With the close of another quarter of school, I'm one step closer to finishing! I get to do my internship during my last lab (which happens to be next quarter) and I couldn't be more excited! But I'm also excited about the much needed break until the new year.
It's been hard to have differing schedules with Andy. He's a nine-to-fiver and I'm a 3-midnight kind of gal. But we make it work. We have lunch dates. He takes days off (apparently he's got tons of vacation days that he needs to take). We make time for each other and I'm thankful for that.
So when time is limited, meals end up being quick and easy. So I've been on an egg kick. Omelets used to be my go-to meal when I lived with my parents. My favorite combination? Hot dogs and cheddar. I know - weird. My omelet preferences have since become more "adult" in nature over the years, but I still revert to the classic every now and then. Don't hate.
What's your favorite omelet combination? Ingredients:
2 eggs 1 cup raw spinach, stems removed 2 tablespoons milk 1 tablespoon dijon mustard 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded salt and pepper, to taste 2 tablespoon unsalted butter, divided hot sauce (optional)
Heat a medium skillet under medium high heat. Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in the pan and add the spinach along with a big pinch of salt and pepper. Stir the spinach constantly until it wilts (the stirring creates steam which causes it to spinach to wilt faster than if you were to just leave it alone). Remove from heat and place in a medium bowl to cool.
Once the spinach is at room temperature, add eggs, milk, dijon mustard, and cheese to the bowl. Whisk until well mixed.
In a medium nonstick skillet, melt the butter under medium heat. Pour in egg mixture and cook until the bottom and edges are set, with the top and middle still liquid. Now this is where people differ in their omelet-making. Some people fold both sides inward. Some people roll. Some people just fold one side over. You can do whatever you fancy! I tend to gravitate toward just folding one side over. It's easier than the other two, and if you mess us, it's easy to make it look like an omelet after some quick damage control. But feel free to take on whatever omelet construction you deem fit.
So fold accordingly and cook just until egg on the inside is just cooked through. It should still be light and delicate on the inside.
Serve with hot sauce and you're in business!
Hope you guys enjoy the last day of the weekend and have a great start to your week!
I beg to differ, dear. That's the exact conversation my husband and I had when I decided to make these. Eggs are a nutrition powerhouse and I do, in fact, think that eggs alone constitute as a meal!
Shirred eggs are simply ones cooked in a small buttered dish (such as a shallow ramekin) and finished off under the broiler. The result is a softly set white and liquid yolk. Everybody knows the perfect egg has a runny yolk!
Some people find the process tricky, but once you get the hang of it, you'll have soft, delicate eggs every time!
We doll these shirred eggs up with the addition of cream and some cheese. Ingredients:
1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter 4 eggs salt and pepper, to taste 2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream 2 tablespoons mozzarella cheese (any cheese will do, this is just what I had on hand)
Heat broiler to high.
Divide the butter between two small, shallow, fire-proof ramekins (about 4 inches in diameter).
Place dishes over moderate heat (it helps to have a gas range - if not, then I'd just throw them under the broiler to begin with). Once butter is melted, add 2 eggs to each dish. Cook for about 1-2 minutes, or until a thin layer of the white is set on bottom.
Add 1 tablespoon of whipping cream to each dish and top with mozzarella cheese.
Transfer dish under broiler and cook until white is softly set, and yolk is still runny, about 5-6 minutes.
You'll end up with two perfectly runny eggs and some nicely browned cheese. Plenty enough for a protein-packed breakfast!
Hope you guys have a great rest of the week - I might be absent for the rest of it - it's a big, busy week at school and work!
I'm here this morning, so that should make up for it right? I'm hoping that I can at least get you guys 3 posts a week, but we'll see. I don't want to make promises I can't keep!
Anyway, first week of culinary school was awesome! We got our whites on Saturday - check me out!
A natural, right?! C'mon, just entertain me for a minute.
I spent the first week basically feeling everything out. Seeing who was similar to me. Seeing who was not similar to me. It's definitely a lot to take in. But I'm jumping into it with both feet and absorbing all that is thrown at me! Next week, we get our knife kits (they're pretty bad ass if you ask me - I can practice "packing my knives and going" as if Padma, herself, was telling me. Okay, now I'm getting really dorky!)
Anyway, I figure since I'm posting in the morning, I might as well give you a solid breakfast dish! This is the second hash I've posted in the past couple weeks, so can you tell it's one of my favorite things to make? They're easy. They're versatile. They're darn delicious!
Ingredients:
1 medium acorn squash, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes 4 slices thick-cut bacon, chopped 1 small onion, diced salt & pepper, to taste
3 main ingredients? How could you not make this?!
Set a salted pot of water to boil under medium heat. Add acorn squash and boil just for a few minutes (maybe 4-5) to parboil. Drain and set aside.
Heat a large cast iron skillet under medium high heat. Add bacon and cook until crisp, about 5 minutes or so. Remove bacon with a slotted spoon and transfer to a paper towel-lined plate.
Remove all the bacon grease, except for about 1 to 2 tablespoons. Add onions to skillet and cook under medium heat until starting to soften, about 5-7 minutes. Add in acorn squash and cook until browned, about 5 minutes or so, and stirring occasionally. Stir in bacon and season with salt and pepper, if needed.
You could serve this as a side dish, or you can eat a whole plateful like I did! It's fall on a plate - I swear!
It'll probably be another day or so before I'm back, so until next time guys!
Yesterday was my first day. First day stepping foot inside of a restaurant to see about a job in the kitchen. The first day stepping foot on campus for culinary school classes. It was the first day that I've been completely confident doing what I'm doing. And it was great. It was a great feeling to be pleasantly nervous.
I was a bundle of nerves stepping foot into Jack Fry's. It was thanks to a good friend of ours, Terry, that I even got this opportunity. While our meeting was a quick one, I appreciated the fact that the chef took time out of his busy day to meet with me and give me this chance. I have to call back Friday to see when he can fit me in, but it would be at least a 12-week internship-type deal. I'm truly grateful for the chance to gain some restaurant experience.
Walking into the classroom for the first time, was much of the same. A bundle of nervousness. It was a Basic Nutrition class, so there were a mixture of upper-level students. And turns out, I was the only first quarter culinary student in there. The only person not wearing a uniform. So I kind of felt a little out of place - but after Saturday (my culinary lab), I'll have my uniform, and I won't feel like such an outcast. Besides my initial fear, the nutrition class is pretty much a science class, so I felt comfortable with most of the material, being a former Biology major. There's some fun projects coming up - including a recipe book (which I'm most excited about), so I'm excited to learn. Friday and Saturday are the classes I'm most looking forward to though - Basic Culinary Theory and the Lab to go with it. So I'll be sure to do a full report next week on those two!
Anyway, you came here for the food right? We've been eating a lot of breakfast-for-dinner type meals lately. I don't know why, but I don't see any complaints from Andy - seeing as he'll usually have two platefuls when I decide to do this!
I love making hashes or potato-type dishes for breakfast. They're easy, filling, and so versatile. I had some sweet peppers from our CSA that needed to be used up, and so I thought this was a perfect fit!
about 5 Idaho potatoes, peeled and cubed 2 tablespoons olive oil 2 tablespoons unsalted butter 1 onion, chopped 3 garlic cloves, minced 1 sweet red pepper, seeded and chopped salt and pepper, to taste
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add potatoes and cook for about 20-25 minutes, or until almost fork tender. You want them to disintegrate when you touch them! Drain.
Heat the oil in a cast iron skillet over medium heat until hot. Add the onion and peppers. Cook for about 5 minutes, or until starting to soften. Add garlic and stir for another minute or so, until fragrant. Transfer the onion mixture to small bowl and set aside.
Add butter to the skilled with the remaining oil and heat over medium-high heat until butter foams. Add potatoes and make sure they are in an even layer on the skillet. Cook without stirring until potatoes are golden brown on bottom, about 4 to 5 minutes. Carefully turn the potatoes and repeat until browning until all sides are golden brown and crisp.
Stir in the onion-pepper mixture and carefully toss until all is combined. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve with some sausage and eggs for a complete breakfast!
Happy Thursday guys! I'm absolutely exhausted from this week already! And I've got to work through Saturday before I get to have my "weekend"! Hopefully I'll make it.
I'm pretty stoked that tonight - in about 30 minutes, the official NFL regular season starts! Football season is probably my favorite time of year. Go Eagles! And as an avid Peyton Manning-hater... I'm glad the sad little puppy dog is sitting out for a couple of months, but I digress.
Let's talk peanut butter. I've found a new love. Move over JIF (I keep it old school), I've got a new favorite. And I'm pretty sure I'm late on this bandwagon, too. But better late than never! Peanut Butter & Co. Bee's Knees is the SHIZ! I find myself just eating spoonfuls throughout the day because it's so good. So I knew that using up the last bit of it in this bread was bittersweet because I'd be using up the last of it (I can always restock right?!), but also genius, because when you use good ingredients, good things happen right? Right!
Ingredients: Adapted from the 1945 Edition of The Boston Cooking School Cook Book
2 cups flour 1/3 cup sugar 2 teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon salt 3/4 cup peanut butter (I highly recommend using PB&Co!) 1 egg, beaten 1 cup milk
Glaze:
1 tablespoon heavy cream 2/3 cup powdered sugar 1 tablespoon peanut butter
Preheat oven to 350 F.
In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Using a fork, incorporate peanut butter and beaten egg. Stir in milk until a smooth batter is formed.
Grease a loaf pan and pour in batter. Bake for about 50 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean.
Let rest on a cooling rack for about 10 minutes, or until cool enough to handle.
To make glaze, combine cream, powdered sugar, and peanut butter until smooth.
Remove bread from pan and pour glaze over top.
This was pretty tasty. If you're a peanut butter lover, you'd definitely love this! It's something I don't see a lot of - especially when zucchini breads are so popular right now! Hey... zucchini peanut butter bread - I think I may be on to something. I'll experiment and get back to you guys!
I woke up with a killer cramp in my calf this morning, so I'm slowly limping around the house. As time passes, it seems to be getting better... but it doesn't look like I'll be getting my run in today. I figure I better let it rest up and I'll get back at it Saturday.
I'm pretty stoked today because I get to take a little roadtrip to Danville, KY to meet up with a few other Kentucky Food Bloggers. We're doing a tasting of a few restaurants tonight and I'm really excited to actually meet these awesome bloggers in person. I'll definitely post pictures and a review of the experience next week!
I made this frittata when we had tons of zucchini from our CSA. It was quick, easy, and my only complaint... I used too big of a pan, so it looks rather thin (and more like an omelette) than an actual frittata. Oh well, it still tasted mighty good!
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil 2 zucchini, chopped salt and pepper, to taste 6 eggs 1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded 1/4 cup milk
In a medium skillet under medium high heat, add about 1 & 1/2 teaspoons olive oil. Add zucchini and saute until starting to brown, about 5-7 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Remove zucchini and set aside.
In a medium bowl, beat the eggs and milk together. Season with salt and pepper. Heat a non-stick skillet under medium low heat and add remaining 1 & 1/2 teaspoons of olive oil. Coat pan with oil.
Pour the egg mixture into the pan and let cook until the egg starts to solidify, about 2-3 minutes. Spread the zucchini over top of the eggs and top with cheddar cheese. Cook for an additional 3 to 5 minutes, or until egg is cooked through and cheese is melted.
Slice and serve right away.
This was simple, delicious, and easy. You could have it for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. It's perfect for any time of day! Feel free to swap out the ingredients for what you have, and add whatever you like! Frittatas are versatile like that =)
So after a recent trip to Happy China - just your run-of-the-mill take-out Chinese place, I decided to stray from the ordinary, and delve into some Egg Foo Young.
This was my first experience with Egg Foo Young, so I really had no idea what to expect. After getting the take-out home, I discovered that it was pretty much just an amped-up omelette with a special "gravy". It was tasty though, a little greasy, but maybe it was supposed to be that way? I don't know.
Anyway, for breakfast/brunch yesterday, I decided to tackle Egg Foo Young at home. The result was something much less greasy, and with tons more flavor!
Ingredients:
Egg Mixture:
3 tablespoons vegetable oil 1 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and minced 4 green onions, chopped 2 cups mung bean sprouts 1 cup sliced portobello mushrooms 1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped 2 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, sliced salt and pepper, to taste 6 eggs, slightly beaten
In a large skillet under medium high heat, add vegetable oil and heat until shimmering. Season chicken with salt and pepper and add to skillet. Cook until white throughout, about 5-7 minutes. Remove from pan with a slotted spoon and set aside in a large bowl.
Adding more oil if necessary, add ginger, green onions, bean sprouts, mushrooms, and green peppers to skillet. Saute for about 6-8 minutes, or until vegetables start to soften. Season with salt and pepper. Add vegetables to large bowl with the chicken.
Pour eggs into bowl with vegetables and chicken, and combine.
Heat a non-stick skillet under medium high heat, adding about a tablespoon of oil. Add about half of the egg mixture to the pan and cook for about 3-5 minutes or until eggs have solidified. Carefully fold half of the mixture over (like an omelet) and cook for an additional minute or 2, or until cooked throughout.
Repeat with remaining egg mixture.
For the sauce, combine chicken broth, soy sauce, vinegar, and sugar in a small saucepan. Bring mixture to a boil.
Make a slurry with the cold water and cornstarch. As soon as the chicken broth mixture is at a boil, at the cornstarch slurry. Heat for about 1-2 minutes, or until mixture thickens. Pour gravy over eggs.
This was definitely delicious. We had 2 huge Egg Foo Youngs and we both only ate half of it. Not that we didn't like it, but we were just so full! These things seriously pack a lot of stuff in! Feel free to vary up the toppings, just like an ordinary omelette - but it's really the sauce that makes these special!
Have a great Tuesday guys, and see you all tomorrow!
Sometimes I wish I could make more time for breakfast. It's one of the meals I happen to "skip" over. I'm just not hungry in the morning - and by the time I am, it's already time for lunch.
But a few weeks ago, when strawberries were still in full swing, I couldn't help but make these parfaits over and over and over. I wish I had decided to take pictures of them when we had an abundance of strawberries, but I got around to it when we only had a few (so the layers aren't as pronounced - but it was delicious, nonetheless!).
I just might have to switch over to blueberries since they're the fruit of choice in our CSA right now. Feel free to improvise with whatever fruits and yogurts you have on hand!
And don't forget to vote in the treat poll - I need something to make for the 4th of July! There's a little bit of everything, and no matter what gets picked, I'll try to give it a 4th of July twist!
Ingredients:
1 cup strawberry-flavored yogurt (I used Stonyfield Organic Strawberry) 1 cup strawberries, hulled and sliced 1 tablespoon sugar 2 strawberry-flavored Nutri-Grain Bars, chopped
In a small bowl, combine the strawberries and sugar. Let sit for 10 minutes.
In a mason jar (or bowl/cup/container) spoon about 1/3 of the yogurt for the base of the parfait.
Add your chopped strawberries. Top with another 1/3 of yogurt.
Add chopped Nutri-Grain bar pieces (you could also sub in some granola here, but I had the bars, so that's what I used). Top with remaining yogurt.
And you've got breakfast in about 10 minutes! I couldn't stop eating this - I was definitely sad when strawberry season slowed down. But like I said, I just may have to switch up the flavors and try this with the blueberries!
What's your favorite way to use yogurt and fruit?
Hope you all have a fantastic 4th of July weekend!
Happy Monday guys! How was everyone's weekend? Ours was pretty laid back - we went to Andy's company picnic, which was interesting, but enjoyable. My youngest sister also had a birthday, so we had to pay her a visit, as well. Other than that, it was a lazy weekend just doing the bare minimum!
Do you ever get in one of those moods where you want more than one thing? Say like, 3 or 4? But can only pick one? You know, like say... you want a burger. Or some shrimp. Or maybe some breakfast? Yeah, I was in one of those moods this morning. So after a good long staring session with some radishes in need of some love... I decided to go off the deep end and throw a bunch of stuff together. The result? Well, let's just say these may stay on my breakfast/brunch rotation for quite some time!
Ingredients:
1 lb. radishes, grated about 5 medium shrimp, cooked and chopped finely 1/2 cup ground sausage 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper 1 tablespoon flour salt and pepper, to taste 1 egg 2 tablespoons olive oil Hot Sauce, Ranch, & Dijon Mustard (optional)
In a medium bowl, combine radishes, shrimp, sausage, and cayenne pepper. Mix in flour and season mixture with salt and pepper. Add egg to combine everything together - it's okay if the mixture is a little wet.
Heat a large skillet under medium high heat and add olive oil. Drop about 3 evenly sized patties (about the size of the palm of your hand) into the skillet and cook until sausage is cooked through, about 5 minutes per side.
Serve with desired sauce - I did a three-way of hot sauce (personal fave), ranch, and Dijon mustard. All 3 were excellent!
And breakfast was served in less than 30 minutes! I was a little worried of whether all of this would come together nicely, but it did. They really just taste like some deluxe sausage patties, and would be perfect in between some slider buns too - another genius idea, maybe? But really, they're pretty tasty and full of layers of flavor!
Have you guys ever just thrown complete random ingredients together to make something amazing?
Well, you guys sure do like Chocolate Cake don't you?! I hear you people, and I have no idea why I didn't just make it into a post, but the recipe I used for the chocolate cake is from the blog Foodess - recipe titled "Moist Chocolate Cake". And it ain't no lie! I pretty much followed that one to a tee (I made it into a rectangle cake, instead of a circular one), so it's no-fail. I was a little worried, because you add the hot coffee at the end and it made the batter look like a big mud puddle (but I think that's what makes this cake so moist, so don't fret!). I also used this Buttercream Frosting recipe from Wilton.com, and the only change I made was to only use 2 cups of powdered sugar instead of 4 (I just have trouble using that much sugar sometimes) and it made just enough frosting to frost the whole cake.
Anyway, to today's recipe (which won the poll from a couple weeks ago) is Sweet Potato Donuts. Seriously, these are a must try. And to have it with the cinnamon marshmallow cream just puts them over the top! A-d-d-i-c-t-i-n-g.
Don't forget to vote for the new poll (which I'll try not to be too late on, again) down below!
1 large sweet potato 3 tablespoons unsalted butter 1/2 cup milk 1 teaspoon instant dry yeast 1/2 cup sugar 1/2 cup dark brown sugar 1 & 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 vanilla bean, seeds scraped pinch of nutmeg 1 tablespoon bourbon (c'mon, I live in Kentucky, had to replace the rum with this, hehe) 1 egg 2 egg yolks 3 & 1/4 to 5 cups flour, plus more for rolling out dough
Cinnamon Marshmallow Cream:
1 & 1/2 cups marshmallows 1 tablespoon heavy whipping cream, plus more if desired 1 teaspoon cinnamon
Prick your sweet potato all over with a fork and cook in the microwave for 10 minutes, or until softened. Let cool to room temperature and carefully peel.
Place sweet potato in a high rimmed bowl and puree with an immersion blender (or an actual blender - but I was going for getting less contraptions dirty) until smooth. I had about 1 & 1/2 cups of puree.
In a small skillet, brown butter under medium high heat until nutty in flavor, about 5-6 minutes.
Scrape butter and any solids into a medium sized bowl and let cool.
Using the same skillet used for butter, add milk and heat until it is just warm (about 105 F). Pour milk into a large bowl and add yeast. Let sit for about 5 minutes. Slowly mix in white sugar, dark brown sugar, salt, vanilla seeds, nutmeg, and bourbon. Stir in sweet potato puree, browned butter & solids, egg, and egg yolks. Beat mixture until combined. Add the flour and beat at a medium speed (I used a wooden spoon for this - nothing like an old-fashioned workout) until pliable dough forms. I think I added about 1 to 1 & 1/2 more cups of flour to get the desired dough consistency for mine (but I think this all depends on how big your actual sweet potato is, and how much puree you end up with). Knead dough for a few minutes and place in a greased bowl. Cover and let rise for about 1 hour.
Punch down the dough and let sit for about 5 minutes. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to about 1/2 inch thickness. Use a floured rim of a glass (or round cookie cutters) and cut out as many rounds as you can. Use a smaller round cookie cutter (or in my case, the bourbon cap) to cut out the centers of the donuts for donut holes. Nothing goes to waste here! Roll out dough one or two more times to cut out as many donuts as possible. I think I ended up with a little over 2 dozen.
Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and transfer cut out dough to each sheet. Cover baking sheets with plastic wrap and let rise for 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 400 F and place oven racks in upper and lower thirds of oven. Bake the donut holes for about 10 minutes, and the donuts for 20 minutes, or until risen and golden. You can have the holes and donuts on the same sheet, just remember to remove the donut holes first. Let donuts cool to room temperature before dipping in cream.
To make the marshmallow cream, heat a small saucepan under medium low to medium heat. Add marshmallows, heavy cream, and cinnamon. Stir slowly until marshmallows have melted. You can add more cream if you want a thinner sauce.
Dip the donuts in cream and let any excess drip off (into your mouth, if you wish).
The original recipe had a cinnamon sugar topping, which is all well and fine, but seriously, the marshmallow cream here is where it's at. There's a restaurant here in Louisville, the Village Anchor, that serves sweet potato fries with this cream (I was lucky enough to obtain this VERY simple recipe from our waiter last time we were there), and I just thought it would be perfect for these donuts! I could really just drink that cream by itself, it's that good.
I love that these donuts were baked, instead of fried, too. It makes them actually somewhat healthy, right? They were absolutely delicious, unique, and perfect with a cup of coffee!
And don't forget to vote for next time's dessert in this week's poll! I'm in a chocolate mood - and when I'm in a chocolate mood, Andy is very very happy.
I have a confession. I've never had eggnog. I know, blasphemy! And honestly, after making these pancakes, I really still haven't. I mean, the eggnog is in the batter... and these pancakes tasted AMAZING, but I still couldn't get up the courage to have a glass of the stuff. I know getting the store-bought stuff is way different from making my own, but I think I'll stay timid from this nog for just a tad bit longer. But I don't think I can stay away from these pancakes. They were just the perfect way to start a lazy Sunday morning! And who knows... this could be your hangover cure for the morning!
(Don't forget to vote in the poll... I'm making ice cream and I need some input on what flavor to try out of The Perfect Scoop!)
Ingredients: Adapted from Real Mom Kitchen's Recipe
Cranberry-Orange Syrup:
1 & 1/2 cups fresh cranberries 3/4 cup of sugar 3/4 cup orange juice zest from 1 lemon 1/3 cup maple syrup
Pancakes:
2 cups all purpose flour 2 tablespoons sugar 2 teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 2 cups egg nog 2 eggs 1/4 cup vegetable oil
In a small saucepan, combine cranberries, 3/4 cup sugar, orange juice, lemon zest, and maple syrup. Heat under medium and bring a slow boil. Simmer for about 15 minutes, until most of the cranberries have burst or become soft.
Remove from heat and set aside while you make the pancakes.
In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
In a separate medium bowl, mix egg nog, eggs, and oil.
Add egg mixture to flour bowl. Mix until combined - the batter will be somewhat lumpy still, but that's okay.
Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a large skillet under medium high heat. Ladle a decent amount of batter into the skillet and cook for about 2-3 minutes, or until bubbles form. (I like to make pretty big pancakes, but if you want them smaller, go ahead, just adjust the time by about 30 seconds to a minute less!)
Flip pancake over and cook an additional 2-3 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through.
Continue with remaining batter until you run out (I made about 6-7 giant pancakes).
Serve pancakes with butter and cranberry-orange syrup.
These pancakes were off the hook! Seriously. Best. Breakfast. Ever. The eggnog provided a distinct flavor that paired perfectly with the citrus acidity of the cranberries and orange juice in the syrup. Try these. Now. For Breakfast Tomorrow. On Sunday. Whenever. Just try them. I dare ya!
Well, I hope everyone has a safe and happy New Years Eve! We're not too sure whether we'll be going out or not (Andy has a little stomach bug that he can't seem to get rid of, so I might be the good little fiance and stay home with my poor little guy). But either way, we'll be together and that's what matters!
When I was growing up, pancakes either came out of a box in the freezer, or out of a box in the pantry that you just added a few simple ingredients to before you fried them up in a skillet or the microwave. Nowadays, I wouldn't dream of doing either one! Call me crazy, but homemade pancakes are extremely easy, so why would I want to use any pre-made mixes or pancakes? Am I right? Right.
We had a bunch of peaches a little while back, and besides grilling them, or just eating them outright... we tried to experiment with different ways to using them up. And so these peach pancakes came about and I'm telling you, it was one of the best Sunday breakfasts we've had in A LONG WHILE.
Ingredients:
2 cups flour 2 cups milk 2 eggs 1/4 cup sugar 1 tablespoon baking powder 4-5 peaches, pureed, plus some extra thinly sliced 1-2 tablespoons butter, divided maple syrup, for serving (optional) powdered sugar (optional)
In a medium bowl, combine the flour, milk, eggs, sugar, baking powder, and pureed peaches. Whisk until all ingredients are thoroughly mixed.
Heat a griddle pan or large skillet under high heat. Melt 1 tablespoon of butter. Using a ladle, pour in batter. With my large skillet, I had enough room to do about 3 pancakes per batch. Cook for about 2-3 minutes per side, or until golden brown.
Serve dusted with powdered sugar and drizzled with maple syrup. You can even place the thinly sliced peaches on top also!
These pancakes were damn near perfect. They weren't too thick, not too thin. They were kind of a cross between a crepe and a pancake in texture and size. They had peachy flavor all throughout and the maple syrup paired perfectly with it all! Like I said, if you're looking for a different way to use up your peaches and you happen to be feeling a fantastic breakfast coming on... this is it! Enjoy!
And check out our CSA goodies... fall is here and I'm ecstatic! (It is my favorite season!)
1 butternut squash (my favorite squash!) 3 lbs. apples (gigantic ones at that!) 1 bunch swiss chard (our first batch of greens!) 2 lbs. sweet potatoes 3 hot peppers
And just a little side note here. Louisville and the surrounding areas haven't really had much rain this farming season. In fact, there was a wee bit of a drought there for a little while. So, our produce has definitely shown that, but on the other hand, we've received an extremely awesome array of produce as well. The great thing about a CSA is that we're supporting our local farmers, regardless of how the season turns out. So during their time of drought, when produce may not be necessarily flourishing, the farmers know that their locals still want their product and will be there to support them through it all. And that's one of the main reason that I enjoy doing our CSA. Locals supporting locals. So if you haven't thought about joining a CSA or don't know if you're area even has one... I'd definitely try to check it out (a great resource is Local Harvest.org)! It's well worth it!
