Ricotta Vanilla Pancakes

Let me just start off by telling you how difficult it is to concentrate when there are Nerf guns shoot darts all over the living room....it is even more difficult to stay out of it when you have your own Nerf gun!! 

OK, with that out of the way, I can now talk about food. Pancakes.  Ricotta pancakes to be precise. I found a lovely looking ricotta pancake recipe here at Liv Life for blueberry ricotta pancakes...they really look fabulous, as does her other blog entries.  I didn't have any lemons or blueberries on hand, or the spelt flour so I needed to adapt and experiment a little.  When making pancakes of any sort in this house, I also must double the recipe....hungry  teen....

Since I did not have any blueberries on hand to make the scrumptious sauce, I served the pancakes with some fresh fruit, bacon and maple syrup!!

Ricotta Pancakes

 Adapted from Liv Life

Print recipe

1 cup flour

½ cup whole wheat flour

2 tbsp ground flax seed

2 tsp baking powder

½ tsp baking soda

Healthy grating of nutmeg

1 vanilla bean, split and scraped

1 tbsp vanilla extract

1 ½ cups low fat ricotta

4 eggs

1 cup buttermilk (or 1 tbsp lemon juice with enough milk to make 1 cup)

In a large bowl, mix together the dry ingredients, set aside.

This photo is missing the flax, it was a last minute addition that worked beautifully!

 In another bowl, thoroughly mix together the wet ingredients.  This is your chance to mix the wet ingredients all together and make sure the vanilla bean seeds are well mixed in.

Split and scrape the vanilla bean, make sure all of those little beadlettes of vanilla goodness go into the we mixture.

Combine the wet and dry ingredients and mix until just combined...the fewer turns of the spoon, the better.

 Heat a skillet or non stick pan, grease lightly with a brush of oil or melted butter.

Scoop ¼ cup of batter onto the skillet.  Let the pancakes cook until bubbles form on the tops and they appear dry on the edges.

Flip the pancakes and cook a few minutes more until browned.

Move cooked pancakes to a foil lined dish to keep warm until you have finished cooking all the pancakes.

Serve with fresh fruit and maple syrup.

 Until next time, stay warm and eat well!

A Week's Worth of Brekkies

A great way to get going on these cold winter mornings in is a hot bowl of oatmeal! I don't have time every morning to make a pot of good old fashioned oatmeal but I am not a fan of the prepackaged instant oatmeals, they just aren't the same. The oats have been so over rolled there isn't nearly as much fibre left in them as there should be and I can make my own flavours with natural ingredients.  If I want maple flavoured oatmeal, I will just add maple syrup!

My breakfast is happy to see me!

 I generally buy the generic brand of steel cut oats or multigrain oats and cook up a week's worth of oatmeal on Sunday afternoon or evening.  Follow the instructions on the box to cook up the oatmeal and divy the oatmeal out into single serve portions into bowls (with plastic wrap) or containers with lids if you have.  All you have to do in the morning is pop it into the microwave for a minute or two and you are ready for the day! (Or grab it to take to work, use the  microwave in the classroom/staffroom and let the kids watch you enjoy your oatmeal!)

Cook the oatmeal according to package instructions.





Here's where you can adjust the flavours to suit your mood:

• Switch out the water for another liquid such as juice, coconut milk, soy milk, milk....even tea

 
While cooking add to the pot the flavours of your choice:

• 1 chopped apple (keep the peel), handful of raisins, 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• handful of chopped dates (sweetness), shredded coconut,
• pumkin pie spices and smow pureed pumpkin
• chopped pineapple, coconut, and some rum extract (Do you like pina colodas?)
• a handful of chopped dried apricots, some chopped walnuts...
• dried blueberries

The possiblities really are endless, just use your imagination.
Today I felt like apples, dates, and cinnamon!

Lately I have been adding some frozen strawberries and a gulp of maple syrup before popping it into the microwave for 2 minutes.

Being prepared for the week ahead helps keep morning mayhem to a minimum.  Get up, get ready, have breakfast, and go.

One for each day of the week!! This batch has apples, dates, and cinnamon in it but I will most likely add some maple syrup and strawberries in the morning!  This really does save so much time in the mornings.

"What do I Aways Say is the Most Important Thing?"

Bonus points to anyone who knows where the quote in the title comes from and knows the answer to the question!

It is another cold morning on the prairies, yes I know I have been complaining about the freezing temps and many of you are most likely thinking "Suck it up buttercup, you live there, get used to it.....blah, blah, blah....)" I will say this about this morning's weather:  At least there is no windchill.  After a certain point I wonder if it really matters what the temperature is, cold is cold.  The sun is shining, which is nice as that means no more snowfall for the time being. And since it is cold, it is the perfect time bake something so I can turn the oven on!!

I have been wanting to make these tasty little morsels of breakfast goodness for quite some time....I would hazard to say since Mandy from Whipped posted the recipe I have had these in the the back of my mind. So here I am almost an entire year later finally making them!!  I did make a few adaptations to Mandy's original recipe. Partly because I only had buttermilk in fridge and partly because I have been trying to incorporate more while wheat flour into my recipes.

Mmmm....bacon....

Bacon Cheddar Breakfast Muffins

In a small bowl, mix together 1 strip of crisp cooked crumbled bacon and 1/4 cup grated cheese and set aside.  This will be used as a topping for the muffins.

Spray muffin tins with non stick spray, or brush with oil, melted butter.....something to keep the muffins from sticking.

Preheat the oven to 375 F.

In a large bowl, mix together:

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp fresh ground black pepper
• 4 1/2 tsp baking powder

Mix together with a whisk and add to the dry ingredients:

• 1 cup grated old cheddar cheese (or which ever cheese you have on hand)
• 7 strips of crisp cooked bacon, crumbled
• 1/4 cup chopped green onions, or chives

Mix until the cheese, bacon, and green onions are coated in the flour mixture.

In another bowl mix (beat) together:

• 1/2 cup canola (or veggie) oil
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 cup sour cream (I want to try these with ricotta)
• 2 eggs
• 2 tbsp maple syrup

Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix until well combined.  The batter will be thick.  Scoop into the muffin tins.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until the tops are golden and a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Allow to cool for 5 to 10 minutes then remove from pans.  I loved the crispiness these muffins have from the cheese melting and crisping up on the edges of the pan.  Cheddar bacon breakfast muffins are indeed tasty and everyone enjoyed them on this cold winter Saturday morning. Highly recommended!

Stay warm and eat well!

Complete ingredient list:

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp fresh ground black pepper
• 4 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 cup grated old cheddar cheese (or which ever cheese you have on hand)
• 7 strips of crisp cooked bacon, crumbled
• 1/4 cup chopped green onions, or chives
• 1/2 cup canola (or veggie) oil
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 cup sour cream (I want to try these with ricotta)
• 2 eggs
• 2 tbsp maple syrup

Leftovers for Breakfast!

What to do with alll of those leftovers??  I was rooting through the fridge this morning thinking about breakfast and low and behold I find a wonderful mix of items! Hmmm....potatoes, sauteed mushrooms, creamed spinach, onion, steak, egg whites left over from the cinnamon rolls....this sounds like a breakfast in the making!  I really couldn't have planned this better, even if I had tried!

First I finely diced some of the onion to saute in some butter.

Then I added the leftover mushrooms.

Sliced the potatoes and added those to the pan.

Please, can I be in this yummy breakfast???

The leftover creamed spinached just begged to be added (and thinned with a little milk).

I had a total of 8 egg whites and 3 whole eggs beaten with a sploosh of milk (yes, sploosh is a technical mesaurement in the Little Kitchen!)





 
Pour the eggs into the pan and give it a shimmyshake to get all of that eggy goodness around.

Bake in the oven at 305F for 15 to 20 minutes.

 Top with the grated cheese of your choice and broil until melty.

An oven mitt on the handle reminds me the handle is HOT! (Safety first you know!)

Add some sliced steak to the plate and enjoy!

Snowy Sunday Morning Brekkie

Well the snow is definitely here to stay.  It is a winter wonderland outside.  Sometimes I think all we do here is complain about the weather.  In the summer it is too hot, or too rainy, or not hot enough.  In the winter it is too cold, there is too much snow....the list goes on.  It is actually quite pretty outside right now and not too cold at all.  (Cold being a relative term here.  Some of us are just more used to the cold than others.)  In all honesty I do enjoy the changing seasons.  I don't however enjoy the longer hours of dark that goes along with our fall into the winter months. Thank goodness we now have some snow to help light things up bit.

The sad looking garden donkey covered in snow.  The snow is still falling.

All of this fresh snow on a Sunday morning means a hearty breakfast is needed.  After all, I must make sure the teen has the energy needed to shovel all of that freshly fallen snow!  I have been dying to try out the bacon we found at the grocery store.  It is a hickory smoked, peppered thick cut bacon.  Looks so good before I even cooked it!

Snowy Sunday Morning Brekkie

• 1 lb bacon of your choice (today we used a thick cut peppered and hickory smoked bacon
• 6 - 8 red potatoes (or whichever you prefer or have on hand), cubed
• 1/2 large sweet onion, diced
• 1/2 red pepper, diced
• green onions, chopped
• 1 chili pepper
• 8 eggs
• some 1/2 and 1/2 or milk
• salt and pepper

 Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F and spray a baking sheet with non stick spray.  Lay the slices of bacon out in a single layer on the sheet.  Bake for 20 to 30 minutes, or until cooked to your liking.  I give a large gap in time because some people prefer their bacon more crisp than others.

While the baon is in the oven, preheat a non stick frying pan to medium. Once the pan is hot add:

• 2 tbsp butter

Let the butter melt and add:

• the cubed potatoes

Give the pan a shake to coat the potatoes in melted buttery goodness, sprinkle on some salt and pepper.  Slap the lid on the pan and let it work its magic for about 10 minutes.  Remove the lid and add to the pan:

• the diced onions

Give the pan another shake, slap that lid back on and cook for about 5 minutes.  Remove the lid again and add:

• the diced red peppers

Shake the pan, slap the lid back on and cook for another 5 minutes.  After this last 5 minutes is up, remove the lid for good and shake up the pan.  (you can also use a utensil to stir things up, just be careful not to break or mash up the potatoes.)  Let the taters cook and brown some more until ready to serve.  Add salt and pepper to taste before serving.

**This recipe works well in the oven as well but you need to be careful and add the onions and peppers later so they don't burn.  The oven will need to be at a hot 400 degrees so if you are cooking something like the bacon low and slow, then the fry pan method is best. **

Once the bacon is done, feel free to trasfer the potates to a 400 to 450 degree oven to finish, especially if you need the stove space to make the eggs. 


Since eggs cook fairly quickly, I cook them last.  Preheat the fry pan to medium-low. 

In a bowl, crack open the 8 eggs and add about 1 tbps of 1/2 and 1/2 per egg to the bowl.  (here it was about 1/2 cup, but honestly, I didn't measure today, I just eyeballed it) 

Add some salt and pepper to taste.  Scramble the eggs with a fork, making sure to break up all of the yolks and mix in the milk. 

Add a pat of butter to the pan and let it melt.  Pour the eggs into the preheated pan and let them sit for a moment.  Stir the eggs with a spatula every so often to scrape up the gently cooked curds and let the liquid hit the bottom of the pan.  If you prefer smaller curds of egg, stir more often.  Continue cooking until eggs are cooked the way you like.  Top with diced green onions and sliced chilis.  Some grated cheddar is also nice here. 
Remember to start toasting at some point while the eggs are cooking... place a couple of pieces of your favourite bread in the toaster and toast away!!

The view from the front door this morning.

Breakfast for Dinner?

Well the weather has turned cool...cooler than it was yesterday anyways and cool enough to snow!  It is also getting dark so darned early that everyone is sleepy and feeling like comfort foods.  By 5:00pm tonight (official sunset was at4:42pm with a sunrise of 7:44am), it was pitch dark outside.  Making the transitions to such short days can be tough but we put on an extra layer of clothes, turn the lights on earlier and tough it out until spring.

Tonight is a great night for breakfast for dinner!  French toast to be exact!  I have been thinking about making french toast for a few days so when I came home to a slow cooker meal that just didn't go as planned, I delighted in making French toast!  Warm, soothing, with a touch of cinnamon...just the thing to warm me up!  Served up with crisp bacon and a maple apple salad, tonight's dinner was not only soul soothing, it warmed the heart as well!

French toast 

Thickly slice 2 loaves of day old bread of your choosing.  Tonight I used a loaf of rye and a loaf of multigrain bread.  Any rustic, unsliced loaf will work well.

Heat a fry pan or griddle to medium heat.


In a casserole dish or other vessel with a flat bottom and high sides mix together:

• 6 eggs, beaten well
• 2 cups 1/2 and 1/2 (or cream or milk. I have also used evaporated milk)
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1 tsp vanilla

Beat these ingredients together really well.

Melt a pat of butter in the hot fry pan

Dip a piece of bread into the custard (egg) mixture and turn it over so that both sides are will coated.  Allow excess to drip off and place in the hot pan.

 
Fry until golden, flip and fry side number 2 until golden.  Place finished pieces in a pan in a warm oven to keep until serving.

Serve topped with maple syrup, or powdered sugar, or fruit, or whipped cream, or what ever floats your boat!


For the bacony side kick:
Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.
Spread bacon out in a single layer on a greased (or sprayed with cooking spray) baking sheet.
Bake until golden delicious.  (about 20 minutes)
Once cooked to your desired doneness, layer between some paper toweling to drain the fat.

Maple apple salad

In a bowl, mix together:

• 1/2 cup plain yogurt 
• 2 tbsp real maple syrup
• 2 apples, cored and chopped (I like to leave the skins on)

Top with granola (I didn't have any granola on hand tonight but I did use some Kashi cereal and it tasted great!

This salad also tastes great topped with some crumbled bacon.