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Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Mini Oven Puffed Pancakes with Raspberry Sauce



One of the reasons I started blogging recipes (actually the main reason) was so I could remember what I have cooked and what my family loves. 
You see I often try things or make up recipes that my family loves. 
Which is wonderful until my middle -aged "sometimers" kicks in and I can't remember how I made it or even that I had (see here where I forgot I made beef shank and blogged like it was new - embarrassing!). 
So, when I make a winner I like to put it here so I have it permanently and I don't have to go hunting through my bookmarks or bazillion recipe books or google a recipe or hope I can remember.
This way too I can send friends who request recipes here.
Let me tell you this is one recipe I don't want to forget!

Sara at Our Best Bites created the most delicious breakfast dish - mini oven puffed pancakes with berry sauce -these things are delicious. 
Not too sweet. 
Fun. 
Healthy-ish. 
Quick - I made these this morning and we had them made and eaten in about 30 minutes.

You need to go look at her beautiful pictures of this dish - really, go ahead and then please come back. 

Hello again!


Mini Oven Puffed Pancakes with Raspberry Sauce 
3/4 cup flour
3/4 cup milk (I used raw whole milk)
2 pastured eggs
1/8 tsp salt - the good stuff
3 TBS butter melted
powdered sugar

Raspberry Sauce
1/2 cup fresh or frozen raspberries
2 TBS raspberry jam (ours is homemade - you must learn to can and make this it is UH-MAZING!)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Put your mini muffin pans in the oven also to get them hot - this recipe makes 24.

Meanwhile in your blender dump the milk, flour, eggs and salt. Blend until smooth.
Remove HOT pan from oven and grease each little cup with melted butter. I use a pastry brush, works great. Fill each cup with pancake mix to 3/4 full. Bake for 15-20 minutes - until all puffy and lightly brown. Pop out and then spread some melted butter on top, drizzle raspberry sauce and dust with plenty of powdered sugar. 

To make raspberry sauce - in a small pan heat the raspberries and jelly, using a spoon to crush the berries. Taste and see if you need to add a bit of sugar.

Josh just ate his with maple syrup - also delicious.


I think these would be great topped with cinnamon and sugar instead of the raspberry sauce and powdered sugar. Or a quick chocolate sauce. The possibilities seem endless.

This recipe is certainly easy peasy lemon squeezy!!

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Tiny Tip Tuesday "Reply to Comment"

Have you heard the exciting news for Blogger Blogs?? 
Our comment section now has the "reply to comment"!! ie "threaded commenting".
Woohoo! 
It makes so much more sense that way. 
You can make a comment on my post, OR if you have a question or comment on someone else's comment well they will know you do!

Whenever I have had several comments come in on a post and I haven't had a chance to respond I would have to do something like this:

  1. ChristyJan 1, 2012 12:38 PM
    Alea - I think crazy simple is a wonderful and appropriate motto for you!

    April- I hope you do give it a try! Thanks for the New Years wishes - I wish the same for you and yours!

    Michelle - you are welcome! I wish we had blueberry bushes - oh yum!

    Jackie - it is wonderful with a cup of coffee! I hope you try it.

    Now with the nifty "reply" I can comment below each lovely note. Be sure to click on the subscribe by email at the bottom of the comment form so if someone replies to you it will send you an email telling you!

    If you are on blogger and want to activate this wonderful feature it is super simple.
    To add the reply feature to your comments,
    • go to settings
    • then comments 
    • and then in the comment placement form 
    • click on embedded.
    Easy peasy lemon squeezy!

    I am linking this to Works for Me Wednesday @ We are that family

Thursday, January 12, 2012

Teriyaki Chicken over White Rice Noodle

Teriyaki Chicken over White Rice Noodles
Last week I pinned a recipe from Jamie Cooks it Up! aptly named Teriyaki Chicken and Noodle Bowl. This is my take on it - and it is DEE_LICIOUS!! No disappointment this time! My family (and especially my hard to please husband) has requested it be made again and again. The only request was more veggies, please. I can so do that!


Teriyaki Chicken over White Rice Noodles
1 Chicken breast or 4 boneless, skinless thighs or 1 bag frozen raw shrimp
3T coconut oil, divided
1 tsp sesame oil.
3 large carrots diced
1 small zucchini sliced (into circles then quarters)
1 red pepper and 1/2 green pepper diced
8 mushrooms diced
1/2 a red onion or 1 small yellow onion, diced
1 lb package of rice noodles.
Crushed peanuts or cashews- optional


Teriaki Sauce
1 1/2 Cups cold water
3 T corn starch (I will use 2 next time and see if it works)
3/4 C packed brown sugar
1/2 cup soy sauce
1tsp garlic powder
1 tsp sesame oil


1. Cut up your chicken into small bite size pieces. Heat a large skillet and then add 2 TBS of oil. Toss the chicken in cook, stirring often but let the pieces get a lovely golden brown. Salt and pepper to taste. When they are just about done add a tsp of sesame oil.

2. Before I began I chopped my veggies (mise-en-place) - because I am not fast and I wanted to pay attention to the chicken. But if you are a speedy dicer you can do that now while the meat is cooking.

3. Get your water boiling for your noodles. Cook to your package specifications or if you are like me and bought them at an Asian Grocery Store and the package is in Japanese just keep testing until the noodles are done. Don't use salt when you cook them ( I am usually a big salter).

4. Once the chicken is done take it out of the pan and put in a bowl.

5. Add the rest of your oil to the pan and then the veggies. Cook them until crisp tender. After everything was cooked except the pesky carrots I added a bit of water (chicken stock would have been even better) to steam them some. Remove the veggies and put them in with the cooked chicken.

6. Make your sauce - in a large measuring cup put 1 1/2 cups cold water. Add 1 TBS of cornstarch and whisk, then the next and whisk and finally the third TBS making sure to whisk it - whisk it good (reminds me of that silly song) Next do the same with brown sugar stirring in 1/4 cup at a time to make sure it all dissolves. Next add your soy sauce, sesame oil and garlic powder.

After your veggies are removed from the pan you can put the sauce in and whisk it until it thickens. This only takes about 3 minutes to get a lovely, fragrant sauce.

The final step is to put it all together - I poured the sauce over the chicken and veggies and stirred and then put over the noodles.

Delicious!! And if you are like me, you can add some crushed nuts -but my kids were like "no thanks on the nuts Mom" - really, whose kids are they?

Better than take-out ANY DAY!

I am linking this to EKat's Friday Potluck.

Crayons, Crayons, Crayons



I had a huge container of crayons - most of them broken - all of them unloved - few of them used. 
I have been holding onto them thinking I was going to do that  amazing craft. 
You know, melt them in cupcake liners and make heart crayons.
(put a marble in it and it makes the heart shape). 
Thing is I have been "going to do it" for at least 8 years.
I kid you not. 
It was time. 
Time to let go. 
I have been moving it from here to there for years.
I threw the whole container away. 
Yes I did. 
It was incredibly freeing. 
No worries, Sylvia still has plenty of NEW crayons she got for Christmas. 
She actually likes not having the huge container.
Is there something you are holding onto, because your frugal self says you will use it someday? Something that is taking up valuable space? 
Or just creating clutter? 
I challenge you to let it go - you don't have to trash it, you can donate it, sell it, freecyle it. 
Just let it go. 
Then tomorrow look and see if you can get rid of more - you will be glad you did!
Hoarding is not frugal. 
I promise!

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

Don't you hate it when a recipe sounds fabulous and it isn't??

I am not one to make New Year's Resolutions but I do like goals. I have several right now and one is to cook from my vast array of cookbooks and saved links once a week - I hate having the same thing all the time.

So in an effort to actually "use" my large collection of recipe books I made two different meals in the last week that sounded UH-MAZING and turned out just eh, ok. Don't you hate that?? It is one of the hazzards of trying something new. It actually happens more often than I would like to admit.

First I made a Rachel Ray recipe called Supreme Pizza Pasta Salad. It makes a huge amount and while I had only one person truly dislike it - no one loved it or wanted second helpings which meant I was stuck eating it for lunch all week. I am giving the last serving to the chickens - I just can't eat another helping.

Then tonight I made Cheeseburger Salad which I didn't know was a Pioneer Woman/Pampered Chef recipe until I went to write this post. It was ok but not great. I think if I try it again I would put all the different components in individual bowls and let everyone make their own - like how we do tacos, that way we can have things like sweet and sour pickles and chopped olives to add if you wanted. I would also make a mustard vinaigrette for the mustard lovers in addition to my homemade Ranch dressing.

Will I keep trying? Absolutely - I have a fairly good handle on what my kids will like and so I tend to cook towards that. I have found that most recipes are too bland for my family. We like it spicier, saucier - lots of flavor. But every once in awhile I go out on a limb like my African Chicken Stew and we end up loving it. And that is why I keep on reading the cookbooks and blogs and watching cooking shows. You just never know!

How about you? Do you cook from your cookbooks? Do you try new things? Does your family like it when you do?

I am linking this to We Are That Family's Works for me Wednesday!