Cake Batter Pancakes

Cake Batter Pancakes

Source: howsweeteats.com via Bernadete on Pinterest

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2/3 cup yellow cake mix
1 tablespoon sugar
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
pinch of salt
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-2 cups milk (I used vanilla almond milk)
assorted sprinkles

Directions:
Combine flour, cake mix, baking powder, sugar and salt in a bowl and mix.
Add 1 cup of milk (Start with 1 cup of milk and add more if needed), egg and vanilla extract and stir until smooth. (You want the batter to look like regular pancake batter; not too thin, not too thick.)

Preheat a skillet on medium heat.
Fold desired amount of sprinkles into batter. Pour batter in 1/4 cup measurements onto skillet and let cook until bubbles form on top, about 2-3 minutes. Flip and cook for 1 minute more. Serve with vanilla glaze.

Glaze
1 cup powdered sugar
1/2 tablespoon milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
assorted sprinkles
Mix milk, extract and powdered sugar until glaze forms. You may need to add a little more sugar or water/milk to reach desired consistency. Mix into glaze and drizzle on pancakes.

Review: Everyone in my family loved them. My son was very  excited to have pancakes with sprinkles for breakfast on his birthday! These will be a family tradition from now on!

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

Source: thisbirdsday.com via Bernadete on Pinterest

Ingredients

• pumpkin seeds
• melted butter or oil (olive or vegetable work well) enough to coat the seeds) We used olive oil
• salt to taste* (other seasonings you can try: seasoning salt, onion powder, garlic salt, etc.)

Instructions

1. Rinse pumpkin seeds. Use your fingers to remove all the pulp. Drain pumpkin seeds and discard pulp. Spread out on clean dish towels to dry overnight.
2. Preheat oven to 325° F.
3. Toss pumpkin seeds in a bowl with the melted butter, margarine or oil. You can let them sit for a 30 minutes to soak up the butter. Spread pumpkin seeds in a single layer on baking sheet.
4. Sprinkle seasonings of your choice over the seeds.
5. Bake for about 45 minutes or until golden brown. Stir occasionally. Cool pumpkin seeds before eating. Store in an airtight container at room temperature up to 3 months or refrigerate up to 1 year. 

1. NOTE: If pumpkin seeds start to ‘pop’ or make a popping sound, then check on them, it means they are probably done

Review:

These tasted great. I seasoned  my first batch i n garlic salt and my second in sea salt. This is one of my favorite fall  snacks!

Rainbow Pancakes

Source: meetthedubiens.blogspot.com via Shanna on Pinterest

In honor of St. Patty's day I made rainbow pancakes for breakfast and then the kids and I had fun with the leprechauns.


Rainbow pancakes
Ingredients

pancake mix with ingredients to make - or make your own!
food coloring

Directions

1. make pancake batter according to box directions
2. divide pancake batter evenly into 6 bowls ( I made one batch at a time and divided the batter each time)
3. add a few drops of food coloring to each bowl to reach desired color and stir well
4. heat griddle
5.
6. pour batter on to griddle (one color at a time) and cook until bubbles start to form on the pancake - flip pancake over and continue cooking until done
7. repeat process for each color

Source: allrecipes.com via Bernadete on Pinterest

Slow Cooker Corned Beef and Cabbage

Ingredients

• 4 large carrots, peeled and cut into matchstick pieces
• 10 baby red potatoes, quartered
• 1 onion, peeled and cut into bite-sized pieces
• 4 cups water
• 1 (4 pound) corned beef brisket with spice packet
• 6 ounces beer
• 1/2 head cabbage, coarsely chopped

Directions

1. Place the carrots, potatoes, and onion into the bottom of a slow cooker, pour in the water, and place the brisket on top of the vegetables. Pour the beer over the brisket. Sprinkle on the spices from the packet, cover, and set the cooker on High.
2. Cook the brisket for about 8 hours. An hour before serving, stir in the cabbage and cook for 1 more hour

Review: This tasted good. I have never made corned beef and cabbage any other way. Overall a good recipe.

Santa hats

Source: luxefinds.com via Bernadete on Pinterest

Santa Hat Brownies
Adapted from this recipe found on Erica’s Sweet Tooth
Yields 12-16 brownies

Ingredients:
1 pan of your favorite brownies, cooled and cut into desired size and shape (I used a round cutter)
12-16 small strawberries, cleaned and hulled
vanilla-mascarpone buttercream (recipe below)

Mascarpone Buttercream
Ingredients:
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
8 ounces mascarpone cheese, room temperature
2-1/2 to 3 cups powdered sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
pinch of salt

Method:
Using a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, beat butter and mascarpone cheese until light and creamy, about 2 minutes. Add vanilla extract and salt. Add 2-1/2 cups of sugar, half a cup at a time and continue beating until smooth. Add more sugar, if needed to reach desired consistency and sweetness.

To assemble, pipe a ring of vanilla buttercream on top of each brownie. Cut off the base of a strawberry so it is flat and place it upside down on each brownie, pushing slightly to secure in place. Top the tip of the strawberry with a dot of buttercream to finish the santa hat


Review: These were easy to make. I used about 2 cups of sugar as it tasted very sweet at this point. Supper festive.

Family Dinner!

Tonight I had the honor of cooking for my Goddaughter and her family, here is what we served:

Pork Loin
Ingredients
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon dried rosemary
salt and pepper to taste
2 pounds boneless pork loin roast
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup white wine
Directions
1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2.Crush garlic with rosemary, salt and pepper, making a paste. Pierce meat with a sharp knife in several places and press the garlic paste into the openings. Rub the meat with the remaining garlic mixture and olive oil.
3.Place pork loin into oven, turning and basting with pan liquids. Cook until the pork is no longer pink in the center, about 2 hours. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read 160 degrees F (70 degrees C). Remove roast to a platter. Heat the wine in the pan and stir to loosen browned bits of food on the bottom. Serve with pan juices.

Strawberry and Spinach Salad


Baby Red Potato Salad

4 cups baby red potatoes, cut in small pieces
1/2 cup green bell pepper, finely diced
1/4 cup red onion, finely diced
3 scallions, diced
1 tsp dijon mustard
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tbsp reduced fat mayonnaise
salt and fresh pepper

Boil potatoes in salted water until soft, approx 10 minutes. Drain and let cool.

While the potatoes are boiling, combine red onion, green pepper, mustard, olive oil, vinegar and mayonnaise and season with salt and pepper. Mix well and let the flavors marinade while the potatoes cook. Once the potatoes are done and cool, mix into the bowl and add scallions and additional salt and pepper to taste. Serve room temperature or refrigerate until ready to serve.

Ranch Potatoes
Ingredients:

¼ cup vegetable oil
1 packet (1 ounce) Hidden Valley® Original Ranch® Salad Dressing & Seasoning Mix

Instructions:
Place potatoes in a gallon-size Glad® Food Storage Bag and add oil; seal bag. Toss to coat. Add salad dressing mix and toss again until coated. Bake in ungreased baking pan at 450°F for 30 to 35 minutes or until potatoes are brown and crisp.

Three Bean Salad
Ingredients
1 (15 ounce) can green beans
1 pound wax beans
1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 onion, sliced into thin rings
3/4 cup white sugar
2/3 cup distilled white vinegar
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon celery seed
Directions
1.Mix together green beans, wax beans, kidney beans, onion, sugar, vinegar, vegetable oil, salt, pepper, and celery seed. Let set in refrigerator for at least 12 hours.

Sweets:
Resess Peanut Butter cup Bites

Cake Balls

Thanksgiving Meal

Candied Sweet Potatoes

Ingredients
2 large sweet potatoes
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup orange juice

Directions
Boil cut-up sweet potatoes or bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) whole sweet potatoes until tender.
In a frying pan, melt the butter and brown sugar together until bubbly. Add the orange juice and stir until smooth. Add the cut-up sweet potatoes and cook slowly, turning occasionally until the sweet potatoes are caramelized, about 20 minutes. If syrup is too thin, add a bit more brown sugar.

Ultra Creamy Mashed Potatoes
Ingredients
3 1/2 cups Swanson® Chicken Broth (regular, Natural Goodness™ or Certified Organic)
5 large potatoes, cut into 1-inch pieces
1/2 cup light cream 2 tablespoons butter Generous dash ground black pepper

Directions
Heat broth and potatoes in 3-quart saucepan over high heat to a boil.
Reduce heat to medium. Cover and cook for 10 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Drain, reserving broth.
Mash potatoes with 1/4 cup broth, cream, butter and black pepper. Add additional broth, if needed, until desired consistency.

Slow cooked Ham

7-8 pound bone-in spiral-cut ham

1 cup dark brown sugar

1/2 cup all natural maple syrup

2 cups pineapple juice



The Directions.


Use a 6-7 quart slow cooker. Unwrap the ham, and discard flavor packet. Place it into your stoneware, flat-side down. Rub brown sugar on all sides. Pour on maple syrup and pineapple juice. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours. If possible, baste ham with collected juice from the bottom of the crock an hour or so before serving. When cooking is done, remove carefully and let it rest on a cutting board for 15-20 minutes before carving.

Shredded Brussels Sprouts

Ingredients
1/2 pound sliced bacon
1/4 cup butter
2/3 cup almonds
2 pounds Brussels sprouts, cored and quarterd
3 green onions, minced
1/2 teaspoon seasoning salt pepper to taste

Directions
Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium-high heat until crisp. Drain, reserving 2 tablespoons grease, crumble and set aside.
In the same skillet, melt butter in with reserved bacon grease over medium heat. Add pine nuts, and cook, stirring until browned. Add Brussels sprouts and green onions to the pan, and season with seasoning salt and pepper. Cook over medium heat until sprouts are wilted and tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in crumbled bacon just before serving.

Shrimp Scampi

Ingredients
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup lemon juice
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon minced garlic ground black pepper to taste
crushed red pepper flakes to taste (optional)
1 1/2 pounds medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

Directions
In a large, non-reactive bowl, stir together the olive oil, lemon juice, parsley, garlic, and black pepper. Season with crushed red pepper, if desired. Add shrimp, and toss to coat. Marinate in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Pumpkin Roll

Ingredients
1/4 cup powdered sugar (to sprinkle on towel)
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon salt 3 large eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup LIBBY'S® 100% Pure Pumpkin

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
6 tablespoons butter or margarine, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup powdered sugar (optional)

Directions
PREHEAT oven to 375 degrees F. Grease 15 x 10-inch jelly-roll pan; line with wax paper. Grease and flour paper. Sprinkle towel with powdered sugar.

COMBINE flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves and salt in small bowl. Beat eggs and sugar in large mixer bowl until thick. Beat in pumpkin. Stir in flour mixture. Spread evenly into prepared pan. Sprinkle with nuts.

BAKE for 13 to 15 minutes or until top of cake springs back when touched. Immediately loosen and turn cake onto prepared towel. Carefully peel off paper. Roll up cake and towel together, starting with narrow end. Cool on wire rack.

BEAT cream cheese, powdered sugar, butter and vanilla extract in small mixer bowl until smooth. Carefully unroll cake; remove towel. Spread cream cheese mixture over cake. Reroll cake. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least one hour. Sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving, if desired.

Turkey in a bag and mom's stuffing~