Easy Basic Pancakes

Easy Basic Pancakes

from MarthaStewart.com


Ingredients
1 cup all-purpose flour, (spooned and leveled)
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, or vegetable oil
1 large egg
1 tablespoon vegetable oil


Directions
Preheat oven to 200 degrees; have a baking sheet or heatproof platter ready to keep cooked pancakes warm in the oven. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt; set aside.


In a medium bowl, whisk together milk, butter (or oil), and egg. Add dry ingredients to milk mixture; whisk until just moistened (do not overmix; a few small lumps are fine).


Heat a large skillet (nonstick or cast-iron) or griddle over medium. Fold a sheet of paper towel in half, and moisten with oil; carefully rub skillet with oiled paper towel.


For each pancake, spoon 2 to 3 tablespoons of batter onto skillet, using the back of the spoon to spread batter into a round (you should be able to fit 2 to 3 in a large skillet).


Cook until surface of pancakes have some bubbles and a few have burst, 1 to 2 minutes. Flip carefully with a thin spatula, and cook until browned on the underside, 1 to 2 minutes more. Transfer to a baking sheet or platter; cover loosely with aluminum foil, and keep warm in oven. Continue with more oil and remaining batter. (You'll have 12 to 15 pancakes.) Serve warm, with desired toppings.

PANCAKE VARIATIONS


BUTTERMILK: In step 1, add 1/2 teaspoon baking soda to dry mixture. In step 2, replace the milk with low-fat buttermilk.


YOGURT: In step 1, add 1/2 teaspoon baking soda to dry mixture. In step 2, replace the milk with 2/3 cup plain low-fat yogurt and 1/3 cup milk.


WHOLE-GRAIN WITH YOGURT: In step 1, replace the all-purpose flour with 1/2 cup whole-wheat flour, 1/4 cup each cornmeal and wheat germ, and 1/2 teaspoon baking soda. In step 2, replace the milk with 2/3 cup plain low-fat yogurt and 1/3 cup milk.

Best Ever Chewy Brownies

Chewy Brownies

adapted from handletheheat.com

Ingredients

1 1/4 cups (249 grams) granulated sugar
5 tablespoons (71 grams) unsalted butter
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup (75 grams) dutch processed cocoa
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup (63 grams) all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup (128 grams) semisweet chocolate chips

Directions

Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line a 8 by 8-inch pan with foil and spray with nonstick cooking spray.

In a microwave safe bowl, melt the butter. In a large bowl, add the butter and sugar together. Stir until smooth. Whisk in the eggs, and vanilla. Stir in the oil and cocoa powder.

With a rubber spatula, stir in the flour, baking soda, cornstarch, and salt until combined. Do not over stir! Stir in the chocolate chips.

Spread the brownie batter evenly into the prepared pan. Place in the oven and bake for 30-40 minutes, or until the brownies are set and a toothpick inserted into the center has moist crumbs attached. Do not overcook. Let cool completely before cutting and serving.

Brownies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Best Ever Buttermilk Belgian Waffles

Belgian Waffles

from the kitchenwhisperer.net

Ingredients

• 1 cup flour
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup buttermilk (has to be buttermilk)
• 1/3 cup melted butter, unsalted
• 1 egg, room temperature and separated
• 1/4 cup - 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla bean paste

Instructions

1. In a bowl beat the egg white until stiff peaks form. Set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cornstarch, baking 
   powder, baking soda, and salt; mix well.
3. Add the milk, butter, egg yolk, sugar and vanilla and mix 
   just until combined. Do not overmix as you do not want 
   air in this. Some lumps are OK.
4. Gently fold in the egg whites until combined. Do not deflate 
   the egg whites. This is what will give your waffles that 
   light texture.
5. Let the batter sit for 30 minutes.
6. Heat a waffle iron.
7. Follow the directions on your waffle iron to cook the waffles.
8. Serve immediately hold in a 200 degree oven, directly 
   on the rack. I would not recommend stacking them as they 
   are heavy and may get smushed or soggy on the plate.

Notes

To freeze, allow to cool completely and wrap individually in plastic wrap.

To reheat just place frozen in the toaster.

We personally like a sweeter waffle so when I make them I like almost a 1/2

cup however you can certainly add the lesser amount

Our Go To Pancake Recipe

Best Ever Pancakes

Recipe from graceandgoodeats.com

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 1/2 tsps baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 1/4 cups whole milk
• 1 egg
• 3 tbsp butter melted

Instructions

Melt the butter in microwave for 30 seconds, set aside.

1. In a medium bowl, mix together flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder.
2. Stir milk and egg together.
3. Create a well in the center of the flour mixture.
4. Pour the butter and milk mixture into the well.
5. Use a wire whisk to stir everything together until just combined. It will be slightly thick and lumpy, but should be well incorporated.
6. Allow the batter to rest while heating a lightly oiled skillet or griddle to medium high heat.
7. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake.
8. Cook each side for 3-6 minutes, until lightly golden brown

My Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

Chewy Chocolate Chunk Cookies


From SallysBakingAdditiction.com




Ingredients:
2 and 1/4 cups (280g) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 and 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup (1.5 sticks or 170g) unsalted butter, melted
3/4 cup (135g) loosely packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
1 large egg + 1 egg yolk, at room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 cup (180g) semi-sweet chocolate chips or chocolate chunks


Directions:





1. Whisk the flour, baking soda, cornstarch, and salt together in a large bowl. Set aside.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk the melted butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar together until no brown sugar lumps remain. Whisk in the egg, then the egg yolk. Finally, whisk in the vanilla extract. 

3. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix together with a large spoon or rubber spatula. The dough will be very soft, yet thick. Fold in the chocolate chunks. They may not stick to the dough because of the melted butter, but do your best to combine them. 

4. Cover the dough and chill in the refrigerator for 3 hours or up to 3-4 days. Chilling is mandatory. I highly recommend chilling the cookie dough overnight for less spreading.

5. Take the dough out of the refrigerator and allow to slightly soften at room temperature for 10 minutes. 

6. Preheat oven to 325°F (163°C). Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside. 

7. Roll the dough into balls, about 3 Tablespoons of dough each. The dough will be crumbly, but the warmth of your hands will help the balls stay together. Roll the cookie dough balls to be taller rather than wide, to ensure the cookies will bake up to be thick. Place 8 balls of dough onto each cookie sheet. Press a few more chocolate chips/chunks on top of the dough balls for looks, if desired. 

8. Bake the cookies for 11-12 minutes. The cookies will look very soft and underbaked. They will continue to bake on the cookie sheet. Allow to cool on the cookie sheet for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes

Adapted from yourcupofcake.com

Ingredients

Lemon Cake:

1 box white cake mix

1/3 C. oil or melted butter

3 eggs

zest of 2 lemons

1/2 C. fresh lemon juice

1 C. sour cream

1/2 C. milk

    Strawberry Frosting:

1 C. butter

1 (1 oz) pkg. freeze dried strawberries*, crushed and sifted to remove large pieces

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

2 tsp. fresh lemon juice

3-4 C. powdered sugar

*NOTE: You can use strawberry jam or fresh strawberry puree as a replacement but it won't yield the same punch of flavor and color

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line pan with cupcake liners.

2. Sift cake mix into a large bowl to remove any lumps and continue to add the remaining cake ingredients. Stir until smooth.

3. Sill cupcake liners 3/4 full and bake for 15-20 minutes or until an inserted knife comes out clean.

4. Let cool.

5. Strawberry Frosting: Beat butter and crush freeze dried strawberries until smooth. Add vanilla and lemon juice and slowly add in powdered sugar. Scrape the side of the bowl as needed and add powder sugar until it becomes thick enough.

6. Pipe onto cooled cupcakes and top with fresh berries or little straws to really make adorable Strawberry Lemonade cakes!

Honey Brined Pork Chops (aka Pork Chops a la Nathan)

My husband comes up with the most creative things right out of his head. This one was a huge success!


Ingredients:
2 Boneless pork chops, 1 1/2 - 2 inches thick
2 cups water
3 T salt
1/3 cup honey
1 medium onion halved and sliced
2 cloves of garlic
1/2 tsp thyme
1 T Butter
1 T Canola Oil

Brine:
In a small saucepan combine the water, honey and salt.

Heat to a boil until salt and honey is dissolved. Be careful to not let it boil over.  Take it off of the heat and add 5-6 ice cubes to quickly cool it down and put it to the side.

Take your boneless pork chops and using a meat hammer thingy pound it to tenderize on both sides.

Combine meat and cold brine in a large ziplock bag and put it in the fridge for 2-4 hours.

In a cast iron skillet, put oil and 1 T butter. Once hot, add the pork chops and sear both sides (do not cook through). Once both sides are browned and set aside.

In the same cast iron, add 1 T butter with onion, garlic and thyme. Once onion has reduced slightly, add a pinch of salt and continue cooking until onion has begun to caramelize. Add meat and cover with onion mixture. Place in preheated 350 degree onion for 10 minutes or until pork reads 140 degrees on a thermometer. Let the chops rest 10-15 minutes before serving.