Fluffy Pancakes

Ok, so I know we have a ton of pancake recipes on the blog. But, we make a ton of pancakes and waffles in our house so we are always on the lookout for great recipes. When I need a recipe for a specific item, like bread, cookies, or pancakes, I always go to allrecipes, type in the item, and search for the highest rated one. And, this is what I came across when looking for the best pancakes. This recipe was given 5 stars by 915 people!! So, you know they're going to be good. And, the best part is that they are very easy and have really common ingredients. These are our new favorite pancakes...enjoy!

picture courtesy AllRecipes.com

Fluffy Pancakes
Adapted slightly from Allrecipes.com

3/4 cup milk
2 tablespoons white vinegar
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons white sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 tsp. vanilla
cooking spray

Combine milk with vinegar in a small bowl and set aside for 5 minutes to "sour". Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Whisk egg and butter into "soured" milk. Pour vanilla into the dry ingredients- don't mix. Pour the wet mixture into the flour ingredients and whisk until lumps are gone. Heat a large skillet over medium heat, and coat with cooking spray. Pour 1/4 cupfuls of batter onto the skillet, and cook until bubbles appear on the surface. Flip with a spatula, and cook until browned on the other side.

Mozzerella and Tomatoes

*Photo Courtesy of Tasty Sensations

Baking is my nemesis.  I cannot figure it out and I have tried.  A lot.  Well...these actually turned out and were a hit!  There's something about buttermilk that just makes things better!

Buttermilk Rolls.

Recipe from Tasty Sensations Blog 

3 cups Buttermilk (room temperature)*

3 cups flour
1 T. yeast dissolved in ¼ cup warm water (first let rise a few minutes)
½ cup sugar
3 eggs, beaten with a fork
2 tsp salt
6 cups flour (sometimes you need a cup or two more--it should not be too sticky)
½ cup oil
1 tsp baking soda

Dissolve yeast in ¼ c. warm water and let proof a few minutes. Mix the buttermilk, 3 cups flour and yeast together thoroughly in a large mixing bowl. Let this stand at room temperature until double in size, about 2 hours.

Add sugar, eggs, salt, 5 cups flour, oil, and baking soda. Mix well and kneed for 7-10 minutes. Roll out what you want and place the rest in the refrigerator, covered. I rolled mine out, cut them with a pizza cutter, and put them in a glass pie plate.  Anyway, the next time you want some fresh baked rolls, take from the bowl what you want and again put the rest back in the refrigerator. It will keep for 7 days. (This is perfect for Sunday meals because you don’t have a lot of mess to clean up and it’s quick.)

Let rolls rise on baking sheets until double in size. Time depends on the room temperature, usually 1½ - 2 hours. Dough from the refrigerator will take longer because the dough is cold.

Bake at 350° for 10-12 minutes. Brush with melted butter if you like.

Makes 2 dozen large rolls.

Chocolate Covered Blueberries

Chocolate-Covered Blueberries

What You Need:
• 2 cups blueberries
• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (I will do milk chocolate when I make these again)
• 1 Tbsp. butter or shortening

First, wash your blueberries and lay them out on paper towels to dry completely (the chocolate won't stick to them properly if they are wet) and let them sit for a while to warm to room temperature, if needed. Cold berries will adversely affect the chocolate, so making sure they are room temperature is very important! Then put them into a large bowl.

Next, using a double-boiler or your microwave (we have done it both ways successfully), melt your chocolate chips and butter together until smooth. Then pour it over your blueberries. Gently mix them until they are all pretty well coated. Drop small spoonfuls of the chocolaty berries onto a cookie sheet covered in wax paper.
Put your cookie sheets into the fridge and let them get good and cold. Then it's time to eat and enjoy! They may not be pretty but they are delish!

Chocolate/Pumpkin Chippy Muffins

*Photo courtesy of That's So Cuegly blog
A fantastically delicious weight watchers recipe.  These little suckers are deviously delicious.  Why not freeze them individually and eat one a day?  Yeah, I think that sounds like a fabulous idea.

Chocolate/Pumpkin Chippy Muffins
Recipe from That's So Cuegly blog

These are
1:The most moist delicious things you'll ever eat
2: Fat Free
3: A Weight Watchers Recipe

Directions: Mix together a Devil's Food Cake Mix, I small can Pumpkin, 2/3 c. Water, and a half bag of Mini-Semi-Sweet Choc Chips.
Makes 24 cupcakes, fill 2/3 full and follow the directions on your box for Cupcakes.

Wonton Chicken Salad

This salad is always a crowd-pleaser!

Wonton Chicken Salad

1 head of lettuce

2-3 chicken breasts, cooked, cooled, pulled apart

3 green onions, diced

1/4 cup sesame seeds, browned without oil

1/2 package wonton dough, cut into thin strips and fried in oil (on medium low heat)

1 large can mandarin oranges

Combine all ingredients above.

Dressing:

1/4 cup white vinegar

1/4 cup white sugar

1 tsp. salt

pepper to taste

1/2 cup canola oil (add last)

Mix and pour on salad as desired.

Pat's Baked Beans

Pic courtesy of allrecipes.com

I LOVE baked beans- love, love, love 'em. I'm not talking about the open and pour canned ones, but the real, homemade ones. They are my favorite thing about BBQ's. So, when we were invited to Christian's work BBQ for Pioneer Day last weekend, I decided I'd try and whip up a batch to bring. I went to my go-to place for basic recipes like this: allrecipes.com and found the highest and most-rated recipe for baked beans. Let me just tell ya, if you want a way to make perfectly healthy beans into a nice, gooey, sweet, and tangy confection, you must try these at your next BBQ.

Pat's Baked Beans
adapted from allrecipes.com

• 8 slices bacon
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 (16 ounce) cans pinto beans
• 1 (16 ounce) cans great Northern beans, drained
• 1 (16 ounce) can baked beans
• 1 (16 ounce) can red kidney beans, drained
• 3/4 cup ketchup
• 1/4 cup molasses
• 1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon yellow mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
2. Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain, reserving 2 tablespoons of drippings, crumble and set aside in a large bowl. Cook the onion and garlic in the reserved drippings until onion is tender; drain excess grease and transfer to the bowl with the bacon.
3. To the bacon and onions add pinto beans, northern beans, baked beans, and kidney beans. Stir in ketchup, molasses, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, mustard and black pepper. Mix well and transfer to a 9x12 inch casserole dish.
4. Cover and bake in preheated oven for 1 hour.

The Perfect Sunday Pot Roast

There are as many ways to cook a roast as there are roasts. But, this one is the very BEST I've tried. The thyme and rosemary give it an earthy, fresh, and perfect flavor. The meat is so tender and it could not be easier to make. Pioneer Woman even cooked this recipe when she was invited to Good Morning America- if that isn't a testament to its ease and deliciousness, then I don't know what is.

Picture courtesy Pioneer Woman Cooks

Perfect Sunday Pot Roast
Pioneer Woman Cooks

1 whole (4 To 5 Pounds) Chuck Roast
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
2 whole Onions
6 whole Carrots (Up To 8 Carrots)
Salt To Taste
Pepper To Taste
1 cup Beef Broth
2 cups To 3 Cups Beef Stock
3 sprigs Fresh Thyme, or more to taste
3 sprigs Fresh Rosemary, or more to taste

First and foremost, choose a nicely marbled piece of meat. This will enhance the flavor of your pot roast like nothing else. Generously salt and pepper your chuck roast. Heat a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Then add 2 to 3 tablespoons of olive oil (or you can do a butter/olive oil split). Cut two onions in half and cut 6 to 8 carrots into 2-inch slices (you can peel them, but you don’t have to). When the oil in the pot is very hot (but not smoking), add in the halved onions, browning them on one side and then the other. Remove the onions to a plate. Throw the carrots into the same very hot pan and toss them around a bit until slightly browned, about a minute or so. If needed, add a bit more olive oil to the very hot pan. Place the meat in the pan and sear it for about a minute on all sides until it is nice and brown all over. Remove the roast to a plate. With the burner still on high, use beef broth (about 1 cup) to deglaze the pan, scraping the bottom with a whisk to get all of that wonderful flavor up. When the bottom of the pan is sufficiently deglazed, place the roast back into the pan and add enough beef stock to cover the meat halfway (about 2 to 3 cups). Add in the onion and the carrots, as well as 3 or 4 sprigs of fresh rosemary and about 3 sprigs of fresh thyme.

Put the lid on, then roast in a 275F oven for 3 hours (for a 3-pound roast). For a 4 to 5-pound roast, plan on 4 hours.