Cinnamon Danish Toast with Yogurt Cheese

Yogurt is one of my favorite foods. I can eat it for breakfast or as a snack at any time during the day.

Some time back I came across a book called 101 Things to do with Yogurt. I had to buy it knowing what a versatile food yogurt is and was eager to learn how to use it as a base for or as a healthy substitute in recipes. 

It was hard to decide what to make first out of the book; Cinnamon Danish Toast sounded like a good start. It required me to make Yogurt Cheese to begin with and so I made a small batch over the weekend. And I made the Cinnamon Danish Toast for breakfast this morning. 

I'll let the pictures do most of the talking:

Monkey Cupcakes

These were requested by my son today. 

He would never actually eat them, but thinks they're cute enough to take along to a friends' place. I've made these a couple of times before; for parties at his school and a bake sale. Kids always find these super moist cupcakes irresistible. 

Me? I love the cinnamon cream cheese frosting. It's completely delicious.

I got both the recipe and the idea for decorating these cupcakes out of the 'Cupcakes from the Cake Doctor' book. This book has so many ideas for cupcakes but I've only managed to try very few. All of that will change, of course, and I might stop browsing through the book and actually try out more fantastic ideas at some point this year. 

Ok, back to the recipe.

Nutella + Fudge Brownie Ice cream

 

I can't seem to leave ice cream alone. 

But this ice cream is the best thing to have ever come out of my kitchen. I kid you not - it is no less than amazing. And I've made it many times over and devoured it all by myself. All credit for this supremely delicious invention goes to Clotilde of Chocolate & Zucchini. 

Do yourself a favor and make this today. 

It's full of Nutella. You know you can't fight it. So don't.

Nutella: what's not to love?

The entire city is conspiring against me. Their mission is to keep me from getting my weekly Nutella fix. 

I'm all out. And I can't find it anywhere. Not in the small grocery stores, not the hyper-marts. Nowhere.

What makes it worse is that Nutella-related posts have been popping up all over the blogosphere because it is World Nutella Day on February 5. Just this past hour, I have read about at least 5 luscious Nutella desserts and then drooled over the photos in the Nutella day Flickr pool - all of which have sent my cravings completely over the edge. 

I was getting desperate enough to make my own 'Nutella spread' a la David Lebowitz. But that would have required looking for Hazelnut oil, which is just completely impossible slightly harder to find in these parts.


Sigh. 

I so badly wanted to make Nutella ice cream and be part of the 'chocolaty hazelnut wave across the blogosphere' today. 

But no Nutella, no ice cream. 
And no Nutella, no photos :( [Sorry, Sara & Michelle]



And this is hardly an original recipe contribution to World Nutella Day but this is how my kids and I love our Nutella (when we're not eating it straight from the jar): 


Grilled Nutella Sandwich

2 slices whole wheat bread
2 tablespoons Nutella
butter
cooking spray 

Heat griddle/pan. 

Lightly spread the outsides of two slices of bread with butter. 
Spread Nutella on the inside and sandwich together. 

Grill 2 mins per side. 

Slice in half and serve warm. 

Happy World Nutella Day!