to document forever. I want my grandmother to pick a pattern. My sister to pick her favorite color. My mother, my Aunts in California, my Aunt in Colorado Springs...I even want the girls at Creekside and and Freshies (My breakfast spots) to pick me out a piece. I'd say the girls at Winona's too, but I think I feel closer to them then they actually do to me. Awkward. Old friends, new friends, Facebook friends, people near and far who may have to ship their fabric. All of them. I want them all. Selfishly. The only problem? I have NO IDEA how to quilt.

And how do I guarantee the quilt is soft and thin, and pliable instead of the heavy rigid ones I've been around? I have no idea. How would I get it to look like the picture above that seems to embody all of those things? Can I take it to a quilter? Is there even such a thing? I'm asking you, dear friends, because I don't know who else to ask. I'm hoping you have some advice for me. I'm guessing the fabric would have to be of a certain quality or made of "quilting" material, which may present a problem. We have some thin, itchy stuff at our Wal-Mart here. That's not really what I'm talking about. I think we have fabric stores though. Fingers crossed. Although, maybe it's sort of rude say:

Would you want to pick out a pice of fabric for Baby MacGray's quilt? Oh, it needs to be quilting fabric. Make sure of that. 

Maybe that's just a given. It would have to be "quilting" fabric, right?

And now I vill talk about zee food. Sorry for my shameless quilt talk. Easy Cheese Danishes, ready? GO!



I made these cheese Danishes for the Soulation gathering I catered this March. Someone in attendance asked me if I had made them and was shocked when I said yes. She expressed that she had never seen danishes that someone had made, only from the store. I suppose someone at the store had to make them as well but I knew what she meant. She went on to point out to everyone that I had, in fact, made them. They were beautiful. And they did look impressive and fresh baked and homey. But honestly? These things are so easy that I felt guilty accepting the praise. Maybe if I had made my own pastry I'd have felt more worthy. Alas, I've done that, and the results are not noticeably different, so I stuck to the frozen pre-made Pepperidge Farm version. I'm not ashamed. Even Ina Garten uses it.

I've always loved Danishes. I remember lusting after the Entemans Raspberry Danish from the grocery store that my mom sometimes got for us as a treat growing up. It was that memory that prompted me to tuck little spoonfuls of good raspberry jam into half of the cheese danishes before baking. Lemon curd would have been amazing too.



Easy Cheese Danishes
adapted From Barefoot Contessa at Home, by Ina Garten
yield: 8 Danishes

For the Danishes:
8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1/3 cup sugar
2 extra-large egg yolks, at room temperature
2 tablespoons ricotta cheese
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest (2 lemons)
2 sheets (1 box) frozen puff pastry, defrosted
1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water, for egg wash
Raspberry Jam (optional-if wanting to make raspberry danishes)

For the icing:
1 cup powdered sugar
1-2 tablespoon lemon juice or milk

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.

Place the cream cheese and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and cream them together on low speed until smooth. With the mixer still on low, add the egg yolks, ricotta, vanilla, salt, and lemon zest and mix until just combined. Don't whip!

Unfold 1 sheet of puff pastry onto a lightly floured board and roll it slightly with a floured rolling pin until it's a 10 by 10-inch square. Cut the sheet into quarters with a sharp knife. Place a heaping tablespoon of cheese filling into the middle of each of the 4 squares. If making raspberry danishes: spoon 2 teaspoons of jam into the cheese mixture. I spooned one teaspoon towards the top and one towards the bottom. Brush the border of each pastry with egg wash and fold 2 opposite corners to the center, brushing and overlapping the corners of each pastry so they firmly stick together. Brush the top of the pastries with egg wash. Place the pastries on the prepared sheet pan. Repeat with the second sheet of puff pastry and refrigerate the filled Danish for 15 minutes.

Bake the pastries for about 20 minutes, rotating the pan once during baking, until puffed and brown. Meanwhile, mix the powdered sugar and lemon juice together in a small bowl. When Danishes are done and still warm, drizzle the glaze over the top in a criss cross pattern. Serve warm.