Welcome 2010/ Crepes w/ Zesty Ginger & Orange Cream Cheese Filling

*PHOTOS ADDED*

I've messed with a lot of different ideas for blog posts during this past month. This is my 100th post, you see, & I felt like it needed to be something special. My brainstorm of options was quite extensive & included 10 top 10 lists, 100 favorite songs, & an Ode to my Chucks, my beloved traveling Converse. But nothing ever went anywhere. So... no post. Last night I welcomed the new year in the best way here at home with my family. We had a lovely fire & watched "Wait Until Dark" while the snow billowed past our windows. & suddenly, it was 2010.

This morning, I woke up with a lovely idea floating around in my head - don't you just love it when that happens? The lovely idea went something like this - I have fresh ginger. There are oranges in my kitchen. There are about 6 blocks of cream cheese in the fridge. I think 2010 needs to be welcomed by a batch of crepes with some sort of amazing cream cheese filling. So, I started concocting. Based on the results, I think 2010 is going to be a very good year indeed.

serving suggestion - we also added glazed pears
and creamy cinnamon syrup - recipe to come

Crepes
3 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup water
3 tbsp. melted butter
3/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp. salt

Put everything in a blender & whip it up for about a minute. Scrape the batter down with a rubber spatula & give it another buzz for about 30 seconds. Refrigerate for an hour. (You can skip the "refrigerate" part if your house is as cold as mine.)

Cook the crepes in a small frying pan. Coat the pan with melted butter, then add about 2 tblsp. of batter, tilting the pan & rolling the batter around until it coats the bottom of the pan. Cook until the top of the crepe looks a bit dry & the edges of the crepe begin to lift from the sides of the pan.

delicious. mmmm.

Zesty Ginger Orange Filling
1 8 oz. package cream cheese (DO NOT use that non-fat stuff - that's just nasty)
6 tblsp. fresh squeezed orange juice
1 tblsp. orange zest (this is a rough estimate- feel free to add more)
2 tsp. milk
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 tsp. freshly grated ginger
dash of freshly grated nutmeg
dash of powdered ginger
pinch of salt

I think that was everything... Basically, whip all of that goodness together with a mixer until it's fluffy & delicious. It works best if you blend the cream cheese & the milk first, then add the powdered sugar & orange juice & whip it up. Then add the zests & the spices. YUM.

Fill your crepes with a dollop of filling, roll, & top with a sprinkling of powdered sugar. Bon Appétit!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!