Those people who know me well might use the words "compulsive" or "Type A" or even "neurotic" to describe my personality. I'm not so sure that I agree. I'd like to think of my behaviors more as "quirky" and less as "obsessive." Regardless of what you call it, the fact is that there are certain things that I am very "particular" about. I have my fair share of things in the house that I like to have a certain way. I like all of my yellow pencils in the drawer to be perfectly sharpened at all times and above all else, they absolutely HAVE to all be facing the same direction. (Yes, they all have to be yellow in order to even make it into the drawer.) All of the toilet paper rolls in the house are placed on the holders so that the paper is fed from the back and not over the top. (That's really just common sense.) Oh, and ALL leftovers must be placed in the top left hand corner of the refrigerator - no exceptions! That doesn't sound the least bit "neurotic". Does it? Never mind, don't answer that - let's not label my weird habits - just accept them. I also get a little obsessive over food. I realize that I could buy frozen pancakes or a box of pancake mix for a quick and easy breakfast for my family but that just doesn't cut it in my book. The perfectionist in me feels the NEED to find THE BEST pancake recipe and I think this recipe just might be pancake perfection. It is soooo good. Definitely up to my high standards of great pancake recipes. These pancake pictures don't really do these pancakes justice. My family absolutely LOVES these pancakes. They are light and fluffy and oh so yummy. Buttermilk Pancakes 2 cups flour 2 Tablespoons sugar 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 2 cups buttermilk 1/4 cup sour cream 2 eggs 3 Tablespoons melted butter 1-2 teaspoons oil Make a well in center of dry ingredients and pour wet ingredients into well. Stir just until batter is wet. Let batter rest 10 minutes. Heat 1 teaspoon oil on skillet. Using paper towels, wipe away excess oil. Portion batter into quarter cup circles on hot skillet. Cook until edges are set and bubbles on surface begin to break.
I hope that your family enjoys these pancakes as much as my family does and in the off chance that you do have some leftovers - PLEASE put them in the top left corner of the refrigerator. Thanks.
Ciao!
0 Comments
I can't believe that it's Thursday already - gotta love extra long weekends and short work weeks. I've been all thrown off this week by the change in my normal schedule - I chalk it up to my age and the fact that I can't remember ANYTHING anymore - even what day it is apparently. Having a short week has thrown off my food schedule for the week too. (Oh, the tragedies!) I had to readjust our schedule which meant that Monday night seafood night became Thursday night seafood night for the week. Do you think it's a sign that my life might be too structured if a change in my menu schedule launches me into a panic? Surely there's a therapy group for over-organizers like myself. In my opinion, fish is best enjoyed simply and unadorned. Baked or grilled fish is delicious and I want it to taste like FISH - imagine that! I'm not a big fan of creamy sauces or salsas that overpower the flavor of the fish. That is especially true when I buy a great tasting fish like orange roughy or snapper. This grilled snapper with orange and pistachio pesto is an exceptional way to enjoy fish - even if it is a Thursday night. Now that I've shared my fish preferences - you're probably wondering why I'm posting a fish recipe with a pistachio orange pesto. The truth is that this nutty pest with a hint of citrus, is the perfect compliment to the fish. It doesn't overpower the flavor of the fish - it actually accentuates the flavor of the orange roughy. Grilled Roughy with Pistachio and Orange Pesto 1/4 cup shelled pistachios 1 Tablespoon oil 1 clove garlic, minced 1/4 teaspoon orange zest 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme leaves 1/4 teaspoon paprika pepper 2 Orange Roughy Filets
Stir in pistachios, orange zest, orange juice and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Combine 1/4 t. salt, thyme, pepper and paprika. Sprinkle over fish filets. Grill (or bake or pan fry) fish. Top with pistachio and orange pesto. Serve warm.
It was a rainy day in Atlanta today and rainy days mean comfort food. For Courtney, comfort food means meatloaf. (Yes, I know it's not your ordinary comfort food but who's to say what food makes us happy?) I tried out a new meatloaf recipe from my Fine Cooking magazine for our rainy Wednesday night dinner. Mini meatloaves with chili sauce are fun little twist on ordinary meatloaf and we all really enjoyed them. Mini Meatloaves with Chili Sauce 1/2 chopped sweet onion 1/3 cup flat leaf parsley, chopped 4 slices bacon 4 cloves garlic, minced 2/3 cup old fashioned rolled oats 1 1/4 pounds ground beef 1/4 cup boiling water 3 eggs 1 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon pepper 3/4 cup chili sauce
Brush with 1/4 cup chili sauce and broil 2 minutes. I served my mini meatloaves with some haricots verts and some crusty french bread. (Simply because that's what I had in my frig and I didn't want to make a trip to the grocery store in the rain.) The silver lining to my rainy day? The sun came out just in time for me to snap a few quick pictures of this yummy dinner before we gobbled it up. (Great natural light is a blessing for any photographer. Trust me.)
Ciao! Anyone else inspired by these nice cool September mornings to get outside and exercise? I've been super excited about getting out of my basement workout routine and taking my morning exercise to the streets lately. For some reason, the crisp morning air just makes me want to walk faster and farther. I haven't replaced my video workout with a walk but I've started doing them both in the morning. I usually start with a walk around the neighborhood and finish with an insanity or an asylum workout. It sounds like a lot but it's definitely do-able. (Especially since I have a good friend and an energetic canine to walk with me.) As soon as I started to add a walk to my exercise regiment, I noticed an increase in my appetite. (Seriously - like instantly.) Apparently I was burning more calories than I was aware of because I am hungry ALL DAY. I was having a hard time finding quick snacks and lunches that I could grab when I'm in a hurry to satisfy my never ending appetite so to solve this problem, I've tried to make sure that I have lean protein (ie chicken) available in my frig at all times. (In theory - I'll grab chicken before I grab chocolate if it's easily accessible. I'll let you know how that goes.) I made a double batch of pretzel crusted chicken tenders last week so that I could have some leftovers in the frig for snacking. (Too bad they were so good that we ate almost all of them for dinner.) We did have a few tenders leftover and I ended up eating them cold - right out of the frig for lunch one day. (My dad would be proud.) I guess it goes without saying that these were really yummy - warm AND cold. Pretzel Crusted Chicken Tenders 5 Tablespoons cornmeal 1/4 cup milk 3 teaspoons Dijon Mustard 1 egg 1 cup finely crushed unsalted pretzels 1/4 teaspoon garlic power 1/2 teaspoon sugar 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon pepper 8 chicken breast tenders Heat oil in skillet. Add chicken and cook 3 minutes or until browned. Place chicken in a pan and bake 7 minutes or until done. Serve with the dipping sauce of your choice. In the Davis house - it's honey mustard. It looks like I'll have to start making a TRIPLE batch of chicken tenders if I want to have leftovers for the week. My whole family enjoyed these and if honey mustard isn't your thing - try them with barbecue sauce or a sweet and sour mixture. Just make sure that you make plenty.
Ciao! I hesitate to even title this post "Dairy Free Molasses Cookies" because I really don't think they should be defined by the fact that they contain no milk or butter. They would be better described as "delicious" molasses cookies or even "incredible" molasses cookies BUT since I have a couple of other molasses cookie recipes in my cookie index already, I'll simply use the term "dairy free" to distinguish this recipe from the others. Just between you and me - dairy free or not - these are my new favorite Fall cookies. Dairy Free Molasses Cookies 2/3 cup canola oil 1/2 cup sugar 1/2 cup brown sugar 1 egg 1/4 cup molasses 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla 2 1/4 cups flour 2 teaspoons baking soda 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1 1/4 teaspoons ginger 1/2 teaspoon cloves 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1/3 cup sugar
Bake 12 minutes at 350. Transfer cookies to wire racks to cool. Make a cup of tea or brew a cup of coffee and enjoy these cookies to the fullest. By the way dad - I've got a few of these tucked away in my freezer with your name on them for your next visit. (Let's hope I can stop myself from eating them before you get here. :))
Ciao! |
Like my page on facebook.
Follow me on Instagram
Categories
All
Archives
April 2024
|