Blueberry Buckwheat Pancakes

Remember when I made these.  Well this is better.  Way better.  I think your mom actually used to make these for us when we were little.  This recipe is adapted from Chef At Home. These pancakes are the best I've ever eaten. And im not a pancake person, but these were super quick to make and Lainey loved them.  You gotta try them.

1 cup buckwheat flour
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/4 cups milk
2 tablespoons melted butter
2 egg
1/2 cup blueberries

Directions
Whisk all the dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Whisk all the wet ingredients together in another bowl then add them to the dry ingredients. Stir with a spoon until all the ingredients are combined but not smooth, the mix should be a tiny bit lumpy. Fold in berries.
Preheat a cast iron skillet or sauté pan. Heat until a drop of water dances on the surface. If the water instantly evaporates the surface is to hot, if it just lies still, too cold. Use lots of butter to cook the pancakes in whatever size you like. Enjoy!

Turkey Meatloaf Muffins Topped with Spinach and Roasted Garlic Potatoes

I would really recommend making these very soon. I am not one who usually likes meatloaf, but these are just the right size and full of flavour. This is the third time I've made these in the last few months. I served them with some roasted lemon and garlic broccoli.




Ingredients:
1 tsp olive oil
7 button mushrooms, chopped
1/2 onion, diced
3(yellow, red, orange) small baby bell peppers, diced(I used 1/2 c regular sized peppers)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb lean ground turkey
2 tbsp garlic and herb bread crumbs(I used panko)
1-2 tbsp milk
1 egg
3 tbsp parsley, chopped
sea salt and fresh pepper, to taste
Fresh spinach
Roasted garlic mashed potatoes
chives, chopped(I forgot these)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat muffin tray with oil.

Heat olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the mushrooms, onions, and peppers and cook for 5-7 minutes until soft; add the minced garlic and cook, stirring constantly for 1 minute.

Mix the veggie mixture with the ground turkey, bread crumbs, milk, egg, and parsley together in a bowl until well combined.

Scoop the meatloaf mixture evenly into the muffin tray, pushing down to flatten. Place in the oven and bake for 22-27 minutes.

While the meatloaf is cooking, make the roasted garlic potatoes(don't forget to roast the garlic earlier). Right before you take the meatloaf out of the oven, wash the spinach and place in a pan over medium heat. Cook the spinach with a touch of water, season with salt and pepper, to taste, for 1-2 minutes.

Remove meatloaf from muffin tins, top with wilted spinach, potatoes and chives.

Source:For the Love of Cooking

New York Cheesecake

I made this cheesecake last weekend when we had friends over for dinner. I served it with some fresh strawberry puree and whipping cream. It was so good that I couldn't help but eat it for breakfast and lunch the next day. I had to hide in the kitchen so my kids didn't know I was eating cake for breakfast.


Ingredients:

15 graham crackers, crushed
2 tbsp butter

4(8 oz) packages cream cheese
1 1/2 c white sugar
3/4 c milk
4 eggs
1 c sour cream
1 tbsp vanilla
1/4 c all-purpose flour

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Brush the bottom and sides of a 9-inch springform pan with 1/2 tablespoon of the melted butter

In a bowl, mix graham crackers with melted butter. Press into the bottom the springform pan.

In a large bowl, mix cream cheese with sugar until smooth. Blend in milk, and then eggs one at a time, mixing until just incorporated. Mix in sour cream, vanilla and flour until smooth. Pour filling over prepared crust.

Bake in preheated oven for 1 hour. Transfer the cake to a wire rack and cool until barely warm, about 2 hours. Run a paring knife between the cake and the springform pan sides. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate until cold.

Source:Allrecipes

Fettuccine with Peas, Asparagus and Pancetta

Ingredients
12 oz pasta
3 oz pancetta or bacon, chopped
1 lb asparagus, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 c frozen peas
1 bunch green onions, thinly sliced, white and green parts separated
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 c grated parmesan cheese
1/3 c heavy whipping cream
3 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp lemon zest
2-4 tbsp fresh parsley, minced and divided
1/4 c fresh basil, minced and divided
salt and pepper to taste


Cook pasta in pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup pasta cooking liquid. Return pasta to pot.

Meanwhile, cook pancetta in large skillet over medium heat until crisp. Transfer pancetta to a paper towel to drain. Pour off all but 1 teaspoon drippings from skillet. Add asparagus to drippings in skillet; sauté 3 minutes. Add peas, white and pale green parts of green onions, and garlic; sauté until vegetables are just tender, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat.

Add vegetable mixture, 1/4 cup pasta cooking liquid, dark green parts of green onions, 1/2 cup Parmesan, cream, olive oil, lemon juice, lemon peel, half of parsley, and half of basil to pasta. Toss, adding more cooking liquid by tablespoonfuls if needed. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Transfer to large bowl. Sprinkle pancetta, remaining parsley, and basil over.

Source:http://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/quick-recipes/2010/05/fettuccine_with_peas_asparagus_and_pancetta

Almond Chicken Penne

This recipe is from Giada. Apparently this is a classic Italian dish. I wish the pictures did it justice. They don't. It was really delicious. I love how creamy the almonds and chicken stock get when blended. The warmed peas? Delicious. The fresh basil? So good. And the lemon zest?  Are you kidding?  Get outta here.  You have to try it. It's a creamy pasta without all the fattening butter and milk and flour.  Really easy too.

1 pound penne pasta
2 cups (9 ounces) blanched, slivered almonds
2 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken stock
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
2 store-bought, rotisserie chicken breasts, skinned, boned and cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 2 cups)
1 cup frozen petite peas
3/4 cup heavy cream
1 large lemon, zested
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cups grated Parmesan
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain and reserve about 1 cup of the pasta water.

In a blender, combine the almonds, chicken stock, olive oil, and garlic. Blend until the mixture is smooth.

Pour the mixture into a large skillet and turn the heat on to medium. Bring the mixture to a boil and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add the chicken, peas, cream and lemon zest. Cook, stirring frequently until the chicken is heated through, about 4 minutes (mixture will be thick). Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
Put the cooked pasta into a serving bowl and add 1/2 cup of the Parmesan. Toss together until the pasta is coated. Add the chicken mixture, the remaining cheese and the basil. Toss the ingredients together, adding the reserved pasta water, as needed, to loosen the sauce. Season with salt and pepper, to taste, and serve.

Pancetta and Kale Strudel

I sauteed pancetta, onion, garlic and then wilted in some chopped kale. Wrapped it up in some puff pastry with freshly grated parmesan, and a few dollops of sour cream and green onionbrushed it with olive oil. Id also like to try it with ricotta and maybe do like a bite size appetizer. Kale is good though. Id recommend subbing it in for spinach next time you have a spinach recipe.

Berry Oatmeal Muffins

1 cup Whole Wheat flour
1 cup White flour
2 cups quick oats
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 T. baking powder
pinch of salt
1 3/4 cup plain yogurt or 2 cups milk
2 eggs
1/4 cup vegetable oil
Zest of one lemon
1 T. vanilla
1 cup blueberries
1 cup raspberries

In bowl, combine oats and yogurt; let stand for 10 minutes.
Then add eggs, oil, lemon zest, vanilla. Mix dry ingredients separately then add to yogurt mixture. Careful not to over mix. Gently fold in berries. Sprinkle tops with brown sugar and oatmeal. Bake at 400 for 20-23 minutes.

Adapted from Pregnant Again