Cheesecake Fruit Dip

I don’t really know where this idea came from.  I suppose it was just one of those random moments of inspiration.  I’m quite happy with this one, though, so whatever, I’ll take it.  The fabulousness really does live up to the name.  Cheesecake Fruit Dip.  Just imagine a bowl of cheesecake in which you dip fresh fruit.  And the best part is, it only requires 2 ingredients and about 3 minutes to put it together. 

Here’s what you’ll need:

• 8 oz. cream cheese
• ½ cup Trader Joe’s Crunchy Cookie Butter

If you don’t have a Trader Joe’s by you, you can probably get speculoos at whatever store you shop at, but they might not have a crunchy option.  Speculoos is a spread made from speculoos cookies, which are basically graham crackers.

If you don’t want to wait for your cream cheese to come to room temperature, you can give it 10 seconds in the microwave.  Then just smoosh it around until it’s nice and soft and creamy.  I like to use Neufchatel rather than regular cream cheese because it’s lower in fat and still tastes fabulous. 

Add the cookie butter.

Then just stir until it’s fully incorporated. 

Serve with whatever kind of fruit you like.  I chose strawberries and sliced apples.  You could even dip bits of chocolate in it, if you like chocolate cheesecake.  Because seriously, you'll think you just made cheesecake in like 3 minutes.  

What’s your favorite kind of cheesecake?

Iced Vanilla Chai Latte

We’ve been without air conditioning for a week, which has meant no cooking for me.  Hence, my late post.  Fortunately, it cooled down enough today, that I was able to stand in front of the stove long enough to brew some tea for this lovely iced chai latte.  It’s no wonder they’re so popular right now.  They’re definitely good for the soul.  Like my friend Melissa said, “Bad day?  Try one of these.” 

Here’s what you’ll need:

• 4 cups water
• ¾ cups sugar
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
• ¼ teaspoon cloves
• ¼ teaspoon allspice
• ¼ teaspoon mace
• ⅛ teaspoon cardamom
• ¼ cup tea leaves or 10-12 teabags
• 2 cups milk
• 1 Tablespoon vanilla 

Now, if you’re a chai tea expert, you’ll know that my list of ingredients is far from traditional.  More commonly you’ll see things like star anise, black pepper, and ginger, but I don’t really care for those in my tea, thank you.  Use a combination of whatever your favorite spices are, and place them all together in a small dish. 

The tea is sort of the same thing.  I’m using a black tea from Teavana that comes in little balls, but you can use green tea, white tea, loose tea, teabags… whatever you prefer. 

Bring your water to a boil, then turn off the heat and add the sugar.  I used vanilla sugar and accidentally got a piece of a vanilla bean in with it, but not to worry, this will all be strained out. 

Add the spices. 

Stir them in and add the tea.  Just remember, if you’re using green or white tea, you’ll need to allow the water to cool to the proper temperature first. 

Allow it to steep for 3-4 minutes, and then pour it through a strainer. 

I thought it would be a good idea to line the strainer with a coffee filter, but it quickly became apparent that it wasn’t.  I guess the cinnamon was clogging the filter or something, because the tea simply wouldn’t drain.  So take it from me, just use a fine sieve.   

Add the vanilla

And the milk. 

Give it a quick stir, and you have a perfect iced vanilla chai latte.  (and it didn’t cost 5 bucks) Not to mention, there’s plenty to share or keep in the fridge for later. 

Pour it over plenty of ice, and enjoy. 

Ahhh, sweet, spicy, cool, refreshing, deliciousness.  Like I said, good for the soul. 

What do you indulge in when you’ve had a bad day?