Wild Rice Stuffing with Pearl Onions and Dried Cranberries

Once again I am not a big fan of the stuffing/dressing in general, but this one I like!  **side note:  if it is actually stuffed inside the bird it is stuffing.  If it is baked in a casserole it is called dressing.  Therefore despite the name, this is actually a dressing.



The Ingredients:  Pepperidge Farms Herbed Stuffing, NOT THE CUBED STUFF!!!! The brand is actually important since all others seem to be cubed.  Pepperidge Farms now does cubed also, so watch out and get the correct bag.  Pearl Onions (you can buy them fresh in the produce section, but then you have topeel them.  The frozen pearl onions were suggested to me for anothe recipe recently by Michelle of Chez Moi and Recipes Chez Moi.  Thank you, thank you thank you.  These are so much faster and easier. **note: they are not available at every grocery store I tried three and finally found them at Smith's Market Place. Dried Cranberries aka Craisins, butter, Thyme & Chicken Stock (I use chicken base)

continued after the jump.....

Praline Sweet Potatoes

This is one of my make ahead dishes....


This  is what it looks like before going into the oven ( I have to admit in the midst of getting everything on the table I forgot to photograph the melted sugar goodness of the hot dish)




Ingredients: canned yams or sweet potatoes (you can use fresh if feel like peeling, boiling and mashing), butter, brown sugar, eggs, an orange, ginger, salt and pecans and cinnamon (not pictured.) 

Continued after the jump....

Cranberry Fruit Relish

This stuff is so much more satisfying than that jiggly stuff from a can.




The cast of characters: fresh cranberries, granny smith apples, frozen raspberries (thawed), orange marmalade, lemon juice, sugar. Cuisinart is optional but makes all the difference in amout of time it takes to make this recipe.




First finely chop cranberries and put in a bowl.




Second peel  (notice the really cool long unbroken peel.(continued after the jump)

Thanksgiving Recipes

Here are all of my Thanksgiving recipes except for dessert (still up in the air about exactly what to make.)  I will be doing the step-by-step photo posts for each recipe as I make them for my family. 

Many of these recipes are by Mary Craft.  She is a local caterer who also used to have a PBS cooking show (at least she did here.)  All of her recipes and many more can also be found HERE.  

Side note.  I have included two different green salads.  I have traditionally made the Grapefruit & Avacado Salad but I think I will make the Apple Spinach Salad this year.  I also really do make both the rolls and the muffins, but I make the muffins mini.  Thanksgiving is about a Feast!  not just a regular dinner.  Also, most of these recipes claim  to serve 12 but with so many dishes in one meal the serving size is usually smaller so that you have room for some of everything.  I have fed 24 easily and had leftovers with these recipes.


Cranberry Fruit Relish

Recipe By : Mary Craft

Serves 12 if eaten like a salad 24 or more if used as a condiment

1 pound fresh cranberries -- finely chopped

2 tart green apples -- peeled and diced

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup orange marmalade

10 ounces frozen raspberries -- thawed and drained

1 teaspoon lemon juice



Mix all ingredients in a bowl. May be refrigerated covered for 1 month. Makes 6 cups


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Melissa's Dinner Rolls




1 cup warm water

1 tablespoon yeast

1/2 cup butter -- melted

1/2 cup sugar

3 eggs

3/4 teaspoon salt

4 cups all-purpose flour



1. Dissolve yeast in warm water with a little sugar.



2. Combine melted butter and sugar, add eggs and salt. Mix well.



3. Add 1 cup flour and the yeast/water.



4. Add remaining 3 cups flour. Mix until combined. Dough will be very sticky and soft (almost like a batter)



5. Pour into a greased bowl and let rise 2-4 hours (4 works better).



Shape and bake immediately in 350 degree oven 8-10 minutes.





**** Dough will be sticky!!!! To shape: generously flour a baking sheet pan or counter top, empty raised dough onto flour and generously flour the top. With your hands, push/pat the dough into a large rectangle the size of the baking sheet pan. Using a pizza cutter, cut the dough in thirds the long way, then in fourths the short way, then cut each square in half diagonally. This will make 24 triangles. Pick up the triangles one at a time, stretch out a little bit and roll from the fat end to the point. Place on another baking sheet. They come out best if left to rest another 15 minutes before baking.



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Sugar and Spice Muffins

Recipe By : Mary Craft



1/4 pound butter

1 cup sugar

1 pound can yams -- drained

2 eggs

1 1/4 cups milk

2 1/2 cups flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Topping:

1/4 can sugar -- mixed with

1 tablespoon cinnamon


In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until light. Beat in yams. Add eggs, one at a time. Mix in milk. Slowly add flour, baking soda, nutmeg, salt, and cinnamon. Blend together but do not over mis. Stir in nuts.



Spray 24 muffin cups with cooking spray. Fill 3/4 full. Sprinkle with sugar-cinnamon mixture. Bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Turn out to cool. May be frozen up to 1 month in the freezer. Reheat in microwave before serving.

*** I like to make them in the mini muffin pan.  It comes out to be 3 minis for each regular sized muffin.

NOTES : **may add 1/4 cup chopped walnuts if desired**


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Praline Sweet Potatoes

Recipe By : Mary Craft

Serves 24 (original recipe says serves 12 but that would be a really large serving)



5 pounds canned yams or sweet potatoes -- drained

2/3 cup orange juice

1 tablespoon orange zest -- optional

2 teaspoons salt

pepper -- to taste

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 cup butter -- melted

1/3 cup brown sugar

3 eggs



TOPPING:



2/3 cup brown sugar

1/4 pound butter

1 cup chopped pecans

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon



In an electric mixer, beat yams until smooth. Mix in remaining ingredients until light and fluffy. butter a 2 quart casserole dish and pour in yam mixture. Mix all the praline topping ingredients together and spread evenly over the yams.



May be refrigerated for two days.



Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes until golden and bubbly. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.



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Wild Rice Stuffing with Pearl Onions and Dried Cranberries

Recipe By : Mary Craft                          Serves 12 or more
Ingredients:


4 tablespoons butter

12 ounces pearl onions

4 1/2 cups chicken stock

1 tablespoon dried thyme

1 1/4 cups wild rice

1 pound herb-seasoned stuffing cubes -- (pepperidge farms)

2 cups dried cranberries

2 cups pecans -- chopped and toasted



Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and saute until caramelized and brown, about 15 minutes. Set aside.



Bring chiciken stock and thyme to a boil in a large saucepan. Add wild rice; bring back to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 30 minutes or until tender. Remove from heat and stir in bread cubes.



Stir in cranberries. Season generously with salt and pepper. (Stuffing may be done ahead to this point and refrigerated up to 2 days) Bake in 9x13 glass dish covered with buttered foil at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until heated through. Remove foil.. Melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter or pour over top of stuffing. Bake for 10 minutes more. Stir in toasted pecans before serving



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Green Beans and Nuts

Recipe By : Mary Craft                          Serves 12
Ingredients:

3 pounds green beans -- fresh

salt

1/4 pound butter

2 teaspoons lemon juice

1 cup cashews

salt and pepper -- to taste



Snip end off beans. cook beans in salted, simmering water, uncovered, until tender but still firm to the bite. Drain beans and run under cold water to stop the cooking. Dry on a paper towel and refrigerate for up to two days.



Before serving, bring to room temperature. Melt butter in a large skillet. Add beans, lemon juice and nuts. Heat over medium-high heat, tossing gently. Season to taste.



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Strawberry Jello Salad

Serves 12

Ingredients:


1 package strawberry gelatin powder -- (6 ounce package)

1 cup boiling water

10 ounces frozen strawberries

1 can crushed pineapple -- (20 ounce can)

3 banana -- mashed or sliced

2 cups sour cream



Combine Jello with boiling water. Add strawberries, pineapple (juice and all) and bananas. Pour half into a 12x8x2 inch pan. Chill until firm. Spread on the sour cream. Pour on the rest of the Jello mixture. Chill until set.



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Grapefruit & Avacado Salad

Serves 8-12


1 bag romaine lettuce

1 can grapefruit sections -- drained

1 fresh avocado -- sliced

1/4 cup sunflower seeds -- toasted

1/3 cup olive oil

1/3 cup sugar

1/4 cup vinegar

1/2 teaspoon celery seed

1/2 teaspoon dry mustard

1 tablespoon chopped onion -- very finely chopped



Dressing Instructions:



Combine olive oil, sugar, vinegar (does not say what kind, I am going to try either citrus or apple cider), celery seed, dry mustard and finely chopped onion. Either use an imersion blender (aka stick blender) or put in the blender to combine well. Toss with salad ingredients just before serving. *** Original recipe calls for 1 cup of oil. Yikes!!!! I would never use that much for this amount of salad. Also it may not be necessary to use all of the dressing. Adjust to taste.



Salad:



Lettuce, grapefruit (can use fresh or canned), avacado & sunflower seeds (I purchase already toasted, but they can also be toasted in a hot skillet, stirring constantly for a couple of minutes.)



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NOTES : **** For all the years my mom has made this salad she has never made the dressing. She just uses Bersteins Creamy Fantastico salad dressing or any other Italian dressing. I really like the Bersteins. However, I find that I only use it for this salad and then the rest of the bottle ends up going to waste. I never knew until last night (November 15, 2009) that the recipe had it's own homemade dressing. I like homemade dressings because I usually have the ingredients on hand.


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Apple Spinach Salad


Recipe by : Stephanie who got it from Kristen       Serves 8-12

Ingredients:

10 ounces fresh spinach

1/2 pound bacon -- cooked and crumbled

1 green apples -- sliced thin

1 cup slivered almonds -- toasted



Dressing:

1/4 cup sugar

1/3 cup olive oil

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon red onion -- minced

3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar



For Dressing:



Combine all dressing ingredients in the blender.



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Whole Roast Turkey

Recipe By : Mary Craft

Ingredients:

16 pounds turkey

1 cup olive oil

1 teaspoon ground sage

1 clove garlic -- minced

2 teaspoons seasoned salt

1 teaspoon pepper



Remove giblets,neck, and fat from insde the turkey ( they may be cooked alongside the turkey or used in stuffing or gravy). Completely dry the turkey with paper towels. Mix together the remaining ingredients and rub inside and out on the bird. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Remove the turkey from the refrigerator and begin to bring to room temperature one hour before roasting. Spoon stuffin into the dcavity and neck opening. Truss or sew with skewers. Tie legs together so as not to deform while roasting. Place on reack in roasting pan breast side down (this is for better flavor not for presentation).



Bake at 325 degrees. Baste occasionally with pan juices. Roast for 20 minutes per pound or until meat thermometer registers 175 when placed in the thickest part of the thigh. Avoid resting the thermometer on bone. If planning to present the whole turkey at the table for carving, turn turkey breast side up half way through cooking time. tent with aluminum foil, shiny side in, if turkey becomes too brown. There will be a cup or more of pan juices when turkey is done. Thigh will move freely in its socket and tukey juices will run clear when pierced. Never rely on the "pop-up" thermometers placed in birds by the supplier! Your turkey will usually be over done.

Nun's Puffs

Ingredients:


Butter, Milk, Flour, Eggs, Sugar



Step 1: Melt the butter



Step 2: Add the milk




Step 3: Add the flour (not pictured) and stir until it looks like play dough...



Step 4: Add the eggs one at a time stirring for one minute after adding each egg.




It is not until the last egg that it looses the play dough look and feel and becomes a rather stiff batter




Divide the batter between 12 well greased (Pam) muffin cups (regular size)




Sprinkle with sugar and Bake for 25-30 minutes until they look like this.....



I know, one is missing.  I had to test one since they looked very done at 25 minutes.

They were done so I split it open and drizzled a little honey......





I think they are called Nun's Puffs because they taste like HEAVEN.  Light, airy and not sweet (that is what the honey is for.)  Have this with a cup of hot chocolate for a wonderful weekend breakfast. 




A sprinkle of powdered sugar is also nice. 


Recipe:  Nun's Puffs

1/2 cup butter (one stick)
1 cup milk
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
4 eggs
1 tablespoon sugar
Honey (optional)

1.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Generously grease twelve regular size muffin cups, including the edge and around the top of each cup (I use Pam Spray); set aside.

2. In a medium saucepan melt the butter; add the milk.  Bring to boiling.  Add the flour all at once, stirring vigorously.  cook and stir until mixture forms a ball that does not separate. Remove from heat and cool for 5 minutes.

3.  Add the eggs, one at a time, beating for 1 minute with a wooden spoon after each addition or until smooth.

4. Divide the dough evenly among the prepared muffin cups, filling cups about two-thirds full; sprinkle with sugar.

5. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown and puffy (25 minutes was perfect for my oven.)  Remove from pan.

6. Serve immediately drizzled with hone if desired.

Lemon Dijon Roast Chicken

Fall and Winter are all about comfort food and this roast chicken is one of my favorites.


Ingredients: 2 whole chickens, soy sauce, dijon mustard, 6 lemons, an onion and fresh herbs from my neighbors and my own garden (or from the grocery store in the dead of winter.)



The marinade is so simple I did not bother to do photos.  It is just 1 cup dijon mustard, 1/2 cup soy sauce and the juice from 6 lemons (approximately 1/2 to 1 cup.)   Rinse and dry the chickens, stuff them with the lemon rinds and about 1/4 of a large onion along with some of the fresh herbs.  Place the rest of the herbs on top of the chicken or under the skin of the breast (that is what I like to do).  Then pour on the marinade.



Cook at 425 degrees basting often until the thigh meat reaches a temperature of 180 degrees (full instruction below) 

This is yummmy yummy chicken.  The original recipe said to make gravy from the left over marinade and drippings in the bottom of the pan, but my family found it too mustardy so I usually serve garlic mashed potatoes or herbed oven roasted potatoes with this.  I like to make 2 or even 3 chickens so there are leftovers.


Lemon Dijon Roast Chicken

Adapted from a recipe by Cristina Ferrare found on the Oprah website (The recipe is as I orignially found it with my adaptations in blue.)


Ingredients:

2 chickens , 4 1/2 to 5 pounds each

6 lemons

A poultry mix of fresh herbs: Rosemary, sage, thyme, parsley and oregano work well

Marinade for one or two chickens (the original recipe called for this amount of marinade for one chicken and for each chicken to roast in the oven in it's own pan.  Since I roast them together in a counter top roaster I find one recipe to be enough for both since basically you just need the basting liquid for optimal flavor.)

1 cup Dijon mustard ( This really depends on how much dijon mustard flavor you like it can be reduced by half if you want.)

1/2 cup soy sauce

1/2 cup juice from fresh lemon (don't discard lemon rinds) ( I use whatever amount of juice comes out of the 6 lemons it is usually closer to 1 cup)

To make marinade: Place all ingredients in a nonreactive bowl. Whisk with a wire whisk until ingredients are incorporated well—the marinade should have a smooth and creamy consistency.


To make roasted chicken: Preheat oven to 425°.

Clean chickens well and pat dry. Place each chicken in its own baking dish.  (I put them both or even 3 together in an electric roaster that sits on the counter.  I really think they would be fine in the oven together in a larger baking dish as well.)


Stuff cavities with lemon rinds and fresh herbs. A poultry mix is fine, usually consisting of rosemary, sage, thyme, parsley and oregano.  (I also use 1/4 to 1/2 onion stuffed in the cavity with the lemon rinds and herbs, as well as putting some of the herbs under the skin of the breast.)


Pour marinade over chicken. Add cracked pepper and remaining herbs to the top of each chicken.


Place an oven thermometer in each chicken and cover with aluminum foil. Place on the lower rack of the oven. Bake for 1 1/2 hours, then remove the aluminum foil. Baste with a basting bulb. Keep basting often, every 15 minutes until the thermometer reads 180°.


I use left over chicken for Chicken Pesto Pasta. Just toss with cooked pasta and pesto.

Easy Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Muffins

1 box spice cake mix
1 small can pumpkin puree  or 1 3/4 cups

3/4 cup water  (1/2 of the pumpkin can)

1/2 cup miniature chocolate chips


Preheat the oven to 375 degrees
stir together spice cake mix, pumpkin puree and 1/2 can water. Add chocolate chips.



Bake  25-30 minutes for regular sized muffins.

15-18 minutes for mini.



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Angel Food Cake

Strawberries and the food of angels.....

In strawberry season I make an Angel Cake about once a week. It is so good and so easy. Yes I did say easy. It is easy and I can prove it.

Three years ago when she was 10, Blair and a friend asked if they could make an Angel Food Cake. There were a couple of box mixes on the counter (I don't usually use a mix, but they were on sale and I like to keep one on hand in case I am out of eggs) so I thought they would use one of those. A few minutes later Blair came in to ask what it means to fold in cooking terms. I went into the kitchen to demonstrate, only to find that they had made the cake from scratch. They said they did not even see the box mixes. The cake turned out perfect. So, if two 10 year olds can do it anyone can. I won't even eat the already baked at the store kind of Angel Food Cake. They taste like hairspray (or some other nasty chemical.) Hair is a big issue with me and I have accidentally sprayed while my mouth was open (a multi-tasking hazard) so I do know what hairspray tastes like and it is nasty, just like those store cakes.



Ingredients: 12 eggs room temperature, cake flour (I keep it on hand for this cake only, however regular flour and even fresh ground whole wheat can be used), Sugar, Vanilla (the real thing), Almond Extract (also the real thing), Salt, and Cream of Tartar (did not make it into the photo)



First separate the eggs. Only the whites are used in Angel Food Cake. I like to use a small bowl to separate catch the egg white before I put it in with the rest of the egg whites. If even a little bit of yolk gets in the whites will not beat up like they are supposed to. Using the small bowl ensures that if a yolk breaks you only loose that egg and not the entire dozen.



If you don't have an egg separater, the finger method can be used. Some children (and adults) really like doing it this way. Just make sure little hands are washed first.



I am a big believer in having the appliances I use regularly out on the counter at all times. I have both a Kitchenaid and a Bosch. I use the Kitchenaid for this recipe because the bowl is stainless steel. You should only use stainless steel or glass for whipping up eggs. Plastic can have oily residue that can cause the eggs not to whip.



Whip egg whites and salt until foamy



Add Vanilla, Almond Extract and Cream of Tartar



Beat until soft peaks form.



gradually add 1/2 of the sugar (the recipe says one tablespoon at a time, I just pour a very slow continuous stream)



Beat until stiff peaks form



Sift together the flour and the other half of the sugar. Then do it again 2 more times. (I actually think this is fun) That sifter is 19 years old and pretty hammered. I just bought a new one today.



Fold 1/4 of the sifted flour & sugar into the egg whites at a time.



I forgot to take a photo of the batter in the pan before baking. Notice that the tube pan is on a sheet pan. The first time I made and Angel Cake from scratch it overflowed. Since then I have always put a sheet pan underneath and it has never overflowed again. I am sure if I ever forgot the sheet pan I would have a mess in the bottom of my oven. Life just works that way.





Invert the cake onto a bottle to cool. This is a rice vinegar bottle. It must cool this way for an hour. Waiting is actually the hardest part. Some people in my house (Kurt) have been known to pick at the nicely browned top/bottom.



This is the most delicious cake ever. If you have only had that chemically tasting store kind, you must give this a try. (I have a strong aversion to soggy food, so you may have noticed from the top photo that I put the whipped cream between the strawberries and the cake.)

Recipe: Angel Food Cake

12 egg white -- at room temperature
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1 1/2 cups sugar -- divided
1 cup cake flour -- sifted

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Beat egg whites and salt in a large glass or metal bowl until foamy. Add cream of tartar, vanilla, and almond extract. Beat until soft peaks form. Gradually add 3/4 cups sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating until stiff peaks form.

Sift flour and remaining 3/4 cup sugar together 3 times. Sift flour mixture over egg white mixture, one-fourth at a time. Fold well after each addition.

Spoon batter into an ungreased 10-inch tube pan. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until cake springs back when lightly touched.

Invert pan over a bottle and let cake cool completely in pan. Run knife around edge to loosen cake before removing from pan.

The Eye Of The Pirate

We call this breakfast item a Pirate's Eye. I know it goes by a lot of different names, but this is what Kurt's mom called it and since I had never seen such a thing before the movie "Moonstruck" we stayed with Pirate's Eye. I use lots of different cookie cutters to make the hole in the bread, but this flower shape is my favorite! *** Very Important! While making these we sing The Eye of the Pirate (you know that song from the movie Rocky, They call it Eye of the Tiger, but Eye of the Pirate is more fun.)

Wende threw down a tag requesting what people eat for breakfast and what that says about them. Here is my list :

Eggs

• Pirate's Eye (see photo above)
• Hard Boiled with toast or muffins or yogurt
• Scrambled with toast or muffins
• Egg Muffin Sandwich (poached in an English muffin with Canadian bacon and cheese.)
• Breakfast Burrito
• Brunch Eggs (on Christmas morning or other special times, not everyday)

Pancakes

• with syrup
• with Blueberry Sauce (see recipe on this blog)
• with butter and Cinnamon sugar
• German Pancakes
• Danish Hotcakes (like a crepe but filled with a sprinkling of sugar)
  

Waffles

• with syrup
• with butter and cinnamon sugar
• for the Men in the family polluted with chocolate chips and spread with peanut butter then drowned in syrup. (I am a purist, I stick with the first two options)

Muffins (from scratch, no mixes please) & other good things

• Blueberry
• Banana
• French Breakfast Muffins
• Cinnamon Rolls
• Orange Rolls

Yogurt & Fruit parfait (with or without granola)

Cereal

• Oatmeal (I roll my own)
• Cream of Wheat
• Cold cereal (usually not more than once a week, and only if we are really rushed)

Hot Chocolate & Toast

Fruit (with everything)

• Baked Grapefruit
• regular grapefruit
• grape juice (home canned)
• smoothies of all kinds
• bananas
• oranges
• berries or other fruit with yogurt (see Yogurt & Fruit Parfait)
• Orange Julius

Pig (usually only on the weekends)

• bacon
• sausage
• Canadian bacon (on Egg Muffin Sandwiches any day of the week)
• ham (rarely)

We really do eat all of these things 7 days a week. As to what this says about me, well it says that I have no tolerance for boredom. I need variety in my life. I grew up on cold cereal 90% of the time and now I hate the stuff.

When I was a new mother I was with a group of more mature mothers and I heard one talk about how her kids think cold cereal is a treat because she makes a cooked breakfast every day and how it really does not take that much time. I started making cooked breakfast the next morning and have never looked back.

I also find that on the rare mornings that we have cold cereal, I am famished by 9:30 or 10:00 a.m. I can usually get a snack this time of day, but I know my kids can't get anything at school (okay, the teenagers can get a candybar), so I like to send them out the door tanked up for the morning. My teenagers are also much nicer to be around if they have had a real meal for breakfast.

In addition to the above, I really like breakfast food and it is the fastest and easiest meal to make.

Whole Wheat Pancakes with Blueberry Sauce

One of our Favorite Saturday Morning Breakfasts especially good served with sausage.



The blueberry sauce is a much healthier alternative to maple syrup, since it actually has less sugar and you get a serving of fruit, plus it is to die for delicious.



The ingredients: Blueberries (fresh or frozen, I freeze my own when they are in season) Sugar & Cinnamon



This recipe makes enough to feed 2 people, therefore I triple it to feel 5 (the boys don't like fruit very much) It works best to put the blueberries in the pan over medium heat until they are mostly thawed before adding the sugar and cinnamon. If you put in the sugar while the berries are still frozen you can get funny hard chunks of crystallized sugar.




Add the sugar and cinnamon



Stir (Morgan is stirring for me today)



It is done when it starts to bubble.

Blueberry Sauce
1 cup fresh blueberries or frozen blueberries, thawed
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon Combine in saucepan and heat through

When we got home from India, I asked the kids how Grammy did feeding them. They said it was good over all, but horror of horrors they ate pancakes and waffles made from a mix!!! Shocking isn't it.
In all fairness my mom tried really hard to feed the kids in the manner that they have become accustomed, but she does not enjoy cooking. I had told the kids to be prepared to eat cereal most mornings because that is what I had for breakfast most days as a kid. I think they were really lucky that they got things like pancakes and waffles,. When we got to Bear Lake we use a mix too, so it was not really new to them. However, it is just as easy to make pancakes from scratch as it is to make them from a mix. Here is how we make our pancakes........



Ingredients: Fresh-Ground Whole Wheat Flour (regular all-purpose flour works great too, but I really don't like the store-bought whole wheat flour), Baking Powder, Salt, Eggs, Milk, Vegetable Oil (we use olive oil or canola.)



This is my wheat grinder at work. (I don't recommend this brand, I used to have one I liked much better until it died. Now I wish this one would die so I could get another one like I had before.)



Whisk the dry ingredients together in a mixing bowl.



Add the wet ingredients.



Stir until combined. It begins to bubble immediately (that is the baking powder, did you know that double acting baking powder means that it bubbles once when combined with liquid and then a second time when heated.)



Preheat a large frying pan or griddle to medium high heat (you can test by sprinkling a few drops of water on the surface, if the jump and sizzle it is hot enough.) I use a 1/4 cup measuring cup to ladle the batter into the pan. Flip the pancakes when bubbles have formed on the surface and the edges start to look a bit dry (not too dry, just beginning to dry.)



Cook about another minute, peek to see that the underside is browned. Then serve.



My girlies LOVE this breakfast. I have to remind them to save a little sauce for the cook or I won't get any. Like the Blueberry Sauce, our pancake recipe is easily adjusted to feed any size family.

I got this recipe from my friend Tanya (who I have not talked to in way too long)

Pancakes & Waffles by Proportion
3 cups whole wheat flour (fresh) white works fine too
6 teaspoons baking powder
2 1/2 - 3 cups milk -- (to 3)
3 whole eggs
1/4 cup vegetable oil (We use 1/3 cup for waffles to prevent sticking)
1 teaspoon salt
this recipe is somewhat proportional.
for each cup flour use:
2 teaspoons baking powder
approximately 1 cup milk (usually a little bit less)
about 1 tablespoon oil (more or less)
1/4 teaspoon salt (never more than 1 teaspoon even if larger batch)