Catching up on the goods....

I've been cooking from time to time and taking pictures.  So here is a compiling of our recent concoctions.   :)

A lot of them are sweets, because we like sweets a lot!  We are on the meals ministry at church so we havent been making too many dinners lately.  Although with our food restrictions they are 'whole food' sweets. :)

Buttermilk Pancakes:

We have a hard time eating pancakes out of a box unless we are paying way more than I'd like to pay for them.  So----we make them from scratch! :0)  They are MUCH tastier that way anywho!
Mix the following:
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
Then add:
1 well beaten egg
1 1/8 c buttermilk (I dont keep buttermilk on hand. Trick: 1 Tablespoon white vinegar or lemon juice let it sour for 5 minutes)
2 Tablespoons melted butter
Optional: Chocolate chips, washed and dried blueberries
This mixture SHOULD be lumpy.  Dont over-stir.  Yield: 9 1/3 cup pancakes.

When the pancakes begin to bubble, they are ready to flip!  Caution: if you cook pancakes on high, you will more than likely burn them :).  

Homemade Vanilla Pudding:
Caution, this stuff is the BEST pudding you will EVER have.  YOU WILL NEVER HAVE STORE BOUGHT AGAIN.  We started having to make our own pudding because my son has allergies to food coloring.  So a lot of things that we really liked we could no longer have.  Its crazy how many chemicals are put into our foods these days!  So anyway---I tried a lot of recipes and NONE of them are as good as this.  I'm going to make a chocolate one soon and I'll let you know how it turns out :).


    3/4 cup raw sugar
    4 Tablespoons cornstarch
    1/8 teaspoon salt
    1 cup cream (You can use all milk, but I like to use at least part cream for the liquid)
    2 1/2 cups milk
    3 egg yolks
    1 tablespoon butter
    1 tablespoon vanilla (as always, I use my homemade vanilla ::::licks lips::::)

    Combine sugar, salt, and cornstarch in a saucepan.
    Whisk in cream, milk, and egg yolks, Cook over medium high heat, stirring constantly for 3-5 minutes or until thickened.
    Remove from heat. Stir in vanilla and butter. Whisk until butter is melted.
    Strain through a fine mesh sieve to remove any lumps  (if you stir nonstop, this shouldnt happen--or maybe its because I have a REALLY cool whisk?!).
    Cover with plastic wrap for storage. To prevent a skin or film from forming be sure to place plastic wrap up against the pudding, not just over the top of the bowl.
    Serve warm or cold.  This is AMAZING served with fresh berries :)

 Its done when it sets up after stirring. 

BONUS:  This is what we had for dinner tonight.  This was something we made in college while I was working at Red Lobster.   Perfect Baked Potatoes.
Baking potatoes do work best for baked potatoes.  Rub them with oil, pierce them and put a little salt on top (we like sea salt, this helps keep the moisture in the potato).  60 minutes at 350 or until pierced w/ fork.  Temp should be 210.  45 mins at 400 works too :).  Be sure to put foil under the potatoes then place them directly on rack.
Ok, here's the special Red Lobsta' style potato we made.  Top with butter, cheese, sour cream, Worcestershire sauce, pico de gallo, and pepper.  OH YEA BABY :).