Oatmeal Pancakes

Should I be embarrassed that I have about 10 different pancake recipes? And should I feel ashamed that we eat them for dinner? Well, I'm not. We ate these for breakfast today. But I'll probably make them for dinner soon. I like to shake things up like that. And everyone here likes pancakes. My boys ate the leftovers with peanut butter for lunch, like a pancake sandwich. This made enough to feed the kids and myself. If my husband had been eating with us I would have done another batch.

1 1/4 c. quick cooking oatmeal
1 c. whole wheat flour
1 c. white flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
2/3 c. packed brown sugar (you could probably use 1/2 c.)
2 eggs
4 tbsp. melted butter or margarine or vegetable oil
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
2 c. buttermilk (or regular milk - I used the powdered buttermilk today)

Mix the dry ingredients together. Then chuck in the wet ingredients and stir it until combined. The oatmeal will want to hang out at the bottom so make sure you make it join the party. Cook on a hot griddle, at about 300 degrees. These are so sweet you don't really need syrup. Or if you do use syrup, add just a touch.

You could use all whole wheat flour, or all white flour. I've found that cinnamon and vanilla help to "hide" the wheat flavor.

Mom's Philly Cheesesteak Sandwiches

I'm sorry I don't have a picture of this.  We were rushing around like chickens with our heads cut off trying to get all the groceries put away, cook dinner and get the older boys to Scouts and before I knew it all the sandwiches were gone!

This is my brilliant mother's recipe and it's one I use when I do my shopping.  Or when I need something really fast, but totally delicious.  It's also one I can't give exact quantities on because it will depend on how many people are in your family.  Quantities listed below are a family of 6 - 2 adults and 4 children ages 8 and under.

3/4 to 1 lb. roast beef (from the deli)

3/4 to 1 lb. sliced white cheese from the deli - muenster, provolone, mozzarella, etc.

hoagie or french rolls - one per person

1 lb. sliced mushrooms, optional

1 lg. onion, quartered, optional

softened butter

If you want a buttery flavor then slice each roll, spread with butter and lay butter side down on a large cookie sheet.  Toast at 400 degrees for a few minutes, until butter is melted and bread is barely crisp.  You can also just toast the bread without the butter.  Flip them over and add a few slices of roast beef and some cheese.  Stick back into the oven and bake until the cheese is melted, about 5 minutes.  If you want (and I highly recommend it) you can saute the mushrooms and onions in butter while everything is toasting and then put a large spoonful or two on top of the cheese once it's melted.  Or on top of the roast beef, then add the cheese and melt it all.  My kids don't like the mushrooms/onions so they eat theirs with meat and cheese only.  The two littlest guys (2 and 5) split one.

An alternative to the roast beef is to use some sort of beef sliced super thin, or stir fry meat (make sure you cut it smaller if the strips are very long).  Brown the meat in some butter and throw in some garlic powder, onion powder, beef bouillon granules, soy sauce, worchestershire sauce, and Jane's Mixed-up seasoning or salt.  This is sometimes cheaper than a pound of roast beef, but takes longer to make.

Caribbean Chicken

Brian actually liked this dish and ate several servings (after I toned down the heat). He's not really into chicken or Caribbean flavors...so I'm glad he liked it.

I forgot to take a picture until I was scraping the pan clean...so it doesn't look all pretty (and it's actually the leftovers from the day before), but it's tasty!

Caribbean Chicken

1 teaspoon cornstarch (I didn't have any so I used flour)
1 (6 ounce) can pineapple juice, divided
1 tablespoon prepared mustard
½ teaspoon dried thyme
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (I accidentally added a bit too much, Brian made me make another batch of sauce)
¾ pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into thin strips (I just used however many breasts I had)
½ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons oil
½ cup thinly sliced green onions
½ cup golden raisins (Brian hates raisins, so I didn't add those-I have no idea if it would have changed the flavor drastically)
2 medium firm bananas, sliced (DO NOT saute them before hand, it makes the dish too sweet and overwhelmingly banana)

In a small bowl, combine cornstarch and 1/2 cup pineapple juice until smooth (I just used all the pineapple juice, it doesn't make a difference since it's all going to thicken up anyway). Stir in the mustard, thyme and red pepper flakes; set aside. Sprinkle chicken with salt. In a large non-stick skillet, saute chicken in oil for 3-4 minutes or until chicken juices run clear. Remove from the skillet and keep warm.

Pour remaining pineapple juice into skillet. Stir in green onions and raisins; cook and stir for 1 minute. Stir reserved pineapple juice mixture and add to skillet. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 1-2 minutes or until thickened. Return chicken to skillet; heat through. Stir in bananas. Serve over rice if desired.

Big Biscuits

When serving soup, I like to have some sort of bread. Tonight I made some lovely biscuits from a recipe I found here. I forgot to get the butter out to soften. Okay, it was actually still in the freezer. So I just grated it with a cheese grater and it worked perfectly. I also doubled the recipe for my family of six. As written below, the recipes makes 12 biscuits.

1 cup flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 tablespoon sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1 cup milk

In a medium bowl, combine the dry ingredients. Cut in butter (or grate it!) until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in milk just until moistened. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface; knead gently 8 to 10 times. Roll or push with your hands to 3/4-in. thickness or so; cut with a large biscuit cutter and place on a greased baking sheet. Bake at 450 degrees F for 10 to 12 minutes or until lightly browned.

Sausage Barley Soup

Here's a flavorful soup for your crockpot. I love my crockpot. If you don't love yours, you can make this on the stovetop.

1/2 to 1 pound Italian sausage - I used the reduced fat kind and it worked just fine

1 onion, diced

3 cloves minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
6 cups chicken broth or 1 48 oz can chicken broth - I used half broth, half water and bouillon
3 to 4 large carrots, sliced
10 pz. frozen chopped spinach*
1/2 cup uncooked pearl barley**

Cook the sausage, onion, and garlic until the sausage is done. Toss all the ingredients into your crockpot and give it a hug. Cover and cook 4 hours on high or 6 hours on low.

*notes on spinach - I used the frozen leaf kind and it was dripping all over. Make sure you use the chopped. You could also throw fresh chopped spinach in right before serving and it would probably look prettier and taste fresher. I also plan on trying this with chopped kale and will add it right before serving.

**you could substitute a diced potato or two for the barley. I think cheese tortellini would also taste great with this soup. I'd cook it separately and add it in when serving.

Enchiladas Verdes

So, my first recipe is for enchiladas! But they're green. And spicy. And not your normal enchilada. We absolutely love these. The sauce can get a little spicy depending on the amount of serrano peppers you use. I used two tonight and it was pretty tame. I've used up to five and it gets a little fiery then. Our kids are wimps so they usually don't eat the sauce. They have chicken on the tortillas with a bit of queso fresco and maybe some cilantro. It's all good. The sauce freezes really well so I usually double or triple it and throw it in a Ziploc bag for later. Enjoy! Oh, I think I got this recipe from http://www.allrecipes/, but I'm not sure anymore.

2 or 3 bone-in chicken breasts
2 c. chicken broth (I often use bouillon cubes)
1/4 onion
1 clove garlic
2 tsp. salt
1 lb. tomatillos (remove the husks and wash well)
2 - 5 serrano peppers (or less if you don't want it really hot. We have used jalapenos, too)
1/4 white onion
1 clove garlic
12 tortillas (corn or flour -we like flour better)
Queso fresco
1/2 white onion, chopped
1 bunch cilantro, chopped

In a large pot, add first 5 ingredients. Boil for 20 minutes or until chicken is done. I often let it go for several hours. Reserve broth. Let chicken cool then shred; set aside for later. Place tomatillos and peppers in a pot with water, enough to cover them. Let boil until tomatillos turn a darkish green. Strain and place in a blender with 1/4 of the onion, garlic and salt. Pour in reserved broth until it just covers the vegetables by 1 inch. Blend. Pour in saucepan and bring to a low boil. If using corn tortillas, heat some vegetable oil in a pan and slightly fry, drain, then dip in low boiling green salsa. If using flour tortillas, just dip into the salsa. Place 1 to 3 tortillas on a plate. Top with shredded chicken then green salsa. Top with crumbled queso fresco, chopped onion and cilantro.

Red Velvet Cake

I've been kinda sick of that same old cake that Brian always wants (chocolate), plus I needed to use up some buttermilk, so I thought I'd try something from my childhood (when I went to a restaurant and ate it). Boxed cake mixes aren't my favorite, so I made this from scratch.

Right off, Brian isn't a fan. He thought it would be more chocolatey than it was. I made the traditional butter roux frosting, instead of the modern cream cheese frosting. Brian thinks it tastes like condensed milk, and it did the first day, but mellowed out into a buttery caramel flavor. I'm not 100 percent sure if I made the frosting right, but I liked it. Anyway, it was good enough that I'll make it again (probably only once a year), but with the cream cheese frosting instead.

Red Velvet Cake

½ cup shortening
1½ cups sugar
2 large eggs
1 or 2 (1-ounce) bottles red food coloring (I only had 1/2 of one, so it didn't look as brilliant)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2½ cups sifted cake flour (all purpose flour 2½ cups -5 Tbs. which is what I did)
½ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cocoa powder (I actually took out 2 Tbs. more of flour and replaced it with more cocoa powder)
1 cup buttermilk
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1 teaspoon baking soda

Beat shortening at medium speed with an electric mixer until fluffy; gradually add sugar, beating well. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating until blended after each addition.
Stir in food coloring and vanilla, blending well. Combine flour, salt, and cocoa; set aside.
Combine buttermilk, vinegar, and soda in a 4-cup liquid measuring cup. (Mixture will bubble.) Add flour mixture to shortening mixture, alternately with buttermilk mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat at low speed until blended after each addition. Beat at medium speed 2 minutes; pour batter into 3 greased and floured 8-inch round cake pans (I used a 9x13). Bake at 350° for 25 minutes. Cool in pans on wire racks 10 minutes; remove from pans, and cool completely on wire racks. Spread frosting between layers and on top of cake. Garnish with chopped pecans, if desired.

Sheet Cake: Pour batter into a greased and floured 13- x 9-inch pan. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes. Cool completely in pan on a wire rack. Spread cream cheese frosting on top of cake. Garnish, if desired.

Butter Roux Frosting:
3 tablespoons flour
1 cup milk
1 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

Combine the milk and flour in a saucepan and cook on medium heat until thickened. Cream together sugar, vanilla and butter, beating until fluffy. Gradually beat milk mixture into butter mixture (this is where I think I went wrong, if you don’t let the milk cool, it just melts the butter when you add it, which is what happened to me. And that makes it hard to follow the next instruction). Beat until the frosting becomes fluffy and spreadable.

Cream Cheese Frosting:
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter or margarine, softened
1 pound box confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cream it all together.

Ellie ate part of it before I could take a picture...

Well, let me know what you think, and if you have a better one please share. All in all, I'd give this about 3 1/2 stars....