Happy Friday, all!
Friday, September 28, 2012
Recipe Fail
If you've noticed, we haven't had a whole lot of posts lately. Sorry about that. I have been back at work here, testing some new recipes, adapting some others, and have had what Bubba calls "recipe fail." After fail. After fail. After fail. So I promise, I've got lots of goodies up my sleeve, just can't seem to get them from the recipe to a plate.
Happy Friday, all!
Happy Friday, all!
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
Gluten Free Dutch Apple Pancake Recipe
When you want something easy, fast and WARM on a chilly morning...
Bubba and I were in Gatlinburg, TN, one time, and we had the BEST Dutch apple pancake I'd ever eaten. It was so big, the two of us shared it. It was light and fluffy and ooooooh soooooo good! Thankfully, when I asked for the recipe, the server was gracious enough to provide it for me.
Then, in a moment of pure stupidity, it was recycled. I know.
I have had such a taste for this lately. A craving. That feeling of "I would chew through drywall to get one". So I did some web searching, and found this recipe for Apple Puff Pancake. It seemed pretty familiar, and of course, I made my own little tweaks.
SPH Dutch Apple Pancake
inspired by Apple Puff Pancake on allrecipes.com
3 T. butter
2 medium Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, cut into roughly 1/4" slices
1/4 c. brown sugar
4 eggs
1 1/2 c. milk
2 t. vanilla extract
1 c. Pamela's Baking and Pancake Mix
1/4 c. white sugar
1/2 t. cinnamon
Put butter into a 9x9 baking pan. Set it in the oven, and turn the oven on to 425 to preheat.
While butter is melting and oven is preheating, whisk together pancake mix, sugar and cinnamon. In a separate bowl, beat together eggs, milk and vanilla. Pour into dry mixture, and whisk until well combined and smooth.
Remove pan from oven when butter has fully melted. Spread the butter around the pan CAREFULLY with a brush or paper towel, then lay apple slices in the butter. I put mine in the pan in a pattern. They will float to the top during baking, and it looks nice when your finished product comes out of the oven. Sprinkle with brown sugar. Pour batter over top of the apples and sugar. Bake for about 35 minutes, or til tester comes out clean when inserted in center. Serve warm with powdered sugar, or as Princess suggests, whipped cream.
This looks like a dense cake, but it is really just so light and fluffy. You'll be really surprised. Also, it's not too sweet, so if you have someone in your house who prefers thinks on the more plain Jane side, this will suit them just fine.
When I made these, I did not use the cinnamon. We have people in my house who can't eat it. However, I LOOOOOOVE it, so if I made this just for me, I would throw it in. No cinnamon in your house? Substitute nutmeg (or do half and half cinnamon and nutmeg), apple pie spice, or even pumpkin pie spice. No apples in the house? Substitute a can of apple pie filling, and omit the brown sugar. Or use pears or peaches. And canned pears or peaches (drained please) would work equally as well. Dress this up for a brunch by making it in a deep dish pie pan or round cake pan, and slice into wedges before serving. Or for a family gathering, double the recipe and bake it in a 9x13 pan. Remember to add extra baking time for this, and test the center for doneness.
Fill your home with warm apple-y goodness, and enjoy!
Bubba and I were in Gatlinburg, TN, one time, and we had the BEST Dutch apple pancake I'd ever eaten. It was so big, the two of us shared it. It was light and fluffy and ooooooh soooooo good! Thankfully, when I asked for the recipe, the server was gracious enough to provide it for me.
Then, in a moment of pure stupidity, it was recycled. I know.
I have had such a taste for this lately. A craving. That feeling of "I would chew through drywall to get one". So I did some web searching, and found this recipe for Apple Puff Pancake. It seemed pretty familiar, and of course, I made my own little tweaks.
SPH Dutch Apple Pancake
inspired by Apple Puff Pancake on allrecipes.com
3 T. butter
2 medium Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, cut into roughly 1/4" slices
1/4 c. brown sugar
4 eggs
1 1/2 c. milk
2 t. vanilla extract
1 c. Pamela's Baking and Pancake Mix
1/4 c. white sugar
1/2 t. cinnamon
Put butter into a 9x9 baking pan. Set it in the oven, and turn the oven on to 425 to preheat.
While butter is melting and oven is preheating, whisk together pancake mix, sugar and cinnamon. In a separate bowl, beat together eggs, milk and vanilla. Pour into dry mixture, and whisk until well combined and smooth.
Remove pan from oven when butter has fully melted. Spread the butter around the pan CAREFULLY with a brush or paper towel, then lay apple slices in the butter. I put mine in the pan in a pattern. They will float to the top during baking, and it looks nice when your finished product comes out of the oven. Sprinkle with brown sugar. Pour batter over top of the apples and sugar. Bake for about 35 minutes, or til tester comes out clean when inserted in center. Serve warm with powdered sugar, or as Princess suggests, whipped cream.
This looks like a dense cake, but it is really just so light and fluffy. You'll be really surprised. Also, it's not too sweet, so if you have someone in your house who prefers thinks on the more plain Jane side, this will suit them just fine.
When I made these, I did not use the cinnamon. We have people in my house who can't eat it. However, I LOOOOOOVE it, so if I made this just for me, I would throw it in. No cinnamon in your house? Substitute nutmeg (or do half and half cinnamon and nutmeg), apple pie spice, or even pumpkin pie spice. No apples in the house? Substitute a can of apple pie filling, and omit the brown sugar. Or use pears or peaches. And canned pears or peaches (drained please) would work equally as well. Dress this up for a brunch by making it in a deep dish pie pan or round cake pan, and slice into wedges before serving. Or for a family gathering, double the recipe and bake it in a 9x13 pan. Remember to add extra baking time for this, and test the center for doneness.
Fill your home with warm apple-y goodness, and enjoy!
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
Gluten Free Spicy Black Bean Fritters Recipe
This recipe was originally a question from a friend that turned into an amazing lunch...
So this morning one of my dear friends sent me a message on Facebook asking how to make this recipe for Crispy Black Bean Fritters gluten free. Here's what I came up with...
SPH Gluten Free Spicy Black Bean Fritters
inspired by a recipe on Mia's Domain
1 1/2 c. Pamela's Baking Mix
1/2 c. cornmeal
2 T. dried minced onion
1 T. garlic powder
1 T. chili powder
Salt and/or pepper to taste
2 eggs, well beaten
1 can (15 oz.) black beans, well rinsed and drained
1 can (15 oz.) fire roasted diced tomatoes, drained
1 roasted red bell pepper (from a jar), patted dry with a paper towel and diced pretty small
A good size frying pan and enough oil to fill it up about 1"
2 soup spoons
In a large mixing bowl, combine baking mix, cornmeal, onion, garlic powder and chili powder. Add eggs and stir until thoroughly combined. Stir in beans, tomatoes and bell pepper pieces.
Heat oil in pan til a small drop of batter sizzles and start to brown. Using one soup spoon, scoop some of the batter mixture from the mixing bowl. Slide the batter into the hot oil with the other spoon. Flatten the batter with a spatula. Repeat. In my pan, I was able to fit 4 fritters. Do not overcrowd your pan. The oil needs to be able to maintain a consistent temperature, and you need to be able to get a spatula in here and flip these babies. So let them fry away for 2 minutes, then flip them. They should be a nice even brown. Cook side B for about 2 minutes, too. Remove from oil, and place on a plate or platter that's been covered with paper towels or a cut-up brown paper grocery sack. Continue this procedure until all the batter has been used. Sprinkle with more salt if desired, and serve hot. And if you're interested, the original recipe has a creamy sauce that goes with the fritters. None of the food critics in my house felt they needed a sauce. The food critics in your house might like the sauce.
So let me add all the fun little side notes. When I made these for lunch today, I made them with bacon. I cooked the bacon first, drained off all but a tablespoon or two of the grease, then added enough olive oil to actually deep fry the fritters. The original recipe used fresh tomatoes, onion, garlic, and bell pepper. Since I had no fresh tomatoes or pepper in the house, the stuff on the pantry shelf had to do. Also, I find that the more wet stuff you add to a fritter (and fresh chopped vegies have a LOT of water in them), the more likely your fritters will fall apart when they meet the hot oil. Call me picky, but I like my fritters whole. So, I used dried minced onion and also garlic powder. I patted my bell pepper from a jar dry before dicing it, and drained my tomatoes really well. While I was cooking up the bacon, I let the beans and tomatoes continue to drain and dry up a bit in the colander in the sink.
Here's a little water saving tip, too - when you rinse your beans and tomatoes, use the water to rinse the cans they came in first, then dump that water over top of the beans and tomatoes. And shut the water off between filling the cans. Then, recycle the cans. And their lids. Every little bit helps.
These are very filling and delicious! A great way to have something fast, hot and yummy in a hurry using what you have on hand in your pantry - perfect for a weeknight vegetarian meal or appetizers for a party. Enjoy!
So this morning one of my dear friends sent me a message on Facebook asking how to make this recipe for Crispy Black Bean Fritters gluten free. Here's what I came up with...
SPH Gluten Free Spicy Black Bean Fritters
inspired by a recipe on Mia's Domain
1 1/2 c. Pamela's Baking Mix
1/2 c. cornmeal
2 T. dried minced onion
1 T. garlic powder
1 T. chili powder
Salt and/or pepper to taste
2 eggs, well beaten
1 can (15 oz.) black beans, well rinsed and drained
1 can (15 oz.) fire roasted diced tomatoes, drained
1 roasted red bell pepper (from a jar), patted dry with a paper towel and diced pretty small
A good size frying pan and enough oil to fill it up about 1"
2 soup spoons
In a large mixing bowl, combine baking mix, cornmeal, onion, garlic powder and chili powder. Add eggs and stir until thoroughly combined. Stir in beans, tomatoes and bell pepper pieces.
Heat oil in pan til a small drop of batter sizzles and start to brown. Using one soup spoon, scoop some of the batter mixture from the mixing bowl. Slide the batter into the hot oil with the other spoon. Flatten the batter with a spatula. Repeat. In my pan, I was able to fit 4 fritters. Do not overcrowd your pan. The oil needs to be able to maintain a consistent temperature, and you need to be able to get a spatula in here and flip these babies. So let them fry away for 2 minutes, then flip them. They should be a nice even brown. Cook side B for about 2 minutes, too. Remove from oil, and place on a plate or platter that's been covered with paper towels or a cut-up brown paper grocery sack. Continue this procedure until all the batter has been used. Sprinkle with more salt if desired, and serve hot. And if you're interested, the original recipe has a creamy sauce that goes with the fritters. None of the food critics in my house felt they needed a sauce. The food critics in your house might like the sauce.
So let me add all the fun little side notes. When I made these for lunch today, I made them with bacon. I cooked the bacon first, drained off all but a tablespoon or two of the grease, then added enough olive oil to actually deep fry the fritters. The original recipe used fresh tomatoes, onion, garlic, and bell pepper. Since I had no fresh tomatoes or pepper in the house, the stuff on the pantry shelf had to do. Also, I find that the more wet stuff you add to a fritter (and fresh chopped vegies have a LOT of water in them), the more likely your fritters will fall apart when they meet the hot oil. Call me picky, but I like my fritters whole. So, I used dried minced onion and also garlic powder. I patted my bell pepper from a jar dry before dicing it, and drained my tomatoes really well. While I was cooking up the bacon, I let the beans and tomatoes continue to drain and dry up a bit in the colander in the sink.
Here's a little water saving tip, too - when you rinse your beans and tomatoes, use the water to rinse the cans they came in first, then dump that water over top of the beans and tomatoes. And shut the water off between filling the cans. Then, recycle the cans. And their lids. Every little bit helps.
These are very filling and delicious! A great way to have something fast, hot and yummy in a hurry using what you have on hand in your pantry - perfect for a weeknight vegetarian meal or appetizers for a party. Enjoy!
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
Fifteen Great Home School Ideas for Fall
It's that time of year when there's a nip in the air in the morning, and soon the leaves will begin their annual art show. Here are some great ideas to do with your kids!
We always loved September and October when the kids were smaller. The weather was still fairly warm and sunny, and the local park was usually empty during the weekdays. Then, as the leaves began to change and drop, we still found ways to embrace Nature's bounty. These were some of our favorites:
We always loved September and October when the kids were smaller. The weather was still fairly warm and sunny, and the local park was usually empty during the weekdays. Then, as the leaves began to change and drop, we still found ways to embrace Nature's bounty. These were some of our favorites:
- Collect the leaves. Even if you do nothing else with them beyond walking around and picking them up, you are giving your kids a chance at some gross motor and fine motor skill use. Gross motor is using big muscles, like your legs. Fine motor is small muscles, like your fingers.
- Press those leaves. I still find leaves from who knows how long ago in our big books and dictionaries.
- Use the leaves to make rubbings. Just place a piece of paper over the leaves, then rub with a crayon. Also fun to do on the bark of the tree. Use compare/contrast words like rough and smooth.
- Make leaf "stencils" onto dark construction paper with chalk. I found packages of black construction paper for a pretty reasonable price at my local teacher's store. Place your leaf on your dark paper, then rub over the whole paper with white or light colored chalk. Lift the leaf, and admire your stencil. Try this with other flat objects, too.
- Measure your leaves, and the trees they came from. Use a ruler for the leaves, and a string and yardstick for the tree trunk. See if you can guess how tall each tree is using a child as a unit of measuring. For example, "I think this tree is 4 Bubbas tall" or "Wow! That's a big one! I'll bet it's 4 Dads high!"
- Make leaf suncatchers. Cut a large rectangle from an old brown paper grocery bag, by cutting down one long edge, then removing the bottom. Cut 2 pieces of waxed paper big enough to cover each leaf and leave a little around the edges for a border. On your ironing board, lay the brown paper flat, then set one piece of waxed paper on the brown paper. Set your pressed leaf on the waxed paper, top with the other sheet of waxed paper, and fold the brown paper over the top of all, like a big leaf sandwich. Press with a hot iron for about 30 seconds, just to melt everything together. Allow to cool for about a minute, then carefully, peel back the brown paper. You can trim the edges using fun scissors, like scalloped or pinking shears. You can find these scissors for a very reasonable price in the scrapbooking section of your local craft store. Want to make it even more fun? Add crayon shavings over the leaf. Use a plastic knife and CAREFULLY scrape down the side of a crayon. Sprinkle the little bits on the leaf and/or empty waxed paper space. Melt as described above.
- Nature hikes - and LOTS of them! Here's your chance to take advantage of the beautiful weather, get some good exercise, fresh air and sunshine, and have a blast! Choose parks in your area that you usually don't visit. State parks are particularly fun, because they usually encompass very specific ecosystems. What a great opportunity to discuss those ecosystems, food chains, plant and tree identification, and bird/animal identification. And speaking of birds...
- Find out who migrates through your area, and put out bird feeders. Better yet, make some of your own with pine cones, peanut butter and bird seed. Grab a bird identification book, and learn TOGETHER with your kids how to use it. Learn some big vocabulary like migrate, flyway, adaptation, transient and resident, and many many more. Keep a bird journal to practice writing skills and observation skills.
- Plan your garden for next year, and lay it out. What a great math activity - measuring, calculating square feet for planting and cubic feet for filling the space with soil. And while you're at it...
- Start a Lasagna Garden bed. Read Lasagna Gardening by Patricia Lanza WITH your kids, even if it's just looking at the diagrams and photos and reading the captions. Save your newspapers (and ask the neighbors to save theirs, too, if you need more), top them with lawn clippings and fallen leaves, and let them rot over the winter to create the garden space you planned together in number 6.
- And start a compost pile. Fill it with fallen leaves and those last minute lawn clippings to get a head start on some great plant food for next spring and summer.
- Rake leaves. Good exercise, fresh air and sunshine, and of course the best part - JUMPING INTO THE GREAT BIG PILES! Have leaf fights - throwing leaves back and forth at each other. Build leaf forts, or even a maze. Better yet, volunteer to rake for elderly and shut in folks you know who may not be able to do this for themselves.
- Star gaze. On a clear night, find some dark space, and just admire God's handiwork in the heavens. Learn the constellations TOGETHER. Read the Greek myths that correspond to each of those constellations. Find out how to tell which way is north, using just the stars. See if you can find the constellation for your horoscope sign. Then, learn about stars and all things cosmic.
- Find an apple orchard or pumpkin patch. Learn about why apples and pumpkins are so nutritious, then make some yummy healthy treats from the items you bring home. This is also a great opportunity to discuss and practice kitchen safety, and by all means, find a way to let the little ones help safely somehow. The more engaged they are, the more they'll learn, especially if they can eat the results!
- Come up with your own new family tradition. Create memories that will last a lifetime!
Embrace and enjoy this wonderful time of year!
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
What's Up These Days
Hi, all!
Just a quick shout out to everyone to say hey, and hope you're all doing well.
Listen, I've been finding some really amazing stuff all over the net lately. Like lots and lots and lots of really easy inspiration for everything from gardening to kids crafts and more.
If you don't already follow me on Facebook, click on the little Facebook icon in the upper right hand column that says "Stay in Touch". It's been so much easier to just share these on my page, than to try to bring it all to you here. Plus, then you can pick and choose what projects interest you the most and save them for your own inspiration file. Yesterday, I posted over half a dozen cool finds from one site alone. It's worth your time to check them out!
Have a great day!
Just a quick shout out to everyone to say hey, and hope you're all doing well.
Listen, I've been finding some really amazing stuff all over the net lately. Like lots and lots and lots of really easy inspiration for everything from gardening to kids crafts and more.
If you don't already follow me on Facebook, click on the little Facebook icon in the upper right hand column that says "Stay in Touch". It's been so much easier to just share these on my page, than to try to bring it all to you here. Plus, then you can pick and choose what projects interest you the most and save them for your own inspiration file. Yesterday, I posted over half a dozen cool finds from one site alone. It's worth your time to check them out!
Have a great day!
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