FLUFFY BUTTERMILK PANCAKES

As my good friend Martha over at Menagerie tells me, storm days are perfect “CAVE” days. Days to just snuggle in and do nothing or better yet ONLY what you WANT to do! Today is one of those days as we batten down the hatches for what they tell us will be a “significant late season storm“. The temperature has dropped almost 20 degrees and the wind is blowing almost 60 miles an hour so I decided brunch was in order – a comfort brunch that is. Hot, fluffy buttermilk pancakes! Hubby likes to top them with molasses, but I love my homemade maple syrup.
The key to fluffy pancakes is not to over mix the batter.
Do NOT beat it smooth. You should have some small lumps.

FLUFFY BUTTERMILK PANCAKES
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

  • Heat griddle to 375 degrees.
  • Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar into a medium bowl.
  • Add eggs, buttermilk, and 4 tablespoons butter; whisk to combine. Batter should have small to medium lumps.
  • Using a 1/2 cup measure, pour pancake batter about 2 inches away from each other.
  • When pancakes have bubbles on top and are slightly dry around edges, about 2 1/2 minutes, flip over.
  • Cook until golden on bottom, about 1 minute.
  • Repeat with remaining batter, keeping finished pancakes warm.
  • Serve with homemade maple syrup.

Maple Syrup
1 cup white sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
1 cup dark brown sugar, packed
scant 1 cup water
1 teaspoon PURE vanilla extract
2 tablespoons maple extract

  • Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan.
  • Bring to a slow boil.
  • Simmer gently 5 minutes.
  • Remove from heat and cool 5 minutes.
  • Store in refrigerator.

CHAMPAGNE MAPLE GINGER PANCAKES

I had some strawberries left from last night’s CHAMPAGNE STRAWBERRY BANANA SHAKES so I decided to make pancakes! What a great combination of flavors!

FLUFFY CHAMPAGNE MAPLE GINGER PANCAKES
2 1/3 cups flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 1/4 tablespoons baking powder
2 Jumbo eggs, beaten
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon maple extract1 can ginger ale

  • Arrange pancake mixture in a large bowl, leaving a well in the center.
  • Whisk together the butter, eggs and vanilla extract.
  • Pour egg mixture into the flour well and mix just until consistent.
  • Add ginger ale and whisk until smooth and blended.
  • Heat griddle and coat with a thin layer of butter.
  • Drop batter onto hot griddle.
  • Cook until bubbles form along the top.
  • Flip pancakes and cook until golden.
  • Serve with butter, PURE maple syrup and strawberries.

SOMEONE SPECIAL SHARED THIS WITH ME, AND I WANT TO SHARE IT WITH YOU

On the first day of school our professor introduced himself and challenged us to get to know someone we didn’t already know.

I stood up to look around when a gentle hand touched my shoulder. 

I turned around to find a wrinkled, little old lady beaming up at me with a smile that lit up her entire being.

 She said, ‘Hi handsome. My name is Rose. I’m eighty-seven years old. Can I give you a hug?’ 

I laughed and enthusiastically responded, ‘Of course you may!’ and she gave me a giant squeeze.



‘Why are you in college at such a young, innocent age?’ I asked. 



She jokingly replied, ‘I’m here to meet a rich husband, get married, and have a couple of kids….’ 



‘No seriously,’ I asked. I was curious what may have motivated her to be taking on this challenge at her age. 



‘I always dreamed of having a college education and now I’m getting one!’ she told me. 



After class we walked to the student union building and shared a chocolate milkshake. 

We became instant friends. Every day for the next three months we would leave class together and talk nonstop. I was always mesmerized listening to this ‘time machine’ as she shared her wisdom and experience with me. 



Over the course of the year, Rose became a campus icon and she easily made friends wherever she went. She loved to dress up and she revelled in the attention bestowed upon her from the other students. She was living it up. 



At the end of the semester we invited Rose to speak at our football banquet. I’ll never forget what she taught us. She was introduced and stepped up to the podium. As she began to deliver her prepared speech, she dropped her three by five cards on the floor. 


 Frustrated and a little embarrassed she leaned into the microphone and simply said, ‘I’m sorry I’m so jittery. I gave up beer for Lent and this whiskey is killing me! I’ll never get my speech back in order so let me just tell you what I know.’ 



As we laughed she cleared her throat and began, ‘We do not stop playing because we are old; we grow old because we stop playing. 

There are only four secrets to staying young, being happy, and achieving success. You have to laugh and find humour every day. You’ve got to have a dream. When you lose your dreams, you die. 

We have so many people walking around who are dead and don’t even know it! 



There is a huge difference between growing older and growing up. 

If you are nineteen years old and lie in bed for one full year and don’t do one productive thing, you will turn twenty years old. If I am eighty-seven years old and stay in bed for a year and never do anything I will turn eighty-eight. 

Anybody! Can grow older. That doesn’t take any talent or ability.

The idea is to grow up by always finding opportunity in change. Have no regrets. 

The elderly usually don’t have regrets for what we did, but rather for things we did not do. The only people who fear death are those with regrets.’ 



She concluded her speech by courageously singing ‘The Rose.’ 

She challenged each of us to study the lyrics and live them out in our daily lives.

At the year’s end Rose finished the college degree she had begun all those months ago. 

One week after graduation Rose died peacefully in her sleep. 

Over two thousand college students attended her funeral in tribute to the wonderful woman who taught by example that it’s never too late to be all you can possibly be.



When you finish reading this, please send this peaceful word of advice to your friends and family, they’ll really enjoy it! 

These words have been passed along in loving memory of ROSE. 



REMEMBER, GROWING OLDER IS MANDATORY. 
GROWING UP IS OPTIONAL. 

We make a Living by what we get. We make a Life by what we give. 

God promises a safe landing, not a calm passage. If God brings you to it, He will bring you through it. 



“The Rose”
Some say love, it is a river
That drowns the tender reed.
Some say love, it is a razor
That leaves your soul to bleed.
Some say love, it is a hunger,
An endless aching need.
I say love, it is a flower,
And you its only seed.

It’s the heart afraid of breaking
That never learns to dance.
It’s the dream afraid of waking
That never takes the chance.
It’s the one who won’t be taken,
Who cannot seem to give,
And the soul afraid of dyin’
That never learns to live.

When the night has been too lonely
And the road has been too long,
And you think that love is only
For the lucky and the strong,
Just remember in the winter
Far beneath the bitter snows
Lies the seed that with the sun’s love
In the spring becomes the rose.

BOSTON CREAM PIE

When I was a little girl Boston Cream Pie was my FAVORITE Sunday dinner dessert and my grandma made it for me regularly until I was about 10 years old and then Sunday dinners as we knew them stopped on a regular basis. Since then I have craved Boston Cream Pie on a regular basis and finally have resurrected her recipe.

According to about.com, Boston Cream Pie is “Not a pie, but not your average cake, Boston Cream Pie is one of the city’s signature recipes. A descendant of pudding-cake pie, the Boston cream pie is considered to be the creation of French chef Sanzian of the Parker House Hotel (now the Omni Parker House). In 1996 the Boston Cream Pie was named the official dessert of Massachusetts.”

CAKE
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 JUMBO egg
  • 1 1/4 cup cake flour
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 cup whole milk

CUSTARD***

  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • scant 3 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 1 1/2 cup whole milk
  • 3 JUMBO egg yolks
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter

GLAZE

  • 2 ounces semi-sweet chocolate
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 3/4 teaspoon vanilla
  • 2 tablespoons hot water

CAKE

  • Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour a 9 1/2-inch springform baking pan. I use a square one to make pieces easier to cut.
  • Combine the butter, sugar, and vanilla in a bowl. Cream together using an electric mixer until the mixture is light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating thoroughly after each one.
  • In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, cream of tartar and salt. Combine with the creamed mixture and add the milk.
  • Pour batter into the prepared pan*. Bake in the middle of the oven for 50 to 60 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Remove from oven and let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack.
CUSTARD
  • Combine the cornstarch, sugar, milk, eggs, cream, vanilla extract, and salt in a saucepan. Whisk until smooth.
  • Bring the custard to a boil over moderate heat, whisking constantly. Continuing to whisk, let the custard boil for two minutes.
  • Remove from heat, and whisk in the butter. Set custard aside to cool, continuing to whisk occasionally.
GLAZE
  • In a double boiler, melt together the chocolate and butter until smooth. remove from heat and stir in powdered sugar and vanilla. Stir in hot water 1 teaspoon at a time until desired consistency.
BUILDING THE PERFECT PIE
  • Remove the cake from the pan and cut it in half horizontally with a long serrated knife.
  • Place one half of the cake on a plate with the cut side facing up. Top with custard.
  • Place the other half of the cake on top, with the cut side down.
  • Coat the top of the cake with glaze allowing it to drip down the sides.
  • *I like to use my square spring form pan for a couple of reasons; it make cutting pieces a lot easier since the slices when it is cut as a pie tend to try and fall over and my serving plate is rectangular in shape.
  • ***The traditional custard substitutes in this recipe for a pineapple custard which is what we like to do.

BANANA SPICE CAKE from A Thousand Ways to Please a Husband

I seriously adapted this recipe into a modern day form from its original recipe. Adapted from ‘A Thousand Ways to Please a Husband’ by Louise Bennett Weaver and Helen Cowles LeCron (page 142)
BANANA SPICE CAKE
1/3 cup butter, melted
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
2/3 cups sour milk
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups flour, sifted
2 small VERY RIPE bananas, well mashed
1/2 cup golden raisins
1/2 cup maple syrup

  • Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
  • GREASE loaf pan or 8×8 baking dish.*
  • With a wooden spoon blend the butter, sugar and eggs.
  • Blend in bananas until well mixed.
  • Sift dry ingredients together.
  • Add dry ingredients and mix well with swift strokes.
  • Add vanilla and raisins.
  • Bake 45-55 minutes until toothpick comes out clean.
  • Immediately invert on to serving plate.
  • Wait 15 minutes for cooling.
  • Warm the maple syrup in the microwave for 30 seconds.
  • Using a toothpick, pierce holes into the top of the cake.
  • Drizzle maple syrup over the cake and allow it to drip down the sides.
*Works really well in today’s decorative bundt style pans.

HAPPY HOMEMAKER MONDAY & MENU PLAN MONDAY

www.familycorner.blogspot.com

Good Morning! I had a no so great  weekend and am ready for a great new week.  It’s Monday morning and I’m really getting back into a regular routine here at my blog. I join in with Sandra at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom .  Be sure and stop by to see what it’s all about!

  • A big cup of coffee and then a homemade fruit smoothie (banana, pineapple, strawberry and cherries) before I go to the gym. 
  • Pool in time and then the gym to avoid the warmer water from the humidity of the recent storms.
  • Laundry

Whatever strikes our fancy off the DVR.  I try not to plan this in advance and just go with the flow at least until the NEW Fall schedule starts.

Hot as usual! It’s only supposed to be 100 today but it’s now officially monsoon season so the humidity is really unpredictable.

 Menu Plan Monday hosted by Laura at I’m an Organizing Junkie


 DATE BREAKFAST LUNCH DINNER
MONDAY 8/4 YOGURT C.O.R.D. Orange Honey Chicken 
TUESDAY 8/5 BAGEL & CREAM CHEESE C.O.R.D. Bohemian Pork Chops aka Pork Chops in Beer Gravy
WEDNESDAY 8/6 YOGURT C.O.R.D. Champagne Salad
THURSDAY 8/7 FRUIT C.O.R.D. Chicken Empanadas
FRIDAY 8/8 CEREAL C.O.R.D. Slow Cooked Pork Tenderloin with Sauerkraut
SATURDAY 8/9 C.O.R.D. C.O.R.D. Baked White Fish
SUNDAY 8/10 Shirred Eggs C.O.R.D. Chicken Chile Corn Custards

Do a little quilting and finish a few older projects though I have yet to have a few minutes to myself LOL like that’s going to happen.

I have a list of tons of recipes I want to try, but I’m trying to go with the most unusual first.  So this week it is MOINK balls.  Stay posted for the results.

As I combine all my old blogs into this new one I’m also keeping a list of those recipes that I cannot in good conscience bring over until I remake them and take some decent pictures LOL.

We were forced to start the work on the garden this week when we dug the grave for our cat.  Hubs sterilized the ground and we’re giving it a week or so before we begin reconstructing.

It’s never easy, even when you know it’s inevitable, but when a pet dies you lose a a piece of the family.  We will miss her, but are glad she went with very little pain. She died in my arms, so sad, but she was surrounded by love. She lived a very long life (97 in cat years)  and was always so sweet. I purchased a couple garden stones that were unimpressive as they were, but have painted them a nice hammered copper to mark her spot.

Whiskey’s birthday was a bit overshadowed by the death of our cat on the same day so I forgot to wish her a happy birthday.  She is honestly the best fur child I have ever had – she was born speaking English, loving, compassionate and just sooooooo sweet.

Berries are delicious, but they’re also kind of delicate. Raspberries in particular seem like they can mold before you even get them home from the market.  There’s nothing more tragic than paying $4 for a pint of local raspberries, only to look in the fridge the next day and find that fuzzy mold growing on their insides.

Well, with fresh berries just starting to hit farmers markets, we can tell you that how to keep them fresh!  Here’s a tip I’m sharing on how to prevent them from getting there in the first place:  Wash them with vinegar.

When you get your berries home, prepare a mixture of one part vinegar (white or apple cider probably work best) and ten parts water. Dump the berries into the mixture and swirl around. Drain, rinse if you want (though the mixture is so diluted you can’t taste the vinegar,) and pop in the fridge.  The vinegar kills any mold spores and other bacteria that might be on the surface of the fruit, and voila!  Raspberries will last a week or more, and strawberries go almost two weeks without getting moldy and soft.  So go forth and stock up on those pricey little gems, knowing they’ll stay fresh as long as it takes you to eat them.

Nibble Me This – Chris is my go to blog for BBQ advice

Terra Photographica – I’m a little biased here, but my brother is an amazing photographer – go check out his galleries.

Just seriously wondering when so much of the world lost its common sense and kindness? The world has changed and is in a constant state of change, but let’s all agree it isn’t always for the better. Case in point, read this post. I’ve been thinking about reviving this meme for quite some time now, but reading this solidified my decision. I have moved over the posts I had previously done and you can find them on my sidebar under COMMON COURTESY.  I’ll do new ones as the issues arise.

STILL PRAYING FOR Guidance and patience with the woman handling the house sale – she has no follow through, common sense or common courtesy and I pray that she receives help in ALL of those areas. And believing that if it doesn’t work out the way we want it’s because we were meant to be elsewhere.  Hence my Inspirational quote for today.

SWEDISH PANCAKES with LINGONBERRY BUTTER and LINGONBERRIES

I don’t eat out much, especially for breakfast, but I do have a soft spot for IHOP’s Swedish Pancakes with Lingonberries and Lingonberry butter. It took me awhile, but I have finally created a recipe so similar most people would not be able to tell the difference. These are thin pancakes. I make them about 8 inches round and then fold over once or twice.

SWEDISH PANCAKES with LINGONBERRY BUTTER and LINGONBERRIES

1/2 cup sifted flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 JUMBO eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon maple extract
1 cup 4% small curd cottage cheese

  • Preheat griddle* or crepe pan
  • Sift flour and salt together. Set aside.
  • Beat the eggs, milk, vanilla and maple extracts together.
  • Add the oil and beat again until sooth.
  • Add cottage cheese and beat until completely smooth.**
  • Gradually add the flour until a smooth consistency.
  • Pour 1/4-1/3 cup of batter onto griddle or crepe pan.
  • Cook a minute or two on each side.
  • Top with Lingonberry butter and Lingonberries.

NOTE:
*I used a third cup measure and my large griddle. This made 5 at a time.
**I used my mini food chopper to grind the cottage cheese and it worked great and much faster.

LINGONBERRY BUTTER
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup lingonberries

  • Beat butter until creamy.
  • Add berries and beat again until well blended.
  • Chill.

    • CAJUN SHRIMP COCKTAIL

    CAJUN SHRIMP COCKTAIL
    1 1/2 cups ketchup
    1/2 cup chili sauce
    3 cloves garlic, minced
    2 tablespoons finely minced onion
    2 tablespoons prepared horseradish
    Juice of 1 lemon (save your rind to make the cute serving dish)
    2 1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
    1/4 teaspoon Frank’s red pepper hot sauce
    1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
    salt to taste
    plenty of fresh medium-large shrimp, cleaned and chilled
    • I use my mini food processor to mix it all in until well blended.
    • Chill for a day or so before needed to allow flavors to meld together.

    CHEESY BLT BITES

    CHEESY BLT BITES
    1/2 cup mayonnaise
    2 cloves garlic, minced
    juice of 1 lemon
    20 slices cocktail bread, flavor of choice
    8 slices bacon, browned and crumbled
    2 leaves roamine, washed and chopped small
    1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
    4 ounces sliced white cheddar cheese

    • Heat broiler. 
    • Combine mayonnaise, garlic and lemon juice. 
    • Arrange bread slices in a single layer on a cookie sheet. 
    • Place under broiler for 1 minute to toast bread slices. 
    • Turn bread slices over and spread with mayonnaise mixture. 
    • Top with cheese. 
    • Broil 1 minute until cheese begins to melt. 
    • Top with torn romaine, crumbled bacon and tomato pieces.

    TEX MEX MEATBALL SOUP

    TEX MEX MEATBALL SOUP
    MEATBALLS
    1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
    1/2 pound ground pork
    4 cloves of garlic, minced
    1 teaspoon cumin
    1 teaspoon sea salt
    1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
    1 tablespoon minced onion
    1 Jumbo Egg
    1 cup cooked rice
    1 tablespoon bread crumbs
    SOUP
    2 pounds Roma tomatoes, diced
    2 cloves garlic, minced
    2 small sprigs of cilantro, minced fine
    1/2 small Vidalia onion, diced
    1 tablespoon safflower oil
    1 teaspoon sea salt
    3 cups chicken stock
    1 avocado
    white cheese or sour cream for garnish

    MEATBALLS

    • In a small food processor grind together the garlic, cumin, salt, pepper and onion until well blended.
    • In a large mixing bowl combine the beef, pork, egg, breadcrumbs, rice and seasoning mixture until well blended.
    • Roll into 1 – 1 1/2 inch balls and set aside.

    SOUP

    • In a sauce pan heat the oil ad add the onions and garlic. Saute’ until fragrant.
    • Add the tomatoes, cooking for 5 minutes until soft and tender.
    • With a slotted spoon remove the tomatoes to a blender and puree with chicken stock.
    • Return the tomato and chicken stock to the sauce pan and bring to a boil.
    • Reduce to a slow simmer and add the meatballs, cooking for 30 minutes until meatballs are cooked through.
    • To serve, place a few meatballs in each bowl and cover with ladles of soup.
    • Garnish with a sprinkle of white cheese or sour cream.

    PAN SEARED CHICKEN TENDERS & TRI-COLOR COUSCOUS with COCONUT LOBSTER SAUCE ~ MARX FOOD CHALLENGE

    I ran across a MARX foods Recipe challenge – what fun!  I signed up and they sent me a box full of yumminess.  My box included tri-color couscous, coconut sugar, dehydrated lobster mushrooms, DeArbol chilies and Pasilla Negro Chilies.

    The rules are that I had to use at least two ingredients from my box to create a new recipe.  I really wanted to try and use all five ingredients, but was only able to work in four of them.

    Now for full disclosure. hubby hates mushrooms, especially cooked mushrooms.  He goes out of his way to avoid mushrooms.  He declared he would hate this recipe before its inception.  Seeing a pattern here?  I HAD to use the mushrooms just to prove him wrong, plus I LOVE mushrooms even more than he hates them.  This recipe is proof that you can mount your dislikes and change them with the right combination of ingredients.

    PAN SEARED CHICKEN TENDERS & TRI-COLOR COUSCOUS with COCONUT LOBSTER SAUCE

    2 pound chicken tenders
    3/4 cup chardonnay
    1/2 cup chicken broth
    2 tablespoons MARX coconut sugar
    1 dried MARX Pasilla Negro Chilie, chopped
    safflower oil
    salt and pepper to taste
    4 tablespoons butter
    3 tablespoons flour
    5-7 tablespoons heavy cream

    • Whisk together the chardonnay and chicken broth until well blended.
    • In a medium bowl combine mushroom pieces and chile pieces.  Pour the chardonnay mixture over the mushroom mixture.  Allow to set for 2-3 hours to rehydrate the mushrooms and chilies.  Stir them around every now and then so all surfaces are able to absorb the liquid.
    • When ready, drain mushrooms and chiles through a sieve, reserving the liquid.
    • Whisk coconut sugar into reserved liquid.  Set aside.
    • In a small food processor pulse mushroom and chile pieces into a fine grind.
    • In a medium sauce pan, melt butter.
    • Add flour 1 tablespoon at a time until roux is a golden brown.
    • Gradually add the reserved liquid until well blended.
    • Add in the mushroom and chile pieces, stirring until well distributed.
    • Add cream 1 tablespoon at a time until desired consistency.
    • Simmer gently while preparing couscous and chicken.
    • Coat a large skillet with safflower oil.
    • While oil is heating, wash and pat dry chicken pieces.
    • Pan sear chicken pieces, salt and peppering as needed until golden outside and cooked through.
    • Pour 1 cup of couscous in a large bowl.  Pour 1 ¼ cups boiling water over top.  Cover the bowl and let it sit for five minutes, then fluff with a fork to separate the granules. 
    • Plate couscous in the in the center of serving platter.
    • Arrange chicken pieces around the couscous.
    • Spoon sauce over couscous and chicken.
    • Serve immediately.

    By the way, hubby who was so dead sure this recipe would suck gave it 2 thumbs up and then proceeded to eat it 2 nights in a row.