I grew up in a house where cold cereal was a staple for breakfast during the week. Pancakes, waffles and french toast were made only on the weekends. In Gourmet Man's world cold cereal is NOT a staple and is used to make Rice Krispy Treats! GM needs a hot breakfast every morning. EVERY MORNING. Oatmeal and other hot cereals are allowed, but pancakes, waffles and french toast are a must. I have mastered the art of pancakes lately (I could always make them, but they are heavenly now) and this recipe is all from my sweet little head:)
1c. All purpose Flour
1c. Whole Wheat Flour (I have make them somewhat healthy! If you want to omit any health from the recipe make it all white four)
1c. Potato Flakes (not the flavored kind, plain dehydrated potato flakes)
1 T. plus 1 tsp Baking Powder
1 tsp Sea Salt
1/4 cup Brown Sugar (you can use white, but why?)
1 tsp Real Vanilla Extract
3 eggs
3 cups Milk
Oil for frying
This is what I call a dump and mix recipe. One bowl and so easy!
I use a cast iron skillet for this, the non-stick kind just don't cut it for me. Preheat the cast iron to be a medium heat.
1. Mix flours, potato flakes, baking powder, salt and sugar together.
2. Add the eggs milk, and vanilla.
3. Mix until combined, but do not over mix! Lumpy is fine (I use a wire whisk to mix so there are no lumps)
4. Pour about 1/4 cup of oil into the cast iron pan. Let it heat up.
5. Pour batter on to pan about 1/4 cup for each pancake. Make sure the oil is sizzling around the edges.
6. Flip the pancakes once bubbles start to form in the center of the pancake.
7. Cook until brown on the bottom (1minute or so).
8. Repeat until batter is gone always making sure there is enough oil to fry those bad boys!
Note- this batter can be stored covered in the fridge for a few days (no more than 3). Just stir it up before cooking.
Double Note- b/c my sweet GM has never been overweight a minute of his life and has not gained an ounce since the day I married him, he can eat these on a regular basis. I on the other hand who have always struggled with my weight and if I look at food wrong gain weight can not eat fried pancakes on a regular basis!!!
Homemade Pancake Syrup
Of course no pancake is complete without syrup. Maple syrup is ideal, but in todays economy who can afford the liquid amber gold? Not us! I've made a recipe that is so yummy, easy and cheaper than even the Aunt Jamima kind! This one is also from my head.
2 c. Brown Sugar
1 c. White Sugar
1 c. Honey (or corn syrup if you do not care for honey)
2 c. Water
1/4 c. Canola Oil
1 T. Vanilla
1 T. Maple Flavoring
1. Mix everything together, but the vanilla and maple flavoring in a 4 quart pan.
2. Bring to a boil and boil over medium heat for 3 minutes.
3. Remove from heat and add vanilla and maple flavoring. Let cool.
4. Store in air tight jar at room temp.
5. If it is too thick for your liking add some more water once the syrup has cooled completely.
Friday, November 20, 2009
Chocolate Pecan Bars
Nothing beats a super easy recipe that is a real Do Again! Gourmet Man loves pecan pie and chocolate, so how could this fail?
2 c. All purpose Flour
1 tsp Baking Powder
1/4 tsp Baking Soda
1/4 tsp Salt
2/3 c. Butter, melted
2 c. Dark Brown Sugar (not the light kind, only dark!)
2 eggs
1 T. Real Vanilla Extract
1 cup Chocolate Chips
1 cup Pecan pieces
1. Preheat oven at 350 degrees.
2. In a bowl combine the flour, baking powder, soda and salt.
3. In a separate bowl combine sugar and melted butter.
4. Add the eggs and vanilla to the sugar butter mixture.
5. Mix in the flour mixture to the wet ingredients until combined, but do not over mix!
6. Fold in chocolate chips and pecans.
7. Spread batter in a greased 9x13 inch pan.
8. Bake for 25-27 minutes until the top is lightly brown. DO NOT DO A TOOTHPICK TEST! It will be gooey. It is supposed to be! The outside is crisp and the inside is just like a pecan pie.
Let cool completely before cutting into squares. Enjoy:)
2 c. All purpose Flour
1 tsp Baking Powder
1/4 tsp Baking Soda
1/4 tsp Salt
2/3 c. Butter, melted
2 c. Dark Brown Sugar (not the light kind, only dark!)
2 eggs
1 T. Real Vanilla Extract
1 cup Chocolate Chips
1 cup Pecan pieces
1. Preheat oven at 350 degrees.
2. In a bowl combine the flour, baking powder, soda and salt.
3. In a separate bowl combine sugar and melted butter.
4. Add the eggs and vanilla to the sugar butter mixture.
5. Mix in the flour mixture to the wet ingredients until combined, but do not over mix!
6. Fold in chocolate chips and pecans.
7. Spread batter in a greased 9x13 inch pan.
8. Bake for 25-27 minutes until the top is lightly brown. DO NOT DO A TOOTHPICK TEST! It will be gooey. It is supposed to be! The outside is crisp and the inside is just like a pecan pie.
Let cool completely before cutting into squares. Enjoy:)
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Sometimes the Easy Last Minute Recipes Are DAs!
Last night I was tired, had a headache and was not into making anything difficult. Quesadilla Night! Yes, even Gourmet Man likes simple things that are very tasty:) I did them a smidge different- using left over chicken and they were real winners all around (the triplets sometimes are like their father and will not touch something if it looks 'funny'!)
Quesadillas
1 can of refried beans (I used Old El Paso Brand)
2 chicken Breasts cooked with My Taco Seasoning (see below) and chopped
2 cups Grated Cheese
8 Flour (or Corn) Tortillas
Oil for cooking
Take one tortilla and spread about 2 tbs of refried beans on half of the tortilla. Sprinkle about 2 tbs of chopped chicken on the beans and then sprinkle with a generous sprinkling of cheese. Fold tortilla over to make a half moon. I always make the whole batch before cooking, makes it much faster!
Heat cast iron pan (I only use cast iron or stainless steel- non-stick is a no-no in this house!) and put about 1 tbs of oil on the pan. When oil is heated place 2 quesadillas on the pan and cook until brown and crisp. Flip and repeat!
Serve with sour cream, salsa and guacamole. Yum:)
Taco Seasoning
I will admit this was invented because most seasoning on the market are full of fillers and not so tasty. This is one of our favorites!
4 tbs Chili Powder
1 tsp *Garlic Salt
1 tsp *Onion Salt
2 tsp Cumin
1 tbs Cilantro
Mix everything together and store in an airtight container. Use 1-2 tbs for tacos. For Mexican Chicken Sprinkle seasoning on chicken breasts and grill or pan fry. For enchilada sauce mix one can of tomato sauce with 1-2 tbs of seasoning mix. This is a very versatile seasoning!
*If your chili powder has salt in it substitute 1/2 tsp garlic and onion powder.
Quesadillas
1 can of refried beans (I used Old El Paso Brand)
2 chicken Breasts cooked with My Taco Seasoning (see below) and chopped
2 cups Grated Cheese
8 Flour (or Corn) Tortillas
Oil for cooking
Take one tortilla and spread about 2 tbs of refried beans on half of the tortilla. Sprinkle about 2 tbs of chopped chicken on the beans and then sprinkle with a generous sprinkling of cheese. Fold tortilla over to make a half moon. I always make the whole batch before cooking, makes it much faster!
Heat cast iron pan (I only use cast iron or stainless steel- non-stick is a no-no in this house!) and put about 1 tbs of oil on the pan. When oil is heated place 2 quesadillas on the pan and cook until brown and crisp. Flip and repeat!
Serve with sour cream, salsa and guacamole. Yum:)
Taco Seasoning
I will admit this was invented because most seasoning on the market are full of fillers and not so tasty. This is one of our favorites!
4 tbs Chili Powder
1 tsp *Garlic Salt
1 tsp *Onion Salt
2 tsp Cumin
1 tbs Cilantro
Mix everything together and store in an airtight container. Use 1-2 tbs for tacos. For Mexican Chicken Sprinkle seasoning on chicken breasts and grill or pan fry. For enchilada sauce mix one can of tomato sauce with 1-2 tbs of seasoning mix. This is a very versatile seasoning!
*If your chili powder has salt in it substitute 1/2 tsp garlic and onion powder.
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Another Pionner Woman Recipe
This is actually the first Pioneer Recipe I tried and well, I think they are the first Cinnamon Rolls Gourmet Man liked! I told you he is very picky! Four years into our marriage I find out he really did not care for my grand mother's secret Cardamom Ring Recipe (cinnamon rolls with a twist)! ARGH!!!
I must admit, I have never gotten the Cardamom Ring right. My mom always had it perfect. Mine were always dry and not as tasty. Oh, that recipe will never be found here since it is SECRET! But it is so yummy, even if Gourmet Man does not care for it and I am think I can tweak the recipe now to be better than ever using techniques from this recipe!
Here is the recipe for Cinnamon Rolls.
Now, since I have been on a diet I have not had these, but once again GM knows what he is tasting:) These are fantastic to make for holidays, because they make so many to give away to neighbors! When I made them I froze 1/2 the dough and used the 1/2 to make a full baking pan FULL and they stayed fresh for days! Since they are no-knead they are super easy. And I am all about the easy.
Oh, GM did not care for the maple frosting- he only likes maple on pancakes and french toast, but Other Twin and College Boy loved them with the maple frosting as well as GM's co-worker!
This is frosting recipe I used for GM's cinnamon rolls- which he said were 'heavenly'.
The Best Ever Frosting
1 lb of Powdered Sugar
1/2 cup of butter melted
1/2 cup sour cream
3-6 Tbs of Milk
1 tsp vanilla
Mix powdered sugar, butter and sour cream together. Add vanilla. Add milk 1 tbs at a time until a relatively thick, but spreadable consistency is achieved (depending on humidity and how warm the butter was depends on amount of milk needed). Spread on mostly cooled Cinnamon Rolls (still slightly warm, but not to warm so to completely melt the frosting). Enjoy:)
I must admit, I have never gotten the Cardamom Ring right. My mom always had it perfect. Mine were always dry and not as tasty. Oh, that recipe will never be found here since it is SECRET! But it is so yummy, even if Gourmet Man does not care for it and I am think I can tweak the recipe now to be better than ever using techniques from this recipe!
Here is the recipe for Cinnamon Rolls.
Now, since I have been on a diet I have not had these, but once again GM knows what he is tasting:) These are fantastic to make for holidays, because they make so many to give away to neighbors! When I made them I froze 1/2 the dough and used the 1/2 to make a full baking pan FULL and they stayed fresh for days! Since they are no-knead they are super easy. And I am all about the easy.
Oh, GM did not care for the maple frosting- he only likes maple on pancakes and french toast, but Other Twin and College Boy loved them with the maple frosting as well as GM's co-worker!
This is frosting recipe I used for GM's cinnamon rolls- which he said were 'heavenly'.
The Best Ever Frosting
1 lb of Powdered Sugar
1/2 cup of butter melted
1/2 cup sour cream
3-6 Tbs of Milk
1 tsp vanilla
Mix powdered sugar, butter and sour cream together. Add vanilla. Add milk 1 tbs at a time until a relatively thick, but spreadable consistency is achieved (depending on humidity and how warm the butter was depends on amount of milk needed). Spread on mostly cooled Cinnamon Rolls (still slightly warm, but not to warm so to completely melt the frosting). Enjoy:)
Do Again
I married a VERY picky man. To put it bluntly, he only wants gourmet food. Period. And he does not grade on a five star level. There is only one approval. A "Do Again" (DA). Thus the title of this blog! Gourmet Man has on more than one occasion eaten one bite of dinner and put his plate in the sink and had left overs from the night before (like last night! And I actually thought it was very good, but none the less... NOT a DA!)
So, I am for my own good and personal organizing starting this blog to keep track of the DAs and and Never Make This Agains (NMTA)! My Gourmet Man has impeccable taste, so I trust if he likes it you will too...
Our First Winner of the DA award goes to my new idol... The Pioneer Woman. I would like to be just like her, one day, but since I chase 2 year old triplets around all day and get so little done compared to what I would like- I doubt it will ever happen!
Her recipe for Apple Dumplings is AMAZING. My brother-in-law College Boy claimed "This is better than Apple Pie" and my other brother-in-law the Other Twin nearly disowned Gourmet Man when he ate the last piece! To keep a family feud from occurring I rushed to the store for supplies and made another batch! (Oh, I have not had a taste of these bad boys as this recipe was discovered while I was on a diet!) Needless to say, I am not wasting my time making an apple pie this Thanksgiving, especially since this takes nearly no time to prepare and only 40 minutes to bake!
I did tweak the recipe, which I always do to any recipe. I omitted the Mountain Dew and substituted Ginger Ale as I do not believe in consuming neon yellow anything! I also used part brown sugar instead of all white sugar. Here is my tweaked version- but in no way to claim this recipe as my own! All homage goes to Ree, the Pionner Woman!
Tweaked Pioneer Woman Apple Dumplings
2 Granny Smith Apples, peeled, cored and sliced into 16 slices
2 Packages of Crescent Rolls in the tube (8 rolls per package)
1 cup Melted Butter
1 cup Brown Sugar
1/2 cup White Sugar
1 tsp Vanilla
8 oz Ginger Ale
Cinnamon
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Butter 9 x 13 inch pan. Roll each apple slice in a crescent roll by placing slice on the widest end of the crescent roll and wrapping the narrow end around the apple. Place in a 9 x 13 buttered pan leaving a space between. I put 6 vertically next to each other then four horizontally across the middle and another 6 vertically(does that make sense?) Melt butter, then add sugars and barely stir- this mixture needs to be grainy. Add vanilla, stir, and pour over apples wrapped in crescent rolls. Pour Ginger Ale around the edges of dumplings. Sprinkle with a generous sprinkling of cinnamon and bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. DO NOT OVER BAKE! They should be brown and beautiful.
These babies are best served warm with ice cream, but Gourmet Man, Other Twin and College Boy all ate them cold and plain and still raved like mad!
I will warn you these go fast and are not healthy in any sense of the word! I made batches in 3 days and the second batch did not last 24 hours (and remember I have not had one taste yet!)
So, I am for my own good and personal organizing starting this blog to keep track of the DAs and and Never Make This Agains (NMTA)! My Gourmet Man has impeccable taste, so I trust if he likes it you will too...
Our First Winner of the DA award goes to my new idol... The Pioneer Woman. I would like to be just like her, one day, but since I chase 2 year old triplets around all day and get so little done compared to what I would like- I doubt it will ever happen!
Her recipe for Apple Dumplings is AMAZING. My brother-in-law College Boy claimed "This is better than Apple Pie" and my other brother-in-law the Other Twin nearly disowned Gourmet Man when he ate the last piece! To keep a family feud from occurring I rushed to the store for supplies and made another batch! (Oh, I have not had a taste of these bad boys as this recipe was discovered while I was on a diet!) Needless to say, I am not wasting my time making an apple pie this Thanksgiving, especially since this takes nearly no time to prepare and only 40 minutes to bake!
I did tweak the recipe, which I always do to any recipe. I omitted the Mountain Dew and substituted Ginger Ale as I do not believe in consuming neon yellow anything! I also used part brown sugar instead of all white sugar. Here is my tweaked version- but in no way to claim this recipe as my own! All homage goes to Ree, the Pionner Woman!
Tweaked Pioneer Woman Apple Dumplings
2 Granny Smith Apples, peeled, cored and sliced into 16 slices
2 Packages of Crescent Rolls in the tube (8 rolls per package)
1 cup Melted Butter
1 cup Brown Sugar
1/2 cup White Sugar
1 tsp Vanilla
8 oz Ginger Ale
Cinnamon
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Butter 9 x 13 inch pan. Roll each apple slice in a crescent roll by placing slice on the widest end of the crescent roll and wrapping the narrow end around the apple. Place in a 9 x 13 buttered pan leaving a space between. I put 6 vertically next to each other then four horizontally across the middle and another 6 vertically(does that make sense?) Melt butter, then add sugars and barely stir- this mixture needs to be grainy. Add vanilla, stir, and pour over apples wrapped in crescent rolls. Pour Ginger Ale around the edges of dumplings. Sprinkle with a generous sprinkling of cinnamon and bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. DO NOT OVER BAKE! They should be brown and beautiful.
These babies are best served warm with ice cream, but Gourmet Man, Other Twin and College Boy all ate them cold and plain and still raved like mad!
I will warn you these go fast and are not healthy in any sense of the word! I made batches in 3 days and the second batch did not last 24 hours (and remember I have not had one taste yet!)
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