Pancakes

Whether you call it Pancake Day, Shrove Tuesday, Pancake Tuesday, Fat Tuesday, Malasada Day or anything else, in many households today is the day that pancakes will make an appearance (of course they may already be a regular addition to your meal plans, but even so, today especially calls out for them :o)

I have fabulous memories of being a child, coming home from school and standing next to my Mum at the stove while she made batch after batch of the more traditional English pancakes - thin and crepe like - sprinkled with sugar and lemon juice, and eaten straight off the plate while standing waiting for the next one to be ready.  Eventually my brother, Dad, Mum and I would all be stood there playfully arguing who's turn it was to devour the next piping hot disc of goodness.  Since moving to Canada though, I have to admit that my taste has changed slightly.  Oh, don't get me wrong, I would be the first in line if Mum was here making her production line of large, lacy pancakes, but if I'm making them myself I'm much more inclined to have the batter thicker so that I can get those smaller, fluffy circles of deliciousness bubbling away in my skillet.

Whichever way you like to make them I hope you enjoy a plate full of pancakes tonight...

Pancakes
makes approx 8 pancakes (4" diam)

3/4 cup milk
2 Tbs white vinegar
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 Tbs sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg
2 Tbs butter, melted
1 tsp vanilla extract
cooking spray
banana and honey (to garnish)

• combine the milk and white vinegar in a medium bowl and set aside for 5 minutes to 'sour' slightly.
• in a separate bowl mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt:  set aside.
• to the milk mixture add the egg, melted butter and vanilla extract, and whisk to combine.
• pour the flour mix over the wet mix and whisk thoroughly until all the lumps are gone.
• let the batter stand for about 10 minutes to thicken up.  DON'T whisk it again before pouring.
• heat a large skillet over medium heat and spray with cooking spray.
• using a 1/4 cup measure, pour the batter into the heated skillet to form 3 or 4 pancakes, depending on the size of your skillet.
• watch the pancakes closely, and once you begin to see bubbles forming on the surface flip them and brown the other side.
• serve them with your favourite toppings.  Today I went for sliced banana and local honey....yummy!!!

 Pancake ingredients.

add the white vinegar to the milk and let it sit for about 5 minutes.

mix all the dry ingredients together.

add the egg, melted butter and vanilla to the 'soured' milk.

add the flour mix to the wet mix...

...and whisk to remove any lumps.

drop 1/4 cup measures into your prepared skillet.

when you start to see lots of bubbles on the surface you know that they're ready to flip.

perfect!!!!

I sliced a banana and poured a little wildflower honey over mine today - scrumptious.

make sure you leave the batter for about 10 minutes before you pour it, and DON'T whisk it - that way your pancakes will come out light and fluffy :o)

Waffles

After a bit of a laze in bed this morning (the cats didn't wake us up until 7.30, which is late for them - they must of been out on the town last night with their buddies!! :o), it was time for that first cup of coffee to ease into the day and the decision of what to make for breakfast.  As I stood gazing into the cavern of the fridge looking at eggs and bacon and cheese and peppers and tomatoes and....you get the idea....my first thought was along the lines of an omelette or breakfast burrito of some kind, but suddenly I really had a hankering for something a little lighter and sweeter.  Waffles!!!

We don't have them very often, not because we don't love them because we do, but with our small kitchen it means that the majority of our kitchen appliances are stored away in a high, deep cupboard above the fridge and the waffle iron tends to find it's way right to the back, so it sort of gets forgotten most of the time.  Plus, being someone who is 'vertically challenged' and suffering from severe vertigo I have to rely on hubby to get it for me :o)

Waffles
6-8 servings (depending on how hungry you are :)

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 Tbs sugar
1 Tbs baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
3 large eggs
1 cup buttermilk **
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 Tbs vanilla extract

** I didn't have any buttermilk, so I made a popular substitute that can be used in place of it in most recipes - put 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or white vinegar into a 1 cup measuring cup or jug and top with milk to make up to the 1 cup mark.  Leave to stand for 5 minutes and then use as much as your recipe requires.

• preheat your waffle iron.
• in a medium bowl combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
• add the eggs and buttermilk and using a wooden spoon or wire whisk mix until all the flour has been moistened.
• add the melted butter and vanilla extract and whisk until no more lumps are visible and you have a smooth thick batter.
• spray your waffle iron with non-stick cooking spray, and depending on the size of your appliance, spoon in enough batter to cover the 'hot plate', or for whatever size you want.
• once the waffles are browned to your liking, serve with a variety of goodies; anything from simple honey or maple syrup, to banana and pecans, or maybe fresh strawberries and cream....the skies the limit :o)

 Waffle ingredients

(all except the sugar and vanilla extract - they were off whispering in the corner about the other participants - they can be quite rude at times!! :o)

put all the dry ingredients into a medium bowl.

add the eggs and buttermilk and whisk until the dry ingredients have been moistened.

add the melted butter and vanilla (poured in after this shot was taken)

whisk until no lumps remain and you have a nice thick batter.

pour batter onto your sprayed waffle iron - I used about 1/2 to 3/4 cup of batter.

cook to preferred 'doneness'.

today I just went with some wonderful local honey - delicious!

Bacon Pinwheels

Quite frankly is there anything better on a lazy Sunday morning than bacon?  Being originally from England there's a very fond place in my heart for the simple 'bacon buttie' - that thick cut back bacon nestled between two slices of thick, crusty, buttered white bread, with maybe a smear of tomato ketchup or, as my brother would always have, HP brown sauce :o)

This morning though I thought I would make something with at least a little veggie appearance so that we don't feel so bad about eating the bacon!!  The original recipe from Pillsbury actually classes it as an appetizer but honestly you could eat these little guys any time of the day....all day. 

Bacon Pinwheels
(adapted from this Pillsbury recipe)
makes 18 pinwheels

1 tube of Pillsbury Grand Crescent Rolls
2 Tbs Ranch dressing
5 rashers of bacon
5 green onions
1-2 tomatoes
1/2 cup cheese, grated (I had some nacho mix left over)

• preheat the oven to 350 F.
• cut the bacon into small bite size pieces and in a small frying pan or saucepan, saute until beginning to crisp; drain on a plate covered in kitchen towel and set aside.
• meanwhile, chop the green onions and de-seed and chop the tomatoes.
• open the tube of crescent rolls carefully and lay out the dough cutting it to make two rectangles approximately 5" x 9"; pinch the perforated seams together so they don't tear while rolling up.
• spread each piece dough with a tablespoon of ranch dressing.
• sprinkle the bacon, onions, tomato and cheese evenly over each rectangle.
• starting from a short side, roll the dough to make a 'sausage'; repeat with the other piece.
• using a sharp knife, cut each 'sausage' into nine pinwheels and place onto ungreased cookie sheets, an inch or so apart.
• bake for 12-14 minutes until puffed and golden brown.
• remove from the cookie sheets immediately and serve warm.

 Bacon Pinwheel ingredients.

saute the bacon until just beginning to crisp.

chop the onions and de-seed and chop the tomato.

unroll the dough and cut into two rectangles.

spread with the ranch dressing.

sprinkle the bacon, onion, tomato and cheese evenly over the dough.

starting at a short side roll up to make 'sausages'.

cut into pinwheels using a sharp knife and place onto ungreased cookie sheets.

isn't that just a little puffed piece of perfection!!! :o)

sorry about the pink plate - we were so hungry, but I wouldn't let hubby have any until I'd finished photographing and it was the first plate I grabbed :o)

Eggs Benedict

Happy Holidays
Merry Christmas
Joyous Kwanzaa
Season's Greetings
Happy Hanukkah (okay, I think I'm late with that one this year!)
Joyeux Noel
Feliz Navidad
Mele Kalikimaka
.....and all the others..... :o)

Well, here we are - it's Christmas Day.  Thoughts and good wishes are sent out to family and friends, near and far.  Gifts from Santa have been opened and appreciated (hopefully you were all good this year :o).  A day long 'The Big Bang Theory' marathon has begun on the Comedy channel.  The cats have played with their new toys, stuffed their faces with treats and are now in a comatosed state in separate rooms (nothing new there then!).  Hubby and various other online warriors are saving the cyber world via his latest xBox game.....and our bellies are full from my Christmas Day breakfast of eggs benedict.  Roll on the turkey and stuffing...

If you feel so inclined, by all means make your hollandaise sauce the longer, more labour intensive way of whisking until your arms feel like wet noodles, but this blender method is soooo much easier, and if the empty plates are any indication, just as good :o) 

Eggs Benedict
serves 2 (hungry people on Christmas morning)

2 english muffins
4 slices canadian back bacon
4 large eggs

hollandaise sauce
3 egg yolks
1 tsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp dry mustard powder
1/4 tsp salt
pinch cayenne pepper
1/2 cup butter

• starting with the hollandaise sauce, in a blender add the egg yolks, lemon juice, mustard, salt and cayenne pepper; blend on high for 1 minute until slightly frothy and lighter in colour.
• melt the butter until hot but not boiling, either in a small saucepan on the stove top or as I did, in the microwave.
• with the blender on the lowest setting, slowly pour in the hot butter and watch the sauce thicken (the sauce should stay warm enough until everything else is ready but if you're concerned you can place the blender container in a bowl of hot water to keep it warm and give it another very quick blend before serving.)
• meanwhile, split the muffins and pop them in a toaster (or under a broiler) to toast.
• in a frying pan sprayed with a little non-stick cooking spray, fry the bacon until cooked.
• either using a 4 pan egg poacher (I have one that my Mum bought me :o), or whichever method you like, poach your eggs to your own preferred 'doneness' - we like ours runny for eggs benedict.
• assemble the eggs benedict;  english muffin, slice of bacon, poached egg, hollandaise sauce and sprinkle with a little black or cayenne pepper.
• we only wanted the eggs benedict today, but if we're really hungry (or usually if we're out at a restaurant and someone else is cooking we might have some pan fried potatoes alongside :o)

 Eggs Benedict ingredients.

 put all the hollandaise sauce ingredients, except the hot butter, into a blender.

blend on high power for a minute until light in colour and slightly frothy.

frying off the canadian back bacon - mmmmmmm.

this is part of my 4 pan egg poacher (the frying pan part is on the stove top heating up).

start assembling - toasted muffins...

(as a side note, don't you just LOVE our beautiful daisy plates :o)

yummy bacon...

poached eggs...

slather with creamy, buttery hollandaise sauce and sprinkle with pepper.

delicious!!!