Pancakes

Everyone has a comfort food. And with so many options, how can you pick just one? But when I think of pancakes, I think of my dad and Aunt Jemima's Pancake mix (the one that uses egg and oil and milk). Don't forget the Mrs. Butterworth's syrup. Though I think that is because I liked the bottle so much when I was little...and these things became habit.
When I was little, dad let me stir. Then he let me measure. Then crack the eggs. And finally, when I was old enough, I made the pancake batter for our holiday pancakes all by myself. I used to love it on that rare Sunday when everyone was up in time for pancakes before church. Or when we had company and Mom made scrambled eggs and sausage to go with the pancakes. And on Christmas morning, we would add fresh fruit to the spread. Have to keep things interesting you know. Now that I'm all grown up, I make my own pancakes some Saturday mornings, before Price and I leave to go to the Farmer's Market. It's our own new tradition, that Saturday Breakfast. And pancakes remind me of all the wonderful breakfasts I had with my family growing up. However, a mix loses it's appeal after doing Presby's famous pancake breakfast where 500+ students get served pancakes. So here is a recipe for pancakes from scratch...I like them with whole wheat...but you can use only all-purpose flour if you want.

Whole Wheat Pancakes (makes 12-15 pancakes)
Ingredients:
1 1/4 c. whole wheat flour
3/4 c. all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3 tbsp sugar
1/2 stick (4tbsp) butter, melted
1 1/4 c. milk
1tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs

Directions:
Mix together dry ingredients. Mix in melted butter. Add liquid ingredients. Stir with a whisk for 1-2 minutes. Batter will be lumpy. Using 1/4 c. ladle poor batter onto hot griddle. Cook through, flipping once when batter starts to bubble.

Optional add-ins: since Price likes blueberries, and I am a chocolate chip fan, we add these straight into the pancakes on the griddle instead of adding it to the batter, that way, you can mix and match!

Good add-ins:
dried fruit
fresh berries or chopped fruit
chocolate chips
nuts


Enjoy!

Fish Tacos

I love tacos. Come to that, I love all Mexican food, whether it is a good taco or not. Recently I have discovered two restaurants with really good fish tacos. One is an authentic Mexican restaurant called El Pacifico. They have fish tacos on corn tortillas and serve the tacos with a white onion/cilantro mix and picante sauce. It is a really amazing recipe. The other is Rolling Stone Burrito, a favorite of mine, that does something resembling tex-mex. They serve their fish tacos on flour tortillas with chipotle sauce, cheese, lettuce, and spinach. I can't seem to get enough of either of these recipes. And so, of course, I had to make my own version at home.

Fish Tacos (serves 4)
Ingredients:
8 corn tortillas
1 lb firm white fish such as Halibut, Cod, or Whitefish
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp oregano
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp lime juice
Optional toppings: (choose your favorites, amounts for 8 tacos)
1 c. shredded lettuce
1 c. shredded cheese
1 c. chopped tomatoes
1 c. chopped onions mixed with 1 tbsp cilantro
1/2 c. salsa
1/2 c. guacomole
1 sliced avocado

Directions:
Rub the fish with the cumin and oregano. Put the olive oil in a skillet and add the fish. Cook 5 minutes over medium heat then flip. As the fish starts to cook, shred it with a fork. When all of the fish has shredded and cooked (some pieces will be a little brown, but none should be carbonized), drizzle on the lime juice and remove from heat. Warm the tortillas according to package directions. Serve with rice and the desired toppings.

Enjoy!

Apples Galore: Apple Sauce and Apple Butter

I have become very adept at making apple butter and apple sauce. They taste yummy, and aren't that hard to make. But I guess I should go back to the beginning.

It all started when I went to the Farmer's Market and saw the most yummy McIntosh apples ever. Then I went to the next farmer's market and found red delicious apples that I couldn't resist. Then I was talking to Ruth, my landlady and she had a lot of apples and didn't want them all. Before I new it (and 10 dollars later) I had more apples than I knew what to do with. So what do you do with apples? Puree it, add sugar and spices of course!

The apple butter is finer, and is distinctly flavored of cinnamon and cloves. Also, it is sweeter. The applesauce is chunky, and is spiced randomly with very little added sugar. And all complements of my happy VitaMix blender. What fun!

I hope everyone has fun this Fall with the season's apples. Make a pie, drink some cider, maybe even eat Apple Butter!

Enjoy

Turkey Burgers

I have been told over and over that Turkey Burgers are dry. And in a restaurant that's true. But I have found the secret to the perfect turkey burger at home. I learned this from my brother-in-law: brush the skillet or grill with olive oil before you cook the burgers and they will come out wonderful and extra moist. Below is a recipe for a turkey burger that goes very well with the butternut squash fries of the previous post.

Mexican Styled Turkey Burgers
Ingredients:
1 lb ground turkey
6 hamburger buns
6 tbsp mayo
6 tbsp guacamole
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp dried oregano
dash of chili pepper
Olive Oil for brushing
Lettuce, tomato, and provolone, if desired

Directions:
Divide the turkey into six patties. Brush skillet or gill with olive oil. Grill or cook in skillet until cooked through 10-15 minutes turning at least once. Mix the paprika, oregano, and chili pepper into the mayo. Brush one side of each bun with 1 tbsp mayo and the other with 1 tbsp guacamole. If cooking with cheese, melt 1 slice provolone on each burger in last minute of cooking. Put one patty on each bun, layer on lettuce and tomato if desired. Top with other bun half. Serve with butternut squash fries.

Butternut Squash Fries

A bunch of people at Price's office have joined Weight Watchers and they found this really yummy recipe for butternut squash fries (they taste a lot like sweet potato fries).

So here is the recipe. I tried it with Turkey burgers and it was excellent.

Butternut Squash Fries
Ingredients:
1 large butternut squash, peeled.
Salt to taste
Chili pepper to taste
3 tbsp olive oil

Directions:
Slice the round bottom (the part with the seeds) off the squash and reserve for another use.
Slice the top of the squash into sticks that resemble thick fries.
Brush a cookie sheet with oil. In a single layer, add the squash sticks. Brush those with olive oil too.
Sprinkle a little salt and chili pepper on the sticks. Bake at 350 for 16-20 minutes until soft and slightly crispy on the outside.

Enjoy!

Raspberry Jam

Price and I picked 2 quarts of raspberries from our neighbors raspberry patch (with their permission of course!) and today I was going to make raspberry jam. I had everything ready. And when I looked at the raspberries that were left....They were covered in mold!
So I threw them away and thought forlornly of raspberry jam....so I went and picked a quart of raspberries from the raspberry patch. (Our neighbors did say we could have all we wanted :) ).
So I started the jam recipe...only to realize I had only 1/2 as many raspberries as I needed...so instead of picking yet more berries, I made half as much jam. But it should still taste good. I just hope that it sets this time!

By the way...I used the recipe on the Sure-Jell package. Last time I didn't use pectin and the jam never set...so I have syrup. This time I decided to go the pectin route. I hope it turns out better!

Enjoy the last days of summer!

Veggie Lasagna and No Boil Noodles

Tonight was the church potluck. So I decided to make Veggie Lasagna. And I tried the Barilla No Boil Noodles. They worked really well. You have to cook them for longer though...and make sure that the sauce is a little runny to begin with. I added water. I am not quite sure of my recipe, but the basic idea is like this:

Dice an eggplant. Make sure to cut off the peel. Saute with diced white onion in a skillet with a little olive oil. Add some sliced mushrooms and zucchini (again). Add a jar or 3 of tomato sauce...actually, just one jar. Then put a little in the bottom of the pan. Layer the noodles. Mush in some ricotta. Sprinkle with mozzarella. More noodles, more sauce, more cheese, more noodles, more sauce, more cheese, more noodles. At this point you should have run out of the veggie sauce. So pour a new jar over the lasagna. Add more mozzarella. Bake, covered 50-60 minutes at 360. Uncover to melt cheese. Serve and enjoy. P.S. You can use meat, cooked and drained, instead of the veggies, but I don't recommend it!

Enjoy!