Sourdough pancakes

SOURDOUGH PANCAKES

 1c (275g) whole milk

½c (110g) sourdough starter discard

1-1/4c (160g) flour

Combine in a bowl big enough for pre-dough to rise. Cover with plastic wrap and leave on counter overnight.

In morning add:

2 beaten eggs

2 Tbs. sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

2 Tbs melted and cooled butter

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Cook on griddle set to about 300-325°.

Good grief it's been awhile!

Well I guess that's what happens when school's in session!  So, how about a run down.

The holidays found us enjoying bacon!!  Our Christmas dinner theme was bacon this year.  It was pretty incredible and I can't remember how many pounds of bacon we ended up going through!  Everything (except our beverages) had bacon in it!  Christmas was a very low-key and different with Tiana being out of the country.  There was no one to hand out the few presents we had to distribute between us! The New Year brought huge changes for us.  Starting the 13th of January I've been on sabbatical from Starbucks.  After a minimum of 10 years of service, they allow 1 year off to do whatever -- education, travel, volunteering -- while providing benefits at the rate I was paying for them, my free pound of coffee per week and my discount.  It's been awesome to not work since I also started nursing school this January!  I cannot believe that the 1st of 6 quarters is already finished and behind me!  There were times this quarter that I really wondered what in the world I had decided to do ... and then I went to clinicals.  While I know there was SOOOO much more I could have done in clinicals, it really just inspired and encouraged me that I am on the right track!  What an incredibly powerful experience it was!

One of the things that we've talked about in class is "What is your self-care?"  Well, you all know that I love to bake!  So, I did do a lot of baking during the year.  It doesn't take but maybe an hour and so I would do that and share with my classmates!  They often begged me to please do self-care on the weekends! :-D Since being on spring break I've had some fun with baking, too!  Today I had Ivona over for her birthday and I included 3 of our friends and their kids.  I made these DELICIOUS scones and these awesome mini quiches.  I have to say, the quiche says it makes 10 muffins, but I got about 22 out of this recipe!!  I can't imagine the size of muffins those must have been! So my freezer is stocked with plenty for during the next school quarter!  Oh, and I used green chilies in mine!  So yummy!

Today is very grey and wet, so now that the house is quiet, I think a good book might be in order.  But maybe I should do a chapter of math first!

Good to see you again!

More Yumminess!!!

We started the day with these Buttermilk Pumpkin Pancakes.  They were some of the best pumpkin pancakes ever and a great way to use up the rest of the can from a cake I made earlier in the week.  For dinner I tried this new recipe!  WOW!!!
Coffee-Crusted Pork Loin
2 Tbs. freshly ground fine-grind coffee or instant espresso powder
2 Tbs. packed light brown sugar
3 tsp. kosher salt, divided
2 tsp. coarse ground pepper
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 boneless pork loin roast (3-3½ lb.)
8 large carrots, cut into 3" pieces
6 large garlic cloves, peeled
1 large red onion, cut into 8 wedges
2 Tbs. olive oil
2 Tbs. adobo sauce (from can of chipotle chiles)
Heat oven to 425º.  In small bowl, mix coffee brown sugar, 2 tsp. of the salt, the pepper and garlic powder.  Rub coffee mixture on all sides of pork, coating completely.  Wrap tightly in plastic wrap; let stand at least 10 minutes or refrigerate up to 2 hours to absorb the flavors.
Spray shallow roasting pan or broiler pan with cooking spray.  Place pork, fat side up, in pan.  In medium bowl, toss carrots, garlic and onion with oil.  Sprinkle with remaining 1 tsp. salt.  Arrange vegetables around pork in pan.
Roast 40-50 minutes (OR MORE!!) or until meat thermometer inserted into center of pork reads 145º.  Place pork on serving platter.  Cover with foil and let stand 5 minutes before slicing.  Stir adobo sauce into pan drippings, tossing with roasted vegetables.  Spoon vegetables and sauce onto platter around pork.

I did not use the adobo sauce and it was still sooo good!!  I added brussel sprouts to the mix for my dad!  Definitely pull the pork at 145º and let it sit for 5 minutes!  It will otherwise be a bit dry.

We love pancakes!

It is fall and that means spice. It is fall and that means simple dinners. So tonight we had breakfast! Who doesn't love breakfast for dinner?!?! I LOVE to try new recipes and tonight was no exception. I searched for -- and found! -- a spice pancake recipe. I didn't really want pumpkin, but I did want the spice. What I found, I LOVED! I made only half of the recipe since I figured I might be the only one eating them. In doing so, I used 2 egg whites, but only one yolk. It seemed to work just fine! I would contemplate even putting just a bit of whole wheat flour into these! I found this at MyRecipes.com
Spice Pancakes

• 3 large eggs, separated
• 1 3/4 cups buttermilk
• About 3 tablespoons butter or margarine, at room temperature
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 teaspoons dark molasses
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1. In a deep bowl with mixer on high speed, whip egg whites until they hold distinct moist peaks.
2. In another large bowl (with unwashed beaters), beat egg yolks, buttermilk, 3 tablespoons butter, sugar, and molasses until blended. Add flour, ginger, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and cloves. Beat until smooth.
3. Add whipped whites to batter; fold gently to blend.
4. On a buttered nonstick griddle or 12-inch nonstick frying pan over medium-high heat, pour batter in 1/4-cup portions, spacing so pancakes don't touch. Cook until tops are full of bubbles, 2 to 3 minutes. Turn over and cook until bottoms are golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Repeat to cook remaining batter. As pancakes are cooked, stack on plates, or arrange slightly overlapping on baking sheets and keep warm in a 150° oven.

Kent is kind of a plain ol' basic buttermilk pancake sort of guy, so I found this recipe. The cakes were a bit thin, but extremely tender and delicious!! Definitely a keeper recipe! I found it here. Emily and Jonathan were both fans of these, too!!

Buttermilk Pancakes

1½ cups (350ml) buttermilk
1 egg
3 Tablespoons (50g) melted butter - use microwave
2 Teaspoons (10ml) Vanilla (add 1 more for kids!)
1 cup (125g) white flour
3 Tbsp (40g) sugar
½ tsp (3g) baking soda (make sure it's not 3 years old... ;-)
½ tsp (2g) baking powder
½ tsp (4g) salt

Put the wet and dry ingredients into separate bowls. Whisk each one lightly. Add roughly half of the dry mix into the wet and whisk smooth, not too long. Add the remainder of the dry mix and barely whisk together. Make sure all of the flour is mixed in. You don't want to beat this too much as it strengthens the gluten in the flour and makes the pancakes tougher. Don't worry, you can't screw this up; just don't put it in an electric mixer and let it run forever.... If possible, let the batter rest for a few minutes to allow the baking soda and baking powder to perform their magic. This will make for airier pancakes.

NOTE: The batter should be fairly thick, not runny. The perfect batter should pour onto the fry pan and not move much; it should only require a few taps of the measuring cup to spread it out. A few UK readers have commented that they get runny batters and this is most likely due to thin buttermilk. If this happens don't worry, just add a bit more flour, a few tablespoons at a time until it thickens up.

This recipe will make about 8 pancakes and can be easily doubled.

The Foods We Love

As many of you know, I've spent a lot of time and energy losing weight over the last year+ and part of the fun of that is working with new recipes and with old and trying to make them a bit healthier, if not simply leaner. And, since I really don't have anything else to post right now, how about a couple of our favorites (one being brand-new tonight!!) For the pancake option, I'll post both the "old" and the "new" versions! Guten Appetit!

Swedish Oatmeal Pancakes
4 c. rolled oats OR 4 c. rolled oats
1 c. flour OR 1/2 c. flour + 1/2 c. whole wheat flour
1/4 c. sugar OR 2 Tbs. sugar
2 tsp. baking powder OR 2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. baking soda OR 2 tsp. baking soda
pinch of salt OR pinch of salt
4 c. buttermilk OR 4 c. buttermilk (or 4 c. skim milk+ 4 Tbs.
vinegar -- let stand 15 minutes)
4 eggs OR 1 egg + 3/4 c. liquid egg substitute
1/2 c. vegetable oil OR 2 Tbs. oil + 2 Tbs. applesauce
2 tsp. vanilla OR 2 tsp. vanilla

Mix dry ingredients together. Blend in liquid ingredients and mix well. Let batter stand 30-40 minutes, or best let stand overnight in fridge. Batter will be VERY thick. Cook on griddle.
Nutrition Facts


Fiery Flank Steak with Tomato Jam

Jam:
6 large tomatoes, cored and cut in half crosswise (about 4 pounds)
1/3 c. sugar
1/3 c. grated onion
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 jalapeño peppers, minced
1/4 c. chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 tsp. salt
Steak:
1 Tbs. grated lime rind
1/3 c. fresh lime juice
2 tsp. olive oil
2 jalapeño peppers, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 pounds flank steak, trimmed
1/2 tsp. salt

To prepare jam: (can be prepared 2 days ahead, bring to room temp. before serving)
Grate tomatoes, flesh side down, over a large bowl to form 5-1/2 c. pulp; discard skins. Combine pulp, sugar, onion, 3 garlic cloves, and 2 jalapeños in a medium saucepan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer until reduced to 2-1/4 c. (about 20 minutes), stirring occasionally. Cool to room temperature. Stir in cilantro, 3 Tbs. lime juice and 1/4 tsp. salt.

To prepare steak:
Combine rind, 1/3 c. juice, oil, 2 jalapeños, and 2 garlic cloves in a large zip-top plastic bag. Add steak; seal. Marinate in refrigerator 8 hours or overnight, turning bag occasionally.
Prepare grill.
Remove steak from bag; discard marinade. Sprinkle both sides of steak evenly with 1/2 tsp. salt. Place steak on a grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 3 minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness. Let stand 5 minutes. Cut steak diagonally across the grain into thin slices. Serve with jam. Garnish with lemon slices, if desired. Serves 8 (3 oz. meat with 1/4 c. jam)

Cal: 258, fat: 8.8g, protein: 26.3g, carb.:19.3, fiber: 3.1g

NOTE! I completely seeded the jalapeños and it wasn't "fiery" at all! I would DEFINITELY leave some seeds next time so that it has a bit more heat!