Valentine's Day Blueberry Pancakes

Pancakes are another one of those foods that conjure up so many memories.  You can absolutely get pancakes at Mikcy D's and other fast food restaurants, but there's something so wonderful about standing over a griddle checking to see if the batter has turned that perfect light brown color yet so that you can flip the flap jack.  

Another one of my favorite things about pancakes is how versatile they are.  You can basically stick with the same basic pancake recipe and add anything you want.  Craving something sweet?  Add some chocolate.  Wanting to take the healthy route?  Add blueberries.

That is precisely what I did with these.  Something about adding that fruit in makes me feel slightly better about wolfing down 4 nicely sized cakes doused in confectioners sugar and syrup.  Delish!  

And of course I had to make these a bit festive since I was making them as a Valentine's Day breakfast for the hubby (our first VDay as husband/wife might I add).  I wanted to make heart shaped pancakes, but unfortunately the only heart shaped cookie cutter I had was plastic.  Normally I would lay the metal cookie cutter directly on the griddle, pour the matter into the mold, and let the pancake cook there.  But as you can imagine that wouldn't exactly work with plastic.  So I used the cookie cutter on the pancake *after* it was finished.  Not ideal, but it worked...

Todd's Famous Blueberry Pancakes adapted from AllRecipes

1 1/4 C all purpose flour

1/2 tsp salt

1 tbsp baking powder

1 1/4 tsp white sugar

1 egg

1 C milk

1/2 tbsp butter, melted

1/2 C blueberries

In large bowl sift together flour, salt, baking powder and sugar.   In separate bowl beat together egg and milk.  

Stir milk and egg into flour mixture.  Stir in butter.

Heat lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium/medium-high heat.  Depending on desired size, use approximately 1/4 C batter per pancake.  Drop blueberries into pancake batter once poured.  

*You could certainly fold the blueberries directly into the batter, but I've found that this method works best for me.

Let pancake lightly brown on the bottom and then flip.  Serve immediately.

A light dusting of powdered sugar...

Dig in!

Tuesday's Tips, Tricks and Tid-Bits ~ Buttermilk Substitutes

Buttermilk.  You most likely either love it or you hate it.  I, myself, absolutely abhor the taste of buttermilk on its own but love "buttermilk" recipes (i.e. buttermilk biscuits, buttermilk pancakes, etc).  I'm slightly ashamed to admit that I'm not sure I've ever actually tasted plain buttermilk, but the thought of thick milk kind of makes me sick.

But what exactly is buttermilk?  The lactic acids in buttermilk are what gives it that sour taste, while the thick texture of buttermilk comes from the slightly curdled proteins.  Buttermilk is in between milk and cream as far as the thickness of the liquid is concerned, and it is also lower in fat than both regular milk and cream.

A quick history lesson in buttermilk from way back when: If you wanted to make buttermilk back in the olden days, you would first take the milk you milked from Bessie the cow and let it stand in an open container at room temperature for a few days.  Over these few days the richer cream would separate and form a thick, gunky (is that a word?) layer on the surface of the milk.  During this time the milk would have fermented a little bit from the lactic acid-forming bacteria in the milk.

Yuck, right?  Well, sort of.  But the good part about this gunky layer is that it allowed this bacteria to form, which in turn lowers the pH of the milk making it harder for unhealthy microorganisms to begin cropping up.  And this, my friends, made the butter easier to churn.

Once the butter is churned, the liquid that is the byproduct is buttermilk.  Ta da!

These days we have the technology available to make this whole process seamless.  Instead of letting the milk ferment naturally, lactic acid is simply added straight to the milk to produce the same sour/curdled effect.  Dairies also tend to add tiny specs of yellow colored butter to make it seem more old fashioned.

Ok, that's all great, but what about a substitute for buttermilk?  So many recipes call for it, and I never seem to have any in the house.  And when I do I'm frantically trying to whip up every "buttermilk" recipe available for fear that it will go bad before I can use it all.  Fortunately there are several substitutes for it though.

Remember Tuesday's post from last week that talked about how baking soda will react and produce a rising effect once combined with an acidic ingredient such as buttermilk?  If not, check it out here.  Well the important part to remember is that it's the acid in buttermilk that you need.  And luckily, there are several other ways to get that acidic component in regular milk.  Below are some substitutions....

Lemon Juice
In a one cup measuring cup, add one tablespoon of lemon juice.  Then top off the cup with skim, regular, or whole milk.  Allow this mixture to sit for 6-10 minutes, and you will have milk that is both acidic and curdled.

Vinegar
Use the same method as the above one listed for lemon juice.

Cream of Tartar
Mix one cup of milk with 1 3/4 teaspoons cream of tartar.  To keep the cream of tartar from getting lumpy, take 2 tablespoons of the one cup of milk and mix it together with the cream of tartar.  Then add this mixture to the rest of the milk.

Also, I can't close without wishing everyone a happy Valentine's day!  Stay tuned from some fun VDay recipes later this week!

XOXO

Spaghetti with Spinach Pesto and Turkey Meatballs

Spaghetti was one of my favorite meals my mom fixed growing up.  When she would announce that spaghetti was what we were going to have for dinner that night I would literally stay excited about it all day.  Lame, I know.

But even still, when I eat spaghetti I think of home and the way my mom used to make it.  I remember she would always ask either my sister or me to stir the meat sauce while it cooked, though I'm still not sure if it really needed to be stirred or if she was just lovingly making sure that we felt like we were helping make dinner.

I'll want to feature the classic spaghetti with marinara sauce at some point, but today I'm bringing you a healthy version of this dish.  Healthy can sadly often equal a lighter version which doesn't have near the flavor, but not this time.  Pesto sauce gives whole wheat noodles a nice punch while turkey, cranberries and feta cheese come together to form the scrumptious meatballs.

It's definitely different than the traditional version, but I'm willing to bet you'll love this dish as much as I do once you give it a shot.  Plus, it's absolutely packed with healthy vitamins and nutrients, so don't feel bad about helping yourself to another bowl :)

My favorite photo OF ALL TIME!  I tried to

put the camera on the floor to get another angle and 

Ellie came running licking her lips :)

PS So sorry for the lack of pictures in this post!  I had a finger print smudge on the lens and so most of the earlier photos of the meal prep are fuzzy.

Spaghetti with Spinach Pesto and Turkey Meatballs from Inspired Taste
Spaghetti noodles, cooked and drained (I went with wheat noodles)


Spinach Pesto
2 C baby spinach leaves
2-3 cloves garlic (depending on how spicy you want it)
1/4 C toasted walnuts
1/4 C olive oil
1/4 C grated parmesan cheese
1/8 tsp salt
freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Turkey Meatballs
1 lb ground turkey meat
1 1/2 slices fresh bread, crusts removed, pulsed into crumbs (I used boxed breadcrumbs to save time)
1/4 C finely chopped onion
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1/4 C Marsala wine
2 tbsp diced dried apricots (I omitted these, but I'm sure they would add great flavor)
2 tbsp diced dried cranberries
2 tbsp chopped baby spinach leaves
2 tbsp crumbled feta cheese
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 tsp salt
freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Make sure to give the noodles enough time to cook thoroughly during this process.  I'm only saying this because I forgot them until the very end :)

For the pesto.....Use a knife to roughly chop garlic, then add to a food processor. Add walnuts and pulse a few times. Add spinach and pulse a couple more times. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil until mixture comes together. Remove pesto from food processor and add cheese, salt and pepper.  Stir to combine. Serve over hot pasta using a little pasta water to loosen sauce slightly if needed.


For the meatballs.....Preheat broiler and spray baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray.

1. In small bowl, pour wine over diced dried apricots and cranberries, then set aside for 5-10 minutes.
2. In medium frying pan over medium heat, saute the onions and garlic until the onions are translucent, about 6 minutes.  Make sure not to burn the garlic!
3. Combine turkey with all other ingredients, including apricots, cranberries, wine and garlic/onion mixture in large work bowl.  Try not to overmix the mixture; over-mixing will make the meatballs tough and dry. Lightly form mixture into 1-inch balls and place them on a baking sheet.  Put them under the broiler on a middle rack for about 15 minutes. 
4. *You should stay close to the oven while the meatballs are cooking since they can easily burn. You may need to raise the meatballs to a higher rack at the end of the process to brown the tops and to ensure the meatballs are cooked through.

Add the pesto to the hot noodles and toss in meatballs.  If needed, add a little water to the pest sauce to loosen.  Serve immediately.


This meal will stay fresh for about 3 days in the fridge.

Friday Links ~ Web Deliciousness

TGIF!!  My first week back from the honeymoon has absolutely flown by, but I am so grateful for the weekend ahead.  It will bring time to focus on getting settled in the house (if you ever do get completely "settled"), and time with our families.

By the way, when someone says "TGIF", do you still think of the Friday night specials on ABC back in the 90s?  Because I definitely do.  But maybe that's just me.

Today I am going to continue the new tradition of Friday Links.  I have done this a few times before, but I feel that Friday Links combined with Tuesday's Tip, Tricks, and Tid Bits will allow me to log a blog post every day of the week.  That leaves 3 "meal" posts, which I believe is manageable.  It also gives me a chance to share some links of recipes I might try out the following week.

Let's dive into the web deliciousness, shall we?

Valentines Day "I love you more than..." Cookies

from Pinterest

How cute are these?!  Trey and I haven't decided what we're doing

for Valentines Day yet, but I think we're going to keep it pretty

low key.  That being said, I do think that I'm going to try to make some of 

these for him if I get the time to.  *Don't worry, I doubt this will ruin the

surprise because I'm pretty sure he doesn't read this blog :)

Apple Pie Cookies

from Annie's Eats

I've got a rather large bag of fresh apples sitting

at home, which I doubt I will be able to polish off before they

go bad.  I love apple pie, so these seem like the perfect bite sized treat to

whip up in an effort to make sure that those

lovely apples don't go to waste!  Yum!

Apple Fritter Bread

from Flour Me with Love

Oh dear.  I love apples, apple fritters, and all things carb, so this could

not be a more perfect confection for me.  This would also be

a good way to use up some of those apples if the pie cookies

don't pan out.  This seems like a breakfast AND 

dessert bread that would be perfect comfort food for the cold weather that is slated 

to come our way next week too.  I also had a bad experience with yeast bread previously,

so this might be a good way to tackle my fears concerning it.

Garlic Rubbed Grilled Cheese with Bacon and Tomato

from Pinterest

Grilled cheese sandwiches are such great comfort food, and bacon always 

makes everything better.  Since these aren't the 

healthiest option I might swap turkey bacon in.  That makes it all okay and

guilt free, right?

The Fluffiest, Chewiest Chocolate Chip Cookies Ever

from Apple a Day

Ok, those are their words, not mine.  But hopefully they are the fluffiest,

chewiest Chocolate Chip Cookies.  Ever.  I'll just have to

make them and see!  I've got some dark chocolate sitting in the 

pantry so this might be a good way to put it to use!

What's on your to-bake list?   I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!  Check back Monday for a new post!

Sweet Potato Biscuits

One Saturday about a little over a year ago, my then-fiance and I stopped by the famed Highlands Bakery in Atlanta, GA for brunch.  I ordered their breakfast plate and opted for the sweet potato biscuit in place of their classic whole wheat one.  And my life was forever changed.

No, I'm only kidding.  Just a little.  Have you ever eaten one of those biscuits?  I absolutely love sweet potatoes and all things carbs (especially nice, fluffy biscuits), so it's not surprising to me that I took a quick liking to these.

I've been looking around the internet for some time trying to find a recipe that I thought might compare, and I settled on Martha Stewart's version.  This recipe is fairly straightforward, and the only time consuming aspect of it is the baking of a sweet potato.  I'm sure you could use canned sweet potato puree though if you were in a pinch.

Even though biscuits are typically a breakfast/brunch food, I made these the other night for dinner along with eggs (over easy for me, scrambled for the hubs) and turkey bacon.  I'm sure these would also go well as a dinner bread too.

*I whipped up some brown sugar cinnamon butter to go with these biscuits.  Just add some cinnamon and brown sugar to some softened butter and you're good to go.  If it gets too soft just stick it back in the fridge for a bit.

Sweet Potato Biscuits from Martha Stewart

• 1 3/4 C all purpose flour, plus more for kneading and shaping
• 2 tbsp light brown sugar (I substituted with sugar in the raw)
• 2 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 6 tbsp chilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces, plus 1/2 tsbp melted butter
• 3/4 C sweet potato puree, chilled
• 1/3 C buttermilk

Preheat oven to 425 degrees and place baking rack on lower shelf.

In large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and baking soda. 

Dry ingredients mixture

With pastry blender or two knives, cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse meal, with some pea-sized lumps of butter remaining. 

*Make sure you don't forget the melted butter too.  I added this in AFTER I had cut in the chilled butter and it worked well for me.  If you forget it the dough will be incredibly dry and impossible to knead.

I had to call a time-out and give you an "above" view of my

amazing new apron.  Not only is it incredibly stylish, but it also has a button

there on my right side for you to attach the dish towel.  Perfect for keeping your hands 

free in the kitchen!  One of my fave shower gifts :)

Now back to the recipe at hand....In small bowl, whisk together sweet potato puree and buttermilk; stir quickly into flour mixture until combined (do not overmix).

For the puree, I simply baked a sweet potato, chilled it in the fridge,

and then mixed it with a hand mixer.

Turn out dough onto lightly floured surface.  Knead very gently until dough comes together but is still slightly lumpy, five or six times. (If dough is too sticky, work in up to 1/4 cup additional flour.) Shape into a disk, and pat to an even 1-inch thickness. 

With floured 2-inch biscuit cutter, cut out biscuits as close together as possible. Gather together scraps, and repeat to cut out more biscuits (do not reuse scraps more than once).

Butter/Grease an 8-inch cake pan. Arrange biscuits snugly in pan (to help them stay upright). Brush with melted butter. Bake until golden, rotating once, 20 to 24 minutes.

I didn't have an 8-inch round cake pan, so I divided the biscuits up

among 2 pans.  In hindsight I would have gone

with the round cake pan because it would have allowed me to

place the biscuits closer together.  The closer together they are the softer

the edges of each biscuit will be.

Foil-Baked Fish with Black Beans and Corn

Remember how I had previously posted in a Friday Links segment that the first meal I planned on cooking post-Honeymoon was Foil-Baked Fish with Black Beans and Corn?  I bet you thought that was just wishful thinking.  But I actually followed through this time.  This dish sounded like the perfect healthy option to get us back on track after overindulging for a week in St. Lucia.  And boy did I enjoy that overindulging!

Have you ever heard of hobos?  You know, when you wrap a hamburger patti and veggies up in tin foil and then bake it?  This is the same concept, but you use fish.  The fish is placed on top of the black beans and corn so that all of the yummy juices flavor the "salsa".  I'm sure you can use any white fish, but I went with Mahi Mahi (the fish so nice they named it twice) because it was on special at my favorite store, Publix.

You can certainly eat this tasty meal straight from the packet, but I had made a promise to the hubby and transfered everything to our fine china before serving it.  Yes, you read that right.  The fine china.  When we were registering, Trey didn't seem to see the need for a fine china set like I did, so I promised I would use it all the time.  I promised I would use it way more than he expected, such as the first night back from the honeymoon :)

Foil-Baked Fish with Black Beans and Corn adapted from Pink Parsley
4 skinless white fish fillets (6-8 oz each and about 1 inch thick)
Salt and pepper
4 tbsp butter, softened
2 tsp chipotle chiles in adobe sauce, minced
1 tsp grated orange zest
2 tbsp freshley squeezed orange juice
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 (16 oz) can black beans rinsed and drained
2 C corn kernals
1/2 red onion, minced
2 scallions, minced
1/4 C chopped fresh cilantro

Adjust the oven rack to the lower-middle position and heat to 450 degrees.

Pat the fish dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper.  Using a fork, mix together the butter, 1 teaspoon chipotle, orange zest, half the garlic, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp pepper in a medium bowl until well-combined.  Spread butter mixture over the fish.


Combine the beans, corn, onion, scallions, 2 tablespoons of cilantro, orange juice, remaining chipotle, remaining garlic, scallions, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a bowl.

Prepped and ready for the oven

Lay four 14-inch lengths of foil on the counter and divide the bean mixture evenly over the lower half of each piece of foil.  Top with fish, and fold the foil over the fish, folding the edges to seal.

Arrange the packets in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet and bake until the fish is just cooked through, 15 to 20 minutes.  Carefully open the packets and sprinkle with remaining cilantro.  Serve.

Fresh from the oven

Delish :)

Tuesday's Tips, Tricks and Tid-Bits ~ Baking Soda vs Baking Powder

So I've been thinking of just how I'm going to make sure and post a blog entry every day.  Regular posts are something that has become quite a priority now that my brain isn't completely consumed with wedding fluff, but I just needed to figure out how to make it work.

In my ideal world I would cook a scrumptious meal worthy of sharing five nights per week, but I know that inevitably something in life will go awry and that just won't happen.  As a result, I came up with the idea for "Tuesday's Tips, Tricks and Tid-Bits".  Bear with me if you will, as I know the name sounds rather corny.

One of my favorite things about the internet (that relates to cooking) is that any time I have a problem I can go google it and I know that google will faithfully return umpteen results to me, and that in at least one of the results I will find my answer.  Need a substitute for buttermilk?  Google it.  Can't decide whether or not to use cake flour or regular all purpose flour for the red velvet?   Google it.

So on Tuesdays I will now bring you these tips and tid-bits that have always been most helpful to me.

Today's post concerns baking powder and baking soda.  One comes in that little blue can with the Indian on the front and the other comes in the classic Arm and Hammer yellow box and can be used for everything from cleaning stains to brushing your teeth.  They both start with the work "baking" and are both a white, powdery substance.  So what's the difference?

Well, there's a big difference.  But let's start with the similarities.  Baking powder and baking soda are both leavening agents which cause baked goods to rise.  I'll spare everyone the chemistry behind everything, but both ingredients produce carbon dioxide to achieve this "rising" effect.

Baking soda will produce this effect once combined with an acid.  Case in point, if a recipe calls for baking soda it will most likely call for another acidic ingredient such as buttermilk or vinegar.

Baking powder on the other hand already contains this acid in a powder form.  As a result, you can use baking soda when a recipe calls for baking powder (provided you add some cream of tartar and cornstarch), but not vice versa.

To use baking soda in place of baking powder, add an equal amount of cornstarch and twice as much cream of tartar.  Use about one fourth of the amount of baking soda as the recipe calls for the baking powder and then add the appropriate proportions of cornstarch and cream of tartar.

For example, if the recipe calls for 1 tsp of baking powder, you'll need 1/4 tsp baking soda, 1/4 tsp cornstarch and 1/2 tsp cream of tartar.

For more in depth details about baking soda and baking powder, I would recommend reading this post from Kitchen Savvy.