Banana Filled Graham Cracker Pancakes (revisited)

Oh boy, I should have eaten breakfast before starting this post because just looking at these pictures is making me drool. I made these again a few weeks ago, and couldn't help but take some pictures and re-post this because they were SO good. It really would be worth purchasing the special pan so that you can enjoy these. This time I served them with buttermilk syrup, and it put them on a whole new level!

Banana Filled Graham Cracker Pancakes

4 oz graham crackers, broken into pieces (this is 7 whole graham crackers, or enough crumbs to fill a 1 cup measuring cup)
3/4 C all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
5 Tbs. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
3 eggs, separated
1 3/4 C buttermilk
6 Tbs. (3/4 of a stick) of butter, melted
2 bananas, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch dice
1 cup heavy cream
maple or buttermilk syrup syrup for serving

Put graham crackers in blender or food processor and blend on high until powdery. Add flour, baking soda, baking powder, 3 Tbs. sugar, and salt; pulse to combine. In large bowl, whisk egg yolks and buttermilk. Whisk in flour mixture; batter will be lumpy.



Using electric mixer, beat egg whites on high speed until stiff (but not dry) peaks form, 1-2 min. Gently stir whites into batter in 2 additions.






Put 1/2 tsp. butter into each well of filled-pancake pan. Heat over medium heat (I kept it on medium-low to avoid burning them, and my pan is cast-iron). Pour 2 tsp. batter into each well. Place 3 banana pieces in center of each pancake; top with 1 tsp. batter. Cook 3-5 minutes.



Using 2 skewers or forks, gently flip pancakes over and cook 2- 3 minutes more. (You know that they are ready to flip when you move it around with the skewer, and the whole pancake moves...if part of it sticks, they're not ready to turn yet.) Transfer pancakes to plates. Repeat with remaining batter.

Whip cream until firm and sweeten with the other 2 Tbs. of sugar if desired. (Once I just served them with spray whip cream from a can because it was easier, but the whipped cream is best, of course!) Serve pancakes warm with whipped cream and maple syrup or buttermilk syrup. (oh, really, click on this link and try the buttermilk syrup...it's SO worth it!!) Makes about 35 pancakes.

Peanut Butter Crunch Snack Balls

I've had this recipe in my "to try" file for a while,
and finally got around to trying them. I follow a few food blogs, including mykitchencafe.blogspot.com, and that is where I found this recipe. The recipe on her blog is huge, and makes over a hundred of these little goodies. I didn't want to waste a ton of peanut butter just in case we didn't love them, so I ended up doing 1/3rd of the huge recipe. If you want the larger measurements, click here.

Anyway, we ended up loving these...even my two 3-year-olds! Yeah! Also, they are pretty healthy, and I liked how they stayed crunchy even after a couple of days of being in the fridge. I rolled them in crushed mini-wheats, which are kind-of pokey. So, next time I think that I'll roll them in something else, like graham cracker crumbs or nilla wafer crumbs. These are great for a summer time treat since they don't have to be baked. Try them!

2/3 Cup Honey
2 Cup Peanut Butter
1 Cup Rice Krispies (I used generic...cheaper)
1/2 Cup Grape Nuts (Do NOT use generic grape nuts, they're really gross for some reason)
1/4 Cup Unsweetened Applesauce
2/3 Cup Shredded Coconut
1 Cup Crushed Cereal (I used Honey Nut Cheerios, it's just what I had)
1/2 Cup Mini Chocolate Chips or Butterscotch Chips (I used both, but I would stick with the mini chips in the future because the other chips were too big and you didn't get one in every ball. You could also use raisins or something a little more healthy...but why? :) )
1 1/2-2 C crushed mini-wheat cereal (plain or frosted shredded wheat) or other crumbs of your choice (maybe graham crackers)
3-4 Tablespoons Dry Powdered Milk

Combine all ingredients except for the powdered milk and the crushed mini-wheat cereal. Stir well until all ingredients are combined. Add powdered milk a tablespoon at a time until you get a soft dough-like consistency. I ended up using 3 1/2 Tablespoons. At this point, chill the dough, covered, in the refrigerator for about a half hour. This is not necessary, but it makes them less sticky and easier to roll. (My small Pampered Chef cookie scoop worked perfectly for these, but if you don't have one, just use a spoon.) Scoop out small pieces of dough and roll into a ball. Then, roll the balls into the crushed shredded wheat or other crumbs of your choice. Refrigerate and enjoy!

Baked Beef Taquitos

This is a recipe that I got from my good friend Amy, and we love it. I made these the other night, and I think that my husband ate like 7 in a row. They are easy, and good, and not fried like other taquitos! I don't know about your kids, but my kids like to dip whatever they can, so these go over pretty well at our house!

1 tsp oil, plus a little more for brushing (optional)
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 lb lean ground beef
½ c salsa, plus more for dipping
2 tsp chili powder
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
10-12 flour tortillas
shredded cheddar or Monterey jack cheese
Sour cream

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Heat the oil in a large skillet. Put onion in skillet and cook for about 3 minutes or until onion is transparent, stirring often. Add garlic and cook for about another minute. Be careful not to let the garlic burn. Add beef and cook until done. Stir in salsa, chili powder, salt and pepper. Cook over low heat, stirring occasionally for about 5 minutes.

If your tortillas need a little softening up, place tortillas on a plate and cover with a damp paper towel. Microwave for about 45 seconds. If they're already soft, just use tortillas as they are. Spread about ¼ c beef mixture down the middle of the tortilla, until it is about an inch from the edges. Sprinkle cheese over beef. Roll up tortillas and place them on a foil-lined baking sheet, seam side down. Brush taquitos lightly with oil, (or if you're lazy like me, spray them with some cooking spray) then bake them until filling is heated and they are lightly browned, 8-12 minutes. (I measured out the beef mixture with a 1/4 C measuring cup, and I ended up with about 12 taquitos.) Serve with salsa and sour cream.

Broccoli

One of my favorite shows to watch is a local show called "Good Things Utah". They always have a cooking segment, which is my favorite part. A few weeks ago, one of the hosts talked about how she fixes broccoli, and how her kids gobble it up. Well, my kids have never touched broccoli, so I decided to try it. It was so easy, and my little girl begs for more every time I make this. Try it! It's different and so good, and I can't explain why, but we're addicted!

1-2 heads of Broccoli (depending on how many you're serving, I do one large head for 2 adults, 2 kids)
Olive Oil
Kosher Salt

Preheat the broiler on your oven. Chop broccoli into small, bite-sized pieces. Place them on a cookie sheet and drizzle with oil. You don't need a lot of oil, just enough to make sure that each piece of broccoli has a little on it. Sprinkle with kosher salt. Start with less. This is to taste, but YOU really have to figure out how much you like! Mix it all up, right there on the cookie sheet. I just use my hands. Place under the broiler, but make sure that your top rack is pretty close to the broiler. Broil for 2-3 minutes and then get it out and stir it well. Place the broccoli back under the broiler for another 2-3 minutes. You want there to be little pieces of brown on the broccoli, not lots, just barely starting to brown. That is what gives it the yummy flavor. Serve hot, right out of the oven!

Green Chile Enchiladas

I apologize for disappearing from the food blogging world for a while, but I've had a little case of morning sickness that hasn't made cooking or eating very pleasant. Well, now that I'm over that (mostly), I'm back to loving food, and hopefully can keep up a little better on my blog!!

These enchiladas are an original recipe that I created while I was in college. Evidently I was a little more creative then than I am now! So, for those of you who were my room mates, you have probably had these. I hadn't made them in a really long time and forgot how good they were, so I had to post them. They take a little time to do all of the prep work, like chopping the veggies, but they're really not difficult to make, and SO worth it!! They are excellent with either hamburger or chicken. This time my wonderful husband grilled the chicken, and they turned out really good! You can make these vegetarian by leaving out the meat. The flavor of the enchilada sauce is so good! Make sure you try these!

Ingredients:

28 oz can Green Chile Enchilada sauce, or more if you like it sausy (La Victoria is my favorite)
1 medium Zucchini, sliced
½ Bell Pepper (red, green, yellow, or whatever you like)
2 Carrots, grated
2 small Tomatoes chopped
1 medium Onion, chopped
1 15 oz can black beans, drained
1 lb. Hamburger or chicken

12 flour tortillas

½ pkg. Taco Seasoning
1 Clove Garlic
8-10 oz Jack or cheddar cheese, grated

If you are using hamburger, brown the meat. Add ½ package taco seasoning and half of the water called for, and continue to cook according to the package directions. If you are using chicken, drizzle chicken with 1-2 tsp of cooking oil and sprinkle with taco seasoning. Grill or saute until chicken is no longer pink. Once the chicken is cooled enough to handle, cut it into bite sized pieces.

Saute onion, bell pepper, and zucchini with a little bit of oil or cooking spray and garlic for just a couple of minutes, until they are tender. Don't cook them too long, or they'll become soggy. Add tomatoes and carrots last since they cook the fastest. (sorry for the steamy picture...but I love the beautiful color of the veggies once you put everything together!)

Here are step by step pictures of putting them together. First spread a couple of large spoon-fulls of sauce on the bottom of your greased pan. (Note about the pan: I used an 11x15 pan this time, but if you don't have one, use a 9x13 and also an 8x8 pan to fit all of the enchiladas, you may half this recipe!!)

First, put a spoon full of beans on the tortilla,

then, add some chicken,

and veggies

roll them up and put them in your pan.

Pour the rest of the can of sauce over your enchiladas, and then make sure that the edges of the tortillas are covered with sauce so that they don't turn out dry and crunchy after baking.

Cover pan with foil and bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Remove pan from the oven and sprinkle the top with cheese. Put the pan back into the oven for another 5-10 minutes or until the cheese is melted. Serve hot with sour cream.

Chocolate Waffles

I will forever be in debt to my fabulous mother-in-law, not only for raising such a wonderful son, but for giving me one of my favorite easy dessert recipes! Just to clarify...these are DESSERT, not breakfast. These Chocolate Waffles are SO good, and so versatile. We have topped them with so many things, including a smear of peanut butter and vanilla ice cream, bananas and ice cream, mint ice cream, just plain vanilla...they are good with so many things! The best thing is that they are made from ingredients that I always keep around the house. These are great to make if you're in a time crunch and don't have a half hour to bake a cake or a pan of brownies. All you have to do is make the batter, and then when you're ready to serve dessert, you just put some batter in your hot waffle iron and wahla...hot...yummy...dessert. Make 'em, you'll be so glad you did!!

½ C Butter, at room temperature

¾ C Sugar

2 Eggs

1 C Milk
1 ¼ C Flour

4-5 Heaping Tbs. Unsweetened Cocoa Powder

1 tsp. Baking Powder

½ tsp. salt

½ tsp. Cinnamon

Preheat waffle iron. Combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, salt and cinnamon in a small bowl. Cream the butter, sugar, and eggs with a mixer for 2-3 minutes or until well combined. Gradually add dry ingredients, alternating with the milk. Pour ¼ to 1/3 cup batter into hot waffle iron (depending on the size of your waffle iron). Cook chocolate waffle for slightly less time than a regular waffle. Chocolate waffles do not get crispy like regular waffles, so don’t over cook! Remove from iron and immediatly top with your favorite ice cream and toppings. Serves 6.

Oh my...look how that ice cream just melts on those hot waffles. Need I say more?

Frosted Flake French Toast with Buttermilk Syrup

I woke up this beautiful snowy Valentines Day to the sounds of my wonderful husband making breakfast for me! Back in December, we took a trip to Vegas and we ate breakfast at a little cafe inside the hotel where we were staying. My husband ordered this French Toast that was rolled in Frosted Flakes. My first thought was...gross. But, it was SO good. So, on V-day he re-created this gem, and I was SO excited! (I should let him cook more often, he really is brilliant!) The combination of the frosted flakes and the buttermilk syrup was really sweet. So, an addition of some slightly tart strawberries was perfect. You must try this...now!

4-5 slices of French Bread, or any other bread you like

2 Cups Frosted Flakes cereal, crushed

2 Eggs

1/4 C Milk

1/4 C Buttermilk

1/2 tsp. Salt

1/2 tsp. Vanilla

Sprinkle of Cinnamon

A Dash or Pinch (just a tiny bit) Nutmeg

Whisk together the milk, buttermilk and eggs until smooth. Add the salt, vanilla, and spices until everything is incorporated. Heat a frying pan to medium low heat. Add a small pat of butter (maybe a teaspoon or so per slice of bread). Once butter is melted, dip bread, one side at a time into egg mixture, and then into frosted flakes. Make sure both sides are covered in cereal. Put bread into the heated pan and cook for about 3-4 minutes on each side, or to desired doneness. (Some people like their french toast a little soggy in the middle, some like it really set up, so cook it how you like it!) Top with sliced strawberries or other fruit and drizzle with buttermilk syrup (recipe to follow). (I say "drizzle" because it's really sweet, and you might be sorry if you dump it on!) Makes about two adult sized servings.

Buttermilk Syrup

(compliments of my husband's co-worker Ashly...thanks Ashly!)

1 cube butter

1/2 cup buttermilk

1 cup sugar

1 tablespoon Karo Syrup (lite corn syrup)

Add this all together and stir. Use a bigger pot than needed because when you add the baking soda it boils up high. Heat everything on low heat, stirring constantly until ingredients dissolve and sauce thickens. When sauce has thickened, add 1/2 teaspoon baking soda and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Stir and remove from heat.

(note from me: I didn't make the syrup, but I imagine if you cook it for a few minutes longer, it will be a bit more caramely...yum!)