It’s Father’s day today, and although this is the day we celebrate dads, to me it’s another day to celebrate family. Mother’s day, father’s day, family day and even just Saturday, another reason to spend time with my amazing family, celebrate it and be happy for being part of it.
Lately I’ve been having quite a few rough days for different reasons, but thanks to these days I’ve been able to appreciate my family even more. The support, the love, the understanding and the comfort they provide. The laughs, the peace and the stability. My family is my rock, and this is why even though it’s father’s day I celebrate family.
Now, I’m not saying that fathers don’t deserve their own day, but I think fathers and mothers, grandparents and children should be celebrated every single day. Because at the end of the day, family is the only thing you have that’s not going to change, they will always be there.
So in the spirit of family appreciation I made a special brunch today, and we sat down together as a family and enjoyed each other’s company. Even Stewie got some homemade dog treats, after all, he is part of the family.
And before I share this next great recipe for “Cream Cheese and Olives Crescents”, I just wanted to wish everyone a Happy Father’s Day and a Wonderful family packed week.
- 2 ¾ Cup Whole Wheat Flour (550gr)
- 2 tsp Dry Active Yeast
- 1 tsp Sugar
- ½ Cup Cottage Cheese
- ⅓ Cup Plain Yogurt
- 2 Tbsp Olive Oil
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 Cup Warm Water
- 1 Egg - beaten (For the egg wash)
- 250gr Cream Cheese
- 50g Butter - Melted
- Salt
- Pitted Olives
- Place the flour, yeast and sugar in a mixer bowl and mix together with a spoon. Add in the cottage cheese, yogurt, oil and salt and ½ cup of the water and start mixing using the kneading attachment. Start with low speed and move to medium-low after a minute or so.
- Gradually add the rest of the water. The dough should be soft and a bit tacky but it shouldn’t stick to the bowl (extra or less water may be needed based on the flour you use).
- Once a dough has formed, pat the dough slightly with oil and cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let dough rest and rise for about 45-60 minutes until it’s double in size.
- Punch the dough down (to deflate it) and divide into 2 equal parts.
- Roll each part into a ball and on a lightly floured surface, roll into a thin flat circle.
- Mix the cream cheese and melted butter together until they form a soft spreadable mix.
- You can add spices or herbs as desired.
- Using a spatula or butter knife, spread half of the filling on the flattened dough circle and add olives on top.
- Using a sharp knife or pizza slicer, slice the circle into 8-10 (depending on the size you want) slices (triangles - like a pizza).
- Roll each triangle from the outside to the inside (starting with the wide end and rolling towards the sharp end of the triangle).
- Repeat with the second half of the dough and place the filled crescents on a parchment paper layered baking sheet. Make sure that they are at least 1 inch apart.
- Cover with a kitchen towel and let the crescents rest for about 30-45 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 375F (180C)
- After 30-45 minutes, gently brush each crescent with beaten egg and sprinkle with sesame if desired.
- Bake for 20 minutes.
