Pancakes- Strawberry Shortcake Style

Breakfast just doesn't get much better than this! I have gone through 4 pints of strawberries in the last few days because I can't keep my hands off of these. I don't suggest using cool whip. It just doesn't taste as good as whipping cream. And I don't suggest using whipping cream from the can. Nothing can immitate the taste of old fashioned whipped cream. I would suggest that you first start with your strawberries. It takes several minutes for the sugar to work up a syrup. They can rest while you make your pancakes and whipping cream. I used my buttermilk pancake recipe for these, but you could use your favorite pancake or waffle recipe.

Strawberries and syrup

Simple. Mix the following and let sit for about 15 minutes:

1 pint strawberries, diced small
1/2 cup sugar

Whipping Cream:

Most people know how. But just in case.

Mix the following for about 4 minutes on high. Don't over mix or you'll get butter.

1 pint heavy cream
1/2 cup sugar

Butter milk Pancakes:

Mix:

2 cups buttermilk
2 eggs
2 T oil

Add:

2 cups flour ( I used 1/2 cup wheat, 1/2 cup oat flour)
2 T sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda

Classic Chocolate Cake

This is a yummy from scratch recipe. Don't laugh, but I love to put a big piece of cake in a bowl and pour milk all over it and eat it up with a spoon. Mmmm. I like to make this in two 9 in round pans. I have also made this in a 9x13 pan. I like the round pans better because there is less crusty over-cooked edges that you get with the big pan.

In your mixer mix for 2 minutes:

1 cup butter
2 cups sugar

Add one at a time:

4 eggs

Add and blend until creamy:

1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup milk (I used 1/2 cup water and 3 T powder milk)
2 tsp vanilla

In a medium bowl sift:

2, 1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup baking cocoa
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

Dump the flour mixture into your wet mixture. Blend until creamy. Grease and flour your round 9 inch pans. Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes

Let the cakes sit in the pans for about 20 minutes, then remove and let cool on the counter. Frost when cooled.

Frosting:

Beat:
1 stick butter
1/2 cup baking cocoa
1 tsp vanilla
about 3 cups powdered sugar
about 4 T milk (more or less)

Baked French Fries

I have fallen in love with the potato all over again...so have my kids.

8 potatoes, cut into fries. Don't peel. I used red potatoes, but you could use russet

In a small bowl mix:

4 T olive oil
2 tsp salt
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1/8 tsp pepper

Pour the flavored oil over the potatoes and mix well. I use a large gallon ziploc bag. Lay potato slices in a single layer on greased cookie sheet.

Bake uncovered at 450 for 30 minutes.

Dip in your favorite dipping sauce.

Toquitos

This is a good meal if you are cooking for a vegetarian. It's a good way to use up your beans. If you have a little left over rice you could also throw that into this mix. The toquitos are a lot better than they look in the picture. Super crunchy on the outside and creamy mexican taste on the inside. You could also substitute left over chicken for the black beans.

Mix in bowl:

1/3 cup cream cheese (3 oz)
1/4 cup green salsa
1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1 garlic, pressed
3 T chopped cilantro
2 T green onions
2 cups black beans or red beans
1 cup cheddar cheese

Spread about 3 T of filling onto a flour tortilla. Roll the tortilla up tight and place seam side down on a greased cookie sheet. I got about 11 tortillas filled.

Bake at 425 for 20 minutes uncovered.

Dip in sour cream!

Breakfast Fruit

This is more of an idea than a recipe. I say the more ideas you have the more you can make something out of nothing. The idea is it's better to know how to do a hundred things with potatoes than just three things. If you are versatile, then any time you have a potato in the kitchen you've got yourself a home cooked dinner. Grocery money has been slim this week since I cheated and bought a few things using my food budget. I found an apple and some kiwis in the back of the fridge. Here was breakfast.

Chop finely:

1 apple
2 kiwis

In a small bowl mix:

1 T lemon juice
2 T honey

Pour lemon mix over fruit. Enjoy!

Chicken Strips

This is an easy last minute dinner idea. My husband loves to dip these chicken strips in BBQ sauce. I like the honey mustard sauce. Cook up a big batch and then put the left overs in an airtight container. You will find that the left overs aren't good for dipping any more. The corn flakes get really soggy. But I found that if you cut up the left overs into small cubes they are excellent in my chicken pot pie. The soggy flakes actually help to thicken the sauce while cooking. By the time the pot pie is done cooking there is no trace of flakes left. Super yummy! Here is the link for my pot pie.

2 chicken breasts, cut into 6-8 short strips a piece. About 15 strips altogether

coat the chicken breasts in:

1/2 cup buttermilk

In a plastic bag or bowl dump:

2 c cornflakes
1/2 cup bread crumbs

Cover the buttermilk-soaked chicken in cornflake mix. Lay the chicken strips on a greased cookie sheet. I like to line mine with tin foil first. I like to take a few handfulls of cornflakes and make sure the chicken is really covered in flakes. Press the flakes down into the chicken.

Bake uncovered at 400 for 20 minutes

Serve with BBQ sauce or Honey mustard dip.
Honey mustard dip:

1/2 cup mayo
4 tsp Dijon mustard
2 T honey

Spinach Quiche

This makes a wonderful breakfast for special occassions. It also makes a special dinner. I absolutely love it. My tip is to use real mozzarella. Don't use the pre-shredded. The pre-shredded cheese has a somewhat waxy coating. I like to buy a real quality ball of mozzarella and shred it by hand. I also use baby spinach. I'll cut off the little stems and then using a big bucher knife slice a big pile of spinach into strips. This is a good recipe to use up left over Easter Ham. I also like using my own pie crust recipe. You could use a store boughten recipe if you want to cut on time (and taste). One more tip, don't think you have to pour the entire mixture into the pie shell. You want it to be full but not so full you can't manage to put the pie into the oven whithout spilling.

In a saute pan cook for about 5 minutes:

1/2 cup onion
3 T butter

In a large bowl whisk:

8 eggs

Add to the eggs:

1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup milk
1/4 tsp salt
3 cups chopped spinach
1 cup mozzarella
1, 1/2 cup chopped ham

Add your sauteed onions.

Now pour the mixture into a cooked pastry shell. Carefully place the uncooked quiche into the hot oven. Bake at 325 for 65-75 minutes. Check for doneness with a knife. Let sit at room temp for 10 minutes to set. The quiche should have a rounded puffy shape to the top.

Ravioli

This was a bit spicy for my kids, but I liked it! This is where Italian meets Mexican. Be sure and use a large enough pot for the ravioli. I forgot that it would double and tripple in size and I ended up with a mess on my stove. Next time I will use a 5 quart pot.

Use a very large pot to boil:

20 oz package ravioli (follow package instructions)

In a medium pot heat on low while the ravioli is cooking:

1 cup salsa
1, 1/2 cup enchilada sauce

Add the drained ravioli to the sauce.

Serve with shredded cheddar cheese, chopped green onions, and sour cream.

Just noticed I water marked my picture with the wrong logo...oh well.

Baked Potato Chips

I wish I would have had this recipe when I was pregnant with Jewels. I craved potatoes constantly and would stand over the stove cooking them for 40 minutes. It never occured to me to just slice the potato and throw them in the oven. These potato chips are crunchy on the outside skin and soft in the middle. I absolutely love them!  My kids can't get enough. I served these with flower-shaped peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. ...and yes I labeled this post "vegie".

Clean 3 russet potatoes and slice 1/4 inch thick. I used a crinkle cutter, but you could use a knife.

In a plastic bag (or just mix in a bowl) dump:

3 T melted butter
1/4 tsp salt

Toss the sliced potatoes in the butter salt mixture.

Lay the potato slices in a single layer on a cookie sheet (I line mine with tin foil...does anyone call it "tin" anymore?)

Bake uncovered at 450 for 20-25 minutes