The Rowdy Pea

we love pancakes

We have tried so many recipes for homemade pancake mix, and this one is the best of the bunch so I thought I would share it here.

Whole Wheat Pancake Mix

Mix together the following ingredients and store in an airtight container:

4 cups of whole wheat flour

2 cups of all-purpose flour (or you can substitute 2 more cups of the WW flour)

2/3 cup of sugar (you can use less if you prefer)

2 tablespoons of baking powder

1 tablespoon of baking soda

To make a batch of pancakes, stir one egg and 3/4 cup of milk together together in a medium size bowl. Add 1 cup of pancake mix and stir to combine. Pour batter by 1/4 cupfulls onto a hot, lightly greased griddle and flip when bubbles start to appear on top.

Fun things to do with pancakes:

1. Instead of two or three medium pancakes, make silver-dollar size pancakes and serve them in a high stack, tiny lumberjack style.  Once we made a stack for Ivo that was over ten inches tall, with pancakes that tapered down to the size of a quarter on the tippy-top. He was so surprised and totally delighted. It looked like a Tim Burton or a Dr. Suess breakfast. And easy to make, too.

2. Some pancake books to read at the table: Pancakes for Breakfast by Tomie dePaola, Pancakes, Pancakes by Eric Carle, If You Give a Pig a Pancake by Laura Numeroff, and The Runaway Pancake by Mairi MacKinnon.

3. Maple syrup is one of the yummiest things on earth, but it can be fun to mix things up a little. Other ideas for topping pancakes are honey, jam, cinnamon and sugar, and/or fresh fruit. A few weeks ago we were out of bread so I made Ivo a pb&j sandwich on two pancakes, and he loved it. I would love to hear what other folks eat on their pancakes too. I know there are lots of versions of savory supper pancakes out there, but we have yet to try one. So if someone has a favorite recipe like that please do share, won't you?

 

 

sunday cinnamon rolls part 2 (the recipe)

Once in a young lifetime one should be allowed to have as much sweetness as one can possible want and hold.~ Judith Olney

A few weeks ago I posted a picture of some cinnamon rolls and several people asked for the recipe. So hear goes. If you've never made cinnamon rolls before I hope this recipe sounds as easy as it really is. If you have, you already know what a cinch it is and how much fun it can be to roll up the dough like a big sleeping bag. Kids love to help with that part. And one nice thing I like to remember when I'm baking with a new recipe is that if it calls for a lot of butter and sugar (like this one), it's pretty much impossible to flub up completely. The results WILL be good, by the very nature of the ingredients.

I make these on Saturday and store them in the fridge overnight. First thing Sunday morning I take them out and let them rise at room temperature or on top of a warm oven until they are doubled in size and ready to bake. This way they're ready in time for brunch and you still get to enjoy a lazy morning because you've done the fussing around with dough the day before.

Sunday Cinnamon Rolls

I use a bread machine, but I hear this recipe does just as well by hand if you are familiar with the basic dough-making process.

Into the bread machine (in the order listed):

1 cup of very warm milk

2 eggs (at room temperature)

1/3 cup of melted butter

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup of white sugar

4 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour

2 1/2 teaspoons of yeast

Set the bread machine to the dough setting and start the dough. When the dough cycle is finished turn the dough (which should be doubled in size) onto a lightly floured surface and roll into a big rectangle, about 16X20 inches. 

In a small mixing bowl or covered container, mix together:

1 cup of brown sugar

2 1/2 Tablespoons of cinnamon

Spread or brush the rectangle with:

1/2 cup of softened butter

And then sprinkle the dough evenly with the brown sugar and cinnamon.  Starting from one of the long sides of the rectangle, roll up the dough. Then cut into 12 pieces. I cut it like this to make the rolls as equal in thickness as possible: Cut the dough in half, then each half into half again, to make quarters that are more or less equal in length. Then it's really easy to cut each quarter into thirds and they are all about the same thickness. Set the rolls into greased 13x 9 pan, cut sides up, the let them rise in a warm place. (Or cover and refrigerate overnight at this point.) When the rolls are doubled in size, bake in a 400 degree oven for about 25-30 minutes.

We either sprinkle the rolls with powdered sugar, or (more often) we go the whole hog and spread them with cream cheese frosting. It's super easy to make homemade cream cheese frosting, just blend together equal parts butter and cream cheese with an electric mixer (about 3 T each), add a little vanilla extract, and then add powdered sugar until you get the right consistancy for spreading. Another way to make super easy icing is to just blend a little bowl of powdered sugar with a teaspoon or so of water or milk, and stir with a fork, adding more liquid a few drops at a time until it's the texture you want. Then just drizzle on top of the cinnamon rolls once they are almost all they way cool.

These rolls are best served with fresh fruit and hot coffee or cold milk. Avoid the effort completely if your brunch mates are ones to dwell on the calories, however if you have a sweet-toothed and easygoing crowd they will be a sure hit.

more fun in the kitchen

Here's a photo of this week's project from Mom Unplugged. The theme was toothpicks, and since Ivo likes to keep it simple, I just gave him a plate of banana slices and some toothpicks and he spent the next 15 minutes playing with them. A fun, easy idea that I wouldn't have thought to do without a little encouragement. So thanks Mom  Unplugged :)  To see more Unplugged Projects, and for low-tech family fun, visit her site here.  We are not always tv-free but I've found her website to be packed with great resources. 

The second kitchen project is one Ivo has been wanting to try for a long time. It's the pita pizzas from Deceptively Delicious. But without the spinach, because I wanted Ivo to make the pizza himself and I knew he would be suspicious of a layer of "green" under the sauce. This was so easy, and had very yummy results.  Ivo just spread pizza sauce on a pita, and sprinkled it with mozzarella cheese, then we baked it at 400 degrees for about 10 minutes and cut it into eight triangles with a pizza wheel.  Ivo called it his "Pizza Junior" and gobbled it all up, except for two slices that he shared with Josh and me.  It's such a wonderful thing to see him so pleased with his accomplishment, and to be able to share food that he's prepared with people he loves.  He told us, "I made the lunch today for everybody."

That feeling of satisfaction that comes from making tangible contributions to family life is something I hope he carries with him as he grows. Currently he enjoys cooking, mopping, carrying laundry to the laundry room, washing dishes, and many other everyday chores, too. His help often ends up increasing my workload, but as he grows up he is becoming more and more proficient at household tasks, and shows an eagerness for "real" work. Fingers crossed that this lasts as long as possible!!

baking together

We love to bake together. And Ivo is really starting to learn his way around the kitchen. In fact, his participation in cooking activities is less like toddler "help" and more like actual help at this point. Yippppeeeee!! I knew it would come to this sooner or later. Here's what we whipped up this afternoon . . .

Chocolate Brownies

Ivo's job: Open the refrigerator and take out the butter and the eggs. Unwrap one stick of butter and put it in the big bowl. Break two eggs into the small bowl and stir them up with a fork.

My job: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 8x8 inch pan. Melt the butter in the microwave and measure the following ingredients into seperate cups: 1 cup of sugar, 1/2 cup of flour, 1 teaspoon of vanilla, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon baking powder, 1/3 cup cocoa powder.

Ivo's job: Stir the sugar, eggs, and vanilla into the butter.

My job: Stir fast while Ivo adds the rest of the dry ingredients one at a time. (We like to add the cocoa last for dramatic effect). Stir about fifty times. (I like to count out loud, also for effect).

Ivo's job: Use a spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl.

My job: Pour the batter into the pan and bake for 25 minutes.

Our job together: Remind ourselves that eating raw batter can lead to tummyaches. Eat a little anyway. Then clean up the kitchen. Ivo does tables and floors, I do dishes and countertops.

Save room for the finished product:

Notice the *dainty* portions. mm-hmmm . . . we are indeed very models of moderation around here.  Actually we both had second helpings. hee.

We do love to bake together, and we never have any quarrels doing so. We're always at our best in the kitchen and I really hope it stays that way for years to come. I'll have to hone my skills if I don't want to be out-pastried by a five year old, but I figure we can learn together.

five minute/five dollar dinner: soup and crackers

I think this might even be more like three minutes to throw together, but a lovely supper in spite of it's simplicity (or more likely because of it).  I use the Pacific Natural Foods soup shown in the picture, which has a really nice roasted veggie flavor and just requires heating to serve. The cheese is monterey jack <yum>, for crackers I like Wheat Thins, and the apple is a Braeburn, Josh's favorite. It's a nibbly supper that leaves room for dessert later on.  Tonight it was leftover birthday cake eaten right from the freezer.  And again I say, <yum>. 

 

my we're getting fancy with dough

Last  night we made a "caterpillar pizza" inspired by the Spotted Snake Pizza in Favorite Family Meals by Annabel Karmel.  Our interpretation was faster and required fewer ingredients but was still satisfyingly caterpillar-ish enough to Ivo.  I also made a quick and easy tomato sauce that Ivo always enjoys for dipping.  Here's the recipe:

Ivo's Favorite Lumpy Pizza Sauce

1 14 oz. can of diced tomatoes

1 6 oz can of tomato paste

1 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

sprinkle of garlic salt

Mix tomatoes and tomato paste together in a pan over low heat. Stir in the remaining ingredients and heat through. Adjust the seasonings to suit your taste.

Here's the picture of the pizza in the book, which features fresh mozzarella and black olive eyes.  Oh yes, and each of those little dough circles contains a little square of cheddar cheese (surprise! yum).  We omitted those steps and will never speak of them again.  Until Ivo is old enough to read the recipe and realize he's been missing out on secret melty cheddar all this time.  Until then, shortcuts.

Favorite Family Meals is a fun and useful cookbook that I check out from the library all the time.  In fact last week when I took it out again I noticed a little muffin batter sticky spot on the back cover that we were responsible for. oops.  But it reminded me to make those carrot pineapple muffins again. We served them to friends this afternoon with not a crumb left over. I don't think they have ever lasted longer than 24 hours, even though the recipe makes 36 mini muffins.  That is some crowd-pleasin' carrot cake indeed! 

In other food news, I just returned home from the library with my latest cookbook discovery, which I'm hoping will be another frequent-flyer at our house.  The book is How to Be a Domestic Goddess: baking and the art of comfort cooking by Nigella Lawson, who looks ever so slightly intimidating in a chef extrodinaire sort of way on the back cover (I've never seen her tv show so this is all I know of her) but writes in a warm, encouraging tone that makes me eager to jump right in and whip up a tart this very evening.  Behold some images from my new favorite cookbook:

oh, for me! how lovely.  you really shouldn't have . . .

well, I could have just a teensy sliver of pie if you insist. . .

And this darling little stack of buttermilk pancakes too, oh my . . .

and since I'm on a diet, I'll take the even numbers only. 2,4,6,8, hmmm. . . do you happen to have 10 laying around somewhere? No, well then I'll take the odds.  And thank you ever so much for that bit of afternoon tea.  Now, what ever we will do about supper?

five minute/five dollar dinner: macaroni and cheese with veggies

This dinner takes about 15 minutes from start to finish, but the hands-on time is only about five minutes total. It doesn't sound all that special but for some reason it just really seems to hit the spot for everyone in my family.  Thanks to Aya for this yummy recipe!

Ingredients:

1 box of Annie's Deluxe Rotini with White Cheddar

1 bag of frozen mixed veggies

1 small handful of shredded cheese (any kind)

Any kind of all-purpose seasoning that you like

Prepare the macaroni and cheese according to the package directions.  Meanwhile, cook the frozen veggies until they are warm but still crispy. Add the bag of veggies to the macaroni, throwing in the extra cheese, too.  Mix until combined, and sprinkle with seasoning salt. Delish!!

ivo's morning biscuits

This is a fun and easy recipe that Ivo can make with minimal help from me.

  Ingredients:

  3/4 cup plus 2 Tbs. all-purpose flour

  1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

  1/4 tsp salt

  3 Tbs. chilled butter, cut into 6 pieces

  1/2 cup milk

  3 Tbs. sugar

                                                                                  1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Me: Preheat the oven to 450 degrees, and pulse the first three ingredients in the food processor to blend.

Ivo: Mix the cinnamon and sugar together in a small bowl.

Me: Add the chilled butter to the flour mixture in the food processor and pulse until the mixture is like coarse bread crumbs. Pour into a medium mixing bowl.

Ivo: Add milk to the flour mixture and stir just until blended.

Together: Drop dough by spoonfuls onto an ungreased baking sheet.

Ivo: Sprinkle cinnamon mixture on top of biscuits.

Me: Bake for 12-15 minutes. Remove biscuits from hot pan and cool for 10 minutes.

Together: eat!

Ivo is so proud of himself when he makes this yummy treat. He is learning to share in the housekeeping and feel like an important part of family life. Some days I don't know what I would do without my helper.