Buttermilk Pancakes

BUTTERMILK PANCAKES 

Pancakes are a breakfast staple and yes I know they are pretty basic to make but have you ever had them from scratch. If you haven’t you should try them because for starters they are super easy to make and you will already have all of the ingredients on hand. Plus they are tastier then the pancake mix. If you don’t own a Better Homes and Garden Cook Book you really should. I think my mom has had hers since she got married and it has been used hundreds of times. When I moved out she bought Me the newer version and I have used it a few times but need to explore it some more.  It has basic recipes, old school classics and new and improved. This is where the pancake recipe comes from. Give it a try… ok now on to the pancakes.

I started by turning a regular cup of milk into sour milk buy adding a tablespoon of lemon juice and letting it sit for five minutes. You will see small curdles in it, pretty neat. I then mixed the dry ingredients in a bowl, pretty simple. An egg and some oil got added to the sour milk.

Add the wet mixture into the dry, stir until just moistened. Don't worry it will be lumpy. I actually didn't use all of the wet ingredients, I had a couple tablespoons left over because I felt like it was wet enough. 

I used a big skillet to cook up our pancakes. It’s a great way to cook several at a time. I sprayed some cooking spray down first then poured away making them whatever size I wanted.

Once you see bubbles form on top you know It’s time to turn them over, they should be golden and beautiful. Cook for a few more minutes until the underside is also golden.  

Top them with butter and your favorite syrup or jam. I grew up on homemade syrup, I'm spoiled I know but it's so good. I think the only time my parents bought store bought was to keep in the camper for camping. I love my mom’s syrup. It’s simple and delicious. When I make it I cut the recipe in half since my little syrup container isn’t very big and it’s just me and my husband eating it. It still lasts for a while but we don’t eat hot breakfast very often. I will include the syrup recipe below.

I served mine with bacon I cooked in the oven, a trick I found on Pinterest and use all the time now. I baked them in the oven on 375 for about 15-20 minutes.

BUTTERMILK PANCAKES

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 Tbs sugar

1 tsp baking powder

¼ tsp baking soda

¼ tsp salt

1 beaten egg

1 cup butter milk or sour milk (see below)

2 Tbs. cooking oil (vegetable or canola)

Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Combine the egg, buttermilk and oil in a separate bowl. Add egg mixture to the flour mixture and stir until moistened. (Batter should be lumpy).

For standard size pancakes pour ¼ cup batter on to a greased griddle or skillet, for dollar size pancakes pour 1 tablespoon of batter on to skillet. Cook until you see bubbles form and they are golden brown.

SOUR MILK INSTRUCTIONS

For each cup of sour milk needed place 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar in a glass measuring cup. Add enough milk to make 1 cup total. Let mixture stand for 5 minutes before using.

Whole Wheat-buttermilk Pancakes

Substitute whole wheat flour for all-purpose flour and brown sugar for sugar.

MOM’S MAPLE SYRUP

1 Bottle light karo syrup

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp maple flavoring

½ - ¾ cup water

Combine all ingredients in a sauce pan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cook until sugar is dissolved, about 5 minutes. Watch to make sure it doesn’t boil over. 

Parmesan Cauliflower Pasta

Parmesan Cauliflower Pasta

For a long time I have been seeing recipes using cauliflower. My initial reaction was YUCK!!! I’m basically like a toddler and despise most vegetables. I know I know I’m pathetic and trust me I wish I liked them because then maybe I’d be a little less squishy… OK moving on. So I LOVE LOVE LOVE the Wisconsin Cauliflower soup at Zuppas, so this whole purred cauliflower rage had me a little intrigued. I had many reservations though such as; What if I buy it and make something and it's gross and now I wasted food and have to find something else to make for dinner, such a dramatic dilemma. One day I got brave and decided to just break out of my comfort zone and give it a try. I figured if I disguised it with a few of my favorite ingredients, garlic and Parmesan, then it couldn’t be so bad right? Well I was right and its DELICIOUS!!!! 

I got inspiration from a few recipes on Pinterest but then basically  just did my own thing. I have made it a few times now and my husband really enjoys it. I even feel OK giving it to my 11 month old since it’s fairly healthy plus pasta is one of the foods I know he will eat.

I started with cooking my pasta, I used elbows since my little man can easily pick them up with his cute little fingers. While my pasta cooked I boiled my chopped cauliflower in chicken stock and milk. I smashed a few heads of garlic and added it to the pot as well to get the garlic infused into the cauliflower as much as I could. 

I use to use the broth that came in a can or container but then I found this stuff and I love it. Its concentrated bouillon and it has a great flavor plus I figured it saves me money since I get more out of it. 

It will take about 10-12 minutes for you cauliflower to be nice and tender depending on how big you cut up the pieces. If a fork inserts easily into a piece then its done. I used a big slotted spoon to scoop out the cauliflower and I placed it in my blender. I started by adding a 1/2 a cup of the cooking liquid to puree it. The amount of liquid you use will depend on how thick or thin you want your sauce to be but remember you will also be adding cheese to it which will make it thicker. 

When its nice and smooth add your Parmesan cheese and pepper. Here is where you can add a few other things like red chili flakes , those are a big hit with my husband, more garlic or different kinds of cheese. Puree it again for a few seconds just to get everything incorporated. Sometimes I add in a tablespoon of butter just to add richness to it but that is completely optional.

Once my noodles were done I drained them and put them back in the pot. I poured about half of the cauliflower puree in to start with. You will most likely not need all of it and will have left overs. P.S. the left overs make great soup heated up just as is or you can use it as a dipping sauce for bread sticks or use it as pizza sauce. Go wild!

After everything is stirred together and nice and warm toss in some fresh or dried parsley. 

Taste it to see if it needs an adjustments like salt or pepper. You can even add in more cheese at this point but I like to top mine with extra Parmesan on my plate. I served ours up with some green beans and a marinaded steak. Boy oh boy was it scrumptious. 

Now aren't you glad you got brave like me and gave this a try. You can't even tell its cauliflower. This makes me feel all sorts of happy because I'm tricking myself into eating a vegetable but getting to eat pasta. 

INGREDIENTS

2 cups Macaroni Noodles or any other shape like Shells or Penne)

3/4 Medium size head Cauliflower

3/4 cup Milk

2 1/2 cup Chicken Stock

2 Garlic Cloves

2/3 cup Parmesan (this is a rough amount, add as much as you like)

1 Tbs Butter (Optional)

1/4 tsp. Black Pepper 

1 1/2 Tbs Fresh Parsley or 1/2 Tbs Dried Parsley

Cook noodles according to Package instructions, when done return to pot.

In a medium sauce pan bring milk and chicken stock to a boil. Cut cauliflower into pieces and add to boiling liquid. Boil for 10-12 minutes or until fork tender. Strain with a slotted spoon and put in a blender. Add 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid into the blender then puree. If its too thick add more of the liquid until it comes to a smooth puree. Add cheese, pepper and butter if desired. Start by adding half of the puree to the noodles. Heat on low to keep everything hot. Pasta should be coated with the sauce, if needed add more of the cauliflower puree. When heated through and to the consistency you desire add fresh parsley. Taste to see if it needs more pepper or salt. 

Makes 4-5 servings 

Tip:

Use the remaining 1/4 head of cauliflower in mashed potatoes, you will never know its there. Just boil it along with the potatoes then mash away. 

Variations:

Use the same recipe but change the parmesan cheese to cheddar. Substitute onion for the garlic. Add some red pepper flakes and seasonings like chili powder and paprika then toss it with wild rice. Add in cubed cooked chicken. Eat it as a skillet meal or put in a casserole dish and heat in the oven. This was another winner with my family. 

Chicken Stir Fry

CHICKEN UDON NOODLE STIR FRY

If your husband is anything like mine then he is happy eating tacos and bratwurst every night of the week. BORING!!  I however enjoy variety and love even more when I can create something on my own. We tend to get sort of stuck in a rut and I’m always looking to try something new. So today I thought I would try my luck at some Asian cuisine.

I started by marinating some chicken I had hanging out in my freezer just begging to be used. It was two chicken breasts. I cut them into slices then into bite size pieces. I made a simple marinade from most things I already had on hand, vegetable oil, soy sauce, garlic powder, ground ginger, pepper, brown sugar and some cilantro. I wanted to use fresh garlic but apparently the head I had in my pantry had been there a little too long and had gone bad, bummer.  Feel free to mix things up a bit or if you don’t have certain thing that’s OK use what you have on hand. I’m not the biggest cilantro fan so I’m only using a little bit. If you loath it like many people I know then you can leave it out or use some parsley.

  I’m going to let it marinade for about two hours but you could do it all day or if you don’t have much time a half hour would be just fine... it already looks delicious. 

 I found these udon noodles in the produce section at Smith's. They looked yummy so I thought I would give them a try. You could probably also use rice noodles or a long pasta. Just follow the directions on the package how to use them. However these come with a flavor packet that I use in the recipe but I'll have to experiment with out it to see what variations I come up with if you can't find these noodles.

 It’s Stir Fry time! I love this ceramic dutch oven my parents gave me last year for Christmas. For whatever reason I didn’t even start using it until just a few months ago, what was I thinking. Its awesome!

 I heated up some oil on medium high heat. Once it was hot I added the chicken that had been marinating. The brown sugar in it made it caramelize and boy did it smell delicious. At this point you could add any sort of veggie you wanted like bok choy, water chestnuts, some snow peas or maybe some cabbage.

 I chose to just run my noodles under hot water for a minute (on the back of the package it gives you directions how to use them) then once the chicken was cooked I added them to the pot. Don't worry 

they break up once they are heated through. I decided to just use one of the flavor packets that came with the noodles to see how I felt about the flavor, after all less is more and it’s easier to add things then take away. I splashed in a little more soy sauce, tossed in the  garlic powder and ground ginger and added my green onions. I tasted the noodles and decided one flavor pack was plenty since there was so much flavor from the chicken but feel free to use both packets if your little heart desires. Just make sure you taste it first, you should always always taste your food as you go. 

 Next I added a tiny bit more fresh cilantro and some slivered almonds. Now feel free to add whatever you want, let your inner Asian chef take over your body.

 Serve up and enjoy! Are you as surprised as I was at how quick and easy that was. What mom doesn't love a meal that comes together in less then 20 minutes (not including marinating time) I topped mine with a little more onions and almonds. My husband doesn’t like onions so I kept them to a minimum in the pot and made sure they were big enough that he could pick them out. I must say for just throwing it together it turned out pretty good. I definitely think I’ll be making this again.

 Even my little one enjoyed it. I think he thought the thick noodles were fun to play with. He even clapped when he was finished, OK yes so clapping is his new thing but I chose to take it as a well done mom.

 Ingredients 

2 Tbs. of Vegetable Oil

2 Packages of Udon Noodles

1 Flavor packet (this comes in the udon noodle package)

1 Tbs. of Soy Sauce

¼ tsp Ground Ginger

½ tsp Garlic Powder

1 Tbs. Fresh Cilantro

3 Green Onions

1/8-1/4 Cup Slivered Almonds

In a skillet, dutch oven or wok heat up oil on medium high heat. Strain marinated chicken with a slotted spoon, add to pot and stir fry until cooked through. Soak noodles under hot water for 1 minute or follow package instructions. Add noodles to the pot and cook until separated. Stir in the soy sauce, garlic powder, ginger and chopped green onions. Cook for 2-3 minutes then add chopped cilantro and almonds. Serve and enjoy. Top with more onions and almonds if desired.

Makes 2-3 servings

Marinade for the Chicken

2 Chicken Breast or 6-8 Chicken Tenders

¼ cup Vegetable Oil (or any cooking oil like canola or sesame)

1/3 cup of Soy Sauce

¼ tsp. Black Pepper

1/4 tsp. Ground Ginger

1 Tbs. Brown Sugar

½ tsp. Garlic Powder or 2 Garlic Cloves chopped

1 Tbs. Chopped Fresh Cilantro

Cut chicken into bite size pieces. In a bowl mix all of the ingredients then toss in the chicken. Stir to coat, cover and refrigerate for at least a half an hour.

FOOD! GLORIOUS FOOD!

Cooking comes naturally to some and not so much to others, but that's ok. Some have to follow a recipe exactly, like my sister and others can take that recipe and do whatever they want to it. Some like exact measurements and others measure by a pinch of this or a splash of that, I'm more of the second one so having to write exact measurements from recipes I have created or have been cooking for years is a little tricky for me so bare with me. When you look at a recipe and it has an ingredient in it that you don't like don't toss the recipe to the side and say I would never eat that. Just change it up. Either leave it out or exchange it with something similar. The more you try it and experiment with different things the easier it will become and I hope I can help you along the way by giving you some ideas. And don't forget to have fun. Come cook with me!!! 

Meet Us: Our Friendship in a Nutshell.. 

Do you wish you had a friend who was completely honest with you about everything? A friend who would actually tell you if those jeans made you look fat or that color washed you out.  Well I do. Her name is Margie and we have been best friends for about 8 years. Margie and I met while going to hair school. We were in the same circle of friends but didn’t become close until right before I graduated.  A few months passed then Margie called me to hang out one day and its history from there. We currently live about 50 minutes from each other which make our hangouts few and far between because sometimes life just gets in the way.  When we do manage to get together we love to do hair, laugh, play with our kids and vent about everyday struggles. I love having Margie in my life and I can just imagine us growing old and telling each other how horrible our wrinkles have gotten. 

I’m a wife to a pretty great guy, even though he is stubborn and doesn't like things I love like onions and mushrooms. Weirdo! I'm a mom to my sweet baby boy, who is almost one. Yikes! How did that Happen. He brings so much joy into our lives and I am so grateful for the opportunity I was given to be a mother. I recently quit my full time job to stay home more. I work part time for a small business and do hair whenever my clients need me and I love it. I hope to one day have a salon in my home so I can blend both of my favorite worlds together of being a house wife and a stylist. I have been cooking since I was a wee little thing. I always loved being in the kitchen with my mom. I enjoy being able to take recipes and make them my own by changing up the ingredients or just using it as inspiration. Cooking is relaxing to me, however I told Margie that one time and she laughed at me, its true though. If I have a stressful day or am just in the slumps cooking or baking something comforting and delicious boosts me right up. It took me awhile to realize it was a talent though and I have been told we should share our talents so here I am. I hope you can use my recipes and creations as inspirations for your family. Don't be afraid to make things more spicy or use different vegetables or meats. Have fun with it, after all good recipes come from experimenting right.

Margie here...  This blog adventure Danielle and I are about to take is really exciting for me.  We have fun together  PERIOD!  We can chat for hours and laugh about nothing important.  Most important we can be ourselves, 100%!!    I love this driven, talented and very ORGANIZED friend of mine.  We have many similar likes but are also very different people which makes our friendship what it is.  Truth be told if others over heard us talking to one another they would probably think we were total jerks, or maybe sisters hahaha.  We aren't though and we aren't mean to each other but if we ask a question we know we will get the truth.  Yes, your butt does look big in those Jeans.  Rude??  No, it's PERFECT! (for us at least!) I know when I walk away from Danielle I won't look or think that something is awesome when reality says otherwise, I know she will tell me when something is in my teeth and if what I am doing needs improving.  I feel confident around her and there is no competing with each other!!  She makes me a better person and I hope I do the same for her!  AWWWWWWW.... now all about me haha...  I love so many things!  I love all things creating!  I love to make things beautiful!! I LOVE the NY Yankees!  Besides being fun to watch and loving the game, they hold a very special place in my heart.  My family, extended and immediate, created many memories together along with a bond.  We all share the same LOVE for the Yankees.  It's more to me than just a game or team. (So, yes, I needed to tell you all that...  it's a very important part of who I am haha) I am a wife to a pretty unique guy.  Nicest man you will ever meet!  Don't know how he does it, never says a negative thing towards anyone. I'm blessed.  Most important I am a MOTHER and I LOVE it!!  It's the best job in the world and nothing will ever be greater.  My children are currently 4 and 1.5 years old.  They keep me on my toes and I love them for it.  My greatest wish is that I can give my husband and children "Wings to fly and love them for it."  I hope you will enjoy our blog as much as we are going to have fun doing it.  Here's to a new adventure.