Let's Talk Pancakes! Favorite Homemade Recipes!

  
I can hardly believe that this is the last week of January! I was going to do a weekend re-cap, but it would really only consist of a basketball game and an impromptu trip out for burgers for the kids last night, so maybe not, ha. Our lives feel kind of boring lately, as the weather just stinks so we're stuck inside most days (and we've given up shopping/trips to the store, etc for 90 days), and we're all a bit, well, grumpy. Homemade pancakes help. :)

The following recipe serves as a nice base for several other variations, and they taste SO much better than pouring powder from a box and adding water. Definitely worth the little bit of trouble to make them from scratch.

Favorite Pancakes

What You'll Need:

2 cups all-purpose flour (I use unbleached)

1 Tbsp granulated sugar

1 tsp baking soda

2 tsp baking powder

dash salt

2 eggs

2 cups milk

2 Tbsp vegetable oil (plus more to cook them)

mini chocolate chips (or blueberries!)

**update**
**For fluffier pancakes, add a tablespoon or two of water and whisk lightly- I literally hold the mixing bowl under the faucet and turn on the water for a second.**
 

I've made these pancakes so many times I could probably manage them blindfolded. I've passed the kitchen torch, so to speak, to my boys, and each one can now make these on their own. I am very proud of their accomplishments in the kitchen!

Blend the dry ingredients into a large mixing/batter bowl; add the eggs and milk and whisk lightly. Add oil and whisk again until batter is smooth. Pour in some chocolate chips and fold in with a spatula- you can sprinkle more onto the pancakes themselves as they're cooking. I used to cook pancakes on a griddle, set at 375 degrees, in just a little bit of oil.  BUT our griddle died and I decided not to replace it because I hated cleaning it so much. So now I use a large fry pan on medium heat with a bit of oil for the kids, coconut oil for me. The more oil you use will result in a crispier outer layer, which some people in our household prefer. Easy enough to cater to. :)

Add berries, chocolate chips, diced peaches...or nothing at all, and they will be so delicious!

Here are some more yummy from-scratch recipes! They really only do require a few more minutes of your time, but we think they are SO worth it. Enjoy!

Easy Oven Puff Pancake with Fruit

 Better-For-You Cinnamon Apple Pancakes with Powdered Sugar "Sauce"

 Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes 

Now I'm hungry, ha! I have been dabbling in the world of paleo and raw eating, but I'm also a big believer in balance, so maybe my apple and hard-boiled egg can wait until tomorrow morning. ;) Happy Monday!

Favorite Easter Breakfast and Brunch Recipes

Even though the ground is still covered with snow where we live, Easter still represents all things Spring and sunny and brand new. I think that is the point, after all. Jesus made all things new. What a beautiful gift!

Since we are at a different church this year, with a much different schedule, I'm not entirely sure how our breakfast is going to go down, ha. And then the pastor mentioned that there will be All.The.Carbs offered at the service we attend, so I don't really have a plan yet. And I LOVE breakfast and brunch foods, so I don't think I can quit them. Maybe we will just be eating all day long. There could be worse things. ;)

These are the recipes I make over and over again- they've become such a part of our family traditions that I cannot think of one without the other. First up is this Crumble Coffee Cake- it doubles and freezes superbly, too.

Perfect Crumb Coffee Cake Recipe HERE

Another staple is Make-Ahead blueberry French Toast Bake: my very favorite! 

hmmm, I can't find a picture of it finished- this is right before it goes into the oven the next morning...

 Recipe HERE

Easy and delicious quiche:

 Recipe HERE

I often make a special treat or a decorative cake for the day as well. I've got to be honest and say that the last couple of times I've made these have been a complete disaster....I don't know what's going on!! I can't find the picture now, but I remember taking one as proof- they still tasted fabulous but they looked terrible!

 Copy Cat Chocolate Peanut Butter Eggs Recipe HERE

This year I may make some healthier fudge instead, since I make it with peanut butter. It is SO rich and yummy!

 Semi Paleo Fudge Recipe HERE

The sun is shining and word on the streets is that our temps may reach 50 today!!!! Hooray!!!!

Our Favorite From-Scratch Pancake Recipes

I haven't posted a new recipe in a long time, and I've been meaning to. But, summer. So I'll post this collection of pancakes for you instead. We make these at least once a week, often times more. They're simple. delicious, and generally a crowd-pleaser, so hooray!

Favorite Basic Pancake Recipe

This has been our go-to recipe for years and years. A friend gave me a recipe that a friend had given her and... I spent a few years tweaking it to make it our absolute favorite of all time.

Favorite Pancakes Recipe HERE

Best Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes

 These pancakes have a slightly grainy texture because of the cornmeal, and let me tell you, they taste just as good for supper as they do for breakfast. :)

Best Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes Recipe HERE

Apple Pancakes with Sugar Sauce

 I can't even remember how this recipe came about, probably just years of experimenting. These pancakes are packed full of good stuff, but then again, the "syrup" I concocted is nothing but sugar sugar sugar. It's all about balance, right?

This is a fall favorite for sure, when the air and apples are crisp.

 Apple Pancake Recipe HERE

Baked "Puff" Pancake

 This pancake is baked in the oven so it can rise and "puff." It's really fun to watch as it rises, and then as it deflates within seconds of taking it out of the oven. It's light but also kind of dense. I just love it with fresh fruit and powdered sugar.

Baked Puff Pancake Recipe HERE

My literal stack of pancakes when I feed this hungry crew of ours. Hope you love the recipes as much as we do. :)

 

FAVORITE PERFECT PANCAKES RECIPE

It's May 1st? How can it be May 1st?!?! We've had school vacation this week and the whole thing just got away from me. In a good way, I think.

I realized recently that I've never posted my trusted, favorite pancakes recipe...well that is a wrong I can right, so here you go! They are so good and always come out perfect.

What You'll Need:

2 cups all-purpose flour (I use unbleached)

1 Tbsp granulated sugar

1 tsp baking soda

2 tsp baking powder

dash salt

2 eggs

2 cups milk

2 Tbsp vegetable oil (plus more to cook them)

mini chocolate chips (or blueberries!)

**update**
**For fluffier pancakes, add a tablespoon or two of water and whisk lightly- I literally hold the mixing bowl under the faucet and turn on the water for a second.**
 

I've made these pancakes so many times I could probably manage them blindfolded. I've passed the kitchen torch, so to speak, to my boys, and each one can now make these on their own. I am very proud of their accomplishments in the kitchen!

Blend the dry ingredients into a large mixing/batter bowl; add the eggs and milk and whisk lightly. Add oil and whisk again until batter is smooth. Pour in some chocolate chips and fold in with a spatula- you can sprinkle more onto the pancakes themselves as they're cooking. I cook pancakes on a griddle, set at 375 degrees, in just a little bit of oil. The more oil you use will result in a crispier outer layer, which some people in our household prefer. Easy enough to cater to. :)

Add blueberries, chocolate chips, diced peaches...or nothing at all, and they will be so delicious!

Nothing says I love you quite like chocolate chip pancakes and fresh strawberries.  =)

This recipe feeds our hungry crew of six fairly well, though at times I've had to add a bit more flour and water to extend the batter a bit. As learned when boys are at summer camp, this makes way more pancakes than the few of us can handle. Leftover ones freeze well, or simply halve the recipe.

Oh! Isn't this cute? It sure made me giggle. I was either cooking or sewing (or both!) and hadn't heard her for a while so I looked around the house, around the front of the house, and then...there she was, my cute little bookworm and her rain umbrella-turned-parasol. Ha Ha Smart cookie.  ;)

Here are my other pancake recipes if you'd like to try some more:

Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes

Puff Pancake with Fruit

Apple Pancakes with Powdered Sugar "Syrup"

(these have flax seed and wheat germ in them!)

Lastly, I wrote a post on the Rose and Ruffle blog about what's coming to the shop this summer. Click here if you'd like to read it. Thanks, and have a fabulous weekend! You can see updates and snippets of our family life on Instagram, too- look for roseandruffle

Christmas Breakfast and Brunch Ideas

Happy Christmas Eve! It is pouring buckets outside right now, and I have to admit, it's kind of a downer...however, we know that Christmas spirit and the TRUE meaning of Christmas aren't dampened by something as fickle as the weather. So celebrate we will!

Baking is such an integral part of our holidays. Here are some of our favorites, and a cute picture of my little helper when she was little.

These pancakes are pretty self-explanatory- there a million other images on Pinterest, too.

While I don't make pancakes on the morning of Christmas, they are a perfect fun breakfast for Christmas Eve or another day during vacation.

 This golden coffee cake doubles well and can be frozen ahead of time. Perfect for a busy morning!

This blueberry coffee cake is another winner on a whirlwind kind of a morning. It also doubles and freezes great.

I cannot find the recipe post for these scrambles egg bites, but they're a cinch: whisk together 7-8 eggs, half a cup or so milk, and add whatever extras you like: bacon, sausage, onion, cheese...anything! Spray a muffin tin (well!) and evenly pour in the egg mixture. Bake about 20 minutes. They are a great "finger food" for a crowd.

Our all-time favorite, which I will be making this afternoon for our Christmas brunch tomorrow. This overnight bake is so easy and so delicious! Maybe your family will request it every year, too!

Now for the beverages...

We are a non-alcoholic family so our drinks rely on Christmas spirit along, ha ha. We've never felt anything was missing from these fun holiday beverages.

 Holiday Punch 

This is the punch that everyone knows about (raspberry sherbet, ginger ale and cranberry juice), but we make it extra festive by coating the rims of the punch glasses with either corn syrup or decorating gel, as shown here, and dipping them in crushed candy canes and adding a dollop of whipped cream. So yummy and pretty!

If you omit decorating the rims of the glasses, simply add some crushed candy canes or crystals onto the whipped cream. Still looks beautiful!

And everyone enjoys a fun and festive glass of punch!

We also have fluted glasses filled with various versions of our own holiday spirits, such as ginger ale and orange juice or cranberry juice, or fruit punch with flavored seltzer waters...so yummy!

And of course, we will have some of our favorite sweets on hand for munching!

Our 2014 Christmas Brunch Menu

Overnight French Toast Bake 

Scrambled Egg Bites

Bacon/Sausage

Apple Chocolate Chip Coffee Cake (my Mom is bringing this)

Holiday Punch with decorated glasses

Hot Coffee & Tea

Mimosas, etc

Chocolate Spiders

Chocolate Dipped Mexican Wedding Cake Cookies

Oreo Truffles

Spiced Nuts

You can find me on Pinterest and Instagram on the sidebar of this blog to see what I'm up to. Have a wonderful, joy-filled Christmas Eve!

Best Blueberry Coffeecake Recipe

Sometimes you just gotta have coffeecake. And coffee. If you've been searching for the perfect recipe, look no further. You've found it! This coffeecake is light and spongy, not at all dry or coarse as some tend to be. And the crumb topping? Just makes it even perfect-er.  ;)

The original recipe comes from my beloved King Arthur Cookbook, which was a special wedding gift by a dear friend. Apparently I have been making this gem since 1999! (Do you "date and rate" your recipes? I always do, more for sentimentality than for actual informative reasons. I love looking through my books and seeing when I first made things that we love to eat, especially if I've cooked with one of the kids and they date and rate it. Makes it so special and meaningful when it's in their own handwriting. And I love the idea of them browsing through my books after I've left earth for heaven and seeing comments in my handwriting, much like I adore hand-written recipes from my own mother. Maybe nobody else thinks this way, but I do.)

Anyhoo. Onto that fab recipe...

The recipe is divided into two parts: the cake batter and the crumb topping. 

Coffeecake Batter

2 cups unbleached flour

2 tsp baking powder

dash salt

scant 3/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup butter, softened

1 egg

2 tsp vanilla (less if using "real")

1/2 cup whole or 2% milk

2- 2 1/2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries

Preheat oven to 375F degrees.

In a medium to large mixing bowl, cream the butter, sugar, egg and vanilla (not the milk yet!); in a small bowl, mix the flour, baking powder and salt together. Next, add the flour mixture and 1/2 cup milk alternately to the creamed mixture, ending with flour. You just want them blended so it doesn't take very long. Gently fold in the blueberries. **If using frozen, drain and dry them ahead of time unless you want purple-looking cake batter; mine is generally purple.  =)

Coat a 9-inch pie plate or baking dish with cooking spray or butter; pour cake batter into dish and prepare crumb topping.

Crumb Topping

1/2 cup flour

1/3 cup sugar

2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 cup butter, softened

Using the same small bowl as before, blend together the flour, sugar and cinnamon. Cut in butter with a fork or knife until mixture is crumbly. Gently cover the batter with the topping. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until edges are browned and cake tester comes out clean. Let cool before slicing and serving. Enjoy!

PLEASE NOTE: you can easily double this recipe and fill two separate baking dishes or one 13x9 dish. Cooking times may vary slightly so keep a close eye, as it may need slightly longer or slightly less time to finish baking. This is a terrific crowd-pleaser for brunch. This coffeecake also freezes well.

The original recipe calls this a blueberry buckle; I have adapted it slightly, and also refer to it as a coffeecake.

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Best Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes

Another week is flying by, and I've learned something important: I cannot be trusted with Halloween candy.

Like, ever.

E-ver.

Okay, so I think I've always known this, but yesterday was a good reminder. Sorry, kids. Mom fail.

I may have needed that extra sugar to tidy some things up for my Etsy shop...it does always get worse before it gets better, right? And speaking of Etsy shops, I even managed to sneak in a little photo shoot with Caleb, which was so much fun! (I highlighted that on my facebook page if you want to sneak a peek!)

So onto the pancakes...
Until recently, I had never made buttermilk pancakes. Or made anything with buttermilk, really. I think I was slightly intimidated, but I shouldn't have been! There are no strange complications, and they are delicious!

Okay, so truth be told, the frozen blueberries had already thawed by the time I got the first three off to school and got back to make Ethan's pancakes (he is still easing back into school days because of his concussion), so the batter was purple. Thus, grey-ish pancakes. Otherwise, they'd be a lovely golden brown.  =)

Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes

2 cups {unbleached} flour

3 Tbsp cornmeal

2 scant Tbsp sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp+ ground cinnamon

2 beaten eggs

1 1/2 cups fresh buttermilk* + 1/2 cup whole or 2% milk

3-4 Tbsp oil

1-2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries

Mix together dry ingredients; add the liquids and stir until batter is moistened; then gently fold in blueberries. We cook our pancakes on a griddle or pan with oil on medium heat.

I was worried about the cornmeal adding too much crunch to the pancake, but it adds just the right amount of, well, something good! They're light, but they're incredibly rich and filling, too.

I altered the original recipe from my BH&G trusty cookbook, doubling it as well. Depending on the size of your pancake, it should yield about 15-18. Because of the alterations, I would not recommend trying to "half" this recipe. Unless you're a culinary daredevil, and then I say, go for it!  ;)

*You can also use sour milk if you don't have buttermilk. You can make 1 cup of sour milk like this: place 1 Tbsp either lemon juice or vinegar in a glass measuring cup and add enough milk to make 1 cup total liquid; let sit for 5 minutes before using. (Adjust amounts for 2 cups or more.)

Well, it's the next day now...I didn't quite manage to get this post finished yesterday, but I did get to hold a 2-month-old baby girl in the nursery all night last night!  =)

Caleb was tossing and turning moments ago, and in the past, I might have gotten annoyed. So worried that I'd have to stop what I was doing, as if that could be so important. Today my heart chose right. Iron unplugged, flannel gently folded, all that can wait. I tiptoed upstairs into his room, and he asked me to spend a few minutes with him (we had a lovely mini-conversation about hover crafts, air force piloting, and how he will ever choose which branch of the military to join) because he isn't feeling so great. Just him and me, side by side, early morning declarations of love whispered low between us.

One day I will wake up, and these children of ours won't be here. And I will long for more time to have cuddled and held hands and whispered low in the dark.

Okay, now I'm late...I'm thinking it's a cereal kind of morning for us!

Apple Pancakes Recipe & Other Stuff

Well, we did it. That first week of new beginnings; new schedules, teachers, classmates; new (and some old) anxieties, and the raw nerves and excitement that are all part of the process. It was actually a pretty great week.  :) Jonah and I enjoyed a lunch date on Tuesday when the others had their first day back. And on Wednesday, that first full day, when I would have wondered all day long Now what?, William and I escaped to the beach for that official last hurrah of summer (and an early anniversary celebration). It was super foggy, so no pictures to share, but we walked along the coastline pathway for a couple miles (which I have always wanted to do), ate our picnic lunch (no extra money, as in in ZERO dollars, since our double garage door broke this week) and then strolled along the ocean's edge. This had multiple significance for me -- First, it was lovely, so there's that. Second, I was really grinding my sad-looking calloused feet into the sand as we walked. Nature's pumice, you know. Third, well, it's the beach! With my husband, just the two of us! It was fun! One of us finds it impossible to ever be at a place where you normally go swimming, and then not go swimming, not naming names. I bet you can guess. On our walk back to our stuff, we got caught behind a small inlet of rocks where the water was deeper and the waves crashing in around us, and I was sooooo sure we could make it through without any mishaps. Ha! As I was waiting for a new wave to pass (because you can't see to get your footing when the water and sand are swirling all around your feet), I turned my face to look back to shore and SPLAT! A wave exploded against a large rock beside me and the resulting splash drenched me. We had a good laugh over that one.  =)

Jonah seems really happy with his new school, our church's Christian school. I used to feel such guilt over things like sending one child to this school and another to that one, but each child is different, and they need and want different things. I do think I have finally learned that parenting each child is mostly like starting all over again. The things you learn may carry over from one child to the next, but the actual practices and techniques? Not so much. Have you ever heard that saying that raising kids is like making pancakes? That first one is either undercooked or burnt because you don't know how hot the pan should be, or how much oil you add, and then by the 3rd and 4th pancake, you've figured out the heat and the oil and the timing, and you've got it right! Oh if it were truly that easy, ha!

So on my first official official alone day- Thursday- I had to bring Luke into the vets because he just seemed so off (yet another reason we have limited resources now). I broke down when the vet said if I'd waited until afternoon, I would have found Lukey dead somewhere because his bladder would have burst by then and killed him. My heart was pounding so hard! I didn't even get to say goodbye because they whisked him away so quickly to save him. They were afraid it was going to rupture or burst any moment, and that would be fatal. My poor, poor baby. He should be ready to come home later this morning and I can't wait! Neither can big brother/BFF Sneakers, who has been beside himself with grief in Luke's absence. If it weren't so pitifully sad, it would be kind of cute!

Something else far less traumatic has been on my mind...I'm looking for input so feel free to share your thoughts. I finally decided on a new name for my Etsy shop (which is so, so hard for me!) and was feeling pretty good. I was setting up a Facebook page when I discovered a hugely popular shop with about the same exact name- Roses and Ruffles, as opposed to my Rose & Ruffle. Is it too close? I thought I did such a thorough search to avoid this type of thing, and I never saw the other shop until I'd already renamed mine. So I have been hiding the page instead of trying to get "likes" because of this. Ugh. This probably sounds silly or lame or both, but it has me really worried/annoyed/concerned. Any thoughts? Thanks.  :)

Oh right, the recipe! HA Let's just make this long post even l-o-n-g-e-r!

The Best Apple Pancakes

• 2 cups flour (I use unbleached flour)
• 1/4 cup or so wheat germ
• 2-3 Tbsp ground flax seed
• scant 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1-2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 cup oil 
• 2 cups milk
• 2 eggs
• 1-2 apples, peeled and chopped

Place dry ingredients in large bowl; add remaining ingredients (except apples) and whisk together. Add apples when well blended. Keep some aside for the inevitable naked pancake or two.  :) These are the best pancakes for fall! They taste so good with maple syrup, honey, or what we loving refer to as "Sugar Sauce" - confectioner's sugar with a dash of cinnamon, vanilla extract and milk. At least the pancakes are a little healthier.  =) **I forgot to mention that this is the recipe doubled, which is pretty much the only way I can feed this crew of mine, ha!**

Looking for another great fall recipe? Check out my easy One-Bowl Apple Squares recipe...you're welcome!  ;)

Okay, I'm off to the Post Office to mail my favorite baby dress and adorable birdie bib, and then off to the vets to get our little Lukey! Thanks for reading my rambling! Have a wonderful Saturday!


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Crumb Coffee Cake Recipe

Happy Monday! We had a nice weekend as a family...a little swimming, backyard S'mores making, an afternoon at one of our favorite lakes, church in the morning and then again at night for a special service, some movie time...just a nice weekend! There was one moment of sheer slight panic late Saturday night when my dear husband asked me if I remembered that I'd volunteered to bring in food for our Fellowship Class at church. Well, no, as a matter of fact, I had not remembered. Until then. 11:30 pm.
Bake?
Or go to sleep?
Lucky for me, I remembered a quick and easy recipe I could easily pull off in the AM, so beauty sleep it was!

My mother-in-law gave me this recipe shortly after Bill and I got married. It's been around a while...  :)
And it is SO YUMMY! I love this recipe because it's easy, quick, and doesn't use a million dishes!
I'd tell you it's healthy, but... well, at least there's cinnamon, ha!

for the coffee cake layer:

1/2 cup shortening

1 1/4 cup sugar

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

1 3/4 cup flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

pinch salt

7/8 cup milk 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream together shortening, sugar, egg & vanilla in large mixing bowl. Next, combine dry ingredients in bowl and add alternately with milk to shortening mixture.

{this looks a bit lackluster here...it was a little dark at 6 AM, ha!}

Grease a 13x9 baking pan or dish and spread mixture in bottom of pan. Bake for 15 minutes or until edges begin to turn golden brown. 

Make Crumb Topping while cake is baking.

for the crumb topping:

2 1/4 cup flour

1 1/2 cup sugar 

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon (or more...I always add a little more)

1 1/2 stick butter or margarine, softened

To save on washing dishes, I use the same bowl for the topping as for the flour mixture above. Simply combine dry ingredients and then cut in softened butter until it's crumbly. I usually mash it all up with a fork.

Sorry, no photos of this step! There may have been a clothing emergency...

Remove coffee cake from oven when ready and carefully spread crumb topping mixture over top- the top is spongy and will not be fully baked, but that's the way it's supposed to be. Again I use a fork to gently push the topping over the entire cake. Return cake to oven to bake for another 20-25 minutes. The edges should be golden brown, and it will smell absolutely divine by this point. Use a cake tester to check if in doubt.

Cool. Slice. Devour.  ;o)

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