Rod's Fluffy Pancakes

We love us some good pancakes in this house. The hubby has spent the last several years looking for the best recipe. We like ours really fluffy and buttery and he found a really good recipe that meets our criteria. We especially like them for "brinner"! Hope you try these, cause they are gooood!

Rod's Fluffy Pancakes

(adapted from allrecipes)

3/4 cup milk

1 tablespoon white vinegar

1 cup all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons white sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 egg

2 tablespoons melted butter

2 teaspoons vanilla

Combine milk and vinegar and set aside for 5 minutes (this is to make your own buttermilk).

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large mixing bowl.

In a separate bowl, whisk soured milk, egg, butter, and vanilla until combined then add to flour mixture. Don't over mix, or they won't be as tender and fluffy. Small lumps are ok.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Spray with cooking spray if necessary (if you use a non-stick pan it isn't necessary). Use a 1/4 cup measuring cup to ladle on to skillet and cook until bubbles form at the top. Flip and cook until evenly browned on other side.

*I have been known to substitute at least half whole wheat flour and brown sugar, and add a little cinnamon to this recipe. Its great!

Coconut Meringue Pie

I pray everyone had a wonderful Easter. After a crazy weekend at a christian training event with our kids, we had a very lazy, low-key day and really enjoyed it. I didn't even do much for our Easter meal. We had grilled hamburgers and hot dogs the night before and made enough to have again on Sunday. It was really nice to not stress over it.

I did however, make a couple pies. I made a chocolate pie for the boys and a coconut pie for me and the hubby. I wasn't super happy with the chocolate one, so I won't be posting anything on it this time, but the coconut pie was pretty tasty.  The filling was perfect. The meringue and crust were not perfect, but they were both recipes I have used and loved before, so it was totally my fault this time. Even though those two things were not exactly how I wanted them, it was a delicious Easter treat. 

Coconut Meringue Pie

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Prepare crust (recipe found here)

For filling

(adapted from Angelina's Cottage)

2 cups milk
2 cups sweetened shredded coconut
2 large eggs
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar 

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, softened

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Combine milk and coconut in a medium sauce pan over med-high heat until just before boiling. 

In a bowl, mix together flour, sugar and melted butter until completely combined. Pour some of the hot milk mixture into the egg mixture and stir to keep the eggs from scrambling in the hot mixture. Add egg mixture to the sauce pan. Whisk over med-high heat until mixture thickens and begins to boil. Continue whisking until very thick, about five minutes.

Remove from heat and add butter and vanilla until butter is melted. Add to baked and cooled pastry crust.

For Meringue

4 egg whites (at room temperature)

3-4 tablespoons sugar

In a glass or metal bowl, whip egg whites until foamy.  Gradually add sugar and continue whipping until stiff peaks form.

Spread meringue over filling all the way to the edges. Bake for ten more minutes or until the meringue begins to brown.

Pizza Pretzel Pockets

I love snack foods.  However, I am very picky about the quality of snack foods I eat( I know, it's kind of an oxymoron).  From time to time I am drawn to the frozen snack foods section in the grocery store and enticed into buying some cheesy, fried concoction that I almost always regret eating.

Reminds me of this little clip..

I have always preferred food made from scratch over that pre-made, frozen stuff, but until recently, didn't even consider trying to make it at home.  Well, I definitely have started experimenting more and have learned that it really isn't as hard as I thought it would be.  And, just because it's a "snacky" food, it doesn't mean it has to be terrible for you. You can easily substitute wheat flour for white, and experiment with healthier oils and such.


So, I was delighted to find Two Peas and their Pod's pizza pretzel bites.  I have made them a few times and have adapted them into mini Pizza Pretzel Pockets.  It's just a little less time consuming to make them a bit bigger than bite sized. Plus, I skip the boiling step and just dip them in a baking soda and water mixture before baking.  My family loves them.  They are the perfect treat for Friday night movie night.

Pizza Pretzel Pockets


1 1/2 cups warm water
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
1 package active dry yeast (or 2 1/4 tablespoons)
3oz butter, melted
2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
4-5 cups flour
canola oil
shredded mozzarella cheese
pepperoni slices
2 cups water
2 tablespoons baking soda
2-3 tablespoons melted butter
kosher salt for sprinkling


Preheat oven to 425 degrees


Combine warm water, brown sugar, yeast, and melted butter in metal bowl of a stand mixer.  Stir with dough hook until combined and let sit for five minutes.


Add salt and four cups of flour and mix on low until combined.  Increase speed to medium and knead until dough is smooth and begins to pull away from the bowl, about 3-4 minutes.  If dough is too wet, you can add more flour 1 tablespoon at a time.  Remove dough from bowl to a flat surface and form into a ball. (If you do not have a stand mixer, you can knead with your hands on a flat, floured surface for the same amount of time.)


Oil a bowl with canola oil, add the dough and turn to coat. Cover with a towel or plastic wrap, place in a warm spot and let rise for an hour, or until doubled in size. (I usually do this the night before, and after it has risen, refrigerate until I need it the next day. Just take it out about 30 minutes before using.)


Place dough on flat surface and divide into 4 equal parts. One part at a time, roll out flat ( I try to get it as thin as I can with out it tearing easily) and cut into 4-5 inch sections.  Place cheese and pepperoni on each section, fold over and pinch the edges of the dough together to seal.


Combine 2 cups water with 2 tablespoons baking soda in small bowl.  Dip each pocket in water and place on a parchment or foil lined baking sheet. Bake on 425 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.  Remove from oven, brush with butter and sprinkle with salt.
Serve with warm pizza sauce on the side.

Goodbye Brownie Mixes

Anyone who knows me very well, probably knows that I am a sucker for a brownie. For me, a hot brownie with vanilla ice cream is about as good as it gets. And until recently, I almost always had a brownie mix in my cabinet. 


Well, the only reason I never buy them anymore, is because of this recipe. It's amazing. These brownies are rich and fudgy, and kind of crunchy on the top. And they are not much harder to make than a store bought mix. Give them a try!

Brownies
(adapted from allrecipes)


1 cup butter, melted
3 cups sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips


Preheat oven to 350 degrees and lightly grease a 9x13 pan.


In a large bowl, combine butter sugar and vanilla. Beat in the eggs, one at a time mixing until fully incorporated after each addition.


In a medium bowl, sift together flour, cocoa powder and salt. Then gradually add flour mixture to the butter mixture and stir just until moistened. Stir in chocolate chips. Spread evenly into baking dish.


Bake 30-40 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.  Remove and cool before cutting.

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Oat Bran Pancakes

We are at my sister's house for the weekend. I wanted to make breakfast for everyone, but she and her husband are pretty health-conscious and have much healthier things in their pantry than what I'm used to, so I had to think outside of my box a little.

After searching the Internet I found this pancake recipe and it was awesome. All the kids gobbled them up and asked for more.

Oat Bran Pancakes
(adapted from http://www.cookingnook.com/oat-bran-pancake-recipe.html)

1½ cups milk
1 cup Quaker oats
¾ cup sifted all purpose flour
¼ cup oat flour or oat bran
2 tablespoons sugar (or equivalent in sugar substitute)
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs, beaten
¼ cup melted butter or margarine(she only had the spray butter, so I used it and it tasted fine!)

Pour milk over oats and let stand for 5 minutes. Sift together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.

Lightly stir eggs into oats mixture. Add dry ingredients and butter, stirring until combined.

Ladle in batches on to a greased or non-stick griddle or frying pan and cook until tops are bubbly and edges look cooked. Turn over and finish cooking the other side.

Niece, Ella enjoying the Pancake. :)

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Glazed Pork Chops

One of the things I really want to get across with this blog, is that cooking a good meal can be fairly simple and quick. Like most people, my weeknights are crazy. It seems like there is such a small window from the time everyone gets home to the time we have to go to bed, even when there's not a ball practice or church to go to. 


In the past, weeknight dinners were either boxed mac-n-cheese and frozen chicken nuggets or fast food. But I've grown a little(just a little) more health and money conscious and have been determined to make good meals a little more often (not that I don't resort back to the old ways every once in a while).


Pork chops are one of my favorite meats to cook up quick. There are a number of ways to prepare them and the ideas for sides are endless, although I usually just do a couple of roasted veggies.


With these glazed chops, I decided to do oven fries and roasted asparagus.  I got the fries going first since they take the longest, then prepared the asparagus to be ready to go in with the chops, then started on the chops.  It took a little juggling and when the chops were done we had to wait a little while for the asparagus to finish, but from start to finish the whole meal took less than an hour.

Oh, and these chops; they're ridiculously easy. Here's the recipe...


4-6 thick cut pork chops
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup of your favorite bbq rub 
2 tablespoons olive oil


Preheat oven to 350 degrees.


Heat olive oil in large skillet (preferably oven proof) over med-high heat.  Meanwhile, mix brown sugar and rub together in a small bowl.  Rub mixture all over each chop, top and bottom.  When oil is good and hot, place the chops in the pan.  Cook for 5 minutes on each side.  Then place in hot oven for 5 more minutes.
If you don't have an oven proof skillet, you can just transfer the meat and drippings to a baking dish for this last step. 

A Taste From Childhood

I grew up in a small town in northeast Oklahoma, which of course was very close to northwest Arkansas.  My mom and dad LOVE northwest AR (so much that they now live there) and always drug my brother, sister and I all around the area. One of our favorite places to go, especially in the fall, was War Eagle Mill, in Rogers. I loved eating lunch there and ordering their Beans and Cornbread. It was like Autumn in a bowl.

Well, I went to visit the parents last week and they gave me a little be-lated birthday present:  A really cute enamel baking pan and some goodies from the mill.

War Eagle Organic Biscuit mix, 

Organic Whole Wheat Pancake mix, Organic Cornbread mix, 

and red enamelware baking pan

(they also gave me some steel cut oats, but I ate them before

I was able to take the picture)

Organic and local, you can't get much better than this.  I made the biscuits this morning and they were a hit, and I can't wait to make the rest.  Here is a link to their store, if you would like to take a look.

War Eagle Mill Shop

Via Cappuccino Muffins with Double Shot Latte Buttercream

I absolutely love coffee and most things coffee flavored. So, when I found this recipe I knew I had to make them for my friends at work. The recipe has a wonderful looking frosting with it, but I really wanted to try them with a frosting that my friend, Melissa made on my birthday.

In all honesty, I have never considered myself a very good baker. But I've really been trying to step out of my comfort zone and work on getting better at it. I also have never made my own buttercream until now.  


Well, they turned out pretty darn good. I didn't hear feed back from everyone, but the few that I did, loved them. The muffins have such a big punch of coffee flavor. They're made with Starbuck's VIA instant coffee (which is stinkin' good coffee, if you ask me! But you could very easily substitute with a tablespoon of instant espresso powder if you can't find the VIA) and really aren't super sweet...and the buttercream? Oh my goodness just give me a bowl of it and a spoon and I would be a happy girl!  I am a work in progress as far as the texture of the frosting goes, but the flavor is amazing!  Plus, there almost is no need for that morning cup of joe with these babies, they will get you going on their own!

Via Cappuccino Muffins
(adapted from nancypants' recipe on Tasty Kitchen)


2 pkgs Starbucks VIA instant coffee (or 1 tablespoon instant espresso powder)
1/2 cup warm milk
1/4 cup melted butter
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup chocolate chips


Preheat oven to 375 degrees and grease or line your muffin pan.


In a medium bowl, pour coffee powder in warm milk, stir and smash with the back of a spoon until completely dissolved. Add melted butter, egg and vanilla and wisk until combined.


In another bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Make a well in the center of dry ingredients and pour wet mixture into the center. Stir together just until combined (If you stir too much, the muffins will be tough. A few small lumps are ok.).


Fold in chocolate chips.


Distribute the batter evenly among muffin tin and bake for 15-20 min.


Double Shot Latte Buttercream
(adapted from a Southern Living recipe on myrecipes)


1/2 cup butter, softened
3 oz cream cheese, softened
2 pkgs Starbuck's Via (or 1 tablespoon insant espresso powder)
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 (16 oz) pkg powdered sugar
3-4 tablespoons of milk


Beat first four with an electric mixer until creamy. Gradually add powdered sugar and 3 tablespoons of milk, alternating the two, until blended smooth after each additon.


You can add the remaining milk, 1 teaspoon at a time until you reach the desired consistancy.