Easy Pizza with Lemon & Goat Cheese

Okay, so I have a new favorite lunch.  I don't have this very often, but being that I live in a tiny, beautiful, cotton-farming, Mexican-food-loving town, sometimes I want something different, out of the ordinary, and even a little gourmet.  Okay...I want something a LOT gourmet, but I'll settle for a little.  

We don't even have a decent sandwich shop here, for crying out loud!  (...I know.  Don't you feel bad for me?!  It's a rough life but somehow I manage.)  

Speaking of gourmet, right?!  I mean...boxed pizza.  But hey - don't knock it 'till you try it.  Trust me.

3 pieces of this stuff (1/3 of the pizza) is 360 calories, so 1 1/2 pieces is only 180 calories!!  Not bad for a low-cal lunch option.  You can slice the pieces yourself, of course, so just be careful and make sure you have people over to share with.....otherwise you'll do what I do and wonder where on EARTH the whole thing went.  oy.  

All you need is some shredded greens, the healthier the better.  (And "iceburg lettuce" doesn't count.  It's lame.  You'll need something that involves baby spinach and arugula.)  Parmesean cheese, crumbled goat cheese, and some lemon to squeeze.  That's it! Oh, and get a pizza or two.  I like this particular brand, but get your favorite thin crust variety.

And about goat cheese......it's SO GOOD!!!!!!  If you haven't joined the goat cheese camp, you should at least give it a try.  If you genuinely despise it, well, I won't judge, but seriously.....   This would be a great way to ease on in to the goat cheese camp without fully commiting.  You could sprinkle a little bite with some crumbled goat cheese and see if you really want to live the rest of your life without it.  But I am leaning towards the idea that you will like it.  Just open your mind, open your pallette, and let the flavors work for you!  

Let the pizza cool off a bit and then just pile it all on there and squeeze that lemon on top!  

I like to start with the goat cheese because it gets all melty on top of the hot pizza and creates a little barrier so the greens don't wilt as quickly.  They will wilt if you add them too quickly to the hot pizza.

Enjoy!  

Have a happy day!!!  

(and let me know if you try and like this! )

-Abby

Raspberry White Chocolate Scones

What's not to love about Pinterest, right?!  I mean, seriously, what did we DO before Pinterest?!  We had to buy cookbooks (which I still still absolutely adore) but we were so lost out there on our own...stranded in the darkness... thank GOODNESS for Pinterest is all I can say.   And thanks to Pinterest, I found the cutest food blog, Little Dairy on the Prairie, which is loaded full of recipes and other fun things.  

Being that we LOVE breakfast at my house, I saw this recipe and knew we had to try it.  Of course, it was a huge hit, the whole family loved it, and paired with some eggs or a protein source, it made a fun addition to a busy school morning breakfast!  I made it the night before, super quick & easy, and for me it tasted better the next day warmed up a little.  

It's part biscuit, part cake, super moist, and SO incredibly delicious!  

original recipe here

Raspberry White Chocolate Scones

(I doubled the original recipe so that I would have leftovers, so this version is DOUBLED already)

Scones:

4 c. unbleached all-purpose flower

1/2 c. granulated sugar

4 tsp. baking powder

1 1/2 tsp. salt

12 Tbsp. butter, diced 

1 c. half and half (plus a little more if you need)

2 tsp. vanilla

1 1/2 c. fresh raspberries

1 c. Ghirardelli's white chocolate chips (they just taste so much better than most)

coarse sugar for sprinkling on top

Glaze:

2 c. powdered sugar

about 3 Tbsp. canned milk (or whatever milk you have, whipping cream would work, too)

dash salt

Wash raspberries and set in a single layer on a plate or sheet.  Freeze while preparing the rest of the recipe.  Keep butter in the fridge until needed, as well.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, set aside.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  In a food processor, add flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.  Pulse until combined.  Add butter and pulse until pea sized crumbs start to form.  Add half and half and vanilla.  Pulse only until the dough starts to come together.  Add extra half and half if mixture is too crumbly.

Remove dough onto a piece of parchment paper.  Gently incorporate the raspberries and chocolate chips into the dough without handing it too much.  It's okay if the dough gets a little sticky from the moisture in the berries.  Just press everything in together gently until it's evenly distributed.  

Place the dough onto the baking sheet lined with parchment paper, form into a round disk, about an inch thick.  Sprinkle the coarse sugar all over and cut dough into 16 wedges.  

Bake for 20-25 minutes.  Make the glaze by combining all ingredients until you reach the desired consistency you want.  For thick glaze, add less milk; for thinner glaze, add more milk.  If you get it too thin, just at some more powdered sugar.  I have found that my favorite glazes ever are made with heavy cream, but these scones are rich enough without it, so it's up to you on what you would like.

Glaze the scones when they are warm but not too hot.  

Pumpkin Spice Waffles

Seriously.

I happened to have some sauce left over from Bread Pudding….so anyone could see that I had no choice, really, but to make pumpkin waffles.  It only made sense.  

**These would be good with an Apple Cider Syrup, as well, so below is a recipe for both & you can decide!  Heck - throw in some maple syrup with any of these, as well. You just can't go wrong here!**

PUMPKIN SPICE WAFFLES

WAFFLES:

2 c. buttermilk

1 c. pumpkin puree

1 egg

3 T. brown sugar

¼ c. oil

2 T. vinegar (I used apple cider vinegar)

1 c. whole wheat flour

1 c. all purpose flour

4 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. allspice

1 tsp. cinnamon

½ tsp. ground ginger

½ tsp. salt

In a bowl, mix together the wet ingredients:  milk, pumpkin, eggs, oil, and vinegar.

In another bowl, combine all dry ingredients: flours, baking powder, baking soda, spices, and salt.

Stir to combine all ingredients, thinning the batter with milk if it's too thick.  Try not to over-stir - just get it to the right consistency you like.

PRALINE SAUCE:  (makes about 4 cups)
1 c. butter, cut into pieces
¾ c. chopped nuts
3 ¼ c. brown sugar
¾ c. heavy cream
½ t. cinnamon
1 ¼ c. sour cream (and don't get the light stuff…you're going all-out here)
1 t. vanilla

In a large saucepan, heat ½ c. of the butter until melted.  Add pecans and mix well.  Bring to a boil and cook for a couple of minutes, until pecans begin to brown slightly and become fragrant.  Remove from heat and add remaining ½ c. butter and mix well.  Add brown sugar, heavy cream, and cinnamon to the pan; mix well.  Cook over medium-high heat until blended, stirring constantly.  When mixture starts to boil vigorously, turn the heat down a little and boil rapidly for 2 minutes - keep stirring.  Remove from heat and add sour cream and vanilla.  **{Seriously…the sour cream MAKES this sauce!!}**

APPLE CIDER SYRUP:

1 c. packed brown sugar

2 T. cornstarch

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

¼ tsp. allspice

¼ tsp. ground ginger

⅛ tsp. ground cloves

1 pinch salt

2 c. fresh apple cider (after a good shaking)

1 ½ T. apple cider vinegar

¼ c. butter, diced

In a medium saucepan, whisk together brown sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, allspice, ginger, cloves and salt until cornstarch is evenly mixed.  Stir in apple cider and apple cider vinegar and turn the heat up to medium-high heat.  Bring to a boil, stirring constantly.  Allow to boil for about 1 ½ minutes while continuously stirring.  Remove from heat, stir in butter and allow to cool a little.

Honey Whole Wheat Bread

WOO{hoo!!}  

Who doesn't get excited about good homemade bread?!  

If you don't, something is sad and unbalanced in your life.

Bread is one of the oldest, earthiest staples of the human diet and thank GOODNESS for the addition of butter to that diet because the combination is….literally….a little slice of heaven.

Thankfully, I'm not on the anti-grain, anti-gluten track right now….maybe I will be someday, but happily NOT today!!!  (although I should be…my love of homemade bread isn't healthy)  I got into the Paleo Diet thing and I definitely love aspects of it, but I really feel like God gave us all of the resources we need here on earth to be healthy, including grains, and I definitely believe in moderation in ALL things.  

I try to eat healthy, I really, really do.  My family eats SO much healthier than I ever did as a kid.  I'm not a total health-nut, but I'm a huge fan of being mindful and making good choices.  My new goal is to quit being lazy (yeah, right) and have healthy bread on hand to make school lunches with.    

In trying to be careful of what wheat I use for my bread, and came upon this brand on Amazon, which is a Non-GMO, organic wheat berry.  YES! 

Wheat has become controversial lately, but here are some of the researched health benefits to wheat:

*helps lower hazards of heart disease

*helps diabetes patients regulate blood glucose levels

*the nutrient value of wheat is maintained even after grinding it into flour

*energy booster

*controls obesity 

*improves body metabolism

*helps reduce chronic inflammation

*anti-carcinogenic 

well…the list goes on, but here is a great site if you're interested.

Obviously, making bread with butter, sugar, and other ingredients doesn't ensure a 'healthy' product, but overall, if you're going to eat bread, you might as well reap the benefits of whole wheat and grind some yourself.  

I don't have a heavy-duty wheat grinder like most people, but I do have this handy little Kitchenaid attachment that was WAY cheaper!  However, since I have experimented with this wheat and it's amazing flavor, I might have to get a better grinder.

Golly!  I feel like the Little Red Hen…which means that I get to eat all of the bread myself.

Okay, so I'm NOT a bread whiz.  I'm not that "Bread Queen" that everybody knows.  I just like making my own bread and here is something I learned while doing it:

It needs to be MOIST.  This is what my bread dough looks like AFTER I am done adding flour.  It's a little mushy, but after kneading it for 15 minutes (below)….

It starts to become more elastic and cling to the bowl a little more.  This is the texture I'm after because it produces such a light, fluffy, moist bread.  If you have too much flour to start with, your bread can get heavy. 

At the end of kneading, roughly 15-20 minutes depending on your dough, It should be a little stretchy and sticky.  Mine is particularly sticky because I used honey.  

and now the waiting begins…..

recipe is below, but this is my bread rising…isn't it beautiful?!  Even the dough tastes yummy - there is no bitter flavor from these wheat berries.

 In the meantime…while I'm waiting…

check out my newest, most adorable little plant!!!!

{gasp!!}  She's so tiny, beautiful, and I call her Flora.

It was love at first sight - I was at Safeway purchasing fruit and she was sitting all by herself on a plant stand.  I really think she needed me.  I had to do the right thing and bring her home.

Flora likes her new home on my window sill.  My teenage son tries to tell her mean things like how I'm horrible with plants, how nothing ever survives in my care, but I told her not to listen to that nonsense.  We're going to be good friends, Flora and I.  

 Oh, and while the Kitchenaid was just sitting there….on the counter doing nothing…the only natural thing to do while waiting for bread to rise was to make Kadie's coconut chocolate chip cookies.  Hey - it made sense.

Like I said, I'm not a health nut.

Okay….imagine the most amazing homemade bread smell…

Everything seems right in the world when the house smells like fresh homemade bread that was JUST pulled out of the oven.  

…and here come the little people.  This poor bread sat and cooled for all of 5 minutes before my littles were hovering all over it.

This, friends, is evidence of a wonderful, happy childhood.

This bread is so light, fluffy, moist, and OH SO GOOD!!!!  

Honey Whole Wheat Bread

(makes 2 loaves)

1 c. warm water

4 ½ tsp. active dry yeast (2 packets)

1 c. scalded milk

½ c. good, local honey (we have mesquite honey and it's AMAZING)

⅓ c. melted butter

⅓ c. melted organic extra virgin coconut oil

2 tsp. salt

2 eggs

4 c. fine ground whole wheat flour

2 c. unbleached white flour (or fine white wheat flour)

*note: you could use 6 c. fine whole wheat flour, but I added a little bit of white flour in order to keep the bread from being too heavy.  

In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water; set aside.  In a large Kitchenaid mixing bowl with wire whisk attachment, mix milk, honey, butter, coconut oil, salt, and eggs.  Add 2 c. flour and mix until smooth.  Add the rest of the flour and mix until combined.  Switch attachments to the bread kneading tool and knead dough for 15-20 minutes, or until it starts pulling away from the bowl and develops an elasticity.

Place in well-greased bowl; cover and let rise until doubled in size, usually 1 ½ hours.  

When doubled in size, punch down dough.  Roll into 2 loaves and place each loaf in a well greased bread pan.  Set aside and let rise again for another hour or until it's doubled in size again.  Bake at 350 degrees for about 20-30 minutes.  Bread is done when it is brown on top and hollow-sounding in the center when you tap on it, or reaches 200 degrees on a meat thermometer.  The more you bake bread, the better you'll know when your bread is done.  Have FUN and enjoy your amazing bread!!!  

Bread Pudding with Pecan Praline Sauce

Um….WOW.  

It really is that good. 

This was my husband's Father's Day treat.  He's a lucky beast.

This dessert is now in our top 1% of all-time faves.  We originally got hooked on bread pudding at our favorite BBQ joint, Famous Dave's.  I'm sure you've heard of them.  I did NOT think that "bread pudding" sounded very appetizing until I tried it…and then couldn't imagine my life without it!!!  

My  husband and I agree--if we could pick ONE DESSERT favorite ever, we would pick this one.  {crazy, I know…being that I'm a worshiper of chocolate…}

From then on, I've been on the hunt for a good bread pudding recipe that is perfect, you know, for those occasions when I desperately need unhealthy amounts of carbs and can't get to Famous Dave's.

BREAD PUDDING with PECAN PRALINE SAUCE
original recipe found at Deals to Meals

For the bread, I used my BFF Kadie's No-Fail French Bread.  I always have some on hand.  Otherwise, any loaf of French bread or white bread like Texas toast will work.

**ALSO** this recipe is even better the 2nd day, so you could make this a day ahead and reheat and serve.

1 loaf French Bread, cut into 1" cubes (about 1 ½ lbs.)
⅔ c. golden raisins (I don't add the raisins…but most people like them.)
1 ½ c. sugar
4 c. milk
1 c. heavy cream
⅛ c. vanilla
⅛ c. rum
(little secret:  I keep a bottle of half vanilla/half rum to use for occasions like this.  Vanilla and rum are basically the same thing, complementing each other.)
8 eggs, beaten
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
Whipped cream for garnish (not in photo)
French Vanilla Bean ice cream.  (not optional - a MUST)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Coat bottom and sides of 13 x 9" baking pan heavily with butter.  Mix bread & raisins together, spread evenly in the pan.  Make sure crusts are turned over so they don't brown too quickly.  In a large mixing bowl, whisk sugar, milk, cream, vanilla, rum, eggs, and cinnamon until well blended.  Pour evenly over bread mixture.  Press down & make sure all of the bread is soaked.  Lay a piece of foil over the top of the mixture, pressing down.  Bake for about 1 hour, possibly longer,  until knife inserted in the middle comes out clean.  Remove foil for the last15-20 minutes so the top can brown up a little.  Allow to cool for a little bit.

Serve with warm Pecan Praline Sauce, a scoop of ice cream, and whipped cream. (not pictured)

PRALINE SAUCE:  (makes about 4 cups)
1 c. butter, cut into pieces
¾ c. chopped nuts
3 ¼ c. brown sugar
¾ c. heavy cream
½ t. cinnamon
1 ¼ c. sour cream (and don't get the light stuff…you're going all-out here)
1 t. vanilla

In a large saucepan, heat ½ c. of the butter until melted.  Add pecans and mix well.  Bring to a boil and cook for a couple of minutes, until pecans begin to brown slightly and become fragrant.  Remove from heat and add remaining ½ c. butter and mix well.  Add brown sugar, heavy cream, and cinnamon to the pan; mix well.  Cook over medium-high heat until blended, stirring constantly.  When mixture starts to boil vigorously, turn the heat down a little and boil rapidly for 2 minutes - keep stirring.  Remove from heat and add sour cream and vanilla.

**{Seriously…the sour cream MAKES this sauce!!}**

Enjoy yourself a little piece of heaven!!  ahhhhhh….

Bye for now!

-Abby

Cooking 101 - Italian Country Soup

…or my version of Zuppa Toscana

Call me a nerd, but I love food and I love learning about the originations of the classic dishes we eat today.  (seriously, though, what is nerdy about food?!  It's anything but nerdy…I guess I'm not a nerd after all...)  Some fun facts I found:

Soup comes from the word "sop", in which you soak a piece of bread in broth or thick stew.  (sounds squishy)

The existence of soup dates back to about 20,000 B.C.  (truly an ancient food)

The earliest restaurant, meaning "restorning", {I love that.} started out in the 1600's as street vendors in France sold inexpensive, highly concentrated soup that served as a remedy for exhaustion.

Cool, huh?!  Soup has been, and always will be, one of mankind's finest comfort foods.

This particular soup must have been close to what might have been a staple for Italian, and even many other European countries.  These ingredients were/are basic staples in an Italian home.  This dish is basic, versatile, adaptable, and so very good!  It's easy to see how this could be considered a "restorative" meal.

Italian Country Soup

2 qts. (8 c.) chicken or vegetable broth

1 lb. Italian sausage (or any ground sausage works fine)

1 large 26 oz. can diced tomatoes, drained

1 onion, fine diced

3 garlic cloves, fine minced

6 c. diced red potatoes (I dice them smallish for my kids)

½ c. white wine  (can be omitted)

1 ½ tsp. salt

1 t. Italian seasoning

½ t. fresh ground black pepper

1 large, or 2 small zucchinis, diced

1-2 c. shredded & chopped kale, spinach, or both

½ c. heavy cream or half & half

1 T. olive oil

In a large stockpot, or your crockpot, add broth and tomatoes, and cook on low.

In a skillet, add olive oil and heat to medium.  Add onion and garlic, cook until beginning to soften.  Add ground sausage and cook until barely enough pink is left.  Add white wine and allow to simmer about 1 minute. Pour into stockpot.  

Add potatoes, Italian seasoning, and salt; cover and simmer on low for about 1 hour.  

Then, add the zucchini, cover and cook another 15 minutes.  You don't want the zucchini to be mushy, yet not crunchy, either.  Then, add the chopped kale or spinach (or both).  Cover and let the greens wilt for a few minutes.  Add heavy cream or half & half; season with salt & pepper.

Serve with your favorite rustic crusty bread, Parmesean cheese, and enjoy this ancient, restorative, delicious meal!  

I  always make my BFF Kadie's No-Fail French Bread to go with all of our soups - it's seriously delicious!! {I love you, Kadie…xoxoxo}  And it doesn't hurt that I make a double-batch & freeze it for later, take it over to a neighbor, or make Strawberry Stuffed French Toast. {GASP!} (and I promise to re-photograph those French toast pictures…OY!…sorry you had to see that...)

 It's really a win-win when you make this bread.

 You just can't go wrong here!

Have a Happy Day!

--Abby

.

Cooking 101 - Lemon Cheesecake Morning Rolls

First:  I can't tell you how great it is to hear from you!!  Really.  It's AWESOME!!  Thanks for your posts!!  I love you all!!!  

To help kick off your New Year...you know...goals, fitness, healthy living, blah-blah-blah...I'm just going to help END the goals early and post this amazing recipe!!!  If loving these are wrong, I don't wanna be right.  Or skinny.  Okay, maybe I want to lose some weight...and these won't help...but don't deprive yourself, people.  Just end the guilt trip now and enjoy these morsels straight from heaven. You can work it off later.  They're worth it.

(don't hate me....and.....YOU'RE WELCOME!!)

Doesn't the title just make you feel giddy inside?  "Lemon Cheesecake Morning Rolls"...bright, lemony, cheesecakey, morning goodness?  Does life get any better when lemons and mornings are involved?!  No.  No, it doesn't.  Especially in winter - for me, anyway.  It all just sounds happy, which means that it can't help but kick off a brand new day with a great vibe, right?!  Nevermind the "roll" part... you don't need negativity in your life.  And because these are so evil & sinful, you don't have to feel self-conscious about being happy in the morning.  It's really a win-win.

LEMON CHEESECAKE MORNING ROLLS  OR ANYTIME ROLLS. WHATEVER.

MAKES 12 ROLLS

2 1/4 tsp. active dry yeast (or 1/4 oz. pkg)
1/2 c. warm water
1/2 c. scalded milk
1/4 c. + 1/2 c. sugar
1/3 c. butter, melted
1 tsp. salt
1 egg
3 1/2 - 4 c. all purpose flour
16 oz. cream cheese, softened (2 of the 8oz. pkgs)
zest of 1 lemon, reserve a little for topping (or zest some more lemon if you like more flavor)
2 T. + 1 T. lemon juice
1 egg
1 stick salted butter, melted
2 c. powdered sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla
about 1/4 c. canned milk

DOUGH:
In a small bowl, combine yeast and warm water, let it dissolve, set aside.  In a large electric mixing bowl, combine milk, 1/4 c. sugar, melted butter, salt, and egg.  Add 2 c. flour amd mix until smooth.  Add yeast mixture.  Mix in remaining flour until dough is easy to handle.  Allow electric mixer to knead, or hand-knead on a floured surface for 5-10 minutes.  Place in a well-greased bowl, cover, and let rise until doubled in size, about 1 - 1 1/2 hours.

FILLING:
(make this just before the dough is done rising)
Cream softened cream cheese in a medium bowl until fluffy before adding lemon zest, 1/2 c. sugar, 2 T. lemon juice, and egg.  Mix together until well combined.

ROLLS:
When dough is doubled in size, punch down and roll out onto a flat surface into a 15 x 9" rectangle. (doesn't have to be perfect.)  Brush melted butter all over surface.  Dollop the filling all over, spread evenly.  Gently roll the dough into a spiral, using a scraper if you need.  Slice into 2" rounds and place close together in greased baking dish.  Brush 2 T. melted butter on top.
**at this point, you could wrap and freeze for later**
Cover and let dough rise for about 20-30 minutes, or overnight in the fridge.  Bake at 400 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until lightly browned and cooked in the middle.  Let cool for about 10-15 minutes before adding the glaze.

GLAZE:
Whisk together 1 stick melted butter, powdered sugar, vanilla, remaining 1 T. lemon juice, and canned milk.  Add the milk gradually to prevent making the glaze too runny.  Drizzle evenly over warm rolls.  Sprinkle with remaining lemon zest.

These taste the best when they've sat & cooled for a little bit, but they're incredibly delicious warm, as well.  You just can't go wrong here!!!   Enjoy!!

My Multigrain Buttermilk Pancake

What the?!  How long has it been since I've been on here?!  I don't even know if anyone even looks at this dumb blog anymore!  It has been a while....I have no excuses.

Wait, yes I do.  I do have excuses.  Alone with 4 kids, no Love Nugget for 6.5 weeks, moving across the country into a much smaller house with boxes from floor-to-ceiling, trying to dig myself out.  Literally.  We had to dig.  I'm still digging.  We're okay now--thanks to a storage unit and some hard work.   Now things are pretty normal, my Boy has joined us and started his new job, and all is well.  We're basking in the sunshine, swimming at the pool, loving the sunshine, and getting together with some awesome friends!  Love it!!  Did I mention there's sunshine?  Tons of it.  Yes, it's warmish...okay maybe even a little HOT at times.....but I'll take it!  The evenings cool down and the sunsets are breathtaking.

Anyhoo.  After sampling, testing, and tasting, I think I have found my personal favorite pancake and it's time to pass on the love to you.  I don't know if you know this, but I am a bit of a pancake snob.  {gasp!}  I don't eat them often, and when I do, I expect them to be incredible.  {I know....so snobby and picky...I feel terrible.}  I also want to feel less guilty eating pancakes...so if I can throw something healthy in them, then I somehow feel justified.  Right?  I'm justified, right?  At least these have more fiber in them than a Hershey bar.  Now that's saying something.

...and now a little about my griddle.  My treasured griddle.  My sweet, small, simple, little round griddle.  Okay, it's not huge, I get that.  It can't crank out 10 pancakes at one time, which makes feeding large groups challenging, but this griddle ROCKS.  It's got flavor like nobody's business.  {where does that phrase even come from?!}  It also serves as a weapon.

...so I do two at a time, customize them how I want, and the pancakes are FULL-FLAVOR, baby.  We're talking days, weeks, months, and years of butter seasoned cast iron.

My favorite topping is pecans.  LOVE the flavor of this combo.  My kids like chocolate chips or blueberries---but not together.  eww.

And now....the recipe.  It's all in my head, too.  No running and getting a book for me.  Are you impressed?!  I can whip these out in no time!!  Too bad I never want to.  Cereal is so much easier.

Abby's Multi-Grain Buttermilk Pancakes

(a.k.a. SOME PRETTY AWESOME PANCAKES)

In a batter bowl, whisk & combine dry ingredients:

1 1/2 c. unbleached flour

3/4 c. wheat flour (I use white wheat)

1 t. salt

1 t. baking soda

2 t. baking powder

2 T. sugar

1/2 c. quick oats

2 T. chia seed

2-3 T. wheat germ

In a large measuring bowl, whisk together:

2 c. buttermilk

1 c. whole milk (or whatever milk you have--canned milk is heaven, too)

3 eggs

1 t. vanilla

2 T. oil (I just eyeball it)

With wet and dry ingredients mixed together well, pour your wet into the dry, and combine until smooth and lump-free.  If it's too thick, add a little more milk as you need.  Cook on a buttered, sesoned, cast iron griddle for the most flavor.  

Of course, you all know what you like on your pancake--but here's our top 3 favorites:

Strawberries & Homemade Whipped Cream

-put strawberries, a squeeze of lemon, and some sugar in a food processor, pulse until desired consistency.  

-heavy cream, a few scoops of sugar, and some vanilla - whip until soft peaks form.

Semi-sweet Chocolate Chips

Pecans with Kadie's Buttermilk Syrup --- seriously gourmet if you have the syrup done ahead of time.

And now my toddler is nude and I have no idea what kind of mess she has created.  Bye for now!  

Key Lime Coconut Bars

Key limes are tiny.  Like, walnut sized tiny.  Aren't they preshessss?!

If you take this whole batch of limes, and hopefully a really good juicer (not like the manual one I have that will give you hand cramps for a week), you can DO this!  It's beyond easy. 

Except the jucing limes part.  I never want to do that again.

Yes.

It tastes as good as it looks.  Even better.

Stop licking the screen.

KEY LIME COCONUT BARS

Original source found here

The original recipe calls for an 8 x 8 square baking pan.  Heaven knows that an 8x8 bunch-of-nothing is going to be enough for my key-lime-lovin' family.  I increased the recipe by half, so I upped the amounts and fit it into my 8 x 12 pan (or something like that - it's smaller than a 9 x 13).

However, here is the original recipe and you can do with it what you want!  

Crust:

1 1/2 c. graham cracker crumbs (I just buy a container of crumbs so I don't have to bash crackers)

2 T. sugar

1/2 c. sweetened, flaked coconut

1/3 c. melted butter, melted

Filling:

3 cans sweetened, condensed milk (the smaller 14 oz. cans)

1/2 c. sour cream

3/4 c. key lime juice

1 Tbsp. grated lime zest

Topping:

Whipped cream and toasted coconut for garnish

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line an 8 x 8 square baking pan with parchment paper, overlapping the paper over the sides to create handles for later.  Mix crumbs, sugar, coconut, and butter in a bowl and press into the pan; bake for 8-10 minutes.  Remove and cool slightly.

While crust is cooling, make the filling.  (the FUN part!)  In a bowl, add the remaining ingredients: sweetened, condenced milk, sour cream, lime juice, and lime zest.  Whisk to combine until smooth and creamy.  Pour on top of crust; bake for 8-10 minutes until firm to the touch but not browned at all.   Cool at room temperature, then chill completely.

Top with some homemade whipped cream and toasted coconut.

(to toast the coconut, line a baking sheet with parchment paper; spread a thin layer of sweetened, shredded coconut on top, and bake at 350 degrees for 3-4 minutes until it's lightly golden brown)

Cooking 101 - Favorite Jam Bars

Happy Valentine's Day! 

or Single Awareness Day...

...or whatever you choose to call this day...

I always try to do a fun Valentine breakfast for the kids,  you know, because I don't show them enough love during the rest of the year.  I kind of save it all up for Valentine's Day.  Don't we all?  Especially for my 12-year-old boy--I hug and snuggle, kiss his face, and hug and snuggle him all morning long and I am 99.9% positive that the pre-adolecent boy enjoys this.  Especiallly if he has a friend over.

Anyhooo--this morning's breakfast came straight from our dearly, dearly beloved Pioneer Woman sister, whom I do believe is another soul sister of mine.  Someday, we're going to get together, my soul sisters and I - BFF Kadie, Paula Deen, The Pioneer Woman, Betty White, Madonna - no, wait, not her - definitely Cheri Oteri, though - and she'll be wearing the Spartan Cheerleader suit. Oh, and Jim Gaffigan.  He will be there, too.  

These were incredibly good.  I served them with some cheesy scrambled eggs for a little protein to go with their dessert/breakfast.  Delish!

FAVORITE JAM BARS

original recipe from The Pioneer Woman

(I say 'favorite jam' because you can use ANY flavor of jam you want, as long as it's seedless.)

1 1/2 c. Flour
1 1/2 c. Oats
1 c. Brown sugar, packed
1 t. Baking powder
1/2 t. Salt
1 3/4 stick salted butter, cut into pieces
1 jar (10-12 oz) Preserves

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix all ingredients except preserves.  Press half of the mixture into a buttered 8" square (or small rectangular) pan.  Spread preserves.  Sprinkle second half of mixture over the top and press down lightly.

Bake for 30-40 minutes or until lightly golden.  Let cool completely, cut into squares.

Cooking 101 - Apple Cake with Brown Sugar Glaze

aaaaaaand....another huge hit from Pinterest!

I found another incredibly amazing foodie blog--"Lulu the Baker"--and that is where I first laid eyes on her Fresh Apple Cake with Brown Sugar Glaze.  {Lulu, I love you!}

We had this after our Sunday dinner and it was everything I could have ever imagined it would be.

I followed the original recipe {weird, I know} and I added 2 tsp. cinnamon and 1/4 t. nutmeg.  She suggested to add some. It's an option.  I like options.

Dense, rich, chunky, buttery.  

{your mouth is watering, isn't it?!}  

Talk about winter comfort food.  WOWSA!  The best part is that you can use applesauce instead of oil---especially because it's an apple cake!  

This is definitely going to be in our small list of dessert favorites.

Cooking 101 - Roasted Tomato Basil Soup

{ohhhhhhhhhh} This soup is so good.  Like..."mmmm..." out loud good.  I'm a tomato lover, so that helps, too - and when you use fresh tomatoes like this, you can only imagine how flavorful this tastes.  It's the ultimate gray/winter/blah weather soup because it's warm, bright, and has rich, deep flavors.

I have this awesome cookbook by Ina Garten and the original recipe is found here, among so many others that I LOVE.  However, after cooking, tweaking, and adjusting it to my taste, I found the perfect balance.  I'm giddy to have found a recipe for the perfect tomato soup!

...and this makes your house smell ahhhhh-mazing.

ROASTED TOMATO BASIL SOUP

adapted from the Barefoot Contessa Cookbook

serves about 8 adult portions

You'll need:

3 lbs. ripe plum (Roma) tomatoes, cut in half lengthwise

1/4 c. + 2 T. olive oil

1/2 T. salt

1 1/2 t. fresh ground pepper

2 c. chopped yellow onion (2 medium onions)

6 garlic cloves, minced

2 T. butter

1/8 t. red pepper flakes (a shake or two)

1 28 oz. can plum tomatoes with juice - (I didn't use plum, I just had diced and they worked fine)

4 c. fresh basil leaves, packed (lots, and lots of basil!)

1 t. fresh thyme leaves

1 qt. chicken stock or 4 c. water and 3.5 tsp. chicken base or 3 chicken bullion cubes

1 c. half & half or 1/2 c. heavy cream - optional but heavenly

Toppings:

grated asiago or parmesean cheese

sour cream

fresh basil

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Toss together the tomatoes, 1/4 cup olive oil, salt, and pepper. Spread the tomatoes in 1 layer on a baking sheet and roast for 45 minutes.

In an 8-quart stockpot over medium heat, saute the onions and garlic with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, the butter, and red pepper flakes for 10 minutes, until the onions start to brown. Add the canned tomatoes, basil, thyme, and chicken stock. Add the oven-roasted tomatoes, including the liquid on the baking sheet. Bring to a boil and simmer uncovered for 40 minutes. Using an immersion blender, or a regular blender,  blend the soup until it is smooth but still chunky.  Add the half & half or cream; adjust salt and seasonings.  If it's lacking some flavor or salt, add a small tsp. of chicken base, stir it in, and then adjust.  Sometimes chicken base can make all the difference, rather than adding salt.  The chicken base adds depth and flavor, as well.


Serve with your toppings and some amazing grilled crusty bread!  OR a grilled sandwich of any kind!  I LOVE to dip a grilled sandwich in this soup!