Monday mornings are hectic. After 2 lazy weekend days of going to bed late and sleeping in, my kiddos are not too enthused about having to get up "early" on Monday. This summer they've been going to a day camp 3 blocks away that starts at 9:30 so they can get away with getting up as late as 8:45 before they have to walk out the door. That will definitely change in a few weeks when school starts again!
I tend to wait until I get to work to eat breakfast. Most mornings it's a bagel and cream cheese and when I plan ahead, I like to bring along smoked salmon, capers and a few other things to add. But that can be time consuming and when I picked up a 48oz loaf of cream cheese the other day, I decided to prep ahead so I can just grab and go in the AM. I used a small ice cream scoop and portioned everything out into disposable 2 oz containers that I found at my local store. One batch makes 4 which will get me through the work week.
Gravlax Caper Spread
Dill & Scallion Spread
Cream Cheese Spread Base
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/2 tsp lemon juice
2 tbs heavy cream (adjust to taste/preference in consistency)
For the Salmon Caper Spread
2 ounces smoked salmon roughly chopped (I used a Gravlax version that already had dill)
2 tsp finely chopped capers
2 tsp finely chopped scallions (I caramelized mine first but you can use raw if you prefer)
pinch of seasoning salt
For the Dill & Scallion Spread
2 heaping tbs chopped fresh dill (Skokie Farmers' Market find at M & D Farms)
2 tsp chopped scallions
pinch of seasoning salt (I used Old Bay)
Directions
Combine ingredients in a bowl or in the cup of a hand mixer and mix until incorporated. Use as a spread for bagels or serve with chips.
Note, my little guy immediately ran off with the mixing container after I'd portioned the dill spread out and scraped every last bit off with a piece of bagel. I didn't think he'd like the raw scallions but he did!