Oven Puffed Pancakes

Saturday morning breakfasts are great times for our family to have a chance to relax and start the weekend off right. When I was younger my brother, John, would make these Oven Puffed Pancakes. I was always amazed watching them rise while baking and then fall when you take them out of the oven. I was excited when I found  this recipe because the pancakes brought back those memories. Enjoy the pancakes with powdered sugar, syrup or fruit. It's a great way to start off the day.

OVEN PUFFED PANCAKES

1/2 cup milk
2 eggs
1/2 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon butter

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Combine first five ingredients, stir until moist.
3. Melt butter in a 10" skillet over medium heat. Pour batter into the pan and place into the oven.
4. Bake for 18 minutes or until golden brown.
5. Sprinkle with powder sugar if desired, cut into quarters and serve immediately.

ENJOY!

Potato Leek Soup

This week we recieved a number of beautiful leeks from our CSA. So, last night I made a pot of Potato Leek Soup. Fall time is the perfect time for warm soups. I can always tell if a recipe is a winner, if my wife takes some for her lunch the next day. Evidently this recipe is a winner.

POTATO LEEK SOUP

6 potatoes, peeled and diced
8 leeks, whites only, throughly washed and sliced
3 stalks celery, chopped
1 medium onion, diced
1 bay leaf
2 quarts vegetable stock
1/2 cup flour
8 tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 cup half & half

1. In a large pot, lightly saute the leeks, onion, celery and butter. Add flour and stir until incorporated.
2. Add the potatoes, stock, bay leaf and other seasonings and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cokk until the potatoes are tender.
3. Remove the bay leaf and blend in a blender until smooth. Return to the pot and add the half & half.

Enjoy!

Midwest Corn Chowder Soup

The days are growing cooler and the nights are chilly. It's the time of year for soups to warm your soul. This recipe is a quick and delicious corn chowder that is a winner anytime.

MIDWEST CORN CHOWDER SOUP

10 ounces whole kernel corn
1/2 cup potatoes, peeled and cubed
1/2 cup onion, diced
1/3 cup vegetable broth
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1 1/2 cups milk
2 tablespoons dry milk powder
2 tablespoons flour
1/4 cup milk

1. Cook vegetables in the vegetable broth and pepper. When until tender, add the 1 1/2 cups milk.
2. In a separate bowl, combine the 1/4 cup milk, dry milk powder and flour. Add mixture to the sauce pan and cook until the soup thickens. Serve with chopped chives or scallions on top.

ENJOY!

Baba Ganoush (Roasted Eggplant Dip)

Baba Ganoush is one of our family's favorite dips. Traditionally this recipe has tahini in it. We substitute mayonnaise for the tahini, since I usually do not have tahini and when we do it is never used up. This dip is great with pitas or dipping vegetables. Give it a try.

BAB GANOUSH (ROASTED EGGPLANT DIP)

1 pound of eggplant
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 lemon juiced
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1. Slice the eggplant in half and roast in the oven at 375 degrees for 20-30 minutes.
2. Remove the flesh of the eggplant from the skin and place in a food processor. Add remaining ingredients and pulse until well blended. You can add red pepper flakes or powder if you would like it spicy.

ENJOY!

Spaghetti Alla Norma

We belong to a CSA which provides our family a basket of vegetables every other week. It's a great way to get different vegetables besides what we grow in our own garden. We love when we get eggplants. This recipe is a classic Sicilian dish. Give it a try and you may have a new family favorite.

SPAGHETTI ALLA NORMA

2 tablespoons olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 pounds Roma tomatoes peeled and coarsely chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1 pound eggplant, peeled and chopped
1/4 cup fresh basil, thinly sliced
1 pound spaghetti pasta
8 ounces mozzarella cheese, cubed 1/4"

1. Place oil and garlic in a large skillet; cook over medium high heat for 30 seconds until the garlic begins to sizzle.Add tomatoes and salt and cook for 15 minutes until the liquid has evaporated. Add the eggplant, cover, reduce heat and cook for 15 minutes or until eggplant is tender. Stir in basil and set aside.
2. Cook pasta in boiling water until done. Drain and toss with sauce and cheese. Serve immediately.

ENJOY!

David's Ranger Cookies

Every year our community has a city wide garage sale the first weekend in May. Needless to say, we get a lot of traffic coming through and it's a great way to get rid of a lot of junk. My son, David, is an entrepreneur at heart and at age 10 decided to sell cookies to make a little cash. So whenever I make these cookies I think of how excited David was when his cookies sold out and he counted his profits.

DAVID"S RANGER COOKIES

1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup oatmeal
1/2 cup rice crispies
1/2 cup coconut

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a mixing bowl, cream the sugar and shortening. Combine the egg and vanilla in to the creamed sugar.
3. Sift together the dry ingredient together and combine with creamed mixture.
4. Drop by spoonfuls onto a baking sheet and bake for 10 -12 minutes.

ENJOY!

Chewy Chocolate Cookies

This is a recent addition to our cookie lineup. This recipe delivers a rich chocolate flavor with a nice chew. Enjoy!


1/3 cup white sugar
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup dutch processed cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup corn syrup
1 egg white
1 teaspoon vanilla
12 tablespoons butter, melted
1/3 cup brown sugar


1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Mix dough and roll dough into balls. Roll the balls in additional sugar.
3. Bake for 11 -13 minutes.


ENJOY!

Jeff's Ginger Snap Cookies

I love ginger snap cookies. I wanted a ginger snap that was spicy and chewy. This recipe has great flavor and they never last for long at our home. I hope you enjoy this recipe.

JEFF'S GINGER SNAP COOKIES

1 1/2 cups white sugar
1 1/8 cups vegetable oil or butter
3 tablespoons molasses
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoon ginger, ground
3/4 teaspoons cloves
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
3/4 teaspoon salt
3 cups all purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons cinnamon

1. Cream sugar and oil/butter together. Add molasses, eggs and vanilla and mix.
2. Combine the dry ingredients together. Gradually combine the dry into the creamed mixture. Chill dough for at least one hour.
3. Preheat oven at 350 degrees.
4. Roll the dough into balls and roll the balls in the cinnamon sugar mixture. Bake for 13- 15 minutes.

ENJOY!

Grandma Marge's White Cookies

When I was growing up, my step mother Marge would make her White Cookies every year for Christmas. She would roll them out and decorate them for the holidays. They never lasted long enough; the cookies and the holidays. Now I make the cookies as a drop cookie which is easier but still bring back the memories. Hopefully you can make your own warm memories with this delicious sugar cookie.

GRANDMA MARGE'S WHITE COOKIE

1 cup powdered sugar
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 cup butter
1 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 1/4 cup all purpose flour

1. Mix the sugar, eggs, butter and oil. Add dry ingredients and combine. Chill dough for one hour.
2. Preheat oven at 350 degrees. Roll the dough into balls. Roll the dough balls in additional white sugar. Flatten the dough balls with a glass on the baking sheet  Bake for 12 - 15 minutes until done.

ENJOY!

Grandma Christman's Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

I always enjoy trying different recipes. When I decided to make Oatmeal Cookies the last time, I decided to try this recipe. After I made them, my wife said these were exactly like the cookies her Mom made. So they are now a regular in my cookie rotation and they always make my wife happy. The cookies make a flatter chewy oatmeal cookie. Enjoy!

GRANDMA CHRISTMAN'S OATMEAL RAISIN COOKIES

1 cup brown sugar, packed
1 cup white sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
1/4 cup milk
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 1/2 cup old fashioned oats
2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups raisins

1. Preheat oven to 30 degrees.
2. Mix ingredients. Dried cranberries or nuts can be substituted for the raisins. Chill dough for one hour.
3. Spray the pan with PAM. Drop rounded teaspoons on the baking sheet. Bake for 11-13 minutes. Let stand on baking sheets for 5 minutes before removing to a cooling rack.

The Best Chocolate Chip Cookies

One of the things I learned from Granny Patwell was to always have a treat to serve visitors. I am going to share a few of my cookie recipes that I rotate for treats. The first tried and true recipe is The Best Chocolate Chip Cookie. It is very similar to the Tollhouse recipe with some small changes. This recipe makes a chewy and delicious cookie. It is always a crowd pleaser

THE BEST CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE

2 1/4 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 large egg
1 egg yolk
2 cups chocolate chips (12 ounces)
1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Combine the oil, egg, yolk, sugar, and vanilla
3 Mix the dry ingredients and combine with the wet mixture.
4. Add chocolate chips and walnuts.
5. Use a scoop and place on a baking sheet.
6. Bake for 9 - 11 minutes until done.

ENJOY!

Vegetarian Chili

It is that time of year when a warm bowl of chili will warm the cockles of your soul. The one thing I have discovered while trying to make good tasting vegetarian meals is as long as a dish has a lot of flavor the meat will not be missed. This is the case with this chili, the flavor is so good and the ingredients provide so much texture, the meat is hardly missed. So give this chili a try and once again, Bossie the Cow strongly endorses this recipe, two hooves up.

VEGETARIAN CHILI

28 ounces crushed tomatoes
32 ounces V8 juice or tomato juice
15 ounces dark red kidney beans
15 ounces light red kidney beans
15 ounces black beans
15 ounces chickpeas
1 cup corn, frozen or fresh
1 large onion, diced
4 stalks celery, diced
1 green pepper, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon lime juice
2 1/2 tablespoons Penzey's Chili 9000
                or
1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon chipolte powder
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper

1. Combine the ingredients and let simmer for at least 1 hour.
2. Serve with shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream and chopped onions.

ENJOY!

Asian Noodle Salad

I used to go to a Chinese restaurant in Madison, Wisconsin for a lunch buffet. I loved this restaurant because they had a cold Asian noodle salad that was addictive. I finally found a recipe that I believe is very similar. The great thing about this salad is you can add whatever vegetable you have available. It is a great way to clean out your vegetable drawer. Try this recipe, but be careful it is addictive!

ASIAN NOODLE SALAD

1 1/2 teaspoons sesame oil
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 cloves garlic minced
1 teaspoon red pepper, crushed
1 juice and zest of one lime
pinch of salt
pinch of pepper
6 ounces noodles (udon, ramen or spaghetti)

1. Prepare the noodles per the package direction and cool.
2. Place the rest of the ingredients in a blender and process until smooth.
3. Toss noodles with dressing and add whatever vegetables you have around. (cucumber, carrot, bean sprouts, pea pods, green onions, cilantro.....)
4. Squeeze a lime over the top and ENJOY!