Sour Cream Pancakes

DH and I tend to try to go all out for breakfast on Sundays. Part of that is I missed breakfasts on Saturdays this summer while at the Farmers' Market - and part of it is his love affair with bacon. This week we didn't have a lot of time but I wanted to try something new. Enter Sour Cream Pancakes. My rationale is I didn't feel like doing crepes (I prefer to let crepe batter sit overnight) and also, I cleaned out the fridge yesterday and discovered two brand new containers of sour cream inside. (It happens.)

I think the recipe is pretty generic. I found a few identical ones on various websites and in two different cookbooks:

1 cup flour

1 tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup milk (we had 1% here today although the recipe called for whole milk)

1/2 cup sour cream (it was the low fat kind but the recipe said regular)

1 large egg*

2 tablespoons melted butter, plus more for pan

*Unrelated side note, although I realize they sell other sizes of eggs, I have never seen a recipe that calls for another size. But I digress.

Combine the dry ingredients in one bowl and wet ingredients in another. 

Whisk together the wet ingredients and slowly add to the flour mixture, whisking the whole time. 

This batter is MUCH more firm than the pancakes I usually make. I thought about thinning it out but given that 4 or 5 separate recipe sites/books said not to, I decided to stick with firm.

Heat your non stick skillet to medium high and melt butter. I added about 1/4 cup batter to the pan for the first one but less for the remaining. The batter doesn't spread (it is really really thick) and even though I wanted fluffy pancakes, this would have been excessive. 

The remaining ones were less than 1/4 cup - and I spread it out a bit. Still fluffy but no chance of being gooey in the middle.

 

The finished product was a significantly fluffier pancake than the regular ones we make - and they took no time at all to make. These MIGHT be our new Sunday staple.

 

Guacamole - aka How To Win Friends

I'm not implying that people would NOT have been friends with me if I hadn't shared my guacamole recipe with them - it's just that it is a FACT that when I did share it, I suddenly got a weekly coffee date... (I'm talkin' to YOU Dan.)

We do a LOT of Mexican and/or Tex-Mex cooking at our place, probably because both DH and I have worked in Mexican restaurants - and most of our friends did too. Guacamole is one of those staples that can either be amazing or really really not. I've seen it made simply by smushing avocadoes and adding tomatoes (ick), and as complicated as having a bunch of herbs and spices thrown in (complicated ick).

I'll tell you right now, we are NOT cilantro people so this recipe doesn't have it. If you ARE cilantro people, add some at the end. (It pains me to type that.)

Here's what we do. Notice the measurements are "ish":
3-5 avocadoes
1/4 spanish onion, minced
1-2 garlic cloves, crushed
few splashes lemon juice (or lime in a pinch)
few splashes green Tabasco (this makes the difference - people always say it is the thing that makes it more awesome...)
sea salt and pepper to taste
diced and seeded tomato (optional)

Start by cutting around the pit of the avocado.


Getting the pit out is actually really easy. All you have to do is hit it in the centre with your chef's knife and twist. It comes right out. (I'm pretty sure I have a video of me doing this. If I can find it, I'll post it.)

Next step, scoop out the avocado into a bowl. Dice the onion and add it to the bowl with the minced garlic.


Use a masher and combine with lemon juice, green Tabasco, salt and pepper.

If you're adding tomatoes, now's the time to do it. We tend not to at our house these days, partially because they tend to make the guacamole turn yucky more quickly, and also because we have a friend with a tomato allergy. (If you're a crazy cilantro loving person, feel free to add it now as well...)


That's it. Serve with chips, veggies or alongside fajitas, burritos, quesadillas, your choice!

Monday "I'm MUCH too busy to cook but really should" Supper

Funny thing about teaching "Quick Cooking" and "30 Minute Meal" Classes for as many years as I did - I realize there's ALWAYS time to make supper. Pair that with related classes like "Stock Your Pantry" and I really have no excuse.

Now, that doesn't mean I don't still sometimes make excuses but, well, I suspect you get the point.

So, tonight's supper came from 3 different inspirations.
#1 We had shrimp leftover from last night
#2 It is really cold out
#3 I was in the mood for pasta and there's a Spicy Shrimp Pasta dish I make sometimes that is really yummy.

Now #3 was a challenge because the dish I had in mind takes some time to prepare but I figured I could alter it with some of the stuff I have in my pantry and get it done quickly.

Here's what I did:

Put a large pot of water on to boil.* When it does come to a boil, salt the water, add the pasta and cook until al dente


Meanwhile, Chop a medium onion
Mince 2 cloves of garlic
Saute them in olive oil for about 5 minutes.
Deglaze the pan with some white wine (or chicken stock)
Add a small can of diced tomatoes (I used a can of Spicy Red Pepper ones to help with the spicy factor in the original recipe)
Reduce for about 5 minutes.
Add about 1/4 cup of either milk, cream, half and half, etc.
Reduce again.


Add the seasonings you have on hand. Tonight I used chopped fresh parsley, oregano and salt and pepper.
Add cooked shrimp once the sauce comes off the heat. (It is already cooked and you don't want it to get tough.)


Toss with cooked pasta and serve immediately.

Tomato Bocconcini Salad Two Ways

We probably all have our go-to salad. You know, the one you make when you need an extra vegetable at the table/have to prepare something for a potluck/realize an entire day has gone by without vegetable consumption.

At our house we're pretty big on salads in theory, although truth be told, it is sometimes the part of the meal that goes by the wayside when time is of the essence. However, this salad is so fast and easy, and is made with so few ingredients that it is really not something that takes any time to prepare.

A classic Italian salad, we enjoy this almost every day in the summer once the tomatoes in our garden ripen.



In the "off season" when tomatoes are less delicious, we switch it up by using grape tomatoes or a variety of smaller ones found in the grocery store.


For the recipe:

This is more of a "use what's on hand" than an actual recipe. It can be fore as many or as few people as you'd like.

2-3 ripe tomatoes of your choosing (beefsteak, roma, your favourite heritage kind, etc.) sliced*
2-3 balls bocconcini (fresh mozzarella) or a couple of handfuls of the bite-sized ones
handful fresh basil
extra virgin olive oil
aged balsamic vinegar
sea salt
pepper

*If you're using grape, pear or cherry tomatoes, use a couple of handfuls

Slice the tomatoes. Salt the cheese. Layer with a basil leaf (or if using baby bocconcini, reserve them for the center). Drizzle olive oil and balsamic vinegar around the plate and season to taste.