Peach Cinnamon Pancakes

Hey all!  I had a craving for some pancakes the other night and these turned out great.  I found a basic recipe then added a few things to make it my own and a little sweeter. Hope you enjoy them!

Ingredients:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour, stirred or sifted before measuring
• 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs
• 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 cups milk
• 2 tablespoons melted butter 
• dash of vanilla
• 1 large peach cut and sliced very thin

Preparation:

Sift together flour, baking powder, sugar, cinnamon, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs and 1 1/2 cups of milk- and a dash of vanilla; add to flour mixture, stirring only until smooth. Blend in melted butter. If the batter seems too thick to pour, add a little more milk. Then add the peaches. Cook on a hot, greased griddle, using about 1/4 cup of batter for each pancake. Cook until bubbly, a little dry around the edges, and lightly browned on the bottom; turn and brown the other side. Recipe for pancakes serves 4.
*I noticed that if the peaches were cut too thick it was hard to cook the pancakes all the way through without burning them so make sure they are very thin. 

Happy cooking! :)

Black Bean Quesadillas

Ok so this one I did on my own. I was inspired by the sweet potato enchiladas with the combination of black beans and corn so here you go.

Ingredients

1 small onion
2 tbsp lime juice
1 tsp butter
1 (15oz) can of black beans (drained and rinsed)
1 and 1/2 cups corn (I used frozen and cooked it ahead of time)
about 8-10 cherry tomatoes- sliced (though you could probably use any kind of tomato)
a few sprigs of cilantro
salt
pepper
1/2 tsp to start- garlic powder
1/2 tsp to start- paprika
Tortillas
Butter

Directions
1) Start a medium saucepan with the lime juice, onion, and butter. Cook until the onions start to turn translucent. Warm a separate skillet for the tortillas.
2) Add the black beans and corn to the lime/onion mixture.
3) Then add garlic powder, paprika, salt and pepper (these ingredients are all to taste, which is why I wrote to start, taste often and update these ingredients).
4) Once these items have warmed add the tomatoes and cilantro. And let simmer for a minute or two.
5) Add any final seasonings- to taste.
6) Butter one side of the tortilla (so it will get crispy in the skillet).
7) Fill tortillas with mixture and top with cheddar cheese. Put in skillet- warm each side until crispy and serve with sour cream and salsa - if you like.

I hope you enjoy these. I found them very filling and tasty!

Happy cooking!

Carbonara

Ok- this recipe is amazing. Everytime Adam makes it we eat the whole thing (which may be dangerous :) ). This comes from a book: Classic Rachel Ray- 30 Minute Meals page 48. Adam tells me that he adds more wine and red pepper flakes than called for. It really is fantastic! I hope you all enjoy it as much as we do!

Ingredients:
Salt and pepper
1 pound rigatoni
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil (evoo)
1/4 lb pancetta (chopped)
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (1/3 palmful)
6 cloves garlic
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 large egg yolks
1/2 cup grated romano cheese
Handful of finely chopped flat leafed parsley (optional) - garnish

Put a large pot of water on to boil. Add a liberal amount of salt and rigatoni, cook to al dente.

Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add evoo and pancetta. Brown pancetta 2 minutes. Add red pepper flakes and garlic and cook 2 to 3 minutes more. Add wine and stir up all the pan drippings.

Beat yolks, then add 1 large ladleful (about 1/2 cup) of the pasta cooking water. This tempers the eggs and keeps them from scrambling when added to the pasta.

Drain pasta well and add it directly to the skillet with pancetta and oil. Pour the egg mixture over the pasta. Toss rapidly to coat the pasta without cooking the egg. Remove pan from heat and add a big handful of cheese, lots of pepper, and a little salt. Continue to toss and turn the pasta until it soaks up egg mixture and thickens, 1 to 2 minutes. Garnish with parsley, if desired, and extra cheese.

I can't express enough how good this is! We LOVE it! So thanks Rachel Ray! :) Happy cooking!

Strawberry Waffles

***Update!- Ok so I did this one again but cut it in half (so it made 8 waffles). Except this time I used peaches. Oh so good. Just as good or maybe even better than the strawberries. It only took one peach cut up into small pieces. I did use two eggs- don't forget to beat the whites separately- it really makes a difference. So so good. ***

Ok- so this one I kind of pieced together different recipes to make my own. They turned out really good. These were really soft so if you are looking for a crispy recipe this is not the one for you. I am reading to try and figure that out. From what I can find cornstarch has to be involved. I will get back to you on all that. A note about the eggs. It worked out really well to separate them and then beat the whites. It made it really fluffy- worth the effort!

Ingredients

3 cups flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

2 1/4 cups milk

1/2 cup and 1 tbsp vegetable oil

3 eggs separated

2 tsp vanilla

3 tbsp sugar

1 cup of fresh strawberries

Directions

1) Sift flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar into large bowl

2) Stir in milk, oil, and yolks until smooth

3) beat egg whites in separate bowl until peaks form. Fold into batter.

4)Depending on your waffle iron scoop desired amount mine was about 1/4 a cup per waffle. Cook on a hot waffle iron until golden.

This made about 16 waffles on my small iron. We topped with whipped cream and syrup. Happy cooking!

Bread Machine Naan

Here is the naan recipe I used. I also at the end just brushed on some butter/garlic mix for some flavor. This was a good one- nice and fluffy and making the dough in the breadmaker saves soooo much time! I eat this with most of the Indian food that we make! Enjoy!

(http://www.food.com/recipe/easy-naan-bread-machine-41503)

Ingredients

1/2 cup milk

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1/4 cup yogurt

2 eggs

1 teaspoon salt

4 cups bread flour

4 1/2 teaspoons bread machine yeast

Directions:

1 Add ingredients to the bread pan according to the manufacturer's directions.

2 Set Cycle: dough; Loaf size: 2 lb.

3 After about 5 minutes, check the dough; add a tablespoon of water at a time if too dry, or a tablespoon of flour at a time if too wet.

4 Preheat oven to 450F, put 2 baking sheets in to heat for 10 minutes (this will help the naan to puff up and brown).

5 When dough cycle is done, turn dough onto a floured surface and punch down; Divide into 8 pieces.

6 Working one at a time, with the other pieces covered, roll dough out to a thickness of about 1/4 inch.

7 Bake for about 4 minutes, until puffed up.

8 Brown tops under the broiler, then wrap in a towel to keep warm while cooking the remaining naan.

9 These freeze very well.

Read more: http://www.food.com/recipe/easy-naan-bread-machine-41503#ixzz1QPtPA4l6

Quick Curried Chick Peas

This was really good too- but the chick peas took a long time to cook. I covered the pot at the end and that helped some. I also made some homemade naan with this which I will post next. Great Indian flavors yum yum! again budgetbytes.blogspot.com. Click here for the pictures. Enjoy!

Total Recipe cost: $3.16
Servings Per Recipe: 6
Cost per serving: $0.53
Prep time: 10 min. Cook time: 20 min. Total: 30 min.

INGREDIENTS		COST
2 Tbsp	olive oil	$0.22
1 med	yellow onion	$0.37
2 cloves	garlic	$0.14
2 (15 oz.) cans	chick peas, drained	$1.32
1 (20 oz.) can	tomato sauce	$0.52
1 cup	water	$0.00
1 Tbsp	curry powder	$0.15
1/2 bunch	fresh cilantro	$0.44
TOTAL		$3.16

STEP 1: Dice the onion and mince the garlic. Cook the onion and garlic in a large pot with olive oil over medium heat until softened (3-5 minutes).

STEP 2: Drain the canned chick peas and add to the pot. Also add the tomato sauce, water and curry powder. Stir the pot until everything is evenly mixed. Bring the mixture up to a simmer over medium heat.

STEP 3: While the chick peas are simmering, rinse the cilantro and pull the leaves from the stems. Roughly chop the leaves and add them to the pot. Give everything a stir and continue to simmer until the sauce has reduced to a thick consistency (about 20 minutes total). Stir the pot every few minutes to prevent the sauce from burning and sticking to the bottom.

Rice Pudding (Aka Kheer)

Ok, once again http://budgetbytes.blogspot.com. The only thing I changed was adding more cinnamon at the end. I also served it cold because that is how I like my rice pudding. And I did use yellow raisins instead of regular. This was a big hit. Click here for the picture play by play. Hope you enjoy!

Total Recipe cost: $2.74
Servings Per Recipe: 4
Cost per serving: $0.69
Prep time: 5 min. Cook time: 45 min. Total: 50 min.

INGREDIENTS		COST
1 Tbsp	butter	$0.05
1/4 cup	sliced almonds	$0.16
1/4 cup	raisins	$0.56
1/2 cup	jasmine rice	$0.44
4 cups	milk	$1.30
1/2 tsp	cinnamon	$0.05
1/4 tsp	nutmeg	$0.05
1/4 tsp	vanilla extract	$0.07
1 whole	bay leaf	$0.02
1/4 cup	sugar	$0.04
TOTAL		$2.74

STEP 1: Saute the almonds and raisins in butter over medium heat for one minute. Add the dry rice and saute for 1-2 minutes more or until it looks slightly golden and toasted. Watch the heat carefully, if the butter or sugar from the raisins begins to burn take it off of the heat immediately.

STEP 2: Add the milk, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla and bay leaf to the pot. Using a whisk stir it well so there are no clumps. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium/high heat while stirring often with a whisk. As soon as it comes to a boil, reduce the heat to medium/low and let it continue to simmer until thickened (30-40 min). Stir often with a whisk to prevent caking and burning on the bottom.

STEP 3: After 30-40 minutes the rice should be soft and the mixture should be thick and creamy. Serve hot or cold.

Sweet Potato Enchiladas

http://budgetbytes.blogspot.com/ strikes again! Check these out- amazing! Especially for all my vegetarian friends out there- so so good! I need to find a new website but these are so good! Click here for the pictures. The only change we made was adding cayenne pepper for some kick! But man were they yummy!

Enjoy!

Sweet Potato Enchiladas

Total Recipe cost: $3.83
Servings Per Recipe: 4 enchiladas
Cost per serving: $0.96 per enchilada
Prep time: 10 min. Cook time: 30 min. Total: 40 min.

INGREDIENTS		COST
2 cups	Roasted Poblano and Sweet Potato Salad	$1.52
4	fajita size flour tortillas	$0.32
one 10 oz. can	enchilada sauce	$1.00
1 cup	shredded cheddar	$0.99
TOTAL		$3.83

STEP 1: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Spray a baking dish lightly with non-stick spray. Using a fork, slightly mash the Roasted Poblano and Sweet Potato Salad.

STEP 2: Lay out your tortillas and divide the mashed up sweet potato mixture evenly between all four (about 1/2 cup each). Sprinkle a little bit (about 2 Tbsp) of shredded cheddar in each tortilla as well. Gently fold the sides of the tortillas in toward the center, one side over the other, until they look like fat cigars.

STEP 3: Pour a little bit of enchilada sauce in the bottom of your baking dish. Place the rolled enchiladas in the baking dish, seam side down. Top the enchiladas with the rest of the sauce and the rest of the shredded cheese.

STEP 4: Bake the enchiladas at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes. Enjoy!

honey mustard chicken strips

honey mustard chicken strips

Again from:
http://budgetbytes.blogspot.com

Click here to get the play by play with pictures.

This one was really good. Hope you enjoy it! We served it with a tortilla, lettuce, and tomato. It was yummy.

Total Recipe cost: $6.02
Servings Per Recipe: 4 (3-4 strips each)
Cost per serving: $1.51
Prep time: 30 min. Marinate time: 30 min. Cook time: 30 min. Total: 1 hr. 30 min.

INGREDIENTS		COST
2 lg.	chicken breasts	$2.48
1 cup	mayonnaise	$1.69
1/3 cup	honey	$0.79
1/4 cup	mustard (any variety)	$0.27
1/4 tsp	garlic powder	$0.02
1/4 tsp	paprika	$0.02
to taste	salt and pepper	$0.05
2 cups	panko bread crumbs	$0.70
TOTAL		$6.02

STEP 1: In a bowl, combine the mayonnaise, mustard, honey, garlic powder, paprika, and some freshly ground black pepper. Stir until everything is evenly combined then taste and season with salt to your liking. Divide the sauce into two portions. Half will be the marinade and half will be the dipping sauce - it MUST stay separate. Keep the sauce refrigerated until ready to use.

STEP 2: Trim the chicken breasts of excess fat and slice diagonally into 1/2 inch thick strips. You should get about 14-16 strips total. Place the sliced chicken in a bag or bowl with half of the honey mustard sauce and stir to coat. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or over night.

STEP 3: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Prepare a dredging station by lining a large baking sheet with foil and then placing two wire cooling racks on top. The wire racks keep the strips lifted as they bake so that the bottoms will crisp too. Coat the wire racks with non-stick spray. Pour the panko crumbs into a wide, shallow bowl.

STEP 4: One by one, coat the chicken strips with panko crumbs. Do not wipe off excess honey mustard sauce before coating with panko, the sauce helps it adhere. Place the strips on the wire rack as you bread them. Continue until all of the strips are coated with panko crumbs. Discard the leftover honey mustard sauce that the chicken was marinating in.

STEP 5: Bake the chicken strips in the oven until the crumbs have turned golden brown (about 30 minutes).
To Fry: Alternatively, heat about 1/2 inch of vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until the surface of the oil looks wavy. Fry a few strips at a time on each side until they are golden brown and crispy. Drain on a plate covered with paper towels.

STEP 6: Serve warm with the reserved half of the honey mustard sauce.

White Pizza

Hey All,

So Adam and I decided to make pizza today. So I got out my handy bread maker to make the dough then added lots of goodness. I used half for the first pizza and the other half for the second.

Dough:

3/4 cup water (80 degrees Fahrenheit)

1 Tbsp Oil

1 Tbsp sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1 Tbsp dry milk

2 1/4 cups bread flour

1 tsp Active Dry Yeast

Sauce

1 tsp garlic minced

1 tbsp butter

heat up for 15-20 seconds to melt butter

1/4 cup or so of Olive Oil

salt and pepper

I did this to taste so use at your own risk :). I also brushed it on the crust instead of pouring it.

Toppings:

We did:

roasted red pepper

white onion

chicken (precooked with salt, pepper, basil, olive oil)

feta cheese

fresh mozzarella

bake at 425 degrees farenheit for 20 minutes or so- until edges are brown.

(The picture shows some already eaten because I forgot to take one before :) ).

We did a second one but that was basic- red and green pepper, pepperoni, onion, fresh and shredded mozzarella, and canned pasta sauce.

Happy cooking!