Whole-Grain Cheddar Cheese Pancakes

Whoa, wait a second....what did that say?  Is there actually CHEDDAR CHEESE in these pancakes? 

Well, dear blog readers, let me answer your querying glances at the computer screen with a resounding YES--there is a whole cup of shredded cheddar cheese in these fluffy round hotcakes of goodness and to quite delicious results, I might add.   The cheese adds richness, taste,  and protein while maintaining the pleasant crisp/soft texture that make this stack of pancakes as unique as they are good!  I highly recommend  butter, jam, and powdered sugar on top to make the savory/sweet connection complete!  Enjoy!  

Click here for printable recipe.  

The ingredients:

1 cup milk
1 large egg
1 Tbs. oil
1 Tbs. honey or sugar (I used honey)
1 cup whole-wheat flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Desired toppings:  butter, jam, powdered sugar, etc

GLUTEN FREE ADAPTATION
Sub the 1 cup flour with 1/3 cup almond flour, 1/3 cup ground flax, 1/3 cup gluten free all purpose flour and 1 Tbs. coconut flour

Directions: In a medium size bowl, mix together milk, egg, oil, and honey (or sugar).  Add whole-wheat flour, baking powder, and salt and stir just until combined.  Gently fold in shredded cheese. 

Spoon by 1/4 cupfuls onto hot greased griddle and cook until golden brown on both sides.  Makes about 10 pancakes.  To keep pancakes hot until ready to serve, place finished pancakes on a cookie sheet, then cover with foil and place in the oven on WARM. 

Serve hot with butter, jam, and a sprinkle of powdered sugar. 

Enjoy! 


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Menu 5/16 - 5/22

Monday--Chili Cornbread Salad--a healthy summer dish my family loves

Tuesday--Lemon Ricotta Pancakes--Light and lemony, these  are perfect with fresh berries

Penne Pasta with Gorgonzola--an award winning dish, this is on our family favorite list

Wednesday--Makeover Chicken Crescents--my kids have been begging me to make these again soon

Thursday--Pepperoni and Fresh Mozzarella Panini--Simple and easy, these are perfect for a summer day

Friday--Bruschetta Pizza--piled high with fresh tomatoes and basil....yum!

Saturday--Potato Kielbasa Skillet--one of my hubby's favorites

Sunday--Apple Walnut Pancakes--Whole grain and filled with apples and nuts, this is great for a weekend morning breakfast.

Chicken Scampi (new)

Go check Organizing Junkie for lots more Menu Plans!




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I Spy...Some Friday Favorites

 Here are a few recipes I've been eyeing this week: 

Old-Fashioned Chocolate Layer Cake
Our Best Bites

Chicken Scampi
Rachel vs. the Kitchen

Skinny Pepperoni Pasta Salad
Learn, Laugh, Cook

Lemon Sugar Cookies
Sugarcrafter

Savory Roasted Potatoes
Tried and True Yummy Recipes

Tortellini Spinach Bake with Creamy Lemon Sauce
Diary of a Recipe Addict

(I'm curious....was anyone else starting to get as annoyed/worried with Blogger as I was? 
I'm relieved that it's back up and running, but I'm still missing yesterday's post and comments.) 

Head over to Finding Joy in My Kitchen to see some other Friday Favorite links. 

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Cookies and Cream Cookies

How did we love these cookies?   Hmmm,  let me count the ways: 

1--they're busting with chunks of real Oreos 

2--they're perfect straight out of the oven when the white chocolate is all melty and soft 

3--they're fun and different from any cookie you've ever seen 

Recipe Source:  See Jane in the Kitchen

Click here for printable recipe.

The ingredients:
1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 (4.2 ounce) package Cookies 'n Creme pudding mix
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2-1/4 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 package (12-ounces) white chocolate chips
15 Oreo cookies, very coarsely chopped

Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream butter and sugars, add pudding mix until blended. Stir in the eggs and vanilla. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt with a whisk then add it to the butter mixture. Stir in the chocolate chips and Oreo cookies.

Drop cookies by rounded spoonfuls onto greased cookie sheet.  Bake for 7-9 minutes in preheated oven until cookies tops barely have a touch of brown.  Makes 3 dozen cookies.   Enjoy!

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Baked Chicken and Bean Taquitos

 This was one of those recipes I came up with on a crazy day when I was out of a couple ingredients and couldn't make what I had planned on my menu.  They were a total cinch to throw together and since they are baked in the oven, they're healthy too!  The kids and the adults devoured these crispy flavorful Mexican taquitos and especially loved them dipped in salsa or ranch dressing.  Enjoy! 

Click here for printable recipe.  

The ingredients:
1 can (16-ounces) fat-free refried beans
1 cup favorite salsa
1 can (12-ounce) chicken, shredded (or 1 lb. shredded chicken)
16 flour tortillas (8-inch)
2 cups shredded cheese (cheddar or pepper jack)
olive oil
desired dipping sauces:  ranch dressing (our favorite), salsa, guacamole

Directions: 
In a medium size bowl, mix together refried beans, salsa, and chicken.  Mix well.  Spoon by 1/4 cupfuls into tortillas.  (NOTE: If needed, you can heat the tortillas in microwave for 10-20 seconds to make them more pliable).  Sprinkle with 1-2 tablespoons shredded cheese and roll tightly.   (We used cheddar cheese for the kids' taquitos and pepper jack for the adults')

Place 1-inch apart on greased baking sheet (make sure the taquitos are not touching each other).  Brush tops with olive oil and bake in a 450 degree oven for 7-10 minutes or until golden brown and crisp.  Serve immediately with salsa, guacamole, or ranch dressing as a dip.  Makes 16 taquitos.

Enjoy! 

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Popover Upside Down Pizza

Oh me, oh my! 
Now please don't cry.
Although I have no gift for rhythm and timing
I have the urge to go on  rhyming. 

This dish is easy peasy
and oh-so-nice-and-cheesy. 
My kids were gaga with delight
when they saw the top take flight
and pop up into something so puffy
that they could not wait themselves to stuffy. 

After that they excitedly and  without reserve,
said that this dish was something to preserve!
So here it is upon the blog
for you to print and try and hog!
 

Now dear blog readers, don't you fret,
I know I am the worst poet you've (n)ever met,
So in the future, I'll stick to cooking and pans
and leave the rhyming to people who actually can(s).

Click here for printable recipe. 

The ingredients:

1 lb. ground beef (or ground turkey)
1 large onion, chopped
2 cups spaghetti sauce (can substitute with 1 can (15-ounce) tomato sauce plus one envelope spaghetti sauce mix)
1 cup chopped pepperoni
1 pkg. (8-ounces) sliced mozzarella cheese ( I used 2 cups of shredded mozzarella instead)
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1 Tbs. oil
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:  In a large skillet, brown ground beef or turkey with onion.  Pour off excess fat.  Add spaghetti sauce (or tomato sauce and spaghetti sauce mix) and pepperoni and simmer 10 minutes.  Spoon into greased 9x13-inch baking pan. Top with cheese.  Place in 400 degree oven to keep hot. 

To prepare popover batter, beat together eggs, milk, and oil.  Add flour and salt; beat until smooth.  Pour over hot pizza filling, being careful to cover filling completely.  Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes, until puffed and deep golden brown.  Cut into squares and serve immediately.  Makes 6 servings.

Enjoy! 


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Broccoli & Cauliflower Saute with Garlic & Ginger

This is AnnaLisa, Lara's sister.  Our brother, Nate, got me this awesome cookbook for Christmas.  It's called Fine Cooking Annual: A Year of Great Recipes, Tips & Techniques.  Since I had been living with Lara up until last week, I didn't really have much of a need to cook that often, but the other day I was craving a healthy side dish and found this one in there.    There were a couple of ingredients that we didn't have and so I left them out, but I was surprised at how much we liked it.  Even most of Lara's kids ate some!   The  recipe below is based on the one from the book, but with my tweaks.  

The ingredients:

1 pound broccoli (I used 1 head)
1 small head cauliflower
9 tablespoons olive oil (or more as needed)
Salt
3/4 cup water
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
Large pinch red pepper flakes; more to taste
1 teaspoon yellow mustard seed
4 medium cloves of garlic, finely chopped or minced
1 tablespoon fresh ginger; peeled and finely chopped
1/3 cup cilantro

First I washed and cut up the broccoli and cauliflower into bite size pieces.  Then pour in 3 tablespoons of olive oil into a 12-inch skillet over high heat.   Add the broccoli.  Season with salt and then carefully add the water. Reduce the heat to medium high and cook, stirring occasionally, until the broccoli is tender and browned in spots, 8-10 minutes.  (If the pan begins to scorch as you are cooking, add a little oil and turn the heat down).  Transfer the broccoli to a large bowl.  Then cook the cauliflower the same way as the broccoli.
When finished cooking the cauliflower, put it in the same bowl as the broccoli.


Reduce the heat to medium.  Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil, the onion, and red pepper flakes. Season with salt.  Saute, stirring frequently, until the onion is golden brown and tender, about 8 minutes.  Push the onion to one side and add 1 tablespoon olive oil and the yellow mustard seed.  Let them sizzle for 1 minute, then add the garlic and ginger.  Cook, stirring, for 1 minute more- be careful not to let it burn.  

Return the broccoli and cauliflower to the pan, stir to combine.  Cook until hot, about 2 minutes. Taste and add salt if necessary.  Place it all in the bowl from before.  Sprinkle the cilantro on top.  Enjoy!

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I Spy...Some Friday Favorites

 Here are a few recipes I've been eyeing this week....

Pumpkin Carrot Cake
Tried and True Yummy Recipes

Crème-filled Chocolate Orange Cupcakes
The Virtual Goody Plate

Chicken Enchilada Rice Casserole
Learn, Laugh, Cook

Strawberry Shortcake with Almond Glaze
Sister's Cafe

Lovely Lime Cupcakes
Your Homebased Mom

Cheesecake Factory Cheesecake
The Peppered Pantry

Head over to Finding Joy in My Kitchen to see some other Friday Favorite links. 

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Light and Creamy Guacamole Dip

This delicious twist on guacamole is as easy as 1-2-3.  

1--Throw everything but the tomatoes into the blender
2--Stir in chopped tomatoes
3--Dip with your favorite chips and enjoy! 

Adding the cream cheese and blending it in the blender gives this dip a different texture, that some of my family found much more appealing than your average guacamole.   Enjoy! 

Recipe Source:  Taste of Home Light and Delicious

Click here for printable recipe. 

The ingredients:

2 medium ripe avocados, peeled and pitted
1 package (8 ounces) fat-free cream cheese
1 can (4 ounces) chopped green chilies, drained
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 garlic clove, peeled and halved
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 plum tomatoes, seeded and finely chopped
Chopped cilantro (optional)
Baked tortilla chip scoops

Directions:   In a food processor or blender, combine the first seven ingredients. Cover and process until blended. Stir in tomatoes.

Serve with chips. Makes about 2-1/2 cups.   For more developed flavors, refrigerate for 2+ hours before serving 

Enjoy! 




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