The Best Pancakes I've Ever Had

No need to retype, just click below! 

http://disgustinglygood.com/2012/03/27/lemon-pancakes/

We had these this morning, oh wow.... Mmmmmmmmmm....

Homemade Granola

photo by Kezia

Ingredients

• 4 cups rolled oats
• 2 cups 12 grain mix (from bulk barn)
• 1/2 cup wheat germ
• 1/2 cup oat bran
• 1 cup sunflower seeds (I used honey coated ones from bulk barn)
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 3/4 cup honey
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• pinch nutmeg
• pinch ginger
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup raisins or sweetened dried cranberries (if desired)

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with cooking oil.
2. Combine the oats, grain mix, wheat germ, oat bran, sunflower seeds in a large bowl. 
3. Stir together the brown sugar, maple syrup, honey, margarine and spices in a saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Remove from heat and add vanilla then pour over the dry ingredients, and stir to coat. 
4. Spread the mixture out evenly on the baking sheet.
5. Bake in the preheated oven until crispy and toasted, about 20 minutes. Stir once halfway through. It will clump together and become more crispy as it cools. Be careful not to overcook it.
6. Cool, then stir in the raisins or cranberries before storing in an airtight container.

Restaurant Hotcakes

After years of feeding my family pancakes from a bought mix, I tried this homemade pancake recipe and have never looked back.  I also didn't realize how bad the other ones were until we tried these!  Another great recipe from my friend Claudette.  ;)

• 5 eggs, beaten
• 3 cups milk
• 4 cups flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 6 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 2/3 cup oil
• 1/3 tsp vanilla

Beat eggs and milk together.  Add dry ingredients.  Add oil and vanilla.  Beat until smooth.  Keeps several days in the fridge.  Half recipes can be done using 3 eggs.  (And yes, it's a BIG recipe!).

Copy Cat "Tall Grass Prairie" Cinnamon Buns

Buns:

5 cups warm water

1/2 cup brown sugar

9 tsp yeast

3/4 cup oil

1 tsp salt

3 eggs

5 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

8 cups white flour

In a large bowl, add water, yeast, and brown sugar and let sit for 10 minutes. Add oil, salt, and eggs and mix well. Add flour, a small amount at a time and mix into a smooth dough. Set aside and let rise for 1 hour. Divide into 2 pieces and roll each piece into a large dough rectangle.

Filling

2 cups brown sugar

1 tsp cloves

1 tsp ginger

2 Tbsp cinnamon

1 tbsp flour

margarine (for spreading)

Mix brown sugar and spices together and then blend in flour. Spread a thin layer of margarine onto your large dough rectangles and sprinkle half the filling mix on top of each rectangle. Roll up and cut into 1 or 2 inch pieces.

Glaze:

Mix together 1 1/2 cups brown sugar and 3/4 cup margarine. (Double this amount for ooey gooey buns) Spread glaze evenly on to your baking pan and then put cinnamon buns on top of the glaze to bake. Leave space in between for buns to rise slightly for a half hour or so. Bake at 350 degrees for 18-25 minutes. Remove from oven and immediately flip buns onto a pan of equal or larger size so that the glazed side is up. Serve warm for an extra treat.

**This recipe makes a HUGE batch!! You may want to cut the recipe in half or make the whole recipe and bless someone with the extras.**

Baked Ham and Cheese Omelette Roll

Looking for something different to use up some ham, I came across this recipe. A quicker way to make omelettes for a family. Instead of standing at the stove making multiple omelettes, it's baked in the oven. Super simple, super delicious. Even my four year old gobbled this up.

• 6 eggs


• 1 cup milk


• 1/2 cup flour


• 1/2 tsp salt


• 1/4 tsp pepper


• 1 cup cooked ham or 9 slices of deli ham


• 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Beat eggs and milk until fluffy. Add flour, salt and pepper and beat until smooth. Pour into a greased 9 x 13 pan. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until eggs are just about set (keep an eye on them at the six minute mark - depending on your oven they could set fast!) Sprinkle with chopped ham or lay slices of deli ham over top. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake for about 5 minutes more or until cheese is melted. Starting at the short side, roll up omelette while still in the pan. Place seam side down on serving dish. Cut into slices.

* I halved this recipe and baked it in a 9x9 pan, which suits my family of four perfectly.

** I added fresh chives from my flower bed, which added a nice flavor. Bacon, mushrooms, peppers, sausage, etc...would be also be a great addition.

Cheese Blintzes with Mixed Berry Sauce

I read a book the other day where the main character was a cook and described making a meal like this one. I googled and googled until I found this recipe that sounded very similar to the one in the book. I made it for my mom and sister for breakfast and it was a big hit!

Crepes:

1 cup all-purpose flour

2 eggs

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup water

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons butter, melted

Cheese Filling:

1 cup dry curd or farmers cheese

1 cup whole-milk ricotta cheese

8 ounces softened cream cheese

1/4 cup sugar

3 large eggs

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon salt

4 tablespoons butter, or as needed, to fry filled crepes

Mixed Berry Sauce:

1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen raspberries

1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen sliced strawberries

1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries

3/4 to 1 cup sugar or to taste

1 to 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice or to taste

Directions for crepes:

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together eggs and milk. Gradually add in the flour and water, stirring to combine. Add the salt and butter; beat until smooth.

Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each crepe. Tilt the pan with a circular motion so that the batter coats the surface evenly.

Cook the crepe for about 2 minutes, until the bottom is light brown. Loosen with a spatula, turn and cook the other side. Serve hot

Stack crepes to fill now, or refrigerate or freeze them and assemble later.

To make the cheese filling: In a large bowl, combine cheeses and sugar, and beat with a wooden spoon until thoroughly blended. Add eggs, vanilla, and salt and stir until smooth.

To make the mixed berry sauce: In a medium saucepan, combine 1 cup raspberries, 1 cup strawberries, 3/4 cup blueberries, 3/4 cup sugar and 1 tablespoon lemon juice, and bring to a simmer over medium heat until sugar has dissolved, about 10 minutes. Adjust sugar, if necessary, and cook until dissolved. Puree the berry mixture and return to the saucepan and bring to a simmer. Add additional lemon juice, if necessary. Add remaining 1/2 cup raspberries, 1/2 cup strawberries and 1/4 cup blueberries, and simmer until sauce is hot. Sauce can be served hot or cold.

To assemble the blintzes: Spoon 2 to 3 tablespoons filling on lower third of each crepe. Fold bottom of crepe over filling, then fold each of the remaining sides over to make a little package. Repeat with remaining crepes. Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in a skillet over medium-low heat. Arrange 6 blintzes at a time seam-side down in skillet and sauté until faintly brown and crisp, about 2 minutes. Turn blintzes and brown on second side, another 2 minutes. Repeat with remaining blintzes, adding another tablespoon of butter for each batch.

Serve 3 blintzes per plate with sauce ladled across the center.

* The batter for the crepes is supposed to keep in the fridge for up to a week. I made the batter and the cheese filling the night before so I didn't have that much work in the morning. I found the cheese filling to be a bit too runny so I think I would cut back on the eggs next time.