A Great Start to the Morning

As I promised here is the pancake recipe. This is my grandmother's original recipe and these flapjacks are great. To me nothing says morning like good old homemade pancakes. Many people think that the out-of-the-box pancakes are easier, but this recipe is as easy as it gets (for all you always on the go mothers.)

Pancakes by Grandma Pat

2 c. ap flour
1 tsp. salt
5 tsp. baking powder
3 T. sugar
2 eggs
2 C. milk
1/3 C. oil

Sift dry ingredients. Beat the eggs and milk well. Pour in shortening. Add the flour mixture all at once. Beat until smooth.

Keep a small amount of oil in the skillet, before pouring pancake mixture. This makes a lot of pancakes, you can freeze what you don’t use and have them for another day.

I also like to add things like fresh fruit or chocolate chips every once in awhile.

Favorite Cooking Memories I

I am starting a new series to the blog. Each month I plan to share a favorite cooking memory of mine since I was a child. We all have special memories that come to mind when we think back about the first time we ever cooked with our mothers or even our spouses. I hope you enjoy some of mine own personal memories.

My First Breakfast in Bed
The first time I tried to make my parents breakfast in bed, boy was that a disaster, although at the time I didn’t think so. I was around 10 and I thought it would be fun to make my parents pancakes. Not out of the box pancakes, homemade ones just like I had watched my mother make a dozen times.

Needless to say when your 10 years old you think you can do anything, and I was no exception. As a youngster I was very determined and independent, which I’m sure my husband would still say that I am… I remember serving my parents these blackened flat pancakes that I had slathered with butter and drenched with syrup. I also made toast and eggs, which turned out ok. Seriously, they did! I remember watching my dad try the first piece as I was standing there grinning ear to ear, knowing that my flap jacks were going to be a hit.

The first bite dad turned to mom and said “Wow, these have a unique taste.”

“That’s the bacon grease I cooked them in,” I replied.

“Bacon grease,” dad asked.

“Well mom always puts in oil in the pan to cook with, so I thought that bacon grease would give it a different taste, I know how much you love bacon daddy,” I said.

“You’re right honey, these pancakes are very unique and you did such a great job,” dad said smiling.

Wow what I must have put my parents through that day. They ate all of their breakfast that morning. God love ‘em…

I don’t have children yet, but I know someday I’ll have a couple of kids that will probably cook my husband and me breakfast and I will be placed in the same place as I put my parents all those years ago. I hope that I can make them feel as proud and honored as they made me feel the day I served them breakfast in bed.

Check back tomorrow for these wonderful homemade pancakes from my mother.

Ginger and Bourbon Take the Cake

Ginger is one of my favorite spices to use everyday. Many don't realize it can be used for much more than just pumpkin pie and spice breads, plus the spice also plays a role in our health.

Ginger helps with motion sickness, indigestion and even appetite loss. Ginger has a spicy, peppery taste and aroma, and gives a sense of warmth when consumed. The spice is used fresh in Chinese and Indian meat and fish dishes, vegetables, beans, curries and stews. In Western cultures, it is used mostly as spice to flavor sweet preparations such as gingerbread, cookies, cakes, pies and pudding, and also to season some chicken dishes and meat stews.

You can purchase fresh ginger at most every grocery store. It can be stored for months in your refrigerator. I always freeze ginger root wrapped in plastic wrap and then placed in a freezer bag. With the spice frozen it makes it easy to grate it for any recipe.

This is a recipe I got from the Thanksgiving Edition of Martha Stewart's Magazine. This makes a wonderful main dessert piece at a special dinner. The cake is very rich and the sauce just tops off the delicious flavorings...

Chocolate-Ginger Cake with Bourbon Sauce

½ C. (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened, plus more for pan
½ C. unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder, plus more for dusting
½ C. molasses
¾ C. packed light-brown sugar
2 large eggs
¼ C. whole milk
2 tsp. finely grated peeled fresh ginger
1 C. ap flour
¾ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. coarse salt
1 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. cinnamon
Bourbon Sauce recipe follows

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Butter a 9-inch Bundt pan. Dust with cocoa powder, and tap out excess, set aside. Put butter, molasses, brown sugar, ¼ C. water in a medium sauce pan over medium-low heat. Cook, stirring constantly, until butter has melted. Transfer mixture to a large bowl. Let cool for 5 minutes.

Add eggs, milk, grated ginger to molasses mixture; whisk to combine. Sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt, ground ginger, and cinnamon into a medium bowl.

Gently fold the flour mixture into the molasses mixture until just combined (There should be lumps remaining.) Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake cake until a cake tester comes out clean when placed in the middle of cake, about 30 minutes. Let cake cool completely in pan on wire rack.

Invert cake and unmold onto a cake stand or a large serving platter. Using a spoon drizzle the warm bourbon sauce over the cake in a back and forth motion. Serve immediately.

Bourbon Sauce
Makes 1 1/2 C.

½ C. (1 stick) unsalted butter
2 large egg yolks
1 C. packed dark-brown sugar
1 tsp. pure vanilla
¼ C. good-quality bourbon

Put butter, egg yolks, brown sugar, vanilla, and bourbon in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Cook, whisking constantly, until mixture registers 165 degrees on a candy thermometer, about 7 minutes.

Remove bowl of sauce and let set for 15 minutes. Drizzle the sauce in a back and forth motion around the cake.

Throw That Roll

This recipe comes from Martha Stewart, they go perfect with fish, pork, or beef.

Sour Cream-Thyme Rolls

½ C. (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces, plus 2 tbs. melted
¼ oz. active dry yeast
1 C. warm water
2 tbs. sugar
2 C. cake flour
2 C. ap flour
1 ½ tsp. salt
2 tbs. thyme
1 ½ C. sour cream

Stir yeast water and sugar and let stand until foamy (5 minutes). Stir until yeast dissolves.

Whisk together flours and salt in large bowl. Using a pastry blender cut butter until in resembles coarse meal. Stir in yeast. Stir in sour cream and thyme until combined.

Spoon into muffin tins. Cover with buttered plastic wrap; let rise in warm place until doubled in size (about 1 hour).

Preheat over 400 degrees and bake for 10 minutes. Then brush with butter and bake for another 17 minutes.

Here She is...Miss Lizzy

As promised here is a photo of our new little girl...Lizzy. We picked her up Saturday morning in Franklin, KY. She is definitely going to be a handful....Her and Rudy play very nice together and enjoy each other's company.

If anyone is looking for a great family pet, I would highly recommend a rat terrier from Pocket Puppy. We have bought both our dogs from Nicole Langman and have been very impressed with our dogs.

We love our Ratties.......Until next time. Check back tomorrow for a new bread roll recipe.

Cooking for Our Pets III

This is a photo of Rudy the night we picked him up...what a sweet face.

I know I recently posted an addition to "Cooking for Our Pets," but I just had to share this recipe. My pup Rudy just loves this...This is rich, so please only feed it once or twice a week.

I will be taking a little break from blogging starting today. I'll be traveling to KY with my husband to pick up our new little female puppy. We will also be taking a mini-vacation, but I'll have lots of new recipes next week to share.

Rudy's Pet Frosting

1/2 stick of butter
1/4 c dry cat or dog food
1/2 c sugar
1-2 T milk or water
1 T flour if needed for thickening

Put everything in a food processor and mix well until desired thickness. Spread on pet's favorite cake or cookies. This is for occasion treating only. Store in airtight container in refrigerator.

Where's the Crab?

Cheesy Crab Dip
from Pampered Chef

(I double this recipe for parties)
1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
½ C. mayo
2 garlic cloves, pressed
1 can ( 8 oz) crabmeat
1 C. shredded Swiss cheese
½ C. thinly sliced green onion and tops
¼ C. diced red bell pepper
¼ C. diced green onion
1 juice of a lemon
2 tsp. hot pepper sauce
1 loaf of canapé bread toasted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combined cream cheese and mayo in a bowl; mix well and press garlic into batter, mix well.

Add crabmeat, cheese, green onions, peppers and lemon juice to mixture and mix well. Add hot sauce and mix.

Spoon into a baker (I use a square stoneware baker) and bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly. Serve with French bread slices.