Griddle Cakes

I love making pancakes in the morning with my family.  On Saturday mornings, I feel like I'm deep in the woods in a log cabin when I'm mixing the batter.  I found a recipe in the most recent Bon Appetit magazine for Blackberry Farm's famous Griddle Cakes.  They were a perfect fit coming from the Smoky Mountains in Tennessee to the first real spring day in Northwest Wisconsin.

I didn't have all of the ingredients on hand, so I substituted the called-for buckwheat flour with regular white flour.  It probably would have been worth the trip to the grocery store.  Without the buckwheat, the pancakes took on more of cornbread taste than what I had imagined.  They were still very good, however, buckwheat is a crucial ingredient.

Of course, I used a cast-iron skillet which made the process somewhat lengthy.

Ingredients:
1 large egg
2 cups buttermilk
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
1 cup oat flour
2/3 cup yellow cornmeal
1/3 cup brown rice flour
1/4 cup white flour (this where buckwheat belongs...)
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted
Vegetable oil (for skillet)

Salsa Time

I quickly put together a few varieties of salsa because we had some friends over. It was the perfect treat to set out on the center island in the kitchen. We enjoyed each others company while munching on chips and salsa. Having three choices of salsa kept everyone busy going from one to the other. The bright colors not only made for a delightful looking centerpiece, it was as all very delectable, too.


Sweet Mango Salsa
8 tomatoes
1 green pepper
1/4 red onion
4 oz olives
1 mango
1 bunch green olives
2 cloves garlic
cilantro
salt
sugar
olive oil
* everything chopped into small cubes


Mild Salsa
8 tomatoes
1/2 green pepper
5 mini sweet peppers (from a bag)
3 oz tomato paste
1 clove garlic
cilantro
salt
garlic salt
olive oil
* all ingredients in food processor


Black Bean and Corn
5 oz frozen corn
1 can black beans (rinsed)
1/4 red onion
3 mini sweet peppers (from a bag)
cilantro
salt
olive oil

Sunday Soup Day: Chicken, acorn squash and salsa verde chili

Yesterday was the Autumn Equinox, which means it is officially fall. Fall is strewed with change. The weather, scenery and food come full circle at the end of September each year.

This week, Sunday Soup Day featured the first batch of chili this season. I don't make traditional chili. I experiment with ingredients and seldom repeat recipes. In fact, I don't like following recipes on Sundays. I imagined a healthier, whiter chili than what my dad eats at deer camp. I thought of chicken, squash and random vegetables and salsa verde (green salsa).

The end result was unequivocally the best chili I've ever had. Liz agreed. Because fall is change, I am now going to be repeating and following this recipe on future Sundays.

Here it is:
3 chicken breasts (cooked in olive oil separately)
1 yellow onion
1 red pepper
1 yellow pepper
3 cloves garlic
1 large can of diced tomatoes
1 jar of salsa verde (Guy Fieri brand)
1 can Cannelini beans/white beans
1 can chili bean in mild sauce
1 medium-sized acorn squash
chili powder
chopped cilantro
topped with cheese - a lot of cheese

Turkey and Quinoa Meatloaf

I have a cute little chime that rings on my Blackberry each time I get a new e-mail. I'm captivated by the sound. Sometimes it's a parent inquiring about Victory, an update on a blog that I follow, online account statements, unimpressive coupons and sale offers, a random piece of spam from someone in my contacts who had their account hacked, etc. I also receive an e-mail each weekday from AllRecipes.com. I usually delete them immediately because I have a long list of recipes to make on my wish list. Turkey and quinoa meatloaf caught my attention, though.

I read a few of the reviews and went for it. I added chopped green peppers and a little bit of cinnamon. The quinoa works very well as a replacement for bread and gives it a nice texture. Plus, it's a superfood.

This particular recipe made the meatloaf a little spicy. It definitely had a "kick," but it seemed like it was needed to add the necessary flavor. Ground turkey and quinoa both tend to be on the flavorless side. Combined with these ingredients, though, made for a fantastic meatloaf. All of this came from that simple little chime.

Ingredients:
1/4 cup quinoa
1/2 cup water
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/2 green pepper, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1 large clove garlic, chopped
1 (20 ounce) package ground turkey
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 tablespoon Jalapeno pepper hot sauce (Trader Joe's brand)
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 egg
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon water



Directions:
Bring the quinoa and water to a boil in a saucepan over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the quinoa is tender, and the water has been absorbed, about 15 to 20 minutes. Set aside to cool.

Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in the onion and green pepper; cook and stir until the onion has softened and turned translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute; remove from heat to cool.

Stir the turkey, cooked quinoa, onions, green pepper, tomato paste, hot sauce, 2 tablespoons Worcestershire, egg, salt, and pepper in a large bowl until well combined. The mixture will be very moist. Shape into a loaf on a foil lined baking sheet. Combine the brown sugar, 2 teaspoons Worcestershire, and 1 teaspoon water in a small bowl. Rub the paste over the top of the meatloaf.

Bake in the preheated oven until no longer pink in the center, about 50 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 160 degrees F(70 degrees C). Let the meatloaf cool for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

Directions from:
Turkey and Quinoa Meatloaf Recipe from AllRecipes.com

Chobani yogurt pancakes

I usually purchase the large container of vanilla flavored Chobani Greek yogurt because we go through it so quickly. As I was scooping some out the other day, I noticed a recipe on the side for Chobani yogurt pancakes. Since I make pancakes a fairly regularly my kids, I thought it was the perfect recipe to try.

I followed the ingredients list very carefully because I couldn't quite grasp what yogurt would do to pancake batter. It was thicker and much stickier than I'm used to. I added close to an extra 1/4 cup of milk because I didn't trust that pancakes would cook through entirely. In the end, I don't think it made much difference.

We ate them with maple syrup, but I kept envisioning the berry syrup on the table at Perkins. I think fruit would go very well these pancakes, whether if it was syrup, jam or fresh strawberries. Fruit will definitely be in the plan next time. Regardless, these pancakes were simply fantastic.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups (12 oz) Vanilla 0% Chobani Greek Yogurt
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
3/4 cup milk

Combine dry ingredients. Whisk wet ingredients, pour into dry mixture, and stir just until combined. Over medium-high heat scoop 1/4 cup batter onto skillet per pancake. Flip when bubbles appear. Cook until golden brown.

Sunday Soup Day: Pumpkin Turkey Chili, v2.0

This is the first repeat recipe that I've featured on this blog. It's that good. Any time people talk about chili, inevitably, I end up raving about my pumpkin turkey chili. I made it a handful of times last year and will probably make it a few times this fall.

I LOVE making soup. There's something about it that brings me peace and comfort. I get very focused when I'm in my kitchen. Chili is a little different, though. It allows for me to be less focused because, basically, I just put all of the ingredients in the pot, make sure the meat is cooked then eat it. In this particular chili, the pumpkin replaces the tomato paste usually used to make chili. It's the same consistency, but I think it's much better tasting and suitable for October.

I highly recommend this recipe, as I always do on this blog. It's a great potluck choice because it will create a buzz among the guests. It's also extremely tasty and good for you. I likely wouldn't post it if it wasn't.

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 chopped onion
1 chopped green bell pepper
1 chopped red bell pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
1 pound ground turkey
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 can pumpkin puree
1 can Cannelinni beans
1 can kidney beans
1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Salt and other seasoning to taste

Sunday Soup Day: Vegetable and Wild Rice with White Beans

Our day was jam packed with activity from the moment the sun came up. So, needless to say, I was strapped for time on the preparation of my soup. In fact, I didn't even know what I was going to make until half time of the Packers game, which meant getting groceries was out of the picture.

We had onions, carrots and green peppers, so I sauteed them in my lovely Dutch oven with olive oil. I poured water into the pot so it covered the vegetables and added cooked wild rice. I had to add a little more water because the rice was going absorb some of it. I also had a can of Cannelinni beans (white beans), so I added the entire can for a little extra protein.

Everything turned out very well. The wild rice was a very good addition, as were the beans, because they gave the soup substance and provided extra color and texture. I used many of the seasonings that I usually do, so it had a familiar taste, but it was better than normal because very little was expected from it. I'm getting pretty good at this. ;)

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 green pepper
1 onion
4 oz carrots
6-10 oz water
2 cups cooked wild rice
1 can Cannelinni beans (rinsed)
Seasoning to taste