Fluffy Blender Whole Wheat Pancakes

I wanted to try using my blender to make whole wheat pancakes, but I was disappointed with how runny the batter was. And since my stove top heating element is tilted, a runny batter was no bueno! So, I added things until it was thicker and the result was fluffy pancakes that helped my family get some of their whole grains for the day. Since it's 1/2 whole wheat and 1/2 white flour, this is a great way to introduce your family to whole wheat as well as a great way to use up your wheat in your food storage- no grinder needed! This recipe does require soaking the wheat overnight, so be sure to plan ahead!

Fluffy Blender Whole Wheat Pancakes

3/4 cup wheat
1 cup milk
1 Tbl honey
3 eggs, separated
3/4 cup flour
1 Tbl baking powder
1-1/2 tsp salt

In a bowl, cover wheat with water and refrigerate over night. In the morning, drain and blend softened wheat in a blender with milk for 4 minutes. Blend in honey. Add egg yolks and blend for 2 minutes. Add egg whites and bend another 2 minutes. Dump mixture into a bowl and add the flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix well. Cook on a hot griddle until golden brown on each side.

Baked Acorn Squash

I got an acorn squash from a vegetable co-op I participate in, and I wasn't sure what to do with it since I didn't grow up eating squash and we're not huge fans at our house now. I turned to Tasty Kitchen and was not disappointed. While it still tasted like squash, it was 10x better- go figure! I think anything is better with the 3 big B's: butter, brown sugar and bacon! :)

Baked Acorn Squash

• 1 whole Acorn Squash
• 2 Tablespoons Butter
• ¼ cups Brown Sugar
• 1 dash Salt
• 1 dash Cayenne Pepper
• 2 slices Bacon (cooked)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Cut the squash in half and scoop the seeds and pulp out with a large spoon. Place the two halves of the squash open-side down in a baking dish. Add about a quarter inch of water to the pan. Your goal is to steam the squash.

Bake the squash for 30 minutes.

Remove the partially cooked squash from the oven and drain the water. Flip the halves over so that the open side is now on the top.

To each squash add the butter (cold is fine, it will melt), brown sugar, salt and cayenne pepper. Crumble the bacon and sprinkle it over the top.

Bake the squash for an additional 30 minutes. Serve warm.

Very Best Egg Rolls

I ended up with a lot of cabbage in my refrigerator and decided to make something Chinese. I found this recipe on Recipe Zaar and it had good ratings so I gave it a whirl. They were delicious and are very welcome in my small, but growing, collection of Chinese recipes. I served them with the sweet and sour sauce from My Kitchen Cafe's Sweet and Sour Chicken, some brown rice cooked in chicken broth and some veggies. To make these a little more economical (they're already pretty cheap), you could use either the whole head of Napa cabbage or the whole head of green cabbage. Next time (because there will be a next time!) I'm thinking I'll add some shredded zucchini and maybe some finely diced mushrooms. But they were great the way I made them, too!

Very Best Egg Rolls

2, 12 oz. packages frozen spring roll wrappers (I used 1 package of the large square wraps found in the produce section, usually by the Chinese vegetables)
1/2 pound pork, finely diced (I just used some pork chops)
1/2 head Napa cabbage, finely chopped
1/2 head green cabbage, finely chopped
1 large carrot, grated
2-3 green onions, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced (I used my garlic press)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 egg, beaten (for wrapping)

Defrost spring roll wraps as directed on package.

Mix cabbages, carrot, garlic, green onion, salt, and sugar in a large bowl. Add pork and soy sauce; mix well.

Lay wrap in front of you so it looks like a diamond. Place 2-3 tablespoons pork filling in center (so it is like a log going from right point to left point). Fold bottom point up over filling and roll once. Fold in right and left points. Brush beaten egg on top point. Finish rolling wrap. Repeat with remaining filling.

Heat 2-3 inches oil in large frying pan to 350*F (I used canola oil). Place a few egg rolls in pan and cook for 2-3 minutes on each side- be careful not to crowd the pan so they rolls brown nicely. Drain on paper towels and serve with your favorite sweet and sour sauce.

Chicken and Dumplings

This is another recipe that I got from my mom. It is so yummy and it's pretty healthy, too! The dumplings are really easy to make and have a great texture- just be sure to not over mix the batter! The dumplings also help turn the broth into more of a "gravy" so it ends up resembling a stew. You can use whatever vegetables you have on hand to make this even more economical, but I used frozen peas and then cut up fresh carrots.

Chicken and Dumplings

Soup:
32 oz. chicken broth (I used reconstituted boullion)
1-1/2 lbs. chicken (I used chicken breast; you could use less, just increase the veggies)
1/2 to 1 whole onion, diced
5-6 carrots, peeled and diced
2 cups frozen peas
1 bay leaf

Dumplings:
2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
4 Tbsp chopped parsley (I used 4 tsp dried parsley)
3 tsp baking powder
1 cup milk (I used 1/4 cup powdered milk and 1 cup water)
4 Tbsp oil

Heat chicken broth with an equal amount of water on medium/medium-high heat (Be sure to use a tall sauce pan, or a big pot).

Cut up chicken into bite-sized pieces, and add it to the broth and water. Add the onion, carrots, peas and bay leaf (remember you can use whatever veggies you want).

While the chicken soup is simmering, prepare the dumplings: Combine the dumpling ingredients and stir until just combined. If you over mix, the dumplings will be dense and tough.

Drop the dough in 12-16 spoonfuls onto chicken stew. They’ll probably sink a little, but no worries. Just spread them around the pot. Put lid on pot and DO NOT REMOVE for 15 minutes. Stir to evenly distribute, remove the bay leaf, and serve.

Streusel Coffee Cake

I made this for a book club meeting, and it was delicious. It reminded me of the coffee cakes I ate when I was a kid and visiting my dad. (While the visitations weren't always memorable, I definitely remember that cake and have craved it for a long time!) If you're not big on coffee... don't worry, neither am I! This cake is meant to be baked and eaten along with coffee and is not made with coffee. But I think it tastes great on it's own! The streusel topping sinks a little bit into the cake batter creating a marbelized effect with the result being delicious! This is great served as a breakfast or as a dessert.

Streusel Coffee Cake

adapted from About.com: Southern Food

Topping:

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup butter, room temperature

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Cake:

1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2-1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 egg, beaten

3/4 cup sugar

1/3 cup oil
1/2 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

To prepare topping: In amall mixing bowl, combine topping ingredients. Blend with fork until crumbly. Set aside.

For cake: Combine 1-1/2 cups flour with baking powder and salt in a bowl. In a medium bowl, beat together egg, sugar and oil. Add milk and vanilla. Sitr in flour mixture and mix well.

Pour batter into a greased and flour 8-inch square or 9-inch layer cake pan. Sprinkle topping crumb mixture evenly over batter. Bake at 375*F for 25 to 30 minutes, or until cake tests done. Partially cook in pan on wire reack. Cut coffee cake into square with still warm.

Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

This is a recipe I put together after looking hard for a Chicken and Wild Rice Soup recipe, and not being satisfied with the results. The wild rice I bought was marked up quite a bit, but if you live in a larger city than Rexburg, Idaho, you can probably find it cheaper than I did. If not, you can use regular white rice, but I would wait to add it until around the last hour of cooking in the crockpot. I am sure you could also use brown rice, but I am still trying to master that topic so I do not have any advice right now. I used rosemary and bay leaf as my seasonings (besides salt and pepper), but most of the recipes I found called for sage. I did not have sage, but if you would prefer it, just substitute it for the rosemary. You can also leave the bay leaf out, but I prefer it in my soups. This goes great with a side salad and rolls.

Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

8 cups chicken broth (I used reconstituted chicken boullion)

2 cups shredded chicken

2/3 cup uncooked wild rice

1/2 medium onion, chopped (I used 2 Tbl chopped dehydrated onion)

1 cup chopped celery

1 cup chopped carrots

1 tsp rosemary (or you could use sage)

1 large bay leaf or 2 small ones

salt and pepper, to taste

Add all the ingredients into a crockpot and cook on high for 4-6 hours, or low 8-10 hours.

You could probably also use the stove top to cook this. Just make sure the rice is cooked and the vegetables are tender before you serve it- I'm just not sure how long it would take...

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

These cookies came from an old ward cookbook with the recipe submitted by Sara Cook. The original title is Mrs. Field's Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chip Cookies and had an oatmeal variation, which I used, and is what I've posted below. We loved these cookies! In fact, I had to freeze half of them so I wouldn't spoil my diet! And the good news is they freeze well. I just pull a couple out, throw them in a ziploc baggie and then toss the bag into my husband's lunch and they're perfectly thawed by the time he eats! We will definitely make these again! I did change the full cup of butter to 1/2 cup butter and 1/2 cup shortening, and I changed the oven temperature as well to keep the cookies soft. And they turned out a lot better that way than the previous time I made these. But I have adapted the recipe to include how I made the delectable cookies.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Cream together:

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup shortening
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla

Then add:

1-3/4 cups flour
2-1/4 cups oatmeal
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt (if you used salted butter, only use 1/2 tsp salt)
3 cups chocolate chips (if you use an electric mixer, I'd suggest stirring these in by hand so the chips stay intact)

Bake at 375*F for 8 to 10 minutes. (my oven took 8.5 minutes)