Strawberry Rhubarb pie

Rhubarb reminds me of my Grandma and the arrival of spring. My Grandma had a huge patch of Rhubarb in her backyard which we would pick from. I remember her taking a few bites of raw rhubarb, puckering her lips, and declaring it good. I now put rhubarb in scones, muffins, pies, crisps, cakes, and sauces. A strawberry rhubarb pie is usually my first pie of the spring/summer pie baking season. Fresh Ontario rhubarb showed up in the market on Thursday so I bought a huge bag full and made a pie on Sunday! Sadly, the strawberries are from California. This year my friend Maria asked if I could teach her how to make a pie. I gave commands and she produced a beautifully tasty pie. Well done Maria!
However, we had a bit too much wine and forgot to take pictures until the end. Oops!
Pie crust
2 1/2 C flour
3/4 C to almost 1 cup of oil
~1/2 C water
Mix in large bowl first with spatula and then with hands. Do not over mix. Dough will be a little oily but it shouldn't be drenched in oil. Separate dough into two balls. Roll each ball of dough between plastic wrap to prevent sticking. I made a lattice top, but you could make a normal crust for the top.

Strawberry rhubarb pie filling
3.5 C chopped fresh rhubarb
3 C sliced strawberries
3/4 C sugar
1/3 C all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. cinnamon

In a large bowl stir together flour, sugar, and cinnamon. Add rhubarb and strawberries, gently mix until coated. Pour mixture into pastry line pie pan. Place strips of dough across the pie, folding back every other one. Lay a couple strips perpendicular to the ones you just laid on the pie. Unfold the strips over the perpendicular strips. Repeat on other half of the pie. Brush top crust with milk and sprinkle a little sugar on it. Bake in preheated 375 degree oven. To prevent over browning I often place tin foil along the pie edges for the first 20 min of baking. In my old oven, the pie needs to bake for 45 min or until crust is golden brown and juices are bubbly.

This is my favorite pie. I hope you all enjoy baking your pies this month as much as I did!

Strawberry Rhubarb pie

Rhubarb reminds me of my Grandma and the arrival of spring. My Grandma had a huge patch of Rhubarb in her backyard which we would pick from. I remember her taking a few bites of raw rhubarb, puckering her lips, and declaring it good. I now put rhubarb in scones, muffins, pies, crisps, cakes, and sauces. A strawberry rhubarb pie is usually my first pie of the spring/summer pie baking season. Fresh Ontario rhubarb showed up in the market on Thursday so I bought a huge bag full and made a pie on Sunday! Sadly, the strawberries are from California. This year my friend Maria asked if I could teach her how to make a pie. I gave commands and she produced a beautifully tasty pie. Well done Maria!
However, we had a bit too much wine and forgot to take pictures until the end. Oops!
Pie crust
2 1/2 C flour
3/4 C to almost 1 cup of oil
~1/2 C water
Mix in large bowl first with spatula and then with hands. Do not over mix. Dough will be a little oily but it shouldn't be drenched in oil. Separate dough into two balls. Roll each ball of dough between plastic wrap to prevent sticking. I made a lattice top, but you could make a normal crust for the top.

Strawberry rhubarb pie filling
3.5 C chopped fresh rhubarb
3 C sliced strawberries
3/4 C sugar
1/3 C all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. cinnamon

In a large bowl stir together flour, sugar, and cinnamon. Add rhubarb and strawberries, gently mix until coated. Pour mixture into pastry line pie pan. Place strips of dough across the pie, folding back every other one. Lay a couple strips perpendicular to the ones you just laid on the pie. Unfold the strips over the perpendicular strips. Repeat on other half of the pie. Brush top crust with milk and sprinkle a little sugar on it. Bake in preheated 375 degree oven. To prevent over browning I often place tin foil along the pie edges for the first 20 min of baking. In my old oven, the pie needs to bake for 45 min or until crust is golden brown and juices are bubbly.

This is my favorite pie. I hope you all enjoy baking your pies this month as much as I did!

Practice Pie

I just wanted to let everyone know that I will be making several pies for this challenge.  But just like Highlander, there can be only one.

Practice Pie

I just wanted to let everyone know that I will be making several pies for this challenge.  But just like Highlander, there can be only one.

PIE AND LOCAL FOOD- SUMMER 2011

We realize that the next few months can be hectic for many people. End of the school year, summer vacations, spring cleaning. In an effort to help alleviate everyone’s stress we’ve decided to post a double challenge. That’s right a double challenge. Well, actually two separate challenges. You could post them together but that’s up to you. The good news is the deadline will be July 31st. You can post whenever you like.

Challenge #1: Cook locally. It could be from your local farmer’s market, from a CSA, something you’ve grown in your garden, locally raised beef, whatever. Make it shine.

Challenge #2: Pie. That’s right pie. Cook whatever kind you want.

Just post them by July 31st.

PIE AND LOCAL FOOD- SUMMER 2011

We realize that the next few months can be hectic for many people. End of the school year, summer vacations, spring cleaning. In an effort to help alleviate everyone’s stress we’ve decided to post a double challenge. That’s right a double challenge. Well, actually two separate challenges. You could post them together but that’s up to you. The good news is the deadline will be July 31st. You can post whenever you like.

Challenge #1: Cook locally. It could be from your local farmer’s market, from a CSA, something you’ve grown in your garden, locally raised beef, whatever. Make it shine.

Challenge #2: Pie. That’s right pie. Cook whatever kind you want.

Just post them by July 31st.

RESULTS: FIRESIDE WARMTH- JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2011

Most inventive/unique: Mini S’mores

Best cooking story: Living In Sin Soup
I desire to eat this immediately: Mini S’mores
Most effortless (but in a good way): Tinfoil Bananas
Best Photo(s): Pineapple Upside Down Cake
Best In Show: Pineapple Upside Down Cake


Thanks to all who accepted the challenge.

RESULTS: FIRESIDE WARMTH- JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2011

Most inventive/unique: Mini S’mores

Best cooking story: Living In Sin Soup
I desire to eat this immediately: Mini S’mores
Most effortless (but in a good way): Tinfoil Bananas
Best Photo(s): Pineapple Upside Down Cake
Best In Show: Pineapple Upside Down Cake


Thanks to all who accepted the challenge.

The Magical Crepe Buffet ~ Part III

Savory Crêpes with Mushroom and Bacon Filling
via epicurious.com

Parsley-flecked crêpes filled with a bubbling hot mushroom-bacon gravy-like filling and served with roasted asparagus, these were amazing and won the popular choice award of the crêpe buffet, hands-down, but alas, I have no photos. :( Still, worth sharing the recipe.

Ingredients for savory crêpes:
2 large eggs
1 cup milk
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh parsley leaves
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
vegetable oil for brushing pan

Ingredients for filling:
6 slices bacon
1/2 pound mushrooms, sliced thin (I used portabellos and white button mushrooms)
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley leaves

1 bunch asparagus

Make crêpes:
In a bowl whisk together egg, milk, butter, and parsley until combined well. Add flour, salt and pepper and whisk until smooth.

Heat a 6-to-8 inch crepe pan over moderately high heat until hot. Brush pan with oil and heat until hot but not smoking. Remove pan from heat. Stir batter and half fill a 1/4-cup measure with it. Pour batter into pan, tilting and rotating pan quickly to cover bottom with a thin layer of batter, and return any excess to bowl. Return pan to heat and loosen edge of crêpe with a spatula. Cook crêpe until underside is lightly browned. Turn crêpe and lightly brown other side. Transfer crêpe to a plate. Make more crêpes with remaining batter, brushing pan lightly with oil as necessary. (Crêpes may be made 1 day in ahead and chilled, stacked and wrapped well in plastic wrap.)

Make filling:
In a large heavy skillet cook bacon over moderately high heat until crisp and transfer to paper towels to drain. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon fat from skillet and chop bacon. To fat remaining in skillet add mushrooms and 1 tablespoon butter and sauté over moderately high heat, stirring, until liquid mushrooms give off is evaporated, about 5 minutes. Remove skillet from heat.

Preheat oven to 300°F. Start roasting the asparagus on a cookie sheet.

In a heavy saucepan melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter over moderately high heat and whisk in flour. Cook roux, whisking, 3 minutes. Add milk gradually, whisking constantly, and cook. stirring, occasionally, 5 minutes or until thickened and smooth. Add mushrooms, cream, parsley, bacon, salt and pepper to taste and simmer 10 minutes, or until very thick. Cool filling slightly.

Spread each crêpe with about 1/4 cup filling and fold in quarters, transferring crêpes as filled to an ovenproof platter. Distribute semi-roasted asparagus spears over the filled crêpes. Heat crêpes in oven until heated through and asparagus is cooked tender.

The Magical Crepe Buffet ~ Part III

Savory Crêpes with Mushroom and Bacon Filling
via epicurious.com

Parsley-flecked crêpes filled with a bubbling hot mushroom-bacon gravy-like filling and served with roasted asparagus, these were amazing and won the popular choice award of the crêpe buffet, hands-down, but alas, I have no photos. :( Still, worth sharing the recipe.

Ingredients for savory crêpes:
2 large eggs
1 cup milk
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh parsley leaves
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
vegetable oil for brushing pan

Ingredients for filling:
6 slices bacon
1/2 pound mushrooms, sliced thin (I used portabellos and white button mushrooms)
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley leaves

1 bunch asparagus

Make crêpes:
In a bowl whisk together egg, milk, butter, and parsley until combined well. Add flour, salt and pepper and whisk until smooth.

Heat a 6-to-8 inch crepe pan over moderately high heat until hot. Brush pan with oil and heat until hot but not smoking. Remove pan from heat. Stir batter and half fill a 1/4-cup measure with it. Pour batter into pan, tilting and rotating pan quickly to cover bottom with a thin layer of batter, and return any excess to bowl. Return pan to heat and loosen edge of crêpe with a spatula. Cook crêpe until underside is lightly browned. Turn crêpe and lightly brown other side. Transfer crêpe to a plate. Make more crêpes with remaining batter, brushing pan lightly with oil as necessary. (Crêpes may be made 1 day in ahead and chilled, stacked and wrapped well in plastic wrap.)

Make filling:
In a large heavy skillet cook bacon over moderately high heat until crisp and transfer to paper towels to drain. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon fat from skillet and chop bacon. To fat remaining in skillet add mushrooms and 1 tablespoon butter and sauté over moderately high heat, stirring, until liquid mushrooms give off is evaporated, about 5 minutes. Remove skillet from heat.

Preheat oven to 300°F. Start roasting the asparagus on a cookie sheet.

In a heavy saucepan melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter over moderately high heat and whisk in flour. Cook roux, whisking, 3 minutes. Add milk gradually, whisking constantly, and cook. stirring, occasionally, 5 minutes or until thickened and smooth. Add mushrooms, cream, parsley, bacon, salt and pepper to taste and simmer 10 minutes, or until very thick. Cool filling slightly.

Spread each crêpe with about 1/4 cup filling and fold in quarters, transferring crêpes as filled to an ovenproof platter. Distribute semi-roasted asparagus spears over the filled crêpes. Heat crêpes in oven until heated through and asparagus is cooked tender.

The Magical Crepe Buffet ~ Part II

Poppy-Seed Cheese Crêpes with Apricot Sauce
via epicurious.com

Lemony, speckled crêpes seemed like an excellent addition to the dreamy variety crêpe buffet. This so-called cheese sounded interesting, too. The yogurt drained off a LOT of water and became more cheese-like. It made a great creamy, not-too-sweet, warm "cheese" filling. The apricot sauce was labor-intensive for the end result, may be just as well to use a store-bought sauce, although I've been enjoying using it (leftover) on oatmeal with cranberries and walnuts.

"cheese" filling ingredients: two 1-pound containers of plain yogurt 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar 1/2 teaspoon vanilla apricot sauce ingredients: 6 ounces (about 1 cup) dried apricots 1/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar poppy-seed crêpe batter: 1 cup all-purpose flour 2 tablespoons sugar 1/2 cup milk 3 large eggs 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled 1 tablespoon poppy seeds 2 teaspoons freshly grated lemon zest 1/4 teaspoon salt melted unsalted butter for brushing the skillet melted unsalted butter for brushing the crêpes before baking

To make the cheese filling: In a large cheesecloth-lined sieve set over a bowl let the yogurt drain, covered and chilled, for 8 hours. Transfer the yogurt to a bowl, add the confectioners' sugar and the vanilla, and whisk the mixture until it is smooth.

To make the apricot sauce: In a small heavy saucepan combine the apricots, the brown sugar, and 2 1/2 cups water, bring the liquid to a boil, and simmer the mixture, covered, for 20 minutes. In a food processor or blender purée the mixture and force it (using the back of a spoon, force it) through a sieve into a bowl. The sauce may be made 3 days in advance and kept covered and chilled. Serve the sauce either warm or at room temperature.

To make the poppy seed crêpe batter: In a blender or food processor blend the flour, the sugar, 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons water, the milk, the eggs, the butter, the poppy seeds, the zest, and the salt for 5 seconds. Turn off the motor, with a rubber spatula scrape down the sides of the container, and blend the batter for 20 seconds more. Transfer the batter to a bowl and let it stand, covered, for 1 hour. The batter may be made 1 day in advance and kept covered and chilled. Makes enough batter for about 16 crêpes.

To make the crêpes: Heat a crêpe pan or non-stick skillet (cast iron works great) measuring 6 to 7 inches across the bottom over moderate heat until it is hot. Brush the pan lightly with the butter, heat it until it is hot but not smoking, and remove it from the heat. Stir the batter, half fill a 1/4-cup measure with it, and pour the batter into the pan. Tilt and rotate the pan quickly to cover the bottom with a layer of batter and return any excess batter to bowl. Return the pan to the heat, loosen the edge of the crêpe with a spatula, and cook the crêpe for 1 minute, or until the top appears almost dry. Turn the crêpe, cook the other side lightly, and transfer the crêpe to a plate. Make crêpe with the remaining batter in the same manner, brushing the pan lightly with butter as necessary. The crêpes may be made 3 days in advance, kept stacked, wrapped in plastic wrap, and chilled. (We improvised using a griddle since the skillets were already busy with beetroot pancakes. To do this, we had to spread the crêpe batter with the back of a spoon. This was tricky at first but toward the end, Lauren was a pro and making perfect poppy seed crêpes!)

Finally: On each of the finished crêpes, mound 2 tablespoons of the cheese filling in the center of the crêpe and fold the bottom third of the crêpe up over the filling. Fold in 1 inch of each side and fold down the top third of the crêpe to enclose the filling completely, forming a rectangle. Arrange the crêpe in one layer in a shallow baking dish, brush them with the butter, and bake them in the middle of a preheated 450°F. oven for 10 minutes, until filling is hot and bubbling. Serve the crêpes with the apricot sauce drizzled on top. Mmm!

(It's too bad I didn't get any final photos - epicurious needs one!)

The Magical Crepe Buffet ~ Part II

Poppy-Seed Cheese Crêpes with Apricot Sauce
via epicurious.com

Lemony, speckled crêpes seemed like an excellent addition to the dreamy variety crêpe buffet. This so-called cheese sounded interesting, too. The yogurt drained off a LOT of water and became more cheese-like. It made a great creamy, not-too-sweet, warm "cheese" filling. The apricot sauce was labor-intensive for the end result, may be just as well to use a store-bought sauce, although I've been enjoying using it (leftover) on oatmeal with cranberries and walnuts.

"cheese" filling ingredients: two 1-pound containers of plain yogurt 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar 1/2 teaspoon vanilla apricot sauce ingredients: 6 ounces (about 1 cup) dried apricots 1/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar poppy-seed crêpe batter: 1 cup all-purpose flour 2 tablespoons sugar 1/2 cup milk 3 large eggs 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled 1 tablespoon poppy seeds 2 teaspoons freshly grated lemon zest 1/4 teaspoon salt melted unsalted butter for brushing the skillet melted unsalted butter for brushing the crêpes before baking

To make the cheese filling: In a large cheesecloth-lined sieve set over a bowl let the yogurt drain, covered and chilled, for 8 hours. Transfer the yogurt to a bowl, add the confectioners' sugar and the vanilla, and whisk the mixture until it is smooth.

To make the apricot sauce: In a small heavy saucepan combine the apricots, the brown sugar, and 2 1/2 cups water, bring the liquid to a boil, and simmer the mixture, covered, for 20 minutes. In a food processor or blender purée the mixture and force it (using the back of a spoon, force it) through a sieve into a bowl. The sauce may be made 3 days in advance and kept covered and chilled. Serve the sauce either warm or at room temperature.

To make the poppy seed crêpe batter: In a blender or food processor blend the flour, the sugar, 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons water, the milk, the eggs, the butter, the poppy seeds, the zest, and the salt for 5 seconds. Turn off the motor, with a rubber spatula scrape down the sides of the container, and blend the batter for 20 seconds more. Transfer the batter to a bowl and let it stand, covered, for 1 hour. The batter may be made 1 day in advance and kept covered and chilled. Makes enough batter for about 16 crêpes.

To make the crêpes: Heat a crêpe pan or non-stick skillet (cast iron works great) measuring 6 to 7 inches across the bottom over moderate heat until it is hot. Brush the pan lightly with the butter, heat it until it is hot but not smoking, and remove it from the heat. Stir the batter, half fill a 1/4-cup measure with it, and pour the batter into the pan. Tilt and rotate the pan quickly to cover the bottom with a layer of batter and return any excess batter to bowl. Return the pan to the heat, loosen the edge of the crêpe with a spatula, and cook the crêpe for 1 minute, or until the top appears almost dry. Turn the crêpe, cook the other side lightly, and transfer the crêpe to a plate. Make crêpe with the remaining batter in the same manner, brushing the pan lightly with butter as necessary. The crêpes may be made 3 days in advance, kept stacked, wrapped in plastic wrap, and chilled. (We improvised using a griddle since the skillets were already busy with beetroot pancakes. To do this, we had to spread the crêpe batter with the back of a spoon. This was tricky at first but toward the end, Lauren was a pro and making perfect poppy seed crêpes!)

Finally: On each of the finished crêpes, mound 2 tablespoons of the cheese filling in the center of the crêpe and fold the bottom third of the crêpe up over the filling. Fold in 1 inch of each side and fold down the top third of the crêpe to enclose the filling completely, forming a rectangle. Arrange the crêpe in one layer in a shallow baking dish, brush them with the butter, and bake them in the middle of a preheated 450°F. oven for 10 minutes, until filling is hot and bubbling. Serve the crêpes with the apricot sauce drizzled on top. Mmm!

(It's too bad I didn't get any final photos - epicurious needs one!)

The Magical Crepe Buffet ~ Part I

Beetroot Pancakes with Oranges and Cinnamon Sugar
via allrecipes.com

Reportedly, these are South African style pancakes, very thin resembling crepes. Perfect for my dreamy vision of a crepe buffet featuring a variety of crepes of different colors and detail. I once (well, twice ever) made a beet risotto that turns out a beautiful bright pink/magenta color, so while "beet pancakes" didn't sound particularly delicious, I was in love with the idea of their vibrant color. And figured they were worth trying. I do like roasted beets!



I made the batter the night before to minimize work in the morning. Crepes have no rising agent and typically do well if the batter is blended and chilled overnight before cooking. This works great when having people over for breakfast... although in this case I still had too much to do in the AM since I was making 3 types of crepes with 3 types of fillings. Luckily, my breakfast guests just happened to be culinary artists and happy to help with the flipping.




In all the business of eating, I forgot to take photos of the finished products! This last photo is of my lunch of leftovers the next day. Having run out of the Savory Crepes, I used the savory filling in the Beetroot crepe. I don't recommend it. The oranges and cinnamon are a much better fit, flavor-wise. They were good! And the color was magnificent. Here's the recipe:

Ingredients

For pancakes:
1 beet, cooked and cooled
1 cup all-purpose flour, sifted
1 cup milk
1 egg
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 teaspoon white vinegar (optional)

For filling:
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 cup white sugar
2 oranges, quartered

Directions

1. In a blender or food processor, pulse the cooked beet, flour, milk, egg, vegetable oil, and vinegar until smooth. Pour the batter into a bowl and set aside for 30 minutes. (Or refrigerate overnight, as I did.) Combine the cinnamon with the sugar and mix well.
2. Heat an oiled non-stick skillet (cast iron works great) over medium heat. Pour in enough batter to cover half of the skillet. Tip and rotate the skillet until the batter covers the entire area. Cook until the batter turns from wet to moist, and the edges begin to curl away from the sides of the skillet. Turn the pancake over, and continue cooking until lightly golden on the other side. Place the pancake onto a plate, and cover with a kitchen towel to keep moist. Repeat with the remaining batter, lightly oiling the skillet as needed to keep the pancakes from sticking.
3. Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar over the pancakes. Roll up the pancakes and serve with the orange quarters.

The Magical Crepe Buffet ~ Part I

Beetroot Pancakes with Oranges and Cinnamon Sugar
via allrecipes.com

Reportedly, these are South African style pancakes, very thin resembling crepes. Perfect for my dreamy vision of a crepe buffet featuring a variety of crepes of different colors and detail. I once (well, twice ever) made a beet risotto that turns out a beautiful bright pink/magenta color, so while "beet pancakes" didn't sound particularly delicious, I was in love with the idea of their vibrant color. And figured they were worth trying. I do like roasted beets!



I made the batter the night before to minimize work in the morning. Crepes have no rising agent and typically do well if the batter is blended and chilled overnight before cooking. This works great when having people over for breakfast... although in this case I still had too much to do in the AM since I was making 3 types of crepes with 3 types of fillings. Luckily, my breakfast guests just happened to be culinary artists and happy to help with the flipping.




In all the business of eating, I forgot to take photos of the finished products! This last photo is of my lunch of leftovers the next day. Having run out of the Savory Crepes, I used the savory filling in the Beetroot crepe. I don't recommend it. The oranges and cinnamon are a much better fit, flavor-wise. They were good! And the color was magnificent. Here's the recipe:

Ingredients

For pancakes:
1 beet, cooked and cooled
1 cup all-purpose flour, sifted
1 cup milk
1 egg
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 teaspoon white vinegar (optional)

For filling:
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 cup white sugar
2 oranges, quartered

Directions

1. In a blender or food processor, pulse the cooked beet, flour, milk, egg, vegetable oil, and vinegar until smooth. Pour the batter into a bowl and set aside for 30 minutes. (Or refrigerate overnight, as I did.) Combine the cinnamon with the sugar and mix well.
2. Heat an oiled non-stick skillet (cast iron works great) over medium heat. Pour in enough batter to cover half of the skillet. Tip and rotate the skillet until the batter covers the entire area. Cook until the batter turns from wet to moist, and the edges begin to curl away from the sides of the skillet. Turn the pancake over, and continue cooking until lightly golden on the other side. Place the pancake onto a plate, and cover with a kitchen towel to keep moist. Repeat with the remaining batter, lightly oiling the skillet as needed to keep the pancakes from sticking.
3. Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar over the pancakes. Roll up the pancakes and serve with the orange quarters.

Chocolate Pancakes-- March/April-- Nikki

First of all, please forgive the tardiness. Better late than blah blah blah. Anyway. I had originally planned to make a form of potato pancakes; I, like the venerable Mr. Howard, was thwarted by the McCrorys and their lovely potato pancakes. I sat and cried for a bit, and then I pulled up my big girl panties and found something new to capture my interest. Chocolate. Pancakes. Two of my most favorite things in one tidy bundle. Even better, they were EASY. And we all know how I feel about that. The recipe:



Chocolate Pancakes
1C milk
1 egg
2 Tbsp butter, melted
1 C flour
1/2 C cocoa
1/3 C sugar
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

It's so easy I remembered it without looking at the recipe. Anyway. Mix the liquids-- I used my extra huge 4C pyrex measuring cup. This was probably not my brightest idea ever. It was very nearly too small for the amount of liquid it was holding, and it made for some, uh, messy stirring. But, it was convenient for pouring onto the heated griddle. I digress.





In a separate bowl, mix the dry ingredients. (A brief confession: if I were just doing this without photographing it, I'd just toss all the dry stuff into the milk mix without mixing it. I'm a rebel. When I'm not photographing my cooking.)



Next, in two batches, mix the dry stuff into the milk mixture. Take my advice-- do it in two batches, stirring in between. Especially if you've committed to using a too-small measuring cup for your bowl. Ahem.



You're ready to pour the batter on the heated griddle. 'Cause you've heated the griddle as you mixed the batter, right? Right. Well done, you. Pour out a couple of pancakes, and let 'em cook 'til they're nice and bubbly.



(Forgive the bad photography; the weird yellow spot on the pancake to the left is the light from above.)
Because I'm not content to leave well enough alone, I decided these puppies needed some chocolate chips. 'Cause what's better than chocolate pancakes? Chocolate chocolate CHIP pancakes. You know I'm right.



I had originally planned to top these with fresh strawberries, but upon further inspection my strawberries were pretty far past their prime. Instead, Jay chose to top his pancakes with blackberry jam, and Natalie opted for fresh melon. I decided to let my pancake go commando. In retrospect, some powdered sugar would've been beautiful, and whipped cream even better. Nutella would also be a fabulous option.
The verdict?



(I'm not sure why my husband appears to be stoned; maybe there are strange properties in the jam? And also, I have the whitest hand in North America. Be careful that you're not blinded by the white.)

One last picture of the effect the delicious chocolate pancake had on my child:



The poor girl forgot her manners. The chocolate was too good for a napkin. Overall, a success. It's a fun and easy dessert that can be fancied up for guests or eaten on a Monday night. Give it a shot!

Chocolate Pancakes-- March/April-- Nikki

First of all, please forgive the tardiness. Better late than blah blah blah. Anyway. I had originally planned to make a form of potato pancakes; I, like the venerable Mr. Howard, was thwarted by the McCrorys and their lovely potato pancakes. I sat and cried for a bit, and then I pulled up my big girl panties and found something new to capture my interest. Chocolate. Pancakes. Two of my most favorite things in one tidy bundle. Even better, they were EASY. And we all know how I feel about that. The recipe:



Chocolate Pancakes
1C milk
1 egg
2 Tbsp butter, melted
1 C flour
1/2 C cocoa
1/3 C sugar
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

It's so easy I remembered it without looking at the recipe. Anyway. Mix the liquids-- I used my extra huge 4C pyrex measuring cup. This was probably not my brightest idea ever. It was very nearly too small for the amount of liquid it was holding, and it made for some, uh, messy stirring. But, it was convenient for pouring onto the heated griddle. I digress.





In a separate bowl, mix the dry ingredients. (A brief confession: if I were just doing this without photographing it, I'd just toss all the dry stuff into the milk mix without mixing it. I'm a rebel. When I'm not photographing my cooking.)



Next, in two batches, mix the dry stuff into the milk mixture. Take my advice-- do it in two batches, stirring in between. Especially if you've committed to using a too-small measuring cup for your bowl. Ahem.



You're ready to pour the batter on the heated griddle. 'Cause you've heated the griddle as you mixed the batter, right? Right. Well done, you. Pour out a couple of pancakes, and let 'em cook 'til they're nice and bubbly.



(Forgive the bad photography; the weird yellow spot on the pancake to the left is the light from above.)
Because I'm not content to leave well enough alone, I decided these puppies needed some chocolate chips. 'Cause what's better than chocolate pancakes? Chocolate chocolate CHIP pancakes. You know I'm right.



I had originally planned to top these with fresh strawberries, but upon further inspection my strawberries were pretty far past their prime. Instead, Jay chose to top his pancakes with blackberry jam, and Natalie opted for fresh melon. I decided to let my pancake go commando. In retrospect, some powdered sugar would've been beautiful, and whipped cream even better. Nutella would also be a fabulous option.
The verdict?



(I'm not sure why my husband appears to be stoned; maybe there are strange properties in the jam? And also, I have the whitest hand in North America. Be careful that you're not blinded by the white.)

One last picture of the effect the delicious chocolate pancake had on my child:



The poor girl forgot her manners. The chocolate was too good for a napkin. Overall, a success. It's a fun and easy dessert that can be fancied up for guests or eaten on a Monday night. Give it a shot!

and now, for something just a little different....

BANANA PANCAKES

Maybe this entry is too late...but I made these the day before a mini vacation and I'm actually posting from the beautiful Appalachian mountains. You can decide if you should dock me a letter grade for being 8 hours late or if I get bonus points for posting while on vacation.

At any rate, I just wanted to share my favorite pancakes with you. This recipe (or one very similar to it) actually comes to us by way of a man who lived in one of the group homes where we used to work. We'll call him Ron. He always insisted on having banana pancakes. "I don't know how to make banana pancakes," I would protest. "Just make pancakes and stick a banana in it!" Ron would say. One day, Pat did it for him and came home raving. He made them for me and I had to agree that they are...really good.

So here is my typical pancake recipe, from the Better Homes and Gardens cookbook:


I do this (sometimes I substitute 1/2 cup of whole wheat flour, but I was out when I made these) and add in one mashed banana. Just one. If you add more, it starts getting funky.



I quintupled this recipe and made them as brunch for a group of school kids.


I usually add chopped walnuts (at which point, they are so good no syrup is required), but was afraid of nut allergies for the kids, so here they are in their simplicity. Ron and Pat like them with peanut butter and syrup. I tried to do a strawberry syrup (strawberries and sugar reduction) but learned that two pints of strawberries do not go far among so much greatness. I had to add Aldi syrup to make it stretch. It was still good. Here was my final version, topped with the strawberry syrup, walnuts, and a little powdered sugar.


They got great reviews from the kids. I ate the left-overs plain and cold on my drive down to Appalachia, which is a GREAT travel idea.

and now, for something just a little different....

BANANA PANCAKES

Maybe this entry is too late...but I made these the day before a mini vacation and I'm actually posting from the beautiful Appalachian mountains. You can decide if you should dock me a letter grade for being 8 hours late or if I get bonus points for posting while on vacation.

At any rate, I just wanted to share my favorite pancakes with you. This recipe (or one very similar to it) actually comes to us by way of a man who lived in one of the group homes where we used to work. We'll call him Ron. He always insisted on having banana pancakes. "I don't know how to make banana pancakes," I would protest. "Just make pancakes and stick a banana in it!" Ron would say. One day, Pat did it for him and came home raving. He made them for me and I had to agree that they are...really good.

So here is my typical pancake recipe, from the Better Homes and Gardens cookbook:


I do this (sometimes I substitute 1/2 cup of whole wheat flour, but I was out when I made these) and add in one mashed banana. Just one. If you add more, it starts getting funky.



I quintupled this recipe and made them as brunch for a group of school kids.


I usually add chopped walnuts (at which point, they are so good no syrup is required), but was afraid of nut allergies for the kids, so here they are in their simplicity. Ron and Pat like them with peanut butter and syrup. I tried to do a strawberry syrup (strawberries and sugar reduction) but learned that two pints of strawberries do not go far among so much greatness. I had to add Aldi syrup to make it stretch. It was still good. Here was my final version, topped with the strawberry syrup, walnuts, and a little powdered sugar.


They got great reviews from the kids. I ate the left-overs plain and cold on my drive down to Appalachia, which is a GREAT travel idea.