3 ways: flavored cream cheese

Joe and I have come to the realization that we eat out WAY too much. I'm a little embarrassed to admit what our monthly contribution to restaurants looks like on our bank statements, but lets just say that if we could manage to cut our "dining out" expenses by half (and we can), we would end up saving a pretty decent amount of dollars. With a kid and jobs that don't exactly offer 401Ks or vacation pay, we need to start being more on top of these things, you know?

I think for us, the appeal of eating out has come down to convenience, of course, and variety. But the truth of the matter is that even restaurant menus can only offer so much choice and will eventually and inevitably become the same old, same old, too. Considering the fact that Joe and I can both cook (and not to toot our own horns, but cook well), there's really no better place to find variety than right here at home. So, I'm going to start using this blog to hold ourselves accountable. I have created a new series called "3 Ways". I will take one basic dish/meal/what have you, prepare it three totally different ways, and write about it right here. Look, I'm a pretty lazy cook, so not only will this be a good tool to help keep our home meals interesting, but it will also provide easy recipes for those of you who don't have time to deal with load and LOADS of ingredients and don't have the patience to hassle with complicated techniques. Sounds kind of fun, no?

Alright, now that this has all been explained, I'm kicking off "3 Ways" with flavored cream cheeses. We are big bagel fans in this house (Joe even started making our bagels), and I had gotten into the habit of buying all these flavored cream cheeses. I know that that's not technically eating out, per se, but I figured... Making my own flavored cream cheeses is not rocket science, and I own a food processor, so why not stop buying them and start creating the flavors I want? It's so simple, and why this hadn't occurred to me before, I'll never know.

Salmon, Dill, and Caramelized Shallot
8 oz. of Cream Cheese
Roughly 4 oz. of Cured Salmon
1 tbsp. of Chopped, Fresh Dill
1 Large Shallot, Caramelized (and cooled)

Roasted Garlic, Chèvre, and Chives
8 oz. of Cream Cheese
4-5 Medium Sized Garlic Cloves, Roasted
4-5 Heaping tbsp. of Chevre
1 tbsp. of Chopped Chives

Berry and Maple (I had trouble eating this whole batch before I even got it onto a bagel)
8 oz. of Cream Cheese
Small Handful of Blueberries
Small Handful of Blackberries
2 tbsp. of Maple Syrup

For all of the flavors, just toss the ingredients into a food processor and blend until incorporated. If you want a chunkier style, you can pulse a few times instead of blending. If your cream cheese is on the drier side and having trouble blending, you can add 1 tbsp. of milk at a time until you reach your desired consistency. Be sure to add the milk SLOWLY. I got a little too eager with my Roasted Garlic Cream Cheese, and I got a way softer result than I was hoping for (see photo). These cream cheeses will last roughly 4-5 days in your fridge. Totally worth the very minimal time and effort, wouldn't you say?