chocolate chip pancakes

It's a chocolate chip morning here today.  Every so often, you just need chocolate chip pancakes.  I decided to share the love and let you in on my super-simple-not-so-secret recipe.

Sometimes I make pancakes from scratch.  But I'll be honest.. most days, especially school and work days, I start with a (just add water) mix.  I don't measure anything (This drives my sister crazy. When she asks for measurements, I usually just shrug and say, "However much.")  I scoop some mix into a bowl, add water and whisk, adding more water until the consistency seems right, and then I add the magic.  I like to add a little extra love to my pancakes, in the form of vanilla and almond extracts.  This is the base of pretty much every version of pancakes I make... then I stir in the final ingredient, which today was chocolate chips, but could also be blueberries, bananas, etc.

         

                           Yum!

soup season:: potato medley

I love love love autumn. For lots of reasons. Today's reason is soup. Soup is one of my favorite comfort foods. This morning I found a few potatoes that needed to be used quick, so I cubed and boiled them until soft. Meanwhile, I found a few other things that would make a nice addition to a soup. I don't really have a recipe, but here's the gist of what I did:

5 small-ish potatoes, cut up and boil.

1/2 a red onion, chopped in food processor

a handful of baby carrots, chopped in food processor

about 1/2 head of cauliflower, also chopped in food processor

After chopping veggies in the food processor, I threw them in a pan with some butter (couple tablespoons maybe) and some garlic (a clove)... sauteed for a while, until soft. When the potatoes were soft, I drained them and then added some milk (I had 2% on hand) and gave them a mash. Not a thorough mashing, like for mashed potatoes.. just a semi-mash. Then I added the other veggies and some more milk. This part is up to you, how "soupy" you want it.. I left mine on the thick side. Finally, I seasoned it with salt and pepper, and then sat down to savor it while checking facebook.

I welcome any wonderful soup recipes. I'm a huge fan. Enjoy!

special K bars recipe

These are so good. So sweet and not at all healthy. It seems strange to call them Special K bars, since that's a pretty wholesome cereal. Well that is before adding all the extra ingredients. My philosophy is everything in moderation. These are a nice little indulgence every once in while. My advice: make them when you have several someones to share them with. And cut them into small pieces (think twice the size of an average piece of fudge and you're on the right track).

1 cup sugar

1 cup Karo syrup

1 1/3 cups peanut butter

6 cups Special K cereal

1 pkg chocolate chips

1 pkg butterscotch or caramel chips

Heat sugar and Karo syrup in a sauce pan. Remove from heat just before boiling. Add peanut butter and blend. (I just stir it in the pan while it's still hot.) Pour this mixture over Special K in a large bowl. Stir to combine. Pat in 13x9 pan. (It hardens quickly, so work fast.) For the frosting, melt chocolate and butterscotch or caramel chips (I do it in a double boiler but you could probably use the microwave). Spread over top of the Special K mixture in the pan. Let it cool completely (you can cheat a little and put it in the fridge or freezer for a while.) Cut into smallish pieces.

Enjoy!

fruit pizza

For your springtime sweet tooth pleasure, I bring you....
Fruit Pizza!

This recipe was given to me by my mother in law Nancy, who is currently in the hospital in Denver recovering from surgery after breaking her neck last week. She is doing better every day but still has several weeks of recovery ahead. (prayers for her complete healing and quick recovery are so much appreciated!)

EVERYONE loves this dessert. It's always a hit at potlucks and parties, and it's the perfect thing to welcome the colors and flavors of spring. (It's easy too, which is always a plus!)

Fruit Pizza

crust:

1/2 c. butter

1/4 c. powdered sugar

1 c. flour

Mix like a pie crust and bake at 350 for 10-15 minutes. Cool completely.

cream filling:

1 8 oz. cream cheese

1/3 c. sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

Mix and spread over cooled crust. Place fresh fruit over cream cheese mixture. (I usually try to go for lots of color. My favorites to include are strawberries, banana, kiwi, blackberries, raspberries, green or purple grapes and peaches. You can also use pineapple, blueberries, etc. Pretty much anything goes.)

glaze:

2 Tbsp. cornstarch

1/2 c. sugar

1 c. fruit juice

1 tsp. lemon juice

Boil sugar, fruit juice and cornstarch until syrupy. Add lemon juice and pour glaze over fruit.

Enjoy!

(note: This is the recipe as I received it. I usually double the amounts of everything for the crust and the cream cheese layer.)

I had a little help making this yesterday!

This is before the glaze layer: YUM!

Labels: recipes

a warm mug

We sometimes listen to a Christian radio station called the Candle. In the afternoons, they always have a "kid fact" of the day, an interesting bit of information. I have no idea where they get these kid facts, but today as we were driving home after picking Brooklyn up from school, we heard the kid fact of the day. This is not word for word, because I was driving and couldn't write it down, and couldn't find it online... but it said that when you have a warm mug of coffee or tea, or some other favorite drink, you're more likely to be friendly, patient, and generous.

I have to say, I think they're on to something. I know I feel happy, more friendly and probably more generous when I'm holding a steaming cup of comfort (coffee, tea, chai, hot chocolate, whatever).

It got me thinking. I should try this with my kids. My mom used to make friendship tea. I haven't had it in a long time, but I know I always loved it, and I think our kids would too. I think I'll make a batch tomorrow. On days when they're not getting along very well, maybe I'll hand them a warm mug of friendship tea and see if it helps!

Here's my mom's recipe:

Friendship Tea

2 c. Tang

3/4 c. instant tea

1 pkg. lemondade mix- with sugar

1 tsp. cinnamon

1tsp. ground cloves

Mix all ingredients together and store in an air-tight container. Put 1 heaping teaspoon in a mug and add hot water. Adjust to taste.

Ok, not the healthiest mix, but a little here and there won't hurt. Especially if it evokes friendliness and generosity! =)

(I've also heard this called Russian Tea.. it's the same thing, as far as I know.)

Labels: recipes

calling all crock pot recipes!

It's that time of year! Soon the cooler Fall weather will be upon us, and with busier schedules that come with back to school season, my crock pot is my friend. I thought I'd share a favorite crock pot recipe with you, and ask that you share some of yours too.

I know I'll be visiting A Year of Slow Cooking often. Have you heard about this blog? Stephanie used her crock pot every day for an entire year, and shared her secrets and recipes on her blog. Some very creative recipes there! Our kids and their cousins loved the crock pot french toast recipe. You prepare it before bed and let it cook overnight... what a heavenly smell to wake up to! The brown sugar chicken reicpe was also a big hit at our house. There are lots more to try, and now you can even buy the book (pre-orders now for early October release).

The recipe I'll share here is one of my favorites. I got the recipe from my sister Kelly, who got it from a friend. It's one of those recipes that's copied and shared, and then copied and shared some more. It's that good. Please share your one of your tried and true favorites. Or if you have a great website for recipes to share with the rest of us, that would be great too. You can't have too many amazing crock pot recipes. They make life so much easier, and I love the simmering smell in the house all day!

Tortilla Soup

ingredients:

1 pkg. dry ranch dressing mix

1pgk. taco seasoing

2 chicken breasts, cooked and chopped

1 can white hominy

1 can northern (white) beans

1 can pinto beans

1 can diced green chiles

1 can diced tomatoes

1 bag frozen corn

chicken broth- enough to cover contents

directions:

Place all of the ingredients into a large crock pot, making sure there is enough chicken broth to cook it in. Simmer for about 4 hours. (You can also do this on the stove and simmer for 30-40 minutes.)

When you're ready to serve the soup, you can garnish it with grated cheese, sour cream, tortilla chips, avacado, lime juice, cabbage, or cilantro.

Enjoy!

omelets

A couple of weeks ago, I was sitting having breakfast with some new friends at a women's retreat (which I should write about later).  We got on the subject of omelets, and one of the girls offered a new method of making them.  I loved the idea and was excited to try it at home.  They were so easy, and a hit with the whole family.  Here's the step-by-step:

First, break desired number of eggs into ziploc bags.  (We used two eggs each, and we used the double zipper bags, for added security during boiling.  This may or may not be necessary.)

Next, add ingredients.  This part was fun for everyone.  We added basic omelet things like cheese, ham, bacon.  I also added onion and tomato to mine.



Then you get to squish it.  Oh.  It's probably obvious, but just in case, I'll say zip the bag closed first.  It would get rather messy if you didn't.

Squish, squish until everything is well mixed.

Like this.

Oops, I also forgot to say you should start a big pot of boiling water before the first step.  That way the water should be boiling by the time you add the bags.  We did four at a time in our pot.  I guess it depends on the size of your pot.

It took longer than I expected for them to cook.  I think maybe around 20 minutes.  Sorry I don't have an exact time.  Just watch them.  You can tell they're done when the egg looks cooked and no longer runny at all.

Here's our first batch, all finished!

We just opened the bags and plopped them onto a plate (or bowl in this case).

This was a fun breakfast for everyone.  They took a while to cook, but it was nice that everyone got to put in their own ingredients, squish up their bags and add the bags to the water.  It was also nice that as they boiled, we could do other things (like Family Fun Cranium game), and they were ready at the same time.

Labels: food, recipes

panakuken

recipe handed down from my mother-in-law, Nancy Swanson

(This makes 2 9x13 pans, so you can half the recipe for less people.)

6 eggs, beaten

5 cups milk

3 cups flour

2 tsp salt

2 Tbsp sugar

2 sticks butter

Melt butter and add half to batter.  Put remaining batter in 2 9x13 pans.  Mix all batter ingredients together.  Pour into pans and bake at 375 for 30 minutes or till light brown (it will bubble up).

We usually eat this with brown sugar, strawberries, and sometimes sour cream.  You can also slice apples and lay them on top of the batter before baking, and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar.