dutch baby pancakes

last night i had my 11 year old sister and two of her friends over for a slumber party. we went to arena sports kids zone, made personal pizzas, went to menchies frozen yogurt in our pajamas, and rented a movie. for breakfast i made the girls one of my childhood favorites...dutch baby pancakes. my mom used to make them for breakfast when we had slumber parties and for our birthday. the german pancake is a mix between a souffle and an omelette- it is a light, airy pancake with sides. they are a great breakfast or brunch dish that can be paired with a variety of toppings!!

Ingredients:
6 eggs
1 C. milk
1 C. flour
1/4 t. vanilla extract
5 T. butter


Directions (Serves 4-6):
Preheat oven to 450 degrees
Place skillet or baking dish in oven to preheat.While the pan is heating prepare the batter.
Blend the eggs until light and frothy.
Add the milk, flour, and vanilla.
Blend for 3-5 minutes. The batter will be thin but smooth and creamy.


Using a pot holder remove the skillet from the oven. Add the butter; tilting until the butter melts and coats the skillet.

Place the prepared batter into the skillet with butter and immediately return to the oven. 

Bake 20-25 minutes.

Once the pancake is removed from the oven it will deflate. Either slide the pancake to a serving plate or cut and serve onto individual plates. I recommend topping it will freshly squeezed lemon, powdered sugar, and a little syrup. It is also good with strawberries and whipped cream. 

chocolate cake with peanut butter icing

my roommate amanda celebrated her 22nd birthday this week. so in celebration i decided to bring out a family recipe.i made my grandfather's famous chocolate cake with peanut butter icing. this cake lasts no more than a day or two in my house. the cake is moist and the icing is creamy. it works great as both a sheet cake and as cupcakes. enjoy our family favorite! 

Cake Ingredients:
3/4 C. cocoa
2 C. sugar
2 C. flour
1 1/2 t. baking soda
1 1/2 t. baking powder
1 t. salt
2 eggs
1 C. milk
1/2 C. oil
2 t. vanilla

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Mix all ingredients together and beat for 2 minutes on medium. Stir in 1 cup of boiling water. 
Pour into a greased and floured 9X13 pan.
Bake for 35-40 minutes or 18-20 minutes for cupcakes.

Icing Ingredients:
16 oz. confectioners sugar (powdered sugar)
1 T. crisco
1/2 C. milk
1 T. butter
1/2 cup peanut butter


Directions:
mix until creamy- enjoy!

healthy mac & cheese

after babysitting for 8+ years i can't bear the thought of eating one more bite of kraft macaroni and cheese. however, mac & cheese is not just a food for kids. it is still an american favorite, comfort food. it is becoming more common to see restaurants serve mac & cheese as a side dish or on their happy hour menu. i highly recommend hi-life's $4 happy hour macaroni and cheese baked en casserole with roasted anaheim peppers & four cheeses.

unfortunately mac & cheese is traditionally loaded with calories and fat. but the recipe i have for you is comfort food made healthy. by substituting whole milk for skim milk, using low-fat cheese, and adding cauliflower for nutrients this recipe has, get ready for this...half the calories and a quarter of the fat of traditional recipes. this crowd pleaser has less than 200 calories per serving!!! i made it for my family and both my Dad and 11 year old sister gave it two thumbs up. 

this recipe does take about 1 1/2 hours to prepare and bake so i would recommend making it on the weekend or on a night when you have some extra time. enjoy!!

Ingredients (8 servings):
7 oz. elbow or shell pasta
1 head of cauliflower, roughly chopped
1 1/2 C. low-fat (2%) shredded cheddar or cheese blend
1/4 C. shredded Parmesan
2/3 C. skim milk
1 egg
1/2 t. salt
1 t. butter, melted 
2 T. panko breadcrumbs (i used regular breadcrumbs)


Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.


Boil water and cook pasta until al dente, about 8 minutes
While pasta is cooking steam the roughly chopped cauliflower until very soft.
Drain the pasta, drizzle with olive oil, and let cool.
Shred the cheese if not pre-shredded. 
Beat the egg, milk, and salt in a separate bowl. 
Mix the melted butter and breadcrumbs (or panko) in another bowl.
Now your ready to start putting it all together!


Mash or blend cauliflower and gently mix in with pasta.
Take a pinch of all the cheeses and mix in with the breadcrumb/ butter blend...set aside.
Mix the rest of the cheeses in with the pasta/cauliflower.
Pour the milk mixture in with the pasta/cauliflower. Carefully stir and fold in the milk mixture until combined.
Fill 6-8 ramekins with pasta mixture and sprinkle with breadcrumb topping (you can use a casserole dish if you don't have ramekins).


Bake for 30-40 minutes, uncovered, or until tops just start to brown.

I bought my ramekins at Target from the $1 bins!

Next time...
1. make my own breadcrumbs with whole wheat bread (trim crust) in food processor. 
2. try whole wheat pasta.
3. add some black pepper and paprika.
4. try cottage cheese to create a creamer texture.

oven-roasted sweet potato fries

i haven't been cooking much this week because i am in cram mode with only one week left in the quarter!! fortunately, i have a freezer stocked with frozen meals that i made last month. for lunch i defrosted the curry soup with chickpeas (it was just as good as the first time).


however, i needed a study break tonight so i made roasted sweet potato fries and a juicy burger topped with caramelized onions to eat while i worked on a paper. the hour i "wasted" cooking was totally worth it! not only did i get to try a successful new recipe, but i also used my new silicone baking sheet for the first time...it was a birthday present from my friends. if you don't have one i highly recommend investing in one. enjoy!


Ingredients:
NOTE: this recipe only serves 1
1 Medium-sized sweet potato (rinsed and dried)
1 T. vegetable oil
1/2 t. paprika
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. garlic powder
1/2 t. pepper
1/4 t. cumin
Sprinkle of cayenne (optional)


Directions:
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees
Cut the potato into 1/4" thin strips

Place the strips in a bowl and toss with the remaining ingredients (oil and spices)until the strips are evenly coated

Then spread the potatoes evenly on a baking sheet that is covered in parchment paper or a silicone baking sheet. Make sure you don't over crowd the strips so that they roast properly.

Place in the oven and cook for 20-30 minutes, turning the fries once or twice during that time to make sure they cook evenly.
Remove once they have turned golden brown and begin to crisp.

Carmelized Onions will be featured in the near future

As seen in Gimme Some Oven!

french onion soup

its  pretty obvious all this cold weather is getting to me. i am on a soup kick. but i promise you will really like this one. 


this weekend i went to Costco with my mom. while we were in the produce section i saw a huge bag of onions for $3.75!! onions are essential in most recipes so i couldn't resist the large quantity for such a good price. before returning home french onion soup was on my mind...its one of my favorites! again this is a really easy meal and really cheap. 

Ingredients:
2 large onions
2 T. butter
1 t. sugar
1 t. worcestershire sauce
32 oz. container of beef broth
1/2 C. white wine
salt and pepper to taste
1 loaf of french bread
gruyere/cheddar cheese


Directions:
Peel and slice onions into thin circles or semi circles.
Melt 2 T. of butter in a medium size pot
Add onion, sugar, and garlic. Cook onions until caramelized, about 15 minutes.

After 15 minutes, the onions will shrink down a lot.

Add 30 oz. of beef broth (almost the whole container), worcestershire sauce and 1/2 C. of wine. Let simmer for 40 minutes. 

Ladle soup into bowls. Slice bread. Place bread on top and then cover with grated cheese.

Place bowls on baking sheet and broil until cheese is bubbly and the bread is turning golden brown, about 4 minutes (make sure to keep an eye on it).

Price List/Shopping Tip:
french bread  baguette (Safeway- $1.79, beef broth (under $2), onions (under $2), white wine (Trader Joe's- under $3), *gruyere/white cheddar cheese (Trader Joe's- $4.61)

specialty cheese is much cheaper at Trader Joe's