Blueberry Whole Wheat Pancakes.

I love old recipes. There's something charming about preparing a meal that someone prepared 70+ years before. This recipe is from my 30's cookbook, and it's a HUGE recipe for whole wheat pancakes. I've portioned it out for a small, medium, and large batch for your ease.

Sam's Whole Wheat Pancakes or Waffles (Yes, apparently this can make waffles too!)

Ingredients:

small batch:

blueberries, other berries, chocolate chips, bananas, or whatever you like in your pancakes

1 c. whole wheat flour

1/2 t. salt

1 t. baking powder

scant 2 2/3 T. dry milk

1 egg, separated

1 T. oil

1 c. water

medium batch (made 15 4-5in. pancakes):

blueberries, other berries, chocolate chips, bananas, or whatever you like in your pancakes

2 c. whole wheat flour

1 t. salt

2 t. baking powder

5 1/3 T. dry milk

2 eggs, separated

2 T. oil

2 c. water

Original recipe, LARGE batch:

blueberries, other berries, chocolate chips, bananas, or whatever you like in your pancakes

3 c. whole wheat flour

1 1/2 t. salt

3 t. baking powder

1/2 c. dry milk

3 eggs, separated

3 T. oil

3 C. water

Directions:

Mix the flour, salt, baking powder and dry milk together in a medium (or large, depending on recipe size) bowl and set aside.

Separate eggs. Beat egg whites to soft peaks. Beat egg yolks lightly and add to flour mixture. Add oil and water to flour mixture, and stir well. Fold in egg whites gently.

Bake on 'greased griddle'. (Make them as you would any other pancakes.) Drop on any blueberries or chocolate chips (etc.) that you'd like immediately after pouring into your pan. Cook till golden brown on both sides. Serve immediately.

Couscous with Broccoli and Walnuts.

My apologies, dear readers, for missing my post yesterday. For the miss, you're getting two posts this week! The first is this lovely lunch recipe, Couscous with Broccoli and Walnuts. It's a variation on the original recipe, which called for cauliflower and almonds, and really, you can add any veggies you like to this, and it's still delicious.

This is a great Saturday light lunch, or, if you have the time during the week, a great lunch anytime.

Couscous with Broccoli and Walnuts from How to Cook Everything, by Mark Bittman

makes 4 servings

Ingredients:

1/2 c. walnuts

3 T. extra virgin olive oil

1 large shallot or small red onion (we used 1/2 med. white onion)

A few stalks of broccoli (about 3 cups)

salt and pepper

1 cup whole wheat or regular couscous (we used tri-color couscous)

1 1/2 c. chicken/vegetable stock, white or rosé wine, water, or a combination (we used white cooking wine and water)

1/2 c. fresh parsley leaves

bread crumbs, preferably fresh

Directions:

Put the walnuts in a deep skillet with a lid over med-high heat. (I would recommend medium heat, or you risk burning them and the onion after.) Cook, stirring constantly, until toasted and fragrant, about 2 minutes.  Remove them from the pan and set aside to cool.

Return the pan to the heat and add the olive oil. When hot, add the shallot/onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and beginning to color, about 2 minutes.  Add the broccoli and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until it is coated with the oil and starts to soften and turn golden, 5 to 10 minutes. Stir in the couscous and keep stirring until it is coated as well, and begins to toast, 3 to 5 minutes.

Stir in the stock and bring to a boil. Cover and turn the heat off. Let rest, undisturbed, for 15 minutes. Chop the walnuts as finely as you can. (Mini food processors work great for this if you've got one, as do spice grinders...) Mix them with the chopped parsley, and stir into couscous, fluffing gently with a fork. Return the lid and let the couscous rest another minute or two, the taste and adjust the seasoning.  Serve immediately, garnished with bread crumbs, or let cool and serve at room temperature, up to an hour later.

Enjoy!

Chocolate and Strawberry Stuffed French Toast.

I love stuffed french toast, but I've never actually made it before. I'd order it at restaurants, whenever the opportunity arose, but I found that I was never quite filled, and often they were too sweet for me.

This recipe, on the other hand, is easy, filling, and sweet, but not too sweet. I wasn't too sure about the chocolate, actually, as I usually prefer strawberries with straight vanilla creaminess. Since the chocolate came in the form of chips, though, and not blended in to the cream, it turned out to really make this dish. Delicious.

 Chocolate and Strawberry Stuffed French Toast, from Ellie Krieger's So Easy Cookbook

Ingredients:

1 1/4 c. nonfat milk (I used 1%)

3 eggs

1/2 t. vanilla extract (I eyed this, so, lots of vanilla here!)

1/4 c. part-skim ricotta cheese

8 slices whole wheat sandwich bread, crusts removed

1 8-oz container fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced (I imagine frozen would work here as well, though thaw and drain them first please!)

4 teaspoons bittersweet chocolate chips (I used semi-sweet, which I definitely prefer.)

cooking spray

2 t. confectioners' sugar

Directions:

In a large bowl, whisk together the milk, eggs and vanilla. Set aside.

Place 1 T. of the ricotta cheese in the center of 4 of the slices of bread and spread around slightly. Top each with about 6 slices of strawberries and 1 t. of chocolate chips. (Note here: your bread will hold together better in the end if you give yourself a small border around your filling of plain bread. If the filling gets to the edge, the bread doesn't like to stick together as well, and stuff falls out.) Cover each with another piece of bread to make a "sandwich".

Spray a large nonstick skillet or griddle with cooking spray and preheat over medium heat. Carefully dip each of the sandwiches into the egg mixture until completely moistened.  Then place on the skillet and cook until the outside is golden brown, the center is warm and the chocolate is melted, 3 to 4 minutes per side. (If you have to turn the heat down a bit to ensure that everything is cooked, without burning, do so. It will simply take a bit longer.)

Transfer to serving dishes. Top with the remaining strawberries and sprinkle with the confectioners' sugar. Enjoy!

Banana-Pecan Cookies.

Note: This entry was set to publish the day before christmas, and as I was away from the computer for vacation, I didn't realize it had not published. My apologies!

The post is up a bit early this week, for those of you trying to figure out which type of cookie Santa likes best. I highly recommend this cookie, as it's soft and chewy, yet will provide wonderful sustenance for his very long night out. :)

My mom used to make banana cookies when I was growing up. I remember always grabbing one fresh out of the oven, because I couldn't wait, (and really, they're best warm) and almost burning myself trying to scarf it down! While this recipe is a bit different than Mom's, (I'll be getting that recipe this week while we're visiting!) it has the same banana bread top taste. Delicious!

Banana-Pecan Cookies

From the Turton, SD Centennial Cookbook

Ingredients:
1 1/2 c. Flour
1 c. Sugar
1/2 t. Baking soda
1 t. Salt
1/2 t. Nutmeg
3/4 t. Cinnamon
3/4 c. Shortening (I used unsalted butter)
1 egg, well beaten
1 c. Mashed bananas (2-3) (I used 2)
1 3/4 c. Rolled oats (uncooked)
1/2 c. Chopped nuts(I used pecans)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400F. Sift flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, nutmeg and cinnamon together in a bowl. Cut in shortening/butter; add egg, mashed bananas, oats and nuts. Beat thoroughly until well blended. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheet. Bake 15 minutes or until edges are browned. (I baked till about 13 minutes time, but i like mine very soft.) Remove from pan immediately and cool on rack. Makes 3 1/2 dozen cookies. Enjoy!

Chocolate Chip Biscotti.

Note: My apologies for not posting last week. I was celebrating thanksgiving in a small town with no internet, and was unable to upload. Thanks for sticking with me!

Biscotti are lovely little cookies that go great with coffee, tea, milk, or any other drink you usually like dunk cookies in. They have an aura about them that makes them seem much more complex than they actually are, and hardly anyone even thinks of baking them at home. They're one of those cookies you buy at the store, no questions asked. Today, I'm going to de-mystify them for you. Impress your friends, your relatives, and anyone else you meet at the holiday party circuit this season. Enjoy!

First we'll start with the basic recipe, which you can add any ingredients to if you want. Pistachios, dried fruit, nuts, and various baking chips all work extremely well. You can even change the extract flavoring for a different taste if you want!

Biscotti

How to Cook Everything, by Mark Bittman

Ingredients:

4 T butter, unsalted, plus more for greasing the pans

3/4 c. sugar

3 eggs

1 t. vanilla or almond extract (I used vanilla)

2 c. all-purpose flour, plus more for the baking sheets

1 t. baking powder

pinch salt

1 or 2 T milk if necessary (was NOT necessary for me.)

Directions:

Heat the oven to 375°F. Use an electric mixer to cream together the butter and sugar till light and fluffy; add the eggs, one at a time, and beat until well blended, then add the extract.

Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Add the dry ingredients to the dough a little at a time, beating until just incorporated and adding a little milk if needed to bring the dough together. (Note: I had to add extra flour to mine. The dough should be workable, and not super sticky, when you're ready to shape it. If it's sticking to your hands more than itself, add flour, a little at a time, till it's closer to normal cookie dough consistency.)

Butter two baking sheets and dust them with flour; invert the sheets and tap them to remove excess flour. Divide the dough in half and shape heach half into a 2-in. wide log. Put each log onto a baking sheet.

Bake until the loaves are golden and beginning to crack on top, about 30 minutes; cool the logs on the sheets for a few minutes. Lower the oven temperature to 250°F.

When the loaves are cool enough to handle, use a serrated knife to cut each on a diagonal into 1/2 in. thick slices. Put the slices on the sheets, return them to the oven, and leave them there, turning once, until they dry out, 15 to 20 minutes. Cool on wire racks. These will keep in an airtight container for several days.

Chocolate Chip Biscotti.

one recipe biscotti, plus:

1/2 to 3/4 c. mini chocolate chips

8 oz. semisweet chocolate

3 T. unsalted butter

Directions:

Add the mini chocolate chips to the biscotti dough just before shaping into logs, mix in well.

After baking according to above directions, melt semisweet chocolate and butter together and dip one side of the biscotti in once cool. Let cool. Enjoy!

One final note: My apologies on the lack of pictures on this post. While they did not turn out, the cookies did!