Mama’s Not-So-Famous, Not-At-All-Flying Blueberry Buttermilk Flapjacks

 

One of the toddler’s favorite TV shows is Little Bear, which is on Nick Jr.  We have at least 10 episodes saved on our DVR, plus multiple Little Bear DVDs.  One of his favorite epidosdes is when Father Bear makes his famous flying flapjacks.  For some reason, Father Bear tossing those flapjacks in the air just cracks him up, and invariably makes us all crave pancakes.  I decided to try these pancakes since I had some blueberries in the freezer, and of course, the toddler watched in awe as  I made these, constantly asking me to make them fly like Father Bear.   Much to his disappointment, I did not attempt to make our flapjacks fly, but none of us were disappointed in the deliciouuness of these pancakes.  They are light and fluffy, and I LOVE all of the blueberries in there.  They were easy enough to make as a quick weeknight dinner, or a delicious weekend morning breakfast.

Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 cups low-fat buttermilk
1/2 cup 1% low-fat milk
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 large egg, lightly beaten
Cooking spray
2 cups blueberries

Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups, and level with a knife. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and baking soda in a large bowl. Combine buttermilk, milk, oil, and egg in a bowl, and add to flour mixture, stirring until smooth.

Spoon 1/4 cup pancake batter onto a hot nonstick griddle or large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray, and top with 2 heaping tablespoons blueberries. Turn the pancake when the top is covered with bubbles and the edges look cooked. Repeat the procedure with the remaining batter and blueberries.

Source: From Cooking Light January 2001

Grilled Steaks with Balsamic Teriyaki

Wow, it’s been awhile since I’ve updated the blog with actual recipes and not just meal plans!  It’s been a hectic few weeks, and I actually have about four posts from the last several weeks.  Hopefully I can get caught up this week!

I’ve mentioned before that the husband and I are big fans of Asian cuisine, and are often ordering Chinese take-out (it’s been one of my big pregnancy cravings!).  I’m always on the look out for good Asian recipes that are similar to the take-out we get, but much better for you.  That’s when, after seeing plenty of great recommendations, I bought The Steamy Kitchen Cookbook by Jaden Hair.  I have a good number of recipes flagged to try, but this recipe jumped out at us as something we wanted to try, and soon.  As I expected, it did not disappoint.  The marinade was very flavorful and had the great Asian flavors we love, along with the delicious flavor of balsamic vinegar.  It was very easy to throw together…the only mistake I made was not reading the recipe and didn’t allot enough marinade time, but we just postponed this to another night and let it marinate for 24 hours.  So good!

Grilled Steaks with Balsamic Teriyaki

1 lb skirt steak (or other steak of your choice – we used sirloin)

Balsamic Teriyaki Sauce
1 1/2 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 shallot, minced
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tsp sugar
1/4 cup chicken stock
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp mirin (sweet rice wine)

To make the Balsamic Teriyaki Sauce, add the butter to a saucepot and set over medium-low heat.  When the butter just starts to bubble, add the shallots and garlic and cook for 3 minutes or until the aromatics are soft.  Watch to make sure you don’t burn the shallots or garlic.

Pour the balsamic vinegar in and bring to a boil.  When boiling, immediately turn the heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes, or until reduced by half.  The balsamic should be thick, glossy and coat the back of a spoon.  Add the sugar, stock, soy sauce and mirin.  Stir well and bring to a boil.  When it reaches a boil, immediately turn the heat to low and let simmer for 5 minutes.  Let cool and reserve 1/2 cup of the sauce for marinating and the remaining 1/4 cup for serving.

If you’re marinating the steak before grilling it, place the steak and just 1/2 cup of sauce in a large sealable plastic bag.  Marinate 2 hours or overnight in the refrigerator.  Thirty minutes prior grilling, remove steak from refrigerator and let it sit at room temperature.  Discard the marinade and pat the steak very dry.

Preheat the grill for direct grilling over hight heat.  Add the steak to the hot grill.  The pieces should not be touching.  Cook for 3 to 5 minutes on each side for medium rare.  Skirt steak varies in thickness, so you might want to add the thicker pieces to the grill first and give them an extra minute head start. 

Let the grilled steak rest for 5 minutes, then cut ACROSS the grain for ultimate tenderness.  Pour the remaining 1/4 cup Balsamic Teriyaki Sauce over the meat.

Source:  From The Steamy Kitchen Cookbook by Jaden Hair, page 90

BWD: Big Bill’s Carrot Cupcakes

Pretty?  No.  Amazingly delicious?  Yes!  I opted to cut the recipe in half and make cupcakes as I knew a big three layer cake would go to waste in our house.  I LOVED these, although next time (because there will most certainly be a next time), I will make the cake rather than the cupcakes.  The cupcakes turned out wonderfully, but they sunk in the middle and poofed out on the sides, making a pretty icing job a bit difficult.  The cake is chalk full of carrots, coconut and walnuts (should have raisins too…forgot to buy them at the store!), and is so moist and flavorful.  The cream cheese icing was the best I’ve ever had…the hint of lemon flavor really took it over the edge.

To get the recipe for this fantastic cake, check out Rebecca’s blog, beurrista.  You can also find it on page 254 of Dorie’s Baking: From My Home to Yours.  Thanks, Rebecca, for such a great pick!  Check out the BWD blogroll to see how everyone else enjoyed these.  Up next, Great Grains Muffins.  YUM!

Roast Turkey Breast with Zesty Dry Rub

I made this turkey breast recipe about six years ago for a Thanksgiving dinner with our friends in the DC area, and it was a huge hit with everyone.  I was really excited it turned out since I’d never roasted anything before, much less a turkey breast.  I’ve had the recipe saved since then, and when my local grocery store had turkey breasts on sale, I picked one up with this recipe in mind.  It’s so easy to make and the flavors are outstanding.  We’ve been enjoying leftovers for days now!

Roast Turkey Breast with Zesty Dry Rub

1 whole turkey breast on the bone (6 to 7 pounds)
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

Dry Rub:

2 teaspoons onion salt
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Gravy:

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 can (14.5 ounces) chicken broth

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Coat large roasting pan with nonstick vegetable-oil cooking spray. Rub turkey on all sides with olive oil and lime juice.

Dry Rub: Mix onion salt, chili powder, dried oregano, cumin, garlic powder, allspice and cayenne in small bowl. Rub 1 1/2 tablespoons mixture over turkey.

Roast turkey in the oven for 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 hours or until the internal temperature registers 165 degrees F on instant-read thermometer. Remove turkey to a warm place; let stand 10 minutes.

Gravy: Pour off all but 2 tablespoons drippings from roasting pan. Sprinkle flour and 1/2 teaspoon of remaining dry rub over bottom of roasting pan; cook over medium-high heat, scraping up any browned bits from bottom of pan, for about 1 minute. Gradually whisk in chicken broth until smooth; cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 2 minutes. Strain gravy through sieve into gravy boat; keep warm.

Cut off each 1/2 of the turkey breast from the bone. Wrap one 1/2 and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 4 months, for later use. Slice other 1/2 of turkey breast and serve with the gravy, and mashed potatoes, if desired.

Source:  From Food Network