Pancakes - a Comfort Food

Hi everyone,

I apologize for my lateness with the blog. A very dear friend of mine passed away this last Saturday and his funeral was today. With everything going on I must say that I forgot to prepare a post for today! Sorry!

As I looked through my pictures and recipes I tried to come up with something that was a comfort food. Soup is always something that comes to mind on these fall days, but with our un-seasonally warm weather here today it just didn’t seem right. So, I kept on in my search and came up with….pancakes. Not just any pancakes! Light, fluffy, and warm with real maple syrup or maybe some warmed blackberry syrup, and melted butter, mmm….yummy! 

I ran across this recipe and it has become a family favorite. I cook them in my Demarle 11” fry pan, one of my first investments and one I have NEVER regretted. It turns out perfectly browned, beautiful pancakes. You can also bake them in any of the Demalre molds or trays as well. My children’s favorite is the Teddy Bear tray but we may soon try out the Gold Fish tray or maybe the Little Chef tray. Whatever way you decide to cook them, I can assure you they are the BEST pancakes ever!

So…as the saying goes, don’t take my word for it, try it yourself!!

Buttermilk Pancakes

3 cups flour

2 TBLS sugar

2 tsp baking soda

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

6 egg yolks

3 1/3 cups buttermilk

6 TBLS butter or margarine, melted

1 tsp vanilla (or any other flavouring)

6 egg whites

Stir first 5 ingredients together. Beat egg yolks, buttermilk, butter, and vanilla together. Add to the dry ingredients. Fold egg whites in separate bowl until stiff BUT not dry. Fold into batter. Heat greased frying pan or griddle to medium-high heat until drops of water dance around on the surface. Spoon ¼ cup pancakes on to griddle or pan. Cook until bubbles appear on surface and edges are slightly brown. Flip over, and cook till lightly browned. Enjoy!!

Yield 4-6 servings (this recipes feeds my family of four and there are some leftover for the next mornings breakfast).

I always make a double batch and freeze what we don’t eat. Then pop them in the toaster (frozen, straight from the freezer) put peanut butter or jam or both, fold in half or use two to make a sandwich and you have a pancake breakfast to go!

Kitchen Tool You REALLY have to have!!!!

Welcome back to my weekly blog! I hope you had a great summer. I have eaten and experimented my way through summer so that I could bring you some exciting tips, yummy treats, and help keep you inspired to cook!

This week I am going to highlight a kitchen tool that gets very little recognition but can save you a lot of time (and help you have a lot of FUN) in the kitchen. The pastry bag!

I was very resistant to purchasing it.  I really didn’t think I would use it enough to justify spending $17.90. Wow, was I wrong! Not only did it save me time, but it also helped to add that little extra “something” to simple recipes. And you don’t need ANY cooking experience to utilize this kitchen tool! (Be sure to scroll down and look at the pictures below).

So WHAT does it do? It is probably best known for cake or cupcake decorating, but it is much more than that!! A reusable “bag” (see picture) and set of four tips are what make it fun. Each tip is pictured and below are some ideas of what they can be used for.

Small round tip:

Piping

Dots

Filling mini tartlets

Large round tip:

Filling tartlets

Filling manicotti or large shells

Small star tip:

Same uses as above, but decorative

Frosting cupcakes

Whipping Cream on waffles, cakes, etc.

Large star tip:

Same uses as above

If you have never used a pastry bag before, buy yourself a container (or two) of Cool Whip and go for it! Use your Silpat to practice on, it cleans up easily, just rinse with hot water and some dish soap! Cool Whip is great for topping fresh fruit, cobbler, cupcakes, waffles, etc. You can add food coloring too and make different colors!

As we get closer to the holidays you will see me use this tool more to decorate, pies, cookies, casseroles, and more!

This item is on page 47 of the NEW Demarle At Home Catalog, Pastry Bag, item # TA 000111 for $8.95 and Set of Four Pastry Bag Tips, item # TA000111-A. They are both hand wash in hot soapy water and for that price are a GREAT value. I LOVE my pastry bag (and so do my kids) and as the catalog says it “will last for many years to come”!  

I've Lost My 'Groove'

Well, I had this great blog written to post today but…I promised you that I would include the good and bad times in my cooking life. Here it is, drum roll please…..! I DO NOT WANT TO COOK!!!!!

For the past four or five nights, what has been on the menu hasn’t really sounded good to me. Actually nothing sounded good to me, I would almost rather just eat cereal or oatmeal with a piece of toast BUT of course I am not the only one I prepare food for. So…I muddled through and made something! That has not been working out so great and my family has noticed! The meals have not been served with my usual enthusiasm, and frankly they really haven’t been that great. They are dishes I make on a regular basis, but they just don’t taste the same.

So…I am looking for inspiration. Something that reminds me why I love to cook and that will help me to be enthusiastic in my meal preparation, EVEN if it is the same old. My usual method is to browse the internet looking at pictures and reviewing recipes, go through my Rachel Ray magazines that I have in my cookbook cupboard, and find food that visually makes me go “mmmm, yummy”. And, since our local Oktoberfest is fast approaching (starts tomorrow) I will have an extra few days to find my ‘groove’. I am also hoping that the fish tacos, Berliners, baked potatoes, and deep fried Twinkies will also help to inspire me!

As there is always something to learn from every experience I ponder what this one has taught me? Here goes…I believe that the attitude and enthusiasm that I have towards the food I make for my family DOES affect their attitude towards it. My annoying (to them) way of being excited about spaghetti (that we have once a week) is my gift from God to encourage them to be thankful and grateful for the food we have on our table. It is not always what we would like to have but it is what God provides for us. We really can’t ask for more than that.

If you have experienced a time like this please share it with me. I would like to hear how you handle your loss of ‘groove’ in the kitchen. Have a great week and look for something more inspiring next Wednesday!

I will post my recipe for laundry soap. It is a great way to save money and reduce waste and it is so much healthier for the environment. I hope you try it out. I have been using it for 2+ years and it works great!! I have hard water AND lots of greasy clothes AND kids!

TIPS FOR LAUNDRY SOAP: We use Fels-Naptha  bar soap in the homemade soap recipes, but you can use Ivory, Sunlight, Kirk's Hardwater Castile or Zote bars. Don't use heavily perfumed soaps. We buy Fels-Naptha by the case from our local grocer or online. Washing Soda and Borax can normally be found on the laundry or cleaning aisle. Recipe cost approx. $2.
Homemade Liquid Laundry Soap- Front or top load machine- best value
4  Cups hot tap water
1  Fels-Naptha soap bar
1  Cup Washing Soda
½ Cup Borax
- Grate bar of soap and add to saucepan with water. Stir continually over medium-low heat until soap dissolves and is melted.
-Fill a 5 gallon bucket half full of hot tap water. Add melted soap, washing soda and Borax. Stir well until all powder is dissolved. Fill bucket to top with more hot water. Stir, cover and let sit overnight to thicken.
-Stir and fill a used, clean, laundry soap dispenser half full with soap and then fill rest of way with water. Shake before each use. (will gel)
-Optional: You can add 10-15 drops of essential oil per 2 gallons. Add once soap has cooled. Ideas: lavender, rosemary, tea tree oil.
-Yield: Liquid soap recipe makes 10 gallons.
-Top Load Machine- 5/8 Cup per load (Approx. 180 loads)
-Front Load Machines- ¼ Cup per load (Approx. 640 loads)

Powdered Laundry Detergent- Top load machine
1   Fels-Naptha soap bar
1   Cup Washing Soda
½  Cup Borax
-Grate soap or break into pieces and process in a food processor until powdered. Mix all ingredients. For light load, use 1 Tablespoon. For heavy or heavily soiled load, use 2 Tablespoons. Yields: 3 Cups detergent. (Approx. 40 loads)

Welcome Back!!!

I started this blog to offer you ideas of how you can utilize Demarle products, gather new recipes, and in general to INSPIRE you to USE YOUR KITCHEN! BUT...what I have found is that I became inspired to use my Demarle products, cook in my kitchen, and search for recipes to share with you! Who would have thought that my attempt to help you would actually help me!

Who am I?

So, for those of you who don’t know me, I’m Kelly, a homemaker, wife, and mother. In my “spare time” I serve my community as a City Councilor, volunteer at my children’s school and in my community, scrapbook, and in general enjoy being creative. My life is busy, hectic, and sometimes CRAZY!!  Even though I stay at home, I still struggle with figuring out “what’s for dinner” and making it from stove to table in 30-45 minutes. Also, I work with a VERY limited $ amount so… I have to cook food that is inexpensive but healthy. Currently my monthly food budget is $200.00. I find that the only way to stick with this budget is to plan what I will be making for dinner ahead of time. I do this on a monthly basis, but most people find that weekly or bi-weekly works best. I will include ideas and links on meal planning in a blog later this month.

I love being creative and trying new things. They do not always turn out the way I want them to, but I have learned that taking chances is usually a good thing. I will share with you my good recipes, as well as my ‘disasters’.

Who are my Food Critics?

My husband, although he claims to not be a picky eater, is indeed. He is also a super taster which complicates things even more. He does not like food with multiple ‘layers’ of taste, hates all varieties of squash, most root vegetables, and doesn’t eat salad, cabbage, or anything that even resembles mayonnaise! He loves steak, will eat chicken, salmon, or halibut. Cookies are one of his favorite food groups. Cakes and pies he can take or leave, and don’t get me started on frosting (his favorite)! So far in our 9 years of marriage I have been unsuccessful at making edible frosting. I usually resort to store bought or Cool Whip and sprinkles!

My son is also picky, although not quite as much as his Dad. His palate is still developing, he’s 6 ½ years old. He doesn’t like potatoes, in any form, dislikes most root vegetables, will occasionally eat salad, and thinks that ketchup is a food group of its own!

My daughter, 5 years old will try most anything! She LOVES clams, oysters, shrimp, crab, steak, chicken, pork, salmon, etc. She has her Daddy’s sweet tooth and like cookies, cakes, pies, etc. She is the least picky of my food critics.

I LOVE food! My favorite food is the baked potato, but I also love peaches, and chocolate cake. There aren’t too many things I won’t eat! That being said, I DO NOT like raw meat of any kind or things that are alive when I eat them, and I haven’t tried Sushi yet. I like to try new veggies and may not ‘love’ everyone of them, but there are very few I won’t eat. I am working on incorporating more raw vegetables and fruits into our diet, and work hard to make sure the meat that we eat is hormone free.

So, that’s me, my family and a few things about us. I hope that you find my blog helpful and it inspires you in your kitchen. Please feel free to email or message me with special requests, ideas, or questions that you may have.  Look forward to weekly blog posts on Wednesdays!!!

Disclaimer: “I am not ‘Martha Stewart’, I have no formal training in culinary arts. My training has been ‘on the job’ and I work for the pickiest eaters in town.”