Broccoli and Cream Cheese Breakfast Braid

Some of my favorite recipes tend to be accidental - recipes you put together because you need to clear your fridge and freezer, but then all of a sudden the most delicious creation emerges from your oven.

This...this is one of those recipes. A very happy, very tasty accident.

Here was the situation I found myself in this weekend. In addition to a grumbling stomach around 11 a.m. on Sunday, there was:

--One sheet of frozen puff pastry that was reaching it's prime hanging in the freezer
--Half a block of cream cheese that was close to it's last leg in the refrigerator
--Two big bags of chopped frozen broccoli
--A small nugget of parmesan cheese and half a ball of mozzarella in the cheese drawer

Individually, these aren't particularly bad situations to find oneself in. Combined, however, I started panicking. I didn't want to waste any of this food, so I knew I had to get creative.

And so goes the story of my Broccoli and Cream Cheese Breakfast Braid. This creamy. dreamy creation is perfect anytime of day. Having some girlfriends over for brunch? Need a quick, low maintenance dinner? Want to treat your family to a special Saturday breakfast? This recipe is just what you need for all these situations and more.

In reality, I should have foreseen the success this dish was going to be. Generally, anything wrapped in puff pastry will immediately have a gourmet touch. Then I went ahead and made a savory cream cheese base...who DOESN'T love warm, melty, rich cream cheese?! A couple of soft-scrambled eggs and chopped broccoli make this dish robust and fulfilling. Plus, you can customize this any way you want! Thinking about adding ham and cheddar cheese? Me too!

Did I mention that it's a showstopper? So gorgeous!

Crab Rangoons

It's Super Bowl Week! That can only mean one thing -- lots and lots of appetizer recipes flooding the blog-o-sphere.

I want to get on this bandwagon for a couple of reasons. First, I absolutely LOVE making appetizers. Bite-sized snacks that are tasty to eat and fun to make really make my heart go pidder padder (or is it pitter patter? Life's great questions...)

I also think that homemade appetizers can elevate any game day party to the next level. And since this coming Sunday is the ultimate game day, this can't wait.

One thing I have been dying to make at home is Crab Rangoons. Back in college, any bad week could be made instantly better by ordering Chinese take-out with an extra order of crab rangoons. What part about cream cheese and crab meat fried to perfection WOULDN'T make it better?

Be still the college student inside my heart. Turns out making crab rangoons is totally easy. There is a little bit of assembly required, but other than that they cook up quickly and get eaten up even quicker!

It starts with cream cheese, softened to room temperature, alongside chopped scallions and shredded crab meat. I used the imitation crab meat because, honestly, after the mixing with cream cheese and the frying, it didn't seem necessary to splurge on lump crab meat.

Using a fork and some elbow grease, incorporate the cheese, crab and scallions along with Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, and cracked black pepper.

Each wonton will be made using a wonton wrapper. These things are amazing, especially if you like cooking appetizers! They are usually right in the produce section of your grocery store -- just ask a nice employee to point you to them.

About a teaspoonful of the cream cheese mix is placed in the middle of each wrapper. Then, to seal the wrappers, dip your finger in water and run it along the outer edges. Fold the wrappers in half into triangles and seal well by pressing down on all sides, letting out as much air as possible.

Added bonus -- these keep really well in the refrigerator, so feel free to prep the night before that way on game day all you need to do is fry 'em up!

For cooking, heat a large amount of canola or vegetable oil in a heavy bottomed frying pan over medium heat. The level of the oil should be just high enough to cover the rangoons.

Cook in batches until golden brown. Best served hot with soy sauce or duck sauce for dipping.

There's not much more I can say about this app recipe. It's essentially everything you want in an appetizer. A bit sinful, but totally delicious. Easy to eat while crowded around a big TV with a bunch of friends. Just a complete yum-fest (I just made that word up...how do we like it?)