A Pinch of Joy Pancakes

Last month was my birthday. My little sister sent me a very adorable set of heart-shaped measuring spoons. I love them; she knows me so well! I finally used them last Sunday to whip up some whole-wheat pancakes for the husband and I- big weekend breakfast yumminess :-).

I absolutely love the warm and nutty taste you get when baking with whole wheat flour. These pancakes are simple, but shine because of the whole wheat flour and buttermilk. Of course a helping of real maple syrup doesn’t hurt!

You could stir in some applesauce, cinnamon and clove to make apple pie pancakes, or fresh banana slices and chopped walnuts for banana bread pancakes.

A special weekend breakfast is just a whisk and a pour away with this recipe. Your loved ones will appreciate it.  Enjoy!

Whole-Wheat Buttermilk Pancakes

• 1 1/3 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 tbl sugar
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 1/4 cup buttermilk
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 egg
• 2 tbl vegetable oil
• Optional: cinnamon, ground cloves, applesauce; chopped nuts and fresh fruit slices; chocolate chips and Nutella

Combine the dry ingredients in a medium bowl and make a well in the center. In a separate bowl, combine the milk, vanilla, egg and vegetable oil. Add the wet mixture to the dry at once and stir gently with a fork, just until moistened. If the batter is too thick, add in a little more buttermilk.

Pre-heat a skilled over medium-high heat and spray with non-stick cooking spray and a little vegetable oil. Pour about 1/4 cup of batter onto the hot griddle and spread outward into a circle shape. Use more if you want really big pancakes. Cook until bubbles come up in the center of the pancake and the edges are browned. Flip. Cook the second side for less time. Makes around 6 regular sized pancakes.

Enjoy!

– Erin

Question of the Day: What is your favorite weekend breakfast item, french toast? pancakes?

Buttermilk Bran Muffins

Hi Friends! The week is coming to an end, yay! Thinking about what to do over the weekend?

How about a special breakfast?  Cold cereal and toast are  breakfasts for the work week- you want a warm, heavenly old-fashioned muffin to start your Saturday morning.

One that will fill your house with that amazing just-baked scent and be the perfect companion to your morning cup of coffee or tea.

You can make this batter ahead of time and store in the fridge for up to two weeks. So you could bake just a few at a time during the week for after-school snacks or when a craving strikes!

These muffins come from a family recipe by a great-grandmother whom I never got to meet. She was obviously a good cook, I think we would have gotten along very well. This is what I just LOVE about food, it connects families.  It can give you a glimpse into another life, another time, another place.

I hope you enjoy 🙂 Oh ya, I’ve got some announcements to make about what’s going on next week and such, so come back tomorrow for details.

Buttermilk Bran Muffins

• 3 cup Kellogg’s All Bran
• 1 cup boiling water
• 2 1/2 cup flour
• 1 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 cup shortening (you can make 1/2 this butter)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 2 cup buttermilk (this makes the muffins sinfully moist and delicious!)

Preheat oven to 350°. Combine 1 cup of the bran with the boiling water. Let cool. Cream together the sugar, shortening and eggs until combined, set aside. In another bowl, combine the flour, salt, baking soda and remaining bran. Add the flour mixture, alternating with the buttermilk, to the cooled bran. Once incorporated, add in the shortening mixture and mix just until combined.

Fill muffins tins 3/4 of the way full and bake for 15-20 minutes. Store additional batter in an airtight container in the fridge for up to two weeks. When using better from the fridge, let the batter sit a room temperature for 5 minutes before baking.

Enjoy!

– Erin

Ultra Creamy Mac ‘n’ Cheese

What is better than a piping hot bowl of uber creamy shells and cheese?

I don’t know, maybe this:

Oberon on a sunny day is hard to beat

 

Ok but really, 😉 I know you want more mac ‘n’ cheese goodness so here we go.

This past weekend we celebrated my husband’s birthday. It was a bit early because he will be on a temporary assignment abroad for the actual day. 😦 So to make this ‘early’ birthday special I wanted to make one of his favorite dinners and I knew this dish would make him happy.  This recipe is really easy, customizable and done on the stove top, so you don’t have any excuses not to try it for your next special occasion!

 

Choose your favorite pasta

 

Season the cheesy sauce well (fresh ground pepper!)

 

Combine the pasta and cheese and you are ready to eat. Seriously. Straight from the stove top to your mouth bowl. 🙂

Get in ma' BELLAY

This is so smooth and creamy and rich, it is AMAZING.

 

If you want, I couldn’t resist, sprinkle some extra cheese on top and throw in the oven to make the top bubbly and browned.

Hot and bubbly!

Please, try this recipe.  There is cheese out there in this world waiting to be eaten!

 

Ultra Creamy Stove Top Mac ‘n’ Cheese

• 4 cups dried pasta (I used shells)
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1/2 stick butter
• 1/4 cup flour
• 2 cups milk (I used Lactaid and it worked well)
• 26 ounces shredded cheese* (I used colby jack)
• 1 1/2 tsp ground mustard
• 3/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1 heaping tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper at minimum
• Optional: Use whatever spices you like, chili powder could be good

Cook pasta according to package instructions, but reduce cooking time by about 2 minutes. You want the pasta to have some bite to it. In a large pot, melt the butter over low heat. Stir in the flour and cook for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. This will thicken up as you go and form the base of the cheese mixture. Next, pour in your milk and add the spices, stirring constantly until the mixture thickens more.

Beat the eggs in a separate bowl. Temper the eggs by slowly stirring in a 1/4 cup of the hot milk mixture into the eggs. Whisk the warmed eggs into the milk mixture until combined.

Now start adding in the cheese, whisking constantly until the cheese is incorporated and the sauce is smooth. Contain your excitement, you’re almost done :-).  Toss the pasta with the cheese sauce, serve and devour.  OR- you can sprinkle some extra cheese on top and bake for 20 min in a 350 oven to get a yummy, bubbly brown top.

*Note, buy a 1 pound block of cheese (32 oz.) and leave off about 1/3 of it. Or use all of it, I won’t judge. 😉

Enjoy!

-Erin