Apple Cinnamon Dutch Baby Pancake

I've been a little MIA from posting lately. With summer travel and then my oldest starting kindergarten, life has just flown by! This morning my oldest had no school due to "Staff Development." I decided to make a special breakfast, apple cinnamon Dutch baby pancake - also known as German pancakes.

The recipe below is for a 9 by 13 casserole dish. You can easily cut the recipe in 1/2 and make it in a 10 inch cast iron skillet which is more traditional. My family of 5 always wants more and so the cast iron skillet just doesn't cut it for us. LOL! I've also made these with frozen blue berries and you could probably use any fruit your family enjoys.

INGREDIENTS:

2 apples

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 

1 Tablespoon granulated sugar

3 Tablespoon butter

4 eggs

1 cup milk

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon salt

confectioners' sugar for dusting

lemon wedges 

DIRECTIONS:

1.  Place a 9 x 13 casserole dish inside oven and preheat oven to 475 degrees F.

2.  Peel and core apples. Then cut into 8 wedges each. Slices wedges into 1/4 inches pieces. Add apples, 1 Tablespoon butter, cinnamon, and granulated sugar to a small sauce pan and cook over medium heat until apples begin yo soften - about 5-7 minutes.

3.  Add eggs, milk, flour, nutmeg and salt to your blender. Blend until incorporated, scraping sides as needed.

4. Remove casserole dish from oven and reduce oven heat to 425 degrees F. Melt remaining 2 Tablespoons butter in the hot casserole dish so that inside of dish is completely coated with butter. Pour all the batter in the skillet, sprinkle apples on top, and return dish to oven.

5.  Bake until puffed and lightly browned, about 12 minutes. Remove promptly. Slice and serve with a generous dusting of powdered sugar and a squeeze of lemon.

Lunch with my ladies!

We don't just like pizza, we LUV pizza. My oldest says the pizza we make at home is "Dangerous pizza! Because it tastes so good you want to eat it all!" So today my lunch with my little ladies was all their favorite toppings on a quesadilla! I know, not a new concept, but it was just so tasty I had to share. One of my secrets is to use tomato paste so it doesn't get soggy and instead of Italian seasonings, we use Dilly Herb blend so it tastes like the cheesy breadsticks from our favorite pizza delivery. I like things a little spicier so I add a bit of crushed red pepper to mine. Super yum!

And we really like the thick slices of the Open Nature uncured salami. Lots of flavor but not too spicy for the girls.

Somewhat homemade muffins!

I made up some amazing and easy muffins today. They would be even more amazing with some cream cheese frosting! They are kind of a cross between carrot cake and banana bread. 

1 box spice cake mix

1/2 cup coconut oil - melted

2 eggs

2 very ripe mashed bananas

3 medium carrots finely shredded

1/2 cup shredded sweetened coconut

1/2 cup chopped raw pecans

DIRECTIONS:

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2) Line muffin tins with foil cup liners. (Makes 18).

3) In a large bowl, stir all ingredients together just until combined and the evenly distributed. Don't over mix or they will be come tough.

4) Divide evenly into the 18 muffin cups. I like to use a large cookie scoop.

5) Bake for 20-25 minutes.

Enjoy plain, or like I said, top with cream cheese frosting. So very yummy!

Jars Of Clay

We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves. 

(2 Corinthians 4:7 NLT)

I love the image of us as cracked and flawed, but God's amazing glory brilliantly, blindingly shining through those cracks... IF we let Him... and don't try to cover up our brokenness, if we don't try to hide our flaws.

We have flaws and cracks from heavy blows in life. God wants to shine in the midst of them - to use & redeem them for His glory. But Satan tries to shift our focus from God's working in us, to the jagged ugliness. He heaps on the shame so when we listen to him instead of God, we try to cover up our flaws, we see them as insecurities to hide from the world instead of places being healed by God. We buy into the lie that we need to be perfect right now! Instead of embracing and seeing beauty in the process of God perfecting us with HIS light, His glory.

Lord, help me to see as you see. Help me to tune out the lies. Use my broken places to shine your glory. 

Treats with the Bigs

Today for a fun treat I made individual coconut crispy treats with my two big girls (ages 4 & 5) in the microwave! Super easy, super tasty, & super quick! They helped with counting marshmallows, scooping "butter," measuring & stirring in the crispy rice and coconut. We used my silicone egg poaching cups to mold them into mounds of yummy goodness.

INGREDIENTS:

(For each generous portion)

4 marshmallows

1 tsp butter (we used Earth Ballance)

1/2 cup crisp rice cereal

Optional: 1 Tbsp unsweetened shredded coconut

DIRECTIONS:

1) Melt marshmallows and butter in a microwave safe bowl on high for 45 seconds.

2) Stir in crisp rice cereal and coconut if using, until everything is evenly coated.

3) Shape and allow to cool for at least 20 minutes. 

The girls LOVED them and declared it an excellent activity. The great news is that this was easy, child friendly, and did not use the stove! And I'm not faced with the temptation of a whole pan of crispy treats calling out to me everytime I go into the kitchen. The not so good news is that I now know I can have fresh made crispy treats any time I want. I guess I'll have to get better at restraint. Ha!

Beauty Experiments!

Ive been reading a lot about the miricals of activated charcoal. From teeth whitening to food poisoning - this magic black powder works by attracting pollutants, holding onto them like a super strong magnet and then taking the nasties with it when you rinse or flush it all away. That is what it is used in water filters, and in hospitals for accidental overdose or poison ingestion.

I decided last night to give it a try as a facial mask. Time to pull the nasties from my pores! I started by steaming my face over the sink to open up everything. I opened up two activated charcoal capsules and dumped them into a bowl of 1 teaspoon Bragg's apple cider vinegar. Next I slathered the thin black mixture all over my face, avoiding the eye area of course. Waited about 3-4 minutes - you DO NOT want it to dry out complete. Then rinsed with really warm water and a wash cloth. Followed it up with a few drops of my favorite moisturizer - mixture of extra virgin olive oil, vitamin E, lavender & mint essential oils.

This morning my face feels so soft and and seems to almost glow. I'll definitely do this one again! Do you have a favorite DIY facial? I'd love to hear about it!

Greek Pizza Quesadilla

Today I had a lunch time epiphany! Pizza Quesadillas!! Why have I never thought of this? So simple & yummy, and it caters to individual tastes without a lot of extra work! Yes! Both kid and mama friendly!

I think the key is to use tomato paste instead of sauce. It helps bind it all together without the quesadilla getting soggy. For the kiddos today I made simple cheese & herbs. If we had pepperoni, salami, or ham, I would have added that and some julienned fresh spinach to hide some veg in there. For myself however, I make a Greek inspired pizza quesadilla.  

INGREDIENTS:

2 Flour tortillas

1 tsp tomato paste

3 Tbsp shredded mozzarella cheese

1 Tbsp shedded parmesan

6 artichoke quarters (I used frozen, thawed them, and cut each quarter in 1/2)

6 kalamata olives, quartered

Crushed red pepper to taste

Olive oil

DIRECTIONS:

1) Spread a thin layer of tomato paste on one of the tortillas. 

2) Top with mozzarella, artichokes, & olives. Then sprinkle the Parmesan & crushed red pepper. Top with 2nd tortilla.

3) Heat a pan over medium heat, drizzle about 1/2 a tablespoon of olive oil into the pan. Once the oil is shimmering, place the quesadilla in the pan and heat until bottom tortilla has crispy golden brown patches, about 4 minutes. Flip and cook the 2nd side for another 3-4 minutes.

4) Serve and enjoy!

Dutch Babies!

One or more of the girls have been sick with a head cold in the last two weeks. It finally caught me and the last few days have been miserable. Last night was the first decent sleep I've had in about 4 night. So today with some newly found energy, I decided to make a yummy breakfast treat! Dutch babies! Apple cinnamon Dutch babies to be exact. And while I was at it, why not make an apple syrup to go with?! It came out so good, and while it has a lot of steps it really didn't take that long and it was SOOO worth it! My littlest declared it "Dwishes Mama!" Don't you just love toddler speak? Anyhow, here is a drool worth picture and the step by steps. Please try it and let me know what you think.

INGREDIENTS:

1 Meyer lemon

3/4 cup sugar

1 Tbsp cinnamon 

1 tsp freshly grated nutmeg

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1 large apple

3 eggs

1/2 cup half and half

1/2 tsp almond extract

1/2 cup AP flour

4 Tbsp butter

1/2 cup apple juice.

DIRECTIONS:

1) Preheat oven to 425*

2) Into a small sauce pan add the zest from the lemon, juice from 1/2 the lemon, 1/4 cup of the sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. Set asside.

3) Peal and core the apple (I used Fuji). Cut it into quarters, then each quarter into 3 wedges for a total of 12 wedges. Then chop each wedge into 1/4 pieces. Add the chopped apples to the sauce pan, tossing to coat. Place over medium low heat and let simmer, stirring occasionally.

4) Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter and set aside. Add remaining 2 tablespoons to a large 10 or 12 inch cast iron skillet (or any frying pan that can be used in the oven), and place in the oven to melt the butter and preheat the skillet.

5) This is a good time to check on the apples and stir them. Next, beat the eggs, half and half, and almond extract in a large bowl. Add the flour and whisk until thoroughly combined. I like to use an immersion blender but a whisk will work just fine. Lastly add the melted butter and whisk or blend forming the pancake batter. Set aside.

6) Drain apples, returning liquid to the pan. Set aside.

7) Remove cast iron skillet from the oven. Tilt to coat with the melted butter. Add the pancake batter into the skillet. Sprinkle apples on top. Return the skillet to the oven and bake until a medium brown and puffed up (10-12 minutes). Turn off the heat and let the pancake sit in the cooling oven for an additional 10 minutes. Pancake will puff up during cooking and deflate while it cools.

8) While the pancake is cooking, finish the apple syrup. Add the 1/2 cup apple juice and remaining 1/2 a cup sugar to the the liquid from the cooked apples. Squeeze the remaining 1/2 a lemon into the mixture & heat over medium low heat, stirring occasionally. The syrup will be ready when the pancake is ready.

9) Slice the pancake, drizzle with the apple syrup, and enjoy!

M is for Muffin!

This week our preschool theme was the letter M. We talked about manatees, milk, mailboxes, motorcycles, mermaids, magnolia trees, mice, & monsters (they are our friends after all!) And we made various crafts, worked on using scissors, adding & counting monster eyeballs, and memorized the bible verse: My soul rests in God alone; my salvation comes from Him. Psalm 62:1

On Fridays I like to do a kitchen project with them. So today we made snicker doodle muffins. Oh my they are good!

Here's the recipe we used: 

INGREDIENTS:

1 stick butter, softened

1/2 cup sugar

1 large egg

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup AP flour + 1Tbsp

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp cream of tartar

1/4 tsp salt

3/4 cup non fat plain yogurt

For the Topping:

1/2 cup sugar

4 tsp cinnamon

DIRECTIONS:

1) Preheat your oven to 350ºF. Put 12 liners in your muffin tin

2) In a small bowl, mix the topping: sugar and cinnamon. Set aside.

3) In the bowl of a heavy duty mixer, cream the butter and sugar. Add in the egg and vanilla until combined. Add the yogurt and mix until combined.

4) Add in the dry ingredients in 2 batches. Mix, scraping sides of the bowl as needed until a smooth batter is achieved. 

5) Using a large cookie dough scoop, drop a scoop of batter into the bowl with the cinnamon sugar topping. Gently roll the batter in the mixture. Place the ball into the muffin liner. Repeat until all liners are full. 

6) Sprinkle any leftover cinnamon sugar mix on top of the muffins.

7) Bake the muffins for about 15 to 20 minutes or until they pass the toothpick test.

They came out super tasty! Soft and fluffy on the inside, tangy from the yogurt, and lovely little cinnamon sugar crunchies clinging to the whole muffin. The littlest in our family loved these muffins & kept asking for more - she even attempted to steal mine. My oldest licked the wrapper & wanted to know if she could eat it too. They are THAT good. I hope you will try them and let me know what you think. 

Beer!

For his birthday my husband was given one of those boxes with all different kinds of beers. Through the adventure of trying the various small batch craft brews, I discovered one I really enjoyed. I'm not usually a big fan of dark beers. This one is called a "Brunette Beer" and comes from The Original Firemans Brew company out of Ukiah, CA. I decided to try using it to make a beer bread, and oh my goodness did it turn out great! 

Now, I love me a good quick bread recipe, but many are overly sweet. I combined a few recipes and reduced the amount of sweetener to come up with the recipe below. This bread is hearty and has just the right amount of barely there sweetness. It would be PERFECT served warm & slathered with butter along side a stew or cream soup.

INGREDIENTS

2 cups AP flour

3/4 cup old fashioned oats - ground up in a food processor 

1 Tbsp flax meal

2 Tbsp quick grits (corn meal would make a good subsitute)

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup honey

12 ounces of your favorite amber or dark beer

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly

DIRECTIONS

1) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 by 5 inch loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray or butter. Set aside.

2) In a large bowl, whisk together flour, oats, flax meal, grits, baking powder and salt. 

3) Add in the honey and beer and mix until just combined. 

4) Spread the batter in the prepared pan, smoothing the top with a rubber spatula. Evenly pour the melted butter over the top of the batter. DO NOT skip this step. This is crucial to both the flavor and crunchy crust of this bread. Reduce the fat somewhere else! I mean it!

5) Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, until it passes the toothpick test and the top is golden brown. 

6) Transfer immediately to a cooling rack. Allow to sit for at least 20 minutes and then slice & enjoy!

Easy peasy tortilla soup

Wow! Time sure does fly! It's hard for me to believe it has been 2 months since my last post! CRAZY! 

With the beginning of a new year, most of us are looking for ways to eat healthier. My easy peasy tortilla soup has been a great way for us to get in more veggies and eat something that feels like comfort food.

INGREDIENTS:

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts

6 cups low sodium chicken or veggie stock

1 Tbsp ground cumin

1 Tbsp dried oregano

2 cloves minced fresh garlic

1 tsp Mrs Dash Fiesta Lime seasoning

2 carrots pealed and sliced into thin coins

1 15oz can no salt added petite diced tomatoes, drained

4 corn tortillas chopped into 1 inch strips

GARNISH OPTIONS

chopped bell pepper

diced avocado

sliced jalapeño

cilantro 

crushed tortilla chips

shredded Mexican cheese

hot sauce 

DIRECTIONS

1) Place chicken, stock, & spices into a large stock pot and simmer until chicken is cooked through.

2) Remove chicken, chop into bite sized pieces, and set asside.

3) Add carrots, tomatoes, and tortillas and continue to simmer for 15 - 20 minutes.

4) Meanwhile, chop and prepare the garnishes you are choosing to use. We like all of them! I usually put everything in desperate bowls on a lazy Susan so that everyone can add their own favorites.

5) Just before serving, add the chopped chicken back to the pot, and allow to simmer for 5 minutes- just until heated through. 

6) Ladle into soup bowls, top with your favorite garnishes & enjoy!