Who has time to cook?

I work night shift as a nurse in the neonatal intensive care unit of a local hospital. My shift is 7 PM to 7 AM, and I usually work three nights per week. That is a nice schedule that would seem to leave plenty of time for cooking. However, that is not always so.

We have recently been overrun with little preemies to take care of, and, as a result, I have been picking up all kinds of extra hours. Therefore, I have been surviving less on my own home-cooked food and more on the stuff made by the nice people at Lean Cuisine. This week, I have four nights off in a row, so I plan to do some cooking at least two of those nights. Next week, I work six of seven days, so it will be back to frozen meal land.

I did make a fun dessert for a bridal shower this weekend. I wouldn't call it cooking because nothing in the dessert has to be cooked, but it does get put together quite nicely. This is a recipe that my husband's aunt Charlene makes for family gatherings, and I have always loved them!



Phylo Cups with Fruit

Two packages frozen phylo cups
1 8 ounce block cream cheese
1 container whipped topping
vanilla extract
confectioners sugar or Splenda
fresh berries

Soften cream cheese. In large bowl, mix cream cheese with half of the tub of whipped topping (I used Cool Whip). Add vanilla extract and sugar or Splenda to taste. Using pastry bag with star tip attachment, pipe mixture into phylo cups. Top each cup with fruit of your choice.

These were a big hit, and they are easy to make! And you could experiment with flavors and make them something all your own!