I'm tired of losing this recipe so I'm posting Whole Wheat Pancakes!

Do you have food storage that looks like this?

If you don't have a wheat grinder, you can still use these!  A regular blender will work just fine to make these delicious pancakes!

If you have a cheap-o blender, you can soak the milk and berries overnight to reduce the wear and tear on the blender.


1 cup whole wheat berries
1 cup milk
blend for 2 min on high

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add ½ cup milk
blend for 2 min on high

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½ oil or butter
2 eggs
½ tsp salt
1 T honey

Blend 2 more minutes!

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Add 1 T baking powder
mix through 20 sec, sit 5 minutes to bubble up a bit

Cook and EAT!

Curry Chicken Crockpot Dinner

This dish was loosely based off a recipe based off a "Throwdown with Bobby Flay" recipe. I think that it could use a bit more kick, so next time, more spices!

The Ingredients.
serves 6 (or a hungry 4)

1 3/4 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
*I tested the recipe with FROZEN thighs, with skin and bone, it's all I had!*
2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and diced
1 onion, peeled and diced
*Maybe 2 medium or just one REALLY large one. We like garlic!
1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced
*My kids don't like green, so I used red bell peppers*
3 cloves garlic, minced
*You can never have too much garlic...more next time!*
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 cup raisins (or more for a sweet kick)
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1/2 cup chicken broth
*I accidentally used 1 cup but it was fine*
1 cup raw long-grain basmati white rice (to add later)
1 pound fully cooked shrimp (frozen already-shelled)
*We were hungry and skipped this step*

The Directions.

Use a 6-quart slow cooker. Put the chicken into the bottom of your stoneware. Add chopped apple, onion, and bell pepper. Add garlic and all spices. Toss in the raisins and the entire can of diced tomatoes. Stir in the chicken broth. Cover and cook on low for 6 hours, or until chicken is tender, but still intact. Using tongs, remove chicken carefully from the slow cooker and place in a covered dish to keep warm.

Stir in raw white rice. Cover and cook again for about 30 minutes, or until rice is bite-tender.(you may want to stir the rice 1/2 way through to ensure it cooks evenly) Stir in frozen shrimp, and recover cook for about 15 minutes, or until shrimp is heated through.

Serve rice and shrimp mixture on a plate with chicken pieces arranged on top.

The Verdict.
The rice cooks beautifully in the curried sauce. My kids love how raisins plump when slow-cooked. My husband ate all the leftovers, and gave it high praises.

The shrimp is the most expensive component to this dish, and while I adore all things shrimp, it isn't a necessity. Your chicken and rice will be still be delish if you choose to omit this ingredient. But I think we will have to try it next time~

Cranberry Pecan Muffins

Cranberry Pecan Muffins

These muffins are moist and flavorful.  The fresh cranberries are a burst of flavor too!  I made several substitutions with this recipe since I'm trying to 'use it up, use it out, make do, do it out".  

Instead of sour cream, you can use plain yogurt, but I only had strawberry and that worked just fine.  

• Yogurt has less fat than sour cream, so you can as up to 3 Tablespoons of butter to balance it out.  
• Since the yogurt is sweetened,  I used less sugar and added a spoonful of molasass, for a rich, almost carmel-y taste.  
• I added a full teaspoon of baking soda instead of just half to make up for the lack of acidity in the molasass as well.   
• I added 1/2 a tsp of almond extract and a splash of orange extract (since I don't have any zest).  I also threw in a shake of cloves and a generous dose of cinnamon. 
• I forgot to use the sugar/nutmeg topping...but they were so good.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
• 1 cup sugar 
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup sour cream
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh or frozen cranberries, if you cut them in 1/2 you will have a bigger flavor
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans
• 
  
• TOPPING:
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Directions

1. In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla. Fold in sour cream. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg and salt; stir into creamed mixture just until moistened. Fold in cranberries and pecans. Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups two-thirds full. Combine topping ingredients; sprinkle over batter. Bake at 400 degrees F for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks.

Pecan Crusted Chicken-Freezer Meal

Pecan Crusted Chicken

You can make this fresh or prep everything for a quick freezer meal.

 

 

 

Ingredients:

• 1 cup pecans. toasted
• 1/2 cup bread crumbs
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast (opt)tenderloins (about 1 1/2 pounds total)
• 1/4 cup honey mustard OR
• 1 tsp Thyme
• 1 T Garlic
• 1/4 c buttermilk

Directions-Freezer Prep

 1. Toast Pecans if needed. Using a food processor, grind the pecans into fine crumbs. Place in quart size freezer bag with the bread crumbs and basil. Add salt and pepper. 

2. Place Chicken in freezer bag with marinade.   Use EITHER honey mustard  dressing OR Thyme, garlic and buttermilk.

3. Label with cooking directions!

• Preheat oven to 400.

  Pour off excess marinade and discard.   Place breasts one at a time into crumb mixture, pressing into both sides

  Place on sprayed baking sheet, lightly spray tops and bake 12-18 min
  

Directions Fresh:

1. Preheat the oven to 400°. Using a food processor, grind the pecans into fine crumbs. Transfer to a wide, shallow bowl and stir in the bread crumbs and basil. Season with salt and pepper. Rub each chicken breast with honey mustard, then coat with the pecan mixture. Place on a nonstick baking sheet and drizzle with 2 tablespoons olive oil. Bake until the juices run clear, 15 to 20 minutes.
   

Mini Maple (Whole Wheat) Chocolate Chip Pancake Muffins

It's not secret that I'm in love with Bakerella and her latest recipe was just what I needed for a school morning.  Quick and simple with very little cleanup!  But oh, so good!  Here is a teaser for what is to come!

I'm loving the fact that I have been making a homemade breakfast for my kids every morning before school.  We have oatmeal, pancakes, eggs, waffles, muffins....lots of great starts to the day.  I think that it gives them a better start than cereal.  Let's face it, Raisin Bran might be healthy, but kids prefer the sugar!


Plus the homemade breakfast makes me feel better about the days that I wimp out on dinner and don't make anything!  Homemade food once a day is good, right?  Who needs a big dinner anyway?


So here is the recipe, with my notes italicized.  I think I may replace some of the butter with applesauce.  They were a tad greasy for my taste, but the whole wheat worked well.  Just note that chocolate chips sink in the batter.  Not a big deal, but if you wanted to use MINI chocolate chips, it might work well too.





Mini Maple (Whole Wheat) Chocolate Chip Pancake Muffins.

(Bakerella said, "Someone please come up with a shorter name for these."  but I only made it longer!)

1 cup flour (I used whole wheat pastry flour)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar
2/3 cup buttermilk
1 egg
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
2 tablespoons melted butter (maybe a tad much for this recipe? 1/2 applesauce next time)
1/2 cup milk chocolate chips (I only had semi-sweet)

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar in a medium bowl. Sift together with a wire whisk.
• In another bowl, stir buttermilk, egg, maple syrup and melted butter until just combined.
• Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir with a spoon until combined.
• Stir in chocolate chips. Reserve a few chips to sprinkle on the tops.
• Bake for 8-9 minutes.

Makes 24 mini pancake muffins.

Let cool slightly and remove from the pan. You may need to use a toothpick around the edges to separate the pancake muffins from the pan.

Serve immediately with warmed butter if you like or even just with maple syrup.  My kids ate them with no butter or syrup, they had plenty of butter in them and a slight hint of maple syrup.

Amazing Triple Chocolate Banana (Cake) Bread

So this bread is so good that it's almost a cake.  Rich fudginess, moist texture and mild banana flavor.  So good and justifiable because technically, it's healthy...bananas are healthy, right?

Anyway, here you are.

Triple Chocolate Banana Bread
1 cup Sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 Tbsp oil (optional, not needed if you use white flour)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups Whole Wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup dark cocoa powder or Special Dark cocoa
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 tsp bakiing soda
1 1/4 cup mashed rip bananas, about 3
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350. Grease bottom of loaf pan.

Beat eggs, sugar, applesauce and (opt) oil. Add vanilla.  Mix flour, cocoas and baking soda; beat into sugar until just combined, batter will be thick.  Stir in bananas and chocolate chips.

Bake 50-70 min until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.  Cool 10 min in pan, remove and cool completely on wire rack.

Try to wait till it's cool before you eat it!

Sloppy Joe Monday

I haven't ever made sloppy joes so I figure that it's about time.  Plus i have some hamburger and buns that are calling to be used up.

1 lb Ground beef
1 chopped onion
1/2 c chopped green pepper
1 7.5 ounce can tomatoes, cut up
2 TBS Quick Oats
1/4 c water
1.5 tsp chilli pdr
1-2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
Garlic
Salt/Pepper
dash of hot sauce

Cook meat and onion, drain fat off. Stir in undrained tomatoes, etc and bring to boiling.  Reduce heat and simmer 5-10 to reach thicker consistancy. Serve on buns.  (Makes 6 servings)

*******Edit**********
I would used crushed tomatoes instead.  The kids balked at the visible pieces of tomato.  I also added a heaping amount of ketchup and a bit of brown sugar.  The original recipie was very 'chunked up" meat and less sloppy joe.  It's from an old Betty Crocker cookbook so that's probably why it was so meh.  I added more seasoning and next time I might try tomato paste/dash of vinegar/brown sugar instead of ketchup...