Buttermilk Pancakes

This pancake recipe was from the America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook. These are absolutely the best plain pancakes I have ever had. The batter takes about 5 minutes to make and I put the hot ones in the oven while I cook the rest. I have also found, like it suggests in the book, that powdered buttermilk is just as good as regular buttermilk. I figured that to make this recipe, it costs under $3.00 with butter and maple syrup. The syrup is the most expensive factor, lately I have not been able to find it for under $14.

Bacon Egg Bake

Another egg bake!

This time I used:

• 3 strips of leftover bacon (actually I intentionally cooked extra the night before for this)
• 8 beaten eggs
• 2 cups of shredded cheese
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• dash of cayenne
• sea salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Layer cheese in the bottom of a greased pan with bacon on top. Pour eggs with garlic powder, salt and pepper over top. Bake at 325 for 45-55 minutes.

Lasagna Roll-Ups

Ingredients:

• 8 cooked lasagna noodles
• 16 oz of your favorite sauce (I used a marinara because this was for a Friday)
• 8 oz (1/2 a large container) of ricotta
• 1 egg
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella
• 1 tsp basil
• salt and pepper to taste

Method:

1. Mix ricotta, egg, basil salt and pepper
2. Divide mixture evenly onto noodles and roll up
3. Pour sauce over top
4. Top with mozzarella cheese
5. Bake at 325 for 25-30 minutes

This was just something that I came up with to be a quick meal. We did not want any leftovers, so I made the exact number of roll-ups that I thought everyone would eat.

Bruschetta

I have to thank my friend T. for teaching me how to make this. It has been a favorite for awhile.

It is really flexible, you can make any amount and change the amounts of the ingredients to taste.

Here I used 2 Roma tomatoes; diced, 3 green onions; sliced, about 2 oz of feta; crumbled, 7 slices of French bread and pepper to taste. Normally, I would have used about 4-5 leaves of fresh basil, chopped; but it was after Christmas and the store was completely out.

It is pretty simple, just grill the sliced bread in a pan with olive oil (about 2 tbsp), over medium heat and top with mixture. Sometimes I use grape tomatoes because they are sweet. I believe my friend T. recommended that to me.

Buttermilk Waffles

Nothing fancy here, just a recipe from p. 234 of The America's Test Kitchen Cookbook. I didn't read the directions right the first time I made these but they came out perfect and I have been making them the same since then. I used powdered buttermilk and have been using it in many recipes, it is really great to keep on hand. I wish someone would have alerted me sooner to the fact that homemade waffles are fantastic! I have ruined my family for the better, they will likely never eat pre-made store bought waffles again.

Cost analysis:

Flour $0.26

Buttermilk, salt, other stuff $0.10

Eggs $0.44

Unsalted butter $0.21

Butter $0.44

Over priced maple syrup $1.25

Total: $2.26 for eight waffles with fixings, that fed four people (we could have had a few eggs too, but it was a small breakfast)

I buy better flour and eggs, so if one were to do generic, the cost would likely be lower. Though I do buy flour in bulk.

Crispy Oven Buffalo Wings

I used Frank's Red Hot Chile-Lime Sauce, and this recipe as a guide. I omitted the salt and vinegar and just melted butter with hot sauce. I was a little more than generous with the hot sauce, I served the extra wing sauce on the side.

They were crispy and you would have mistaken them for being fried. Delicious.

Getting the Most From Your Roast- Tortellini Beef Soup

I had some leftovers and I wanted to clear a few things out of the pantry and freezer. So here is how to turn your leftover roast into a soup.

On hand, I had the pan drippings, with the fat skimmed off from the roast, which was a brisket cooked with tomatoes, onions and wine. I would have made this on the stove, however, I had to run some errands so I used the crock pot.

Into the pot on high went cold, cubed roast, 2 carrots peeled and sliced, 6 cubes of beef bullion, about 2 cups of leftover boxed vegetable broth, the pan drippings and about 2-4 cups of water.

When the carrots were cooked, I added a can of Northern Beans that had been living in the cupboard for some time, a can of stewed tomatoes, the last of a bag of frozen corn, and some frozen tortellini.

I added a little extra balsalmic vinegar, and served it with grated Romano cheese. There was enough soup left over for lunch for two days.

Dinner Rolls and Scotcharoos (not together though)

Rich and Tender American Dinner Rolls, from p. 455 of the America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook. This is an oldie, I made them at Thanksgiving. I will never go back to Pilsbury rolls, ever. I can't believe how simple they are to make. I wish I had known sooner.

This was my daughter's birthday scotcharoo "cake." I made mushrooms and a cat from marizpan.

Scotcharoos:

Ingredients:

• 1 c. sugar
• 1 c. light corn syrup
• 1 generous c. peanut butter
• 6 c. Rice Krispies cereal
• 1 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 c. butterscotch chips

Directions:

1. Melt sugar and corn syrup in a pan over medium heat until sugar is dissolved--it should not be grainy and should be just about boiling.
2. Add above mixture and peanut butter to cereal in a big bowl, mix well
3. Press into a 9 x 13 pan
4. Allow to cool
5. Melt chocolate and butterscotch chips together on stove top or in microwave, mixing well
6. Spread over cooled mixture, allow time for frosting to set

You can decorate it any way you like.

Chicken Sandwich with bacon, swiss and honey mustard

Ingredients:

• 4 boneless chicken breast, cut in half and pounded to about 3/4 in. thick
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 2 c. flour
• 2 c. bread crumbs
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 8 rolls
• 8 sliced swiss cheese
• 8 strips of bacon, cut in half and cooked
• prepared honey mustard sauce

Directions:

1. Mix paprika, garlic powder, salt and pepper with flour
2. Flour chicken, dip into egg and then into bread crumbs, laying on a baking sheet
3. Bake at 400 for 15-20 minutes, turning once
4. Assemble sanwiches, with bacon, swiss and honey mustard.

Easy Salsa Dip

This salsa dip is just cream cheese spread on the bottom of the bowl, covered with salsa and cheese on top. It is one of my favorite quick snacks.

Teriyaki Marinade

Wisk following ingredients together in medium bowl:

• 1/4 cup tamari
• 1/4 cup light soy sauce
• 3 tablespoons worcestershire
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 2-3 inch piece of ginger peeled and minced
• 5 tbsp honey
• 1 tbsp pepper

Marinade over night for best result.

I use this for steak tips on the grill. I buy the steak at Costco, make the marinade and then throw it into the freezer in a large plastic bag.

Buttermilk Biscuits

These are buttermilk biscuits from 100 Cakes and Bakes, a book that I cannot find right now. I cut them out with leaf and acorn-shaped cookie cutters, for a more festive look.

Crustless Egg Bake

Ingredients:

• 1/4 green pepper, diced
• 1/2 small onion, diced
• 5-6 button mushrooms, sliced
• 3 tbsp butter, melted
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 2 cups shredded cheese
• 10 eggs, beaten
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• fresh ground pepper to taste

Directions:

1. preheat oven to 300
2. beat eggs and add spices
3. layer green peppers and onions on bottom of 9x13 pan
4. layer cheese on top of green peppers
5. layer mushrooms
6. pour melted butter over top
7. pour egg mixture over over layered vegetables and cheese
8. bake at 300 for 45-55 minutes, or until center is cooked

Fast Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches

Ingredients:
cookies
ice cream
candy sprinkles

Directions:
Allow ice cream to soften and scoop onto cookie to make sandwich, press cookies together until ice cream is even, roll sides in sprinkes. Place in plastic baggies and put back into freezer for at leat 1-2 hours, or until ice cream is hard again.

Fast Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches

Ingredients:
cookies
ice cream
candy sprinkles

Directions:
Allow ice cream to soften and scoop onto cookie to make sandwich, press cookies together until ice cream is even, roll sides in sprinkes. Place in plastic baggies and put back into freezer for at leat 1-2 hours, or until ice cream is hard again.