Pancake Breakfast

Another lovely weekend breakfast... My family loves pancakes, and especially Oatmeal Pancakes! They have a wonderful texture and are just plain YUMMY! We always have different variations depending on what fruit and nuts I have on hand. A favorite addition is always chocolate chips! 

Today I had bananas, blueberries, pecans, and of course the chocolate. It made for a beautiful AND delicious pancake! (Here's the pancake on the griddle prior to flipping! I love how they look... that's why it ended up being my photo of the day today too!)

Now for the recipe!

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Oatmeal Pancakes

ha! designs, adapted from Cooking Light

Yield : 12 pancakes

1/4 cup flour
1 cup quick-cooking oats
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 large egg
cooking spray

1. Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine the first 7 ingredients in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk. 

2. Combine buttermilk, butter, and egg in a small bowl. Add to flour mixture, stirring just until moist. Let sit a few minutes.

3. Heat a nonstick griddle over medium heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Stir batter. Spoon about 2 1/2 tablespoons batter per pancake onto griddle. (Stud pancakes with any extras you’d like: banana slices, blueberries, pecans, chocolate chips.) Turn pancakes over when tops are covered with bubbles; cook until bottoms are lightly browned.

Easy Print HERE!!!

I hope you enjoy these as much as my family does! 

Freshly baked...

There is something magical about bread baking in your home... It doesn't hurt anything when it happens to be baking in that most miraculous of home appliances: the AWESOME bread machine! All that deliciousness and fragrance with hardly any effort! Ahhhh!

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Cami requested that I make my Apple Oat Bread. I'm so glad she did! The smell of apples, cinnamon, AND bread... it just transports you into fantasy land! (Maybe that's just me! *smile*) It's super simple... You're going to arrange all your ingredients in your bread machine like so...

And here's the recipe!

Apple Oat Bread (Bread Machine)

ha! designs (adapted from Zojirushi)

Yield: 2 lb. loaf

Ingredients:

1 2/3 cups apple juice

2 cups all purpose flour

2 1/4 cups bread flour

2 tablespoons brown sugar, packed

2 tablespoon dry milk (baker’s special dry milk)

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

2 1/2 tablespoons butter

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 cup oats (old fashioned)

2 teaspoons active dry yeast

1 cup diced dried apples

Preparation:

Add to your bread machine according to manufacturer’s instructions. Add dried apples at your addition time. Separate apples prior to adding. 

NOTE: I LOVE King Arthur Flour and use their flours as much as possible. The baker’s special dry milk is also from King Arthur. 

Easy Print! Click Here!

Enjoy... I hope you're transported to some magical fantasy land while your bread machine does all that work! 

slowwww dowwwnnnn

It’s Saturday morning... Time to fix a nice breakfast for the family! I LOVE weekend breakfasts! It’s a chance for us to take our time and prepare a wonderful meal... not the rush of the weekday morning breakfasts! This morning I was thinking of the great meal my sister, Heather, prepared for our family when we visited them over the holidays. I decided I would make my own variation with items I had in the fridge and pantry. (Today I actually used a package of dehydrated potatoes I have from Costco... these are the best! Once rehydrated (10 minutes) it’s set to go! These are pretty handy to have on hand!) You could make so many terrific variations of this meal... it’s as endless as what’s in your fridge/pantry or imagination! 

Here’s how I fixed it today: 

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Weekend Breakfast Casserole  

ha! designs (inspired by Heather Cox)

Yield: 6 to 9 servings

Ingredients:

3 cups hash brown potatoes (use frozen, or rehydrated, or layer hash brown patties)

2 cups shredded cheese

4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled into 1/2” slices

1 or 2 chicken sausages, sliced into bite size pieces

1 jalapeño, seeded and chopped

1/2 cup green onions, sliced

4 eggs

1/2 cup milk

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground mustard

pinch chipotle pepper

pinch garlic powder

pinch black pepper

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350. Spray 8 x 8 baking dish with cooking spray or butter/grease dish. Place hash browns in a single layer and season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Sprinkle with cheese, meats, jalapeño, and green onions. In a bowl beat; eggs, milk, salt, mustard, chipotle, garlic, and black pepper. Pour over layers. Cover and bake for 1 hour. Uncover; bake 15 minutes longer or until edges are golden brown and a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. 

NOTE: Use whatever left over meat you have... steak, etc. This is a great way to liven up any leftovers... Basically whatever you like in an omelette will be delicious here! Add more veggies: spinach, sautéed mushrooms, leeks, etc., if you like! 

Easy Print... Click Here!

You'll love how you have a complete breakfast in an easy to prepare, easy to serve, casserole. It's fantastic served with some nice seasonal fresh fruit! Double it for that nice spring brunch or big family gathering... or simply prepare it with your family when you slowww downnn and enjoy the weekend and the time you have together with loved ones.

smells of home...

My house smelled like a home today... A delightful mix of home baked Orange Cranberry Bread and Spicy Thai Coconut Curry Chicken Noodle Soup. Deliciously fragrant AND simple to make!

So let’s get to it and share these recipes! 

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Orange Cranberry Bread (Bread Machine)

ha! designs (adapted from Zojirushi)

Yield: 2 lb. loaf

Ingredients:

1 1/8 cups milk

1 large egg, beaten

2 cups all purpose flour

2 1/4 cups bread flour

4 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon dry milk (baker’s special dry milk)

2 teaspoons salt

2 1/2 tablespoons butter

1 teaspoon orange peel

1/8 scant teaspoon fiori di sicilia (citrus vanilla flavoring)

2 teaspoons active dry yeast

1 cup dried cranberries

Preparation:

Add to your bread machine according to manufacturer's instructions. Add dried cranberries at your addition time. Separate cranberries prior to adding. 

NOTE: I LOVE King Arthur Flour and use their flours as much as possible. The baker’s special dry milk and fiori di sicilia flavoring is also from King Arthur. You can click on them to take you right to the product page. Both are FANTASTIC!

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Spicy Thai Coconut Curry Chicken Noodle Soup

ha! designs (adapted from Cooking Light, December 2008)

Ingredients:

4 cups water

3 cups fresh spinach leaves

1/2 pound snow peas, trimmed and cut in half crosswise

1 (5 3/4 ounce) package pad thai noodles (wide rice stick noodles)

1 tablespoon canola oil

1/4 cups thinly sliced shallots

2 teaspoons red curry paste

1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder

1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric

1/2 teaspoon ground coriander

2 garlic cloves, minced

6 cups, fat free, less-sodium chicken broth

1 (13.5 ounce) can light coconut milk

2 1/2 cups shredded cooked chicken breast (about 1 pound)

1/2 cup chopped green onions

1 red bell pepper, cut into 1 1/2” strips

1 (14 1/2 ounce) can straw mushrooms, (drained and rinsed)

1 1/2 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons fish sauce

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1 serrano chile, seeded and chopped, or 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper

1 red jalapeño, seeded and chopped

Lime wedges

Preparation:

1. Bring 4 cups water to a boil in a large saucepan. Add spinach and peas to pan; cook for 30 seconds. Remove vegetables from pan with a slotted spoon; place in a large serving bowl. Add noodles to pan; cook 3 minutes. Drain; add noodles to spinach mixture in bowl. 

1. Heat canola oil in pan over medium-high heat. Add shallots and the next 5 ingredients (through garlic) to pan; saute 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add chicken broth to pan, and bring to a boil. Add coconut milk to pan; reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes. Add chicken, green onions, bell pepper, mushrooms, sugar, and fish sauce to pan; cook for 2 minutes. Pour chicken mixture over noodle mixture in bowl. Stir in cilantro and chiles. Serve with lime wedges.

Print Here!

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I hope you enjoy these recipes and that your house also ends up smelling like a home...