Pumpkin Pancakes

Pumpkin is so good for you, why do we only eat it during the last 3 months of the year? I used a recipe from Martha Stewart as my base, but I switched it up a bit. Here is my version.

PUMPKIN PANCAKES
(with homemade buttermilk syrup and fresh squeezed orange juice makes for some happy kids in the morning!)

I presoaked my grains for these pancakes. Which meant the night before I combine 2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour and about 2 cups of kefir. Stir together just to combine and be sure all your flour is wet.

In the morning I added
2 Tbs. honey
4 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger
pinch of cloves
3/4 cup pumpkin
2 eggs

Stir to combine and cook on hot griddle. Top with buttermilk syrup.

Teryaki sauce

This is soooo easy to make and very flavorful. We are big fans of Chinese Food, so this sauce will be a definite repeat.

This meal came together really fast. I whipped up some meatballs, steamed some broccoli, cooked some delicious Jasmine rice and made the sauce in about 35 minutes. It was a yummy dinner.

Teryaki Sauce
1/4 cup soy sauce (I used liquid aminos)
1 cup water
1/2 tsp ground ginger (I am not a huge ginger fan so I just did a few shakes
1/4 tsp garlic powder
3 Tbs honey
Mix above ingredients in a sauce pan and start to warm up. In a small bowl mix 2 Tbs cornstarch and 1/4 cup cold water. Add to the sauce pan and stir constantly until thickened. If you cook it too long and get it too thick, you can thin it with a few Tbs. water.

Peanut Butter Pie

This dessert is nothing but delicious! Full of all kinds of stuff that should be eaten on only special occasions. We had a huge crowd for Thanksgiving and I baked a few things to go on the table. I needed to make another pie, so I searched for something no bake, this one looked good and it did not disappoint! Andy asked me to leave it at our house so he could enjoy it all himself. It tastes like a yummy Reeses Peanut Butter Cup, YUM!

Peanut Butter Pie

The picture and original recipe are from allrecipes and are linked at the bottom.


3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
4 oz cream cheese
3/4 cup powdered sugar (the original called for more, but it was just fine reduced)
1 12 oz container frozen whipped topping, thawed
1 9 inch prepared chocolate cookie or graham cracker crust

Directions

1. In a large bowl, mix together peanut butter, cream cheese and sugar. Then stir whipped topping into peanut butter mixture. Whisk until smooth and no lumps remain.
2. Pour filling into pie crust and refrigerate for about 3 hours until pie is firm.
You can fancy up the topping how ever you would like. I drizzled chocolate syrup on top and sprinkled milk chocolate chips.

Recipe here:
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Smooth-and-Creamy-Peanut-Butter-Pie/Detail.aspx

Chicken Stock

A few weeks ago I bought some local natural raised chickens. They were whole and had never been frozen. (there were even quite a few feathers left on!) I cooked them up right away and cut off all the meat to use later in enchiladas or soup or something. I did my usual routine with the bones and skin - made stock.

For stock, you can use whatever you can get your hands on. Fryer chickens are sometimes really cheap at the local grocery store. You can bake them, cut off the meat and use the carcass. If you buy one of those rotisserie chickens from Costco, save the bones. I have also heard of people using chicken wings to make stock.

This is such an easy thing to make and great to have on hand. You know exactly what is in it, no strange additives, no mysterious ingredients.

Chicken Stock


Clean as much meat and fat from the bones as you can. Put the carcasses in a large pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil (this is important as the boil will cause any fat to float to the top and you can skim it off). Boil the carcass for about 30 minutes. You can keep your stuff on the stove, but for convenience I prefer using my crock pot on high at this point. After the pot has boiled on the stove about 30 minutes, skim the top again and pour everything into your crock pot. Then add some carrots, celery, onion, a bay leaf or two and some salt and pepper. There is no set amount but you probably want at least 3 or 4 carrots and one big onion. All the veggies need to be cleaned and roughly chopped. They will get discarded later so they dont need to look great.
Simmer in your crock pot for about 3 hours. Pull out all the big pieces and pour the liquid thru a fine strainer. You can use it immediately or freeze it for use in later dishes.
2 carcasses covered with water should make about 2 1/2 quarts of stock.

Black Bean Burgers

A friend of mine recently saw this recipe in a magazine and shared it with me. I was so glad she did. What a fun way to switch up dinner. They were easy and came together quickly. Since the "patty" had raw eggs in it, I couldnt test the taste until they were finished. Next time I will add more spices, this dinner is definitely a repeat!

Black Bean Burgers


2 Tbs oil
2 stalks celery, finely chopped
1 onion, minced
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 15 oz can of black beans (I used my own precooked beans, 2 cups plus a few Tbs. of water)
1 large egg, beaten
1 Tbs. cumin
1/2 cup dry bread crumbs
salt and pepper
*next time I will add hamburger seasoning or taco seasoning also

Preheat oven to 375

Warm oil in skillet and add celery and onion stir a few minutes and then add garlic. Pour beans into a bowl and mash to a thick paste (I did this in my food processor) Add celery mixture to beans and stir in egg, cumin and bread crumbs. Season with salt and pepper. Form into 4 patties and bake on a baking sheet until firm and set, about 10 min. on each side.

While they are baking cut up all the garnishes.

Remove from the oven and serve on whole wheat buns and top like a regular hamburger. We used the works, lettuce, tomato, cheese, mayo, etc.

Spelt Tortillas

A few days ago, a friend of mine dropped off some tortillas she made along with the recipe. Good thing she included the recipe, because they were worthy of repeating! Delicious, and simple to make. (not to mention CHEAP!!)

Homemade spelt tortillas

1 1/2 cups spelt flour, fresh ground is best.
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 Tbs. oil
3/4 cup hot water

mix all ingredients, cover and let sit in a warm place for 20 min. divide into 8 balls and let sit covered for another 20 minutes. Roll each out into a thin circle and cook on skillet. If they are too thin they will cook up fast and will need to be watched closely so they dont get crispy.

TIPS:
* the dough is a little sticky so when you are rolling it out be sure to flour your counter and rolling pin really well.
* I liked them rolled out a little thicker, they were easier to cook and work with.
* Once you are done cooking them, place them in a container with wet paper towels in between them. They will stay soft and pliable this way.

German Pancakes and syrup

There are lots of German Pancake recipes out there. And people call them lots of different things. Hootenanny Pancakes, German Pancakes, Oven Pancakes...

I got this recipe quite a few years ago from a friends mom. We had taken a road trip from Arizona to Utah, and got in late at night. The next morning these puffy pancakes were served for breakfast. I had never even seen or heard of them, but loved them! I asked for the recipe and whenever I look at it, I still remember that long road trip and the kind gesture of my friends mother.

German Pancakes
(these are my pancakes with the syrup simmering in the background. There is also a pan of barley that i had just cooked up for Maggie)

Beat together:
6 Tbs butter, melted
6 eggs
1 cup milk
1 cup flour
whip them together really well, the more air you can get in them when whipping them the more fluffy they will be. Bake 425 for 25 - minutes.

while they are cooking, make the syrup:

1 cup sugar (I use honey but the authentic recipe calls for sugar)
2 Tbs. corn starch
2 Tbs. lemon juice
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp cloves
2 cups apple cider (we had some fresh pressed cider and it was DELICIOUS!)

Incorporate all ingredients in a pan and simmer until its clear. This syrup is good on pancakes or waffles or any hot breakfast breads.