Hootenannies! A.K.A....Little German Pancakes

It's a Saturday morning tradition in our house to have pancakes, waffles or french toast...but THIS takes it to a whole new level.  And...Oooohhhhhh, the possibilities of fillings are endless...fresh fruits, jams, cinnamon apple sauce, or even a scoop of peanut butter and honey fills them nicely!

1 cup milk
6 eggs
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. orange zest (optional)
1/4 cup butter, melted

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Blend first six ingredients (milk thru orange zest) in a blender.  Be careful to see that any flour clumps get well-blended.
2. Blend in butter a little at a time in order to temper the eggs.
3. Grease muffin tins well and distribute batter evenly between 24 tins (I did more like 18. Gimme Some Oven’s tins were slightly less than half-full.  I used a 1/4 cup measuring cup and filled it almost full.) Bake for 15 minutes, or until puffy and golden on top.
4. Served with your favorite toppings. 

Recipe from realmomkitchen.com 

Mediterranean Brown Rice Salad

2 roma tomatoes - diced
1 cucumber - peeled and diced
1/2 medium red onion - diced
1/4 cup feta cheese
2 cups cooked brown rice - cooled
1/4 cup light Italian dressing
Dash of garlic salt
Pepper

Combine all ingredients and chill for 20 minutes. Add cooked chicken, shrimp, or fish to make it a main dish.

Vanilla-Orange Smoothie

The wonderful thing about smoothies is that it is a way to sneak fruits and veggies into ones diet, particularly children. For instance, the child who is not a fan of bananas will slurp this one down while getting a needed dose of potassium, as well as other vitamins. And...it hits the spot on a hot summer day!

2 C. Ice
2 bananas cut in chunks (I keep frozen ones on hand - just peel them with a knife and cut…they work like ice cubes)
1 C. Vanilla Ice Cream
1-2 C. of Orange Juice (depends on the amount of thickness you prefer)

Combine all ingredients in a blender, starting with the ice and bananas. Blend on High until it reaches the desired consistency.

Homemade Baby Rice Cereal

Rice Cereal using "powder"
Ingredients:
1/4 c. rice powder (brown rice ground in blender or food   processor)
1 cup water

Directions:
1. Bring liquid to boil in saucepan. Add the rice powder while   stirring constantly.

2. Simmer for 10 minutes, whisking constantly, mix in   formula or breast milk and fruits if desired.

3. Serve warm.

Taken from Momtastic.com

Strawberry Rhubarb Cobbler

Crumb crust:
1 cup of butter - softened (do not substitute margarine)
2 cups flour
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar

Filling:
1 package of whole strawberries
6 large stalks of rhubarb - cut into 1/2 inch chunks
1-2 cups of granulated sugar
1/2 cup water - 1/4 cup of water
3 Tbs. corn starch

Mix butter, flour, sugars with a mixer until crumbly. Pour half of mixture into cake pan and press down. Bake for 8 minutes at 350 degrees.

In a large pot add strawberries, rhubarb, 1 cup of sugar, and 1/2 cup water. Bring to boil and add more sugar depending on amount of desired sweetness. Let simmer for 8-10 minutes until strawberries and rhubarb are soft. Add cornstarch mixed with 1/4 cup of water. Bring to boil until thickens.

Pour mixture into cake pan and top with remaining crumb topping. Spread the crumbs to the edges of the pan. Bake for 35-40 minutes at 350 degrees. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

Resurrection Rolls*

This recipe offers a great object lesson to use in teaching children about the death and resurrection of Jesus.

Ingredients

1 (10 ounce) can refrigerated crescent dinner rolls
8 large marshmallows
1/4 cup melted butter
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons white sugar


- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
- Lightly grease a baking sheet.
- Separate crescent rolls into individual triangles. (The dough represents the linen cloth use to wrap the body of Jesus in.)
- In a small bowl, mix together cinnamon and sugar. (The sugar and cinnamon represents the spices used in burial.)
- Dip a marshmallow into melted butter. (The melted butter represents the oils used in anointing the dead body.)
- Roll marshmallows in sugar mixture.
- Place marshmallow into the center of a dough triangle. (The marshmallow, of course, represents the body of Jesus.)
- Carefully wrap the dough around the marshmallow.
- Pinch the seams together tightly to seal in marshmallow as it melts. Place on a baking sheet. Repeat.
- Bake in a preheated oven until golden brown, about 15 minutes. (The oven represents the tomb.)

When children bite into them they will see that the "body" is gone! And they are yummy, of course!

*Recipe taken from Allrecipes.com

Judi's Clam Chowder

I remember my mom making this every Christmas eve, along with her homemade cinnamon rolls. However, it's so easy it could even be whipped up on any week night and it makes great leftovers.

1 bottle of clam juice
2 cans chopped clams
1 onion - diced
1 c. diced celery
3 strips bacon - cut in small pieces
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. thyme
Bear Creek Creamy Potato Mix - enough for 8 servings
2 cups water
2 cups milk
2 cups chicken stock

Brown bacon bits in a large pot. Remove bacon and most of grease. Sauté onions and celery in drippings until tender. Mix in garlic powder and thyme and stir for about 30 seconds. Add clam juice and clams (do not drain juice from clams). Bring to boil, then add remaining liquid (water, milk, and chicken stock). Bring the soup base to a boil, then add potato soup mix. Let simmer for 20 minutes and stir occasionally. Salt and pepper to taste.

Serve in a sour dough bread bowl with a little melted butter and some fresh cracked pepper for some extra yummy flavor!

In memory of my mother, Judi Parker...

Potato Beef Casserole

2 lb. package of frozen southern style hash browns (the cubed potatoes)
1 lb. hamburger
1 1/2 c. sour cream
1 can of cream of mushroom
1 tsp. of garlic salt
2 c. of sharp cheddar cheese
3 green onions, finely chopped

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Brown hamburger in skillet, drain, and set aside.

Mix together potatoes, sour cream, soup, garlic salt, cheddar cheese, and green onions. Add hamburger and pour into a casserole dish.

Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes or until top in golden brown and bubbly.

The Fluffiest Pancakes Ever

2 eggs
1 1/2 c. milk
1/4 c. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
4 Tbs. vegetable oil
2 c. whole wheat flour (optional to use regular white flour)
2 Tbs. baking power
1/2 tsp. salt

Separate the egg whites from the yolks. Beat egg whites with a mixer on high speed until stiff peaks form and then set aside.

In a separate bowl mix together egg yolks, milk, sugar, vanilla, and oil. Add flour, baking power, and salt. Mix just until blended then gently fold in egg whites.

Heat an electric griddle to 250 degrees and spray with cooking spray. Pour batter onto griddle with a 1/4 c. scoop. Check underside and flip when golden brown. Check to see if pancakes are cooked through by gently pressing on the center to see if they spring back up.

This batter is very versatile. You can add a smashed banana and walnuts, or grated apple and cinnamon for a different twist.

Garlic Chicken Stir-Fry

Marinade:
1/4 c. brown sugar
1/3 c. soy sauce
1 Tbs. minced garlic

1/2 lb. of whole wheat linguine - cooked according to package directions
1 bag frozen stir-fry veggies
2 large skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1/4 c. water
2 tsp. of corn starch
soy sauce - to toss on noodles
seasame oil - to toss on noodles
red peper flakes (optional)
cashews (optional)

Mix ingredients for marinade and poor over chicken. Let marinade for 2-3 hours in fridge. Remove chicken from fridge and cut into bite size pieces. Saute on med-high heat in about a tablespoon of olive oil until cooked through.

Remove chicken from pan. Turn heat down to medium and add veggies to pan along with marinade and let simmer for about 5 minutes. Mix corn starch into water and then add to simmering veggies and allow to thicken. Add chicken back to pan.

Add about a tablespoon of soy sauce and a teaspoon of seasame oil to linguine noodles and toss.

Spoon stir-fry over noodles and serve. Top with a pinch of red peper flakes and some cashews for extra flavor if desired.