What's on Your Pancake?

I made pancakes for breakfast this morning.  I don’t make them often, only a couple of times a month. However, as I sat there slathering peanut butter onto my pancake, I wondered what other people might enjoy on their pancakes.

My husband likes to put syrup on his, preferably maple or maple flavored. Because pancakes act like a sponge and soak up the syrup, he makes a little puddle on the side of his plate and then dips his pancakes.   This way his pancakes aren’t weighed down with a bunch of sugar and it cuts the calories.

I did mention that I put peanut butter on mine.  Peanut butter on pancakes has been a tradition in my family for as far back as I can remember.  My dad got me started, and his dad got him started.  I’m not sure where it really began, but it is good. 

Foodies Unite lists 102 Pancake Toppings for National Pancake Day, February 28.

In the comment section below, please feel free to post your favorite toppings, comments or suggestions for pancakes.

Chili

When it’s cold outside and what I really want is something hot to make me feel warm inside.

Chili does the trick for me.  Truth is I like chili most any time of the year.

There are various ways to make chili with a lot of variations in meat, peppers and spices.

My own recipe:

1lb. lean ground beef

1 medium Spanish onion diced

1 can of red beans (I use organic)

2 large tomatoes skinned and diced (or a can of diced unsalted tomatoes)

1 can of unsalted tomato sauce

1 or 2 green chilies seeded and diced

1 tbsp.  crushed red pepper

1 tbsp. chili powder

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 tbsp. cumin

¼ cup of brown sugar.

Brown the ground beef.  Add the peppers and onions when and sauté for one or two minutes.  Add the spices and let cook for another minute before adding the tomatoes.  Let simmer 15 to 20 minutes then add the brown sugar.

Other recipes you might want to try:

·         Vegetarian Chili with Spicy Tortilla Strips

·         Spicy Beanless Chili

·         Kathy’s Easy Not so Spicy Chili

·         Spicy Buffalo Chili

·         White Chili

In the comment section, please feel free to post your recipes, preferences or other comments on chili.

Lasagna

Since both my husband and I are from Italian decent, it shouldn't be surprising that we both love lasagna.

I make two kinds of lasagna:  one with meat and marinara sauce, and one with spinach and Alfredo sauce.

When I have time to do so, I make my own marinara sauce from scratch.  Sometimes I don't have time scratch sauce and use one from a jar which can be just as tasty. 

When I make meat lasagna, I use a combination of pork sausage and ground beef. 

For the cheeses, I usually use a combination of cottage cheese, mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese.  Other combination of cheese can be used.

I found this video for baking lasagna without first boiling the pasta. I will have to try this some time. I’m not sure I would try this with an Alfredo sauce though.

Other recipes I have found:

·         Gluten Free Lasagna Recipe

·         Vegan Lasagna

·         Easy Spinach Lasagna with White Sauce

In the comment section, please feel free to post your recipe, preference or other comments on lasagna.

Omelets

Every Saturday morning I make omelets for breakfast.  It took me a long time to figure out how to make omelets.  That is, I always had trouble with the folding part of it.

I used to just take the stuff I wanted to put inside an omelet and sauté it up.  Then I would whip up the eggs and pour them into the skillet with the other stuff and scramble it all together.  But I really wanted to learn how to fold an omelet.

I  purchased an omelet pan similar to this one found at Amazon.com.  However, I usually ended up with a mess on my hands.  Even though the pan was supposed to be non-stick, something always seemed to stick.

I soon discovered that the best pan was my 8” non-stick frying pan.  After a little practice, I can now fold an omelet.

The best thing about omelets is that you can put just about anything you want in them.  I generally add hash browns, sausage and cheese to our omelets.  Occasionally I will use up some left overs that I have. 

Some of the different things I’ve put into omelets are:

·         Fresh vegetables – celery, spinach, tomatoes, onions, green peppers, etc.

·         Left over Kung Pao (not the rice), General Tso, or Hunan Chicken

·         Fried rice

·         Spanish rice

·         Chili

·         Various meats -- Pepperoni, ham, bacon, shrimp, etc.

·         Cheeses – pepper jack, cheddar, mozzarella, cottage cheese, etc.

Follow these links for a variety of different styles of Omelet:

·         Denver Oven Omelet (Gluten Free)

·         Vegan Omelet for One

·         Spanish Omelet using Egg Beaters™

·         Fat Free Delicious Omelet

·         Alice’s Fruit Omelet

In the comment section, please feel free to post your recipe, preference or other comments on omelets.

Meatloaf

I heard a radio ad once where the husband says to the wife “meatloaf for dinner again! Arrrggghhh.”

My husband and I think the ad is funny. When I tell my husband that we are having meatloaf for dinner, he says, “meatloaf again!  YAY!”

It really is a very simple thing to make.  The possibilities with how to make it are seemingly endless.

I will start with the recipe that my husband loves so much.

1.5 lbs. ground beef

1 egg

1 cup of plain oatmeal

1 medium onion chopped

1 cup of Jack Daniels BBQ sauce

Preheat oven to 450 degrees

In a large bowl, combine everything together mixing thoroughly

Shape into a loaf and place in a loaf pan or other baking dish

Bake for 20-25 minutes or until done through

The type of ground meat used is not limited to beef.  Ground chicken, turkey, pork, lamb, venison or a combination of them will work just as well.

I use BBQ sauce but others may prefer regular tomato sauce, ketchup, salsa or other some other sauce.

If you don’t have any regular oatmeal, you can use breadcrumbs, croutons, or crackers instead.

Gluten free and Vegan meatloaf recipes are available as well as low-fat versions.

I’ve also considered getting  a meatloaf pan that has a tray that allows excess fat to drain off or a mini-loaf pan to make individual servings.

In the comment section, please feel free to post your recipe, preference or other comments on meatloaf.

Macaroni and Cheese

Macaroni and cheese is the old standby by comfort food.  There are many different ways to make macaroni and cheese by using different types of pasta or cheeses.

Some people are happy with the Kraft blue box version.

However, for those who like it home made there are so many ways to make it.

Some cooks will use the standard elbow macaroni.  Others cooks may use shells, spirals or other shaped pasta.

Some cooks my use different flavors of cheese.

Growing up one of the things my mother would make for us, and is still a favorite of mine, is pasta with a touch of butter and Parmesan cheese.

Some cooks have complicated baked versions of macaroni and cheese as seen in this video.

 

While I have no doubt that it is quite delicious, I prefer keeping it simple.

My own recipe calls for

·         1 cup of pasta

·         1 cup of shredded cheese (preferably Wisconsin white cheddar - extra sharp)

·         ¼ cup of Kraft peppercorn ranch dressing

Cook pasta until tender, add the ranch dressing and over a low heat stir in the cheese.

What I did was change a friend’s recipe; she uses Italian dressing.

For some people gluten is a problem so I found this recipe for Gluten Free Mac & Cheese.

Vegans and people who cannot eat dairy products here is a link to the Best Ever Vegan Mac & Cheese.

Some people cannot have a lot of fat in their diet.  For people on a low or no-fat diet this link leads to The Easiest Fat Free Macaroni and Cheese Around.

In the comment section, please feel free to post your recipe, preferences or comments on macaroni and cheese.