Vanilla Yogurt Whole Grain Pancakes

Don't you just LOVE breakfast?   This is very, very simple and has a wholesome ingredient list.  You could mix all dry ingredients the night before and simply add the wet in the morning if that's easier for you.  For leftover batter, refrigerate and use within a few days, or,  make the rest of the pancakes and freeze for another morning.  I would freeze them in single serving portions for easy microwave heating, defrost for 3 minutes then on high for a minute or two.  The yogurt in this recipe gives it a very light & fluffy texture.  I use a cast iron griddle but you could use any non stick pan, just be sure it's heated and oiled before you start.  Enjoy with fresh berries or bananas and real maple syrup.....need I say more?

2 ½ cups all purpose flour
1 ½ cups whole wheat flour
¼ cup sugar
3 tablespoons wheat germ
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt

Wet ingredients:

3 cups milk
1 6 oz. container Dannon all natural vanilla yogurt
¼ cup canola oil
2 beaten eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla

1) In large mixing bowl, blend all dry ingredients.
2) In medium mixing bowl, whisk all wet ingredients together.
3) Make a well in dry ingredients and add all wet ingredients at once. Mix just until dry ingredients are incorporated. Over mixing will give you a tough result.
4) Pour about 1/3 cup batter onto hot, lightly oiled griddle. Carefully flip when you start to see bubbles. You can check to see if pancake has browned with a spatula before flipping.

Makes about 15 six inch pancakes

Live TV.....

Oh my gosh!  That was so fun!  I thoroughly enjoyed being a guest on Chicago Tonight.  Phil Ponce is absolutely charming and really put us at ease.   Thank you so very much, Phil.

I truly enjoyed being on the show with Natalie of Bake and Destroy and Dana Joy of Real Food Rehab.  You must check out their sites.  Natalie has many cupcake recipes on her site, many of which are vegan.  She is a mom of a four year old, so we had plenty to talk about!  Dana Joy is incredibly interesting, she has vast knowledge of Chicago's specialty and artisan food offerings.  She is a delight and I'm so happy to have met her.

If you didn't get a chance to catch the show, go to http://www.wttw.com/.  They have a link to the Local Food Blogger Segment.  I will try to get ahold of the link to post on my blog as well.

http://www.bakeanddestroy.com/
http://www.realfoodrehab.blogspot.com/

Thank you for your support and for sharing the evening with me!

Angie

Simplest Tomato Garlic Spaghetti

This is a wonderful side dish to serve with parmesan encrusted chicken, oven fried chicken, or oven roasted whole chicken.  This versitle pasta dish can be served on its own, as a meatless entree.  Serve with a delicious salad and you're set.   You can also add just about any other ingredients you like, spincah, arugula, shredded roasted chicken, the possiblites are endless!   It is super simple,  as easy as any processed pasta or rice dish.  This recipe goes together in 10-15 minutes.   If you use the Barilla whole grain spaghetti you get 6 ounces of fiber per serving, it's a very easy way to sneak fiber into the pickiest eater's diet!

1 pound whole wheat spaghetti (I like barilla whole grain)
3 tablespoons olive oil
4 large cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 teaspoon dried oregano
¼ cup tomato paste
2 cups pasta water
½ teaspoon salt
¼ cup Parmesan cheese
1) Undercook pasta by 2 minutes according to package instructions. (if cook time is 6 minutes cook for 4) Reserve 2 cups of cooking liquid before draining.
2) While pasta is in colander draining, put pasta pot back on the stove over medium heat and add olive oil, garlic, and oregano. Cook 1 minute and add tomato paste, stir well to incorporate paste into oil and garlic mixture. Add water and salt, simmer for 3 minutes.
3) Add undercooked pasta to tomato/garlic mixture over medium heat, cook for about 2 minutes. Add parmesan cheese. Serve with additional cheese if desired. Makes about 8 one cup servings.

Chicago Tonight.....

I am pleased to announce that I will be appearing on Chicago Tonight tomorrow evening alongside Dana Joy of Real Food Rehab and Natalie of Bake and Destroy.   January 28th, at 7:00 p.m., WTTW channel 11.  I'm so looking forward to a lively discussion with these creative ladies!  Hope you can tune in!

Old Fashioned Peanut Butter Cookies

This is a house favorite.  It's very simple to put together, and the ingredients are very basic.  This recipe is one of the first cookies I mastered as a 12 year old.   I believe the recipe is out of one of my Grandma's cookbooks, which did not have a cover it was so worn.  There is nothing like the smell of peanut butter cookies in the oven, enjoy!

1 cup light brown sugar
1 cup sugar
1 cup melted butter
1 cup creamy peanut butter
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon soda
2 eggs
2 ½ cups all purpose flour

1) Preheat oven to 375’. Line cookie sheet with parchment paper.

2) In medium mixing bowl, combine flour, salt & soda. In a large mixing bowl combine melted butter, peanut butter, sugars and eggs, mix well.

3) Add flour mixture to peanut butter mixture, mix well. Roll into 1” (or larger) balls and press with fork to make cross hatch marks in cookies.

4) Bake 10-12 minutes. Allow to set for 5 minutes before removing from parchment paper.

Unbelievable Oven Fried Chicken.....

This chicken is excellent.  I love it because it has amazing flavor and isn't deep fried.  Marinating in the buttermilk gives the chicken great flavor and very moist chicken.  You can also use chicken pieces with skin and bone, just increase the baking time to one hour.    You will have enough of the spice mixture to make the chicken 3 more times, very convenient. 

Spice mixture:

2 tablespoons paprika
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon celery seeds
1 teaspoon rubbed sage
1 teaspoon allspice
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon sweet basil
1 teaspoon dried thyme
½ teaspoon cayenne

Mix all ingredients together and store in an air tight plastic container. Yields ½ cup.

For the chicken:

2-3 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 cups buttermilk
3 tablespoons canola oil
2 tablespoons spice mixture
1 cup all purpose flour
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon Lawry’s seasoned salt
1/8 teaspoon baking powder

1) Place chicken breasts in a large zip bag, add buttermilk & marinate for at least 3 hours or overnight.

2) Preheat oven to 375’. Line a cookie sheet with Reynolds non stick foil and coat foil with about 2 tablespoons canola oil.

3) In a medium size bowl, mix all dry ingredients together and blend well. One piece at a time, allow buttermilk to drain off chicken and dredge in spice/flour mixture making sure to coat well. Place on prepared cookie sheet.

4) Drizzle about one tablespoon canola oil over chicken pieces. Bake for 30 minutes, with a pastry brush blot chicken pieces with drippings from the bottom of the pan. Bake another 10 minutes.

Happy Birthday to Jen!

Jen's husband, Steve, decided he wanted to give her a very special birthday gift....a girl's night out, at home. How fabulous is that?!  I had the privilege of planning the menu, preparing and serving her special guests on her special night.

Here is what my son Christopher and I served:

Oven roasted asparagus wrapped with prosciutto
Baba ghanoush with warm flatbread

Arugula & red leaf lettuce with warm breaded goat cheese rounds
and reduced pear necatar and walnut oil dressing

Gaucho steak with 4 herb chimichurri (Guy Fieri's recipe) http://www.foodnetwork.com/
Parsley pesto pasta

Warm bananas foster bread pudding with vanilla icecream and homemade caramel sauce

I would highly recommend the steak recipe.  The steak is marinated in tequila, lime, cilantro and garlic.  The chimichurri sauce is very flavorful and simple to make, you just put it all in the blender and give it a whirl.  Delicious!

More party pictures.....

What fun!  I must tell you that my son Christopher, was absolutely fantastic.  He helped with much of the prep work, the serving, cleared the dishes and helped with all of the clean up.   I don't want to do another event without him.  On the way to the party he'd expressed to me that he may want to become a chef.....can you imagine the feeling in my heart?  Whatever he chooses as a profession, he will be wonderful!

Thank you Steve and Jen, we had a wonderful night.

Angie

Hungarian Goulash

I acquired this recipe from my neighbor Mary, who acquired the recipe from her sister Kate.  Thanks for sharing!  This is soooooo delicious and incredibly simple to put together.  I suggest you double or triple the recipe and put into the freezer for later use.  The meat is incredibly tender and if you have "onion-phobes" in your family, not to worry, they disintegrate into the delicious sauce.  You could also serve this over spaghetti squash as well for an alternative.   In addition, you have the beautiful smells wafting through your house....it's the ultimate comfort food, enjoy!

¼ cup vegetable oil
1 ½ lbs. onions, coarsely chopped
1 ½ lbs. stew meat
1 ½ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon paprika
1 6 oz. can tomato paste
3 6 oz. cans of water
1 12-16 oz. package large noodles

1)  Preheat oven to 325’.

2)  Heat 2-3 quart dutch oven over medium heat add oil and onions, cook for about 5 minutes.  Add stew meat and cook over medium heat until meat is no longer pink.

3)  Add salt, paprika, and tomato paste, mix until well blended.   Add water and mix well.

4)  Cover pot and allow to cook in low oven for 2 ½ - 3 hours.  Stir once between, add additional water if necessary.  Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.

5)  Prepare noodles according to package directions.  Serve goulash over hot noodles.

Enjoy!

“UFOs”…..unidentified “food” objects….

There are two categories of squash, summer and winter.  Summer squashes are available year round and the outer skins are edible.  Winter squashes have the name because of late summer and early fall harvesting.  They will last for most of the winter and their tough skins are not edible.

The pictured “UFO” is spaghetti squash.  It is shaped like a small oblong watermelon and the average weight is between 2 and 5 lbs.  You will want to pick the most yellow you can find, it will be the most ripe and ready to eat.

I love using this unusual vegetable.  It is a nice alternative to wheat pastas.   It has a very mild taste so I like to use lots of onions and garlic for flavor.  I love the addition of sun dried tomatoes, they add a nice layer of flavor and color as well.   Serve this recipe as a delicious side to most any roasted meat or enjoy for lunch the next day.

Spaghetti Squash with Sun Dried Tomatoes & Garlic

1 medium size spaghetti squash, halved and seeded
1 cup water
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
3 tablespoons chopped parsley
3 large cloves garlic, peeled and minced
¼ cup chopped sun dried tomatoes
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
½ teaspoon salt

1)  Preheat oven to 350’.
2)  Carefully cut squash in half lengthwise.  Using a large spoon, scoop out seeds & discard.  Place halved squash cut side down on a foil lined cookie sheet with sides.  Place in oven and pour water into pan.
3)  Bake for 45 minutes, the squash should be soft to the touch.  Remove from oven and place on a cooling rack.  Carefully flip squash over and allow to cool enough to handle.  Using a fork, remove spaghetti like flesh from outer shell and place into a medium size bowl, set aside.
4) Heat a medium size non stick pan or cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add olive oil to pan, add onions; cook until translucent. Add garlic and sun dried tomatoes; sauté one minute. Add cooked squash; heat through. Add parsley and mix well. Season with salt & pepper. Taste, adjust seasoning if necessary.

Family togetherness.....

Have you ever really thought about the significace of food in your life?   How incredibly important it is for your family to sit down together and share in a daily meal to bond, share events of the day, and simply have conversation with one another?  How the meal is the center of almost any celebration?  When someone is suffering or sick, the thing we most want to do is bring them some comforting food to nourish and keep them?  I believe cooking is an extention of our soul and the truest expression of love.

Last evening was one of the first in a week that we were able to all sit down together for dinner.  You see, Jack and Chris suffered the loss of their Mom who struggled for many years with an alcohol affliction.    This disease is so hard to understand and especially so for children.  

During this past week of mourning, I have felt somewhat absent from my life.  As you all know, when something like this happens, that's just the way it is.  When the services were over, I very much felt like we needed to sit down together, I did not realize how very much I missed doing this with my family and I wanted to reconnect.  Our dinner was very quiet, but I know that this is the beginning of healing.  Love and time heals all wounds, and I believe sharing meals together do too.  Please take the time to sit together, time is precious.

Have a blessed day.

Angie