August 2022

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your Daily Values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

1. 2 slices naan
2. 2 tablespoons olive oil
3. 2 garlic cloves chopped
4. 4 button mushrooms chopped
5. 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella
6. 1/2 cup low fat cottage cheese
7. 5 basil leaves chopped
8. salt and pepper to taste
9. red pepper flakes to taste
10. parmesan cheese if desired

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with foil and place naan on top. Set aside.
2. Heat oil in a skillet and add garlic. Cook on low until tender, making sure not to burn garlic or else it will be very bitter.
3. Brush the garlic oil on the naan bread. Sprinkle with mozzarella.
4. Place spoonfuls of cottage cheese all around.
5. Add mushrooms. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
6. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until cheese is bubbly.
7. Remove from oven. Add chopped basil and red pepper flakes to taste. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese if desired.

A Little Sweet Life https://alittlesweetlife.com/ Ok let’s get down to it. This pizza is fabulous in every way. It’s creamy, delicious, flavorful, and just down right perfect because you can make it in less than 15 minutes! These days I don’t have much time to cook. Between Emma, editing photos and the usual house chores, I’m left with no time to cook, much less eat! My husband picked up some naan when we went to the store and just like he does most of the time, he forgot about it. Or maybe this time he knew that I would have the itch to turn this fluffy naan bread into pizza and he just happened to forget about it. Yeah, yeah that’s it for sure. HA! No, he just forgot about it like usual and I came around to the rescue. Did I mention he absolutely loved the result? Yeah, yeah he did! High five super mom (that’s me)!

Oh sweet sponge cake how I love you. You’re so light, fluffy, and full of flavor. Thank you for being so good even without butter or oil!

My husband ate this cake in pretty much a matter of 24 hours. My mom and I had one slice each and that was that. He devoured this cake! Like I turned my head to grab something from the fridge and then it was gone. Just like that. Well almost. You know what I mean. He loves sweets, really really loves sweets. He’s never eaten a cake this fast, so I pretty much came to the conclusion that it was because it’s so light and airy. It’s not heavy like butter cakes because it’s made without any added fat, just what’s in the eggs. Needless to say, my husband loved my reasoning as to why he ate the entire cake minus two slices.

And you know what? The best part about this cake is the frosting. Probably the best I’ve ever made! I love lemon zest frosting! I’m hooked.

Sponge Cake with Lemon Zest Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients

• For the Cake:
• 3/4 all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1/2 cup vanilla pudding mix (1 box)
• 6 eggs (separated)
• For the Frosting:
• 1/2 cup softened butter
• 1/4 cup softened cream cheese
• 1 jar marshmallow fluff
• Zest from two lemons
• Juice from 1 lemon
• For the Garnish:
• 1 cup raspberries
• 3 thin lemon slices

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease two 9 inch round baking pans. Line with parchment paper. Grease and flour parchment paper. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl beat 1/4 cup and 1 tablespoon sugar with egg yolks until white and fluffy. Set aside.
3. In another bowl beat egg whites and the remaining sugar until stiff peaks form.
4. Add the pudding powder to flour and mix.
5. Add 1/3 of the egg whites to the egg yolk mixture and fold. Add 1/3 of the flour and fold. Continue to do this another two times. Your mixture should be light and fluffy.
6. Pour into prepared pans. Bake for about 18 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
7. Remove from oven and invert onto a wire rack. Let cool completely before assembling and frosting.
8. To make frosting cream the butter, cream cheese, marshmallow fluff, lemon zest, and lemon juice until light and fluffy.

https://alittlesweetlife.com/sponge-cake-with-lemon-zest-cream-cheese-frosting/

I started eating crêpes from a very young age, the only difference is that in Romania we call them clătite. Both of my grandmas, my mother, and my aunts made them for me as a child and I loved being spoiled with this delicious treat every time! I really think crêpes are one of the easiest desserts to make and people always seem to be wowed by them. You can do so much with this simple recipe. I chose to roll them up and top with Danish Blackcurrant Preserves. My favorite way and the traditional Romanian way has always been to roll them up with some type of preserves. Please, please, please give this recipe a try, it won’t disappoint and I guarantee you’ll be making this for years and years!

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your Daily Values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

1. 1 & 3/4 cup all purpose flour
2. 1 cup milk
3. 1 & 1/4 cup sparkling water
4. 2 eggs
5. 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
6. Pinch salt
7. 1 packet vanilla sugar
8. Extra vegetable oil for pan

1. In a large bowl mix flour, salt, and vanilla sugar. Make a well in the center, add your eggs, and mix. Gradually add your milk and sparkling water and incorporate using a whisk. Once everything is incorporated and mixed well use a sieve to get rid of any clumps. This will ensure you have a smooth and silky batter.
2. Heat a 9 in flat pan on medium heat. Add about a teaspoon of oil. Once oil is heated, use a ladle and pour a small amount of batter into pan. Lift pan and turn so that almost the entire pan is coated. Cook until edges start to brown. Flip and continue cooking until a golden brown color. Continue to add a small amount of oil each time you cook a crêpe.
3. To serve, spoon a small amount of preserves onto the center of each crêpe and roll up. Dust with powdered sugar if desired.

A Little Sweet Life https://alittlesweetlife.com/

For the past two months I’ve cut back on my meat and dairy consumption. I mean, I’m not going to lie, I still eat ice cream and indulge in desserts that I make, but for the most part that’s it. As for meat, that’s been pretty easy to cut out of my diet. Now this leads me to these delicious Vegan Pancakes. I love pancakes so I decided to swap some ingredients and make these oh so Vegan! So glad I did because they’re amazing. The blueberry sauce tops this off…literally! It’s soooo good!

I know the name of this recipe may sound odd, but back in Romania where I grew up it’s so popular! I remember asking my mom to make this for me all the time. I love savory pasta dishes but my very very sweet tooth takes over a whole lot! So you know how people eat breakfast for dinner? Well, just think of this dish like that. Instead of eating a savory meal for dinner or lunch, have this. This is perfect for one of those days when you want a filling and satisfying meal, but also something a little sweet. It’s so easy to put together and more than likely you already have these ingredients on hand.

Yeah, that’s caramelized sugar on top! I know you see it!

Sweet Pasta Casserole (Budinca de Macaroane) * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your Daily Values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

1. 8 oz tortiglioni (or pasta of your choice)
2. 2 eggs
3. 1 cup cottage cheese (or ricotta cheese)
4. 7 oz Greek yogurt (I used Fage 2%)
5. 2 tablespoons milk
6. 1 packet vanilla sugar
7. 3 tablespoons sugar
8. 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
9. 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
10. Zest from 1 lemon
11. Juice from half a lemon
12. Extra sugar for dusting (2-3 tablespoons)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter an 8 x 8 in square pan.
2. Cook pasta according to package directions.
3. In a large bowl whisk your eggs. Add cottage cheese, Greek yogurt, and milk. Mix until blended. Add vanilla sugar, sugar, vanilla extract, almond extract, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Mix well.
4. Once pasta is cooked, drain and rinse with a little cold water.
5. Add pasta to above mixture and make sure you coat all the pasta.
6. Pour into pan. Sprinkle with a tablespoon of sugar. Bake in preheated oven for about 1 hour or until top and sides start to brown and center looks set.
7. Remove from oven. Sprinkle with remaining sugar. Let cool about 20 minutes before cutting.

A Little Sweet Life https://alittlesweetlife.com/