Amish Friendship Pancakes

 Remember that one time I got Amish Friendship Starter? And I made that delicious bread? Yeah, it was awesome. And then I got creative and used that starter to make sourdough pancakes. They were so good.

And there are so many options! Add cinnamon for that traditional "Amish Friendship Bread" taste, or just top it off with a cinnamon syrup. Or add fruit like I do to my bread. 

These sourdough pancakes have that delicious sourdough tang, and they are still fluffy and a tiny bit sweet. 

These are a great alternative when you get tired of your Amish Friendship Bread or if you just want to try something new!

On your baking day (Day 10 or something), do this:

Add 1 cup milk, 1 cup sugar and 1 cup flour to your starter bag. Mash it all. Now it is ready to use!

In a large bowl combine:

1 egg, beaten

1 cup Amish Friendship Starter

1/2 cup milk

2 Tbsps oil (or applesauce)

1 tsp vanilla

Next add dry ingredients:

1 cup flour

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

Mix until smooth. It might take a little while to get the lumps out, but just keep mixing. Once smooth, spoon batter on to hot griddle and cook both sides. Top with a favorite syrup or jam. 

Amish Friendship Bread

A friend from my church brought over a cute little loaf of Amish Friendship Bread and a starter bag for me. And I ate the whole loaf that night. My husband didn't even get any. It was so delicious and I knew I must have more. So I went for it. After the 10 days I dutifully divided up my starter, made my bread (with a few variations) and then gifted my new starter bags to family. Life was wonderful. And I am sure many of you who have done this whole process are shaking your heads and laughing at my niavete of the whole process. Just you wait Cynthia, this delicious bread is crazy and will take over your life! Get out while you can! But guess what? 

Amish Friendship Bread doesn't have to be crazy! You can forget to mash your bag a few times, you can add ingredients a day late, you can stick your starter in the freezer if you need a break! I promise it won't kill it! So dive in and give it a try! Research online for variations, ideas and information, it is kinda fun. 

Also check out this link from my sister in law about controlling your bread. It was great. 

http://makeitfromscratch.blogspot.com/2009/01/take-control-of-your-amish-friendship.html

Traditional Amish Friendship Bread Instructions

Day 1: Friend gives you a starter bag! Lucky you!

Day 2: Stir the mix, or mash the bag.

Day 3: Mash the bag

Day 4: Mash the bag

Day 5: Add to your bag: 1 cup flour, 1 cup sugar, 1 cup milk. Mash the bag. 

Day 6: Mash the bag

Day 7: Mash the bag

Day 8: Mash the bag

Day 9: Mash the bag

Day 10:  The day has arrived! Do all this:

          Add to bag: 1 cup flour, 1 cup sugar, 1 cup milk. Mash the bag

          Divide mix: Measure 1 cup of mix in to 4 bags (3 for friends, 1 for you) . Label bags and add the date. 

          Make bread: Pour remaining mix in to a NON METAL bowl and follow the recipe below.

Basic Recipe:

2/3 cup oil
3 eggs

1/2 cup milk
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla
1 to 1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 cup sugar
2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 box Instant Vanilla Pudding (optional, but totally delicious. If you don't use the dry pudding, just omit the milk)

Using NON METAL spoon, beat by hand until well blended. 

In a seperate bowl, mix 1/2 cup sugar and 2 tsps cinnamon. Grease two loaf pans or line with parchment paper, dust pans with cinnamon sugar mixture. Pour batter in to pans and sprinkle with remaining cinnamon sugar. 

Bake at 325 degrees F for 45 minutes to 1 hour (individual oven temperatures vary). Cool 10 minutes, remove from pans. Makes two loaves of Amish Friendship Bread.

See? Not to bad. But again, don't worry if you can't follow the instructions to a T. 

Sausage & Crescent Roll Breakfast Casserole

My sister in law made these for some family function or another. They are so good, it's like biscuits and cheesy gravy in a bar form. They are convenient for big groups, delicious and super easy to make (only 3 ingredients!).

Pillsbury makes the coolest thing. Crescent roll dough in one sheet! Think of all the possibilities!

Stuff it with a cream cheese and sausage mixture

Add another dough sheet and bake until golden brown. 

Make these. They are so good. And so easy, you have not reason not to. 

Sausage & Crescent Roll Casserole

1 lb of sausage ( I recommend Hot or Maple)
8oz package of Cream Cheese
2 rolls of Seamless Crescent Roll Dough

Cook sausage, add cream cheese into warm pan until incorporated. Lay dough in ungreased 9X13 pan. Top with sausage mixture and layer with another dough sheet. Bake at 350 for 20-25 min. Eat warm!

Honey Almond Chia Seed Pudding with Strawberries

I first had this little guy at a work retreat.  One of our chefs brought it as an example of a creative way to use a healthy grain. She gave a presentation about how to use quinoa in salads and incorporating millet and farro in soups and such. It was a cool presentation, but this visual aid was my favorite. And the best part? It is so stupid easy to make. 

Chia seeds do this really cool thing when they get wet. They expand and form a jelly like coating that instantly thickens whatever they were added to. I love them in my smoothies or you can even add them to plain water. They remind me a bit of tapioca, so if you are not a tapioca pudding fan, you probably wont like this. Just a heads up. 

And like with most of my recipes, it is easily adapted to fit your dietary needs and taste preferences. But here is how I made it, and it turned out delicious. 

Ingredients:

1 cup Honey Greek Yogurt (I recommend Greek Gods brand)

3/4 cup Vanilla Almond Milk (unsweetened)

2 Tablespoons whole chia seeds

1/2 cup sliced strawberries

1 Tablespoons honey

2 Tablespoons sliced/slivered almonds

Directions: 

Combine yogurt, milk and chia seeds in bowl. Mix well and let sit for 10 min. In a separate bowl toss strawberries and honey and let sit. When ready to serve, spoon pudding, strawberries and almonds in to a bowl, parfait style if you want. Enjoy!

Peach Cobbler Muffins

Have I talked about how much I love peaches? They are right up there with lemons. I can't think of a better fruit than a ripe peach from a farmer's market. And oh those beautiful peachy colors! Peaches are so great, I wanted them in my wedding. I don't remember if I mentioned this before, but we had peach cobbler at our wedding instead of wedding cake. It was amazing, and made for a nice display. 

Anyways, I think I first made these muffins for a camping trip. They were a sweet, portable breakfast of sorts. I know this post is terribly out of season, but I figured we could use a little summer in the midst of this cold winter. 

Peach Cobbler Muffins 

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 1/4 cups vegetable oil

A dash of milk

3 eggs, lightly beaten

2 cups white sugar

2 cups peeled, pitted, and chopped peaches

1.      Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Lightly grease 16 muffin cups.

2.      In a large bowl, mix the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl, mix the oil, milk, eggs, and sugar. Stir the oil mixture into the flour mixture just until moist. Fold in the peaches. Spoon into the prepared muffin cups.

3.      Bake 20-23 minutes in the preheated oven, until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes before turning out onto wire racks to cool completely.

Banana Cream Pie Crepes

I love random holidays. Especially the ones involving food. It's like your week's menu was planned out for you by the universe. I mean, once you know March 2nd is Banana Cream Pie Day, how can you not make a Banana Cream Pie?

Except I didn't feel like making a pie crust. So I got creative and made these Banana Cream Pie Crepes. Pretty genius, I know. They were a big hit with the boys (no surprise there when you serve dessert for breakfast). 

And they are super easy. Crepe, sliced banana, vanilla pudding, whipped cream. 

Here is the crepe recipe I used. I liked it. I don't know if it is the very best one out there, but it worked. 

1 cup flour

2 eggs

¾ cup milk

½ cup water

¼ tsp salt

½ tsp vanilla

2 Tbsp melted butter

Combine all wet ingredients, except butter. Sift in flour and salt and whisk until smooth. Add butter.

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. Enjoy with any variety of toppings. 

Crustless Quiche

A quiche is the perfect brunch item. It is savory, it looks great and it is so very versatile. The hardest part is making the pie crust for the bottom. So I just skip that step. And guess what? It still turns out delicious.

This quiche doesn't have a recipe. It has guidelines. That way it is totally customizable. Which apparently is not a word.

1. Preheat oven to 400. Spray a quiche/tart/pie pan with non stick cooking spray

2. Pick 1/2 cup meat. Try sausage, bacon, ham, turkey or not at all. Cook it in small pieces and put in quiche /pie pan.

3. Pick 1/2- 1 cup veggies. I would try a combination of some of these: spinach, kale, zuchinni, onion (red or yellow), mushrooms, bell peppers or artichoke hearts. Saute your veggies in a little olive oil and add to meat.

4. Over the veggies and meat pour the following: 4-6 eggs and 1/3 cup dairy (milk, half and half, heavy cream)

5. Add some spices: salt, pepper, garlic, basil, chili powder, parsley, oregano etc

6. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup cheese: cottage cheese, cheddar, mozarella, swiss, pepperjack, parmesan, feta, smoked gouda, and so on.

Bake for 25-30 minutes until cheese on top is bubbly and browning.

The real trick to this is choosing the right combination. Some things just taste better together. Here are some good combinations if you needed ideas.

Italian: Italian sausage, onion, mushroom, basil, garlic, oregano with mozarella and parmesan.

Mediterranean: Zuchinni, onions, asparagus, mushrooms, sauted in balsamic vinegar, rosemary, oregano and feta.

Country: Bacon, ham, potatoes(baked), onions, cheddar

Lorraine: Bacon, onions, cayenne pepper,  swiss

Spicy: Hot sausage, spinach, jalapenos, onions, cayenne pepper, pepperjack cheese

What to do with leftover rice

Make this creamy rice pudding!

When you wake up to this

Then it's time to make this

Growing up, our rice pudding was a baked dish, and it was delicious. It wasn't until I went to Peru that I learned that people make rice pudding on the stovetop, and it too is creamy and delicious.

Creamy Rice Pudding


1 1/2 cups cooked white rice
 2 cups milk, divided
 1/3 cup white sugar
 1/4 teaspoon salt
 1 egg, beaten
 1 tablespoon butter
 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a clean saucepan, combine 1 1/2 cups cooked rice, 1 1/2 cups milk, sugar and salt. Cook over medium heat until thick and creamy, 15 to 20 minutes. Stir in remaining 1/2 cup milk, beaten egg; cook 2 minutes more, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in butter and vanilla.

Pumpkin Everything

I went on a pumpkin kick. And I made Pumpkin everything. Almost everything was delicious. I have to say almost because I attempted to make a Pumpkin Shake, except I didnt have ice cream so I had to use frozen bananas, and it was gross.


I made Pumpkin Cupcakes and Cream Cheese Frosting

And the most wonderful Pumpkin Cheesecake Squares. Seriously, these are amazing.

I already posted about Pumpkin Waffles.

And I forgot to take pictures of the Pumpkin Curry Soup, but it was good too.

But the Pumpkin Pancakes were by far the best. Add some Apple Cider Syrup and you are better than best.

Make these. They are delicious.

Pancakes:

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 pinch clove
1 cup 1% low-fat milk (can be any kind)
6 tablespoons canned pumpkin puree
2 tablespoons melted butter
1 egg

Directions:
Whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, spices and salt in a bowl. In a separate bowl whisk together milk, pumpkin, melted butter, and egg. Fold mixture into dry ingredients. Spray or grease a skillet and heat over medium heat: pour in 1/4 cup batter for each pancake. Cook pancakes about 3 minutes per side. Serve with butter and syrup.


Apple Cider Syrup:

1/2 cup white sugar

 1 tablespoon cornstarch

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 pinch of nutmeg, cloves and ginger (optional)

1 cup apple cider

 1 tablespoon lemon juice

 2 tablespoons butter

Stir together the sugar, cornstarch, and cinnamon in a saucepan. Stir in the apple cider and lemon juice. Cook over medium heat until mixture begins to boil; boil until the syrup thickens. Remove from heat and stir in the 2 tablespoons of butter until melted. Serve warm.

Pumpkin Waffles for General Conference

It's funny the things we remember. I have vivid memories of General Conference weekend when I was growing up. Even if we only did something once, it seemed like a tradition.

Like the soup luncheon in between sessions with our friends. I think we only did it one year, but for some reason that is what I think of when I think of "between sessions". Or the Bingo cards that Sandi made for the younger kids, but that we all filled out anyways. And how we didn't have tv channels so we used to listed to it on the computer, or go over to the neighbors. The boys would dump out this huge bucket of legos and play for 2 hours. One year I made a whole stack of greeting cards. I might even still have a few leftover.

While I was in Peru we listed to conference in a our little house over the internet. But to get a good enough computer connection we had to plug directly into the router. Except the router was hooked up in a room infested with fleas. So we stretched the cord as far as it would go to the doorway and then we all sat in the hallway on our mattresses and hoped the fleas wouldn't attack. Good times. Yay for another temple in Peru!

Wow, that was a lot more rambling than I intended to do. I really wanted to point out that as with many other people, General Conference means good breakfasts. I dont know how I got so side tracked...

In any case. This GC I tried something new. Pumpkin Waffles. And because pumpkins and cream cheese were a match made in heaven I also invented something I will call Cream Cheese Syrup (It is suspiciously a lot like Cream Cheese Frosting).

And so without further ado

Pumpkin Waffles
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
4 large eggs, separated
2 cups buttermilk
1 cup canned solid-pack pumpkin
3/4 stick (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted
Vegetable oil for brushing waffle iron or cooking spray

Pre heat waffle iron. Stir together flour, brown sugar, baking powder and soda, salt, and spices. Whisk egg yolks in a large bowl with buttermilk, pumpkin, and butter until smooth. Whisk in dry ingredients just until combined.

In a mixing bowl with a whisk attachment, whisk the egg whites until they hold soft peaks. Folk them gently into the waffle batter, until just combined.

Brush waffle iron lightly with oil and spoon batter (about 2 cups for four 4-inch Belgian waffles) into waffle iron, spreading quickly.

Cream Cheese Syrup

4 oz cream cheese (1/2 block)
1/3 cup powdered sugar
3/4-1 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)

Heat 1/2 cup milk and cream cheese in saucepan until smooth and powdered sugar, vanilla and cinnamon. Add more milk until you have reached desired consistency. Serve warm over waffles.

Baked French Toast

I got up at 6 this morning. I know that may not seem so very early to some of you. But for someone who normally rolls out of bed 20 minutes before she needs to leave for work, it was pretty early.

And why, might you ask was I up and about at such an hour? Baked French Toast. That's why. Warm and crunchy with caramel and nuts, it tastes like heaven. Or at least that is what Matthew said when he tried a piece. He also stated, quite accurately, that something this good has to be bad for you.

He was right. This recipe is far from healthy. It is drenched in caramel after all. But is is oh so delicious.

We start with some french bread. Sliced and arranged oh so beautifully in a 9X13 pan. Now if you have lots of time, just let it sit out for a day or so and get nice and stiff. Or, if you are in a bit more of a rush, stick it in the oven for 7 minutes at 400 F to toast it.

In a bowl whisk together your eggs, milk/ cream, vanilla and cinnamon. Or if you forgot to whisk in the cinnamon (me), just sprinkle it on top. 

Pour egg mixture over toasted bread, covering each slice as completely as possible. Some of the liquid will pool at the bottom, don't worry it will soak up.
Let the toast sit for a few hours, or ideally overnight.

In the morning, pop it in the oven (covered in tinfoil) for 20 minutes. While it is cooking, mix up your caramel until big and bubbly. After 20 min pull out the pan, pour on your caramel, sprinkle with nuts and stick it back in the oven for another 20 (uncovered). Enjoy!

Baked French Toast

Adapted from Allrecipes.com

1loaf French bread

6 eggs

1 ½ cups milk or half and half

2 tsp vanilla

1-2 tsp cinnamon

Slice bread, arrange in 9x13. Toast in oven for 7 min at 400 F. Whisk eggs, milk, vanilla, and cinnamon. Pour over bread. Let sit overnight. I flipped the bread over after a few hours to let the other side soak up some egg stuff.

Preheat oven to 375 F. Bake for 20 minutes covered with tinfoil. Start caramel mixture.

½ cup butter

1 cup brown sugar

1 ½ Tbsp light corn syrup

½ cup nuts (pecans, walnuts, ect)

Mix butter, sugar and syrup in saucepan. Bring to a boil and stir for 1 minute. Pour over French toast. Sprinkle with nuts. Return pan to oven, uncovered for 20 more minutes.

Voila. Deliciousness. 

And here is a shot of real life. Where I put baked French Toast on my porch to take pictures because that is where there was the best light at 7am.