Blueberry Syrup

I had an almost empty bag of frozen blueberries in my freezer. I decided to throw them in my sauce pan and I came up with a wonderful blueberry syrup. My favorite so far! I am loving pancakes and syrup right now.

In a saucepan dump:

2 cups frozen blueberries
1/2 cup sugar

Stir and turn heat to medium. Stir occasionally while you make your pancake batter. Let the sauce simmer for about 5-10 minutes.

Stir in:

1 T lemon juice

English Muffin Breakfast

This is more of an idea than a recipe. If you are still eating left over ham from Easter like I am, then you will appreciate the idea.

I pulled out my griddle and cooked an egg well-done while the english muffin sat next to the eggs on the buttered grill. Put a slice of cheese on the cooking egg to melt.I like using Wonder Bread brand of muffins. The no name brands were too dry. Lay your sliced ham on the grill for a second to heat up.

Put together your sandwich and enjoy!

Whole Wheat Muffins

I found this recipe from the sisterscafe blog. Of course. I get most of my muffin recipes from them. This muffin is so sweet it tastes like dessert. My children loved them!

This is also a good substitute for rolls if you don't have time for a yeast rising bread.

In mixing bowl combine:

1/2 cup oil
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup milk
1 cup brown sugar

add:

2 cups whole wheat flour (fresh ground)
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

I like to use cupcake wrappers but you could just grease your cupcake tin.

Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.

Manicotti

This is a great meal if you are having guests come over. You can put it all together the day before. In fact, I think it is better to let the flavors meld in the fridge for a day prior to cooking. It is also a filling meal if you are serving vegetarians.

First off, you can cook this using lasagna noodles like in the picture, or you can use large shells. I like both. For the lasagna noodle I used the Barilla pre-cooked noodles. I placed an inch of boiling water in a 9x13 baking dish and then placed the noodles in the water for 5 minutes. Then carefully use a knife and separate the noodles and lay noodles on towels. Then you can procede to fill the noodles. Just butter a couple Tablespoons of the filling onto the noodle and then roll up.

Filling:

Mix in bowl:

15 oz whole milk ricotta
2 eggs
1 tsp parsley
1/2 cup parmesan
1/2 cup mozzerella
1/4 tsp salt

Use a jar of your favorite pasta sauce (or homemade). Dump about 1 cup sauce in the bottom of a clean, greased, 9x13 pan. Place your rolled noodles, seam side down, or pasta shells, into the pan. Cover with remaining pasta sauce.

At this point you can cook the dish or cover and place in the fridge for a day.

Bake covered at 350 for 45 minutes. Let sit for 15 minutes before serving.

Clover Rolls

Happy Easter everyone! This roll idea is a fun change from the round roll I usually do. Just make three balls out of the dough and place inside a greased muffin tin. Let them raise for an hour and then bake at 375 for about 15 minutes. Brush with butter while hot. You will want to remove from muffin tins as soon as they come out of the oven so they don't get soggy from sweating.

I use my Mom's bread recipe. I love it for everything. Click here for the recipe!

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)