Apple Pancakes

I have such a love/hate relationship with breakfast.  I love breakfast foods, but I hate taking time to prepare it in the morning.  These came together faster than I imagined, and they were a great alternative to the "plain" pancakes that my 7 year old constantly requests.

I was worried that the pancake batter would overpower the apples, but that wasn't the case.

It was a great mellow flavor that paired perfectly with maple syrup.

This is a great way to use up leftover pancake/waffle batter as well.  Just slice your apples, dip and cook.

Apple Pancakes

Recipe from Heat Oven to 350

2 medium apples, cored and sliced thin

1 c. flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1 egg

1/2 c. buttermilk

Mix together dry ingredients in a bowl.

Whisk in egg and milk.

Heat a large skillet over medium-low and spray with Pam.

Dip apple rings into batte and allow excess to drip off.

Cook rings until golden brown, tuning once, making sure apple is softened slightly (do not cook too hot).

Serve with maple syrup.

Vegetable Cheese Chowder

This is not a new recipe on this blog, but it is one that has been sadly overlooked by many.  It may have been because it desperately needed a new photo.

Either way, this is a fantastically cheesy, and fully loaded with veggies and flavor.  It comes together quickly too, which I love!

This here is my momma's soup.  We loved dinner whenever she prepared it for us.

Vegetable Cheese Chowder
Recipe from Sandy Bishop


2 chicken bouillon cubes
3 c. hot water
1 c. chopped, of each of the following:
broccoli
cauliflower
onions
celery
carrots
potatoes
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 lb. Velveeta Cheese

Dissolve bouillon cubes in water.
Add vegetables and simmer for 30 minutes.
Add soup and mix well.
Stir in cubed Velveeta.
Stir until melted.

Lemon Vinegar Kitchen Cleaner

I decided a while ago to try and find a more "green" kitchen cleaner.  I didn't like the idea of spraying the counters and tables that my kids so regularly ate off of with things that may be unhealthy for them to accidentally consume.

I think that is when I fell in love with the cleaning power of vinegar.  That is also when my husband started complaining that our house smelled like, well, vinegar.

To appease his distaste, I started searching the internet and found this method.

There are a lot of different "recipes" to this cleaner.  Most just use lemon peels and vinegar, with a 50/50 ratio of water.  In my experience, I have found the addition of essential oils and a minimal addition of water (or none at all) is best for me.  It definitely gets the job done.

Lemon Vinegar Kitchen Cleaner

12-15 lemons

2 quart mason jar

white distilled vinegar

10 drops lemon essential oil

water (optional)

Wash lemons to remove any dirt.

Juice lemons (I freeze it in ice cube trays in tsp. and Tbsp. amounts to use in recipes)

Scrape out skin from peels and discard.

Rough chop peels.

Stuff peels into jar, pressing down to fit as many peels as possible.

Fill jar with vinegar, ensuring that ll peels are completely covered.

Seal jar and set aside to soak for 2-3 weeks.

Drain vinegar from jar into a spray bottle.

Discard peels (I put mine through the garbage disposal to helps clean and freshen)

Add essential oils to vinegar.

Add water (up to equal amounts of vinegar), if desired.

Shake before each use.   

Cranberry Apple Salad

This pretty pink fruit salad is easy to make and will feed a crowd.  A nice change from your everyday salad, and it has a lot of great textures going on.  This needs to set up in the fridge before serving, so it is also a great make ahead side to add to any meal.

I received this recipe from a RS apple activity; not sure who to claim as the owner.  I followed exactly except I cut the marshmallow quantity in half.

Cranberry Apple Salad

1 lb. cranberries, frozen

1 c. sugar

16oz. crushed pineapple

5-8 apples

1 pint whipping cream

1/4 c. sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

1/2 lb. mini marshmallow

Put frozen cranberries in a food processor and pulse until rough chopped.

In a large bowl, add chopped cranberries, sugar and crushed pineapple.

Let sit in fridge (marinate) over night or for several hours.

A few hours before serving:

Dice apples and stir into cranberry mixture.

Prepare whipping cream, adding sugar and vanilla.

Fold whipped cream and marshmallows into salad.

Refrigerate until ready to serve.

3-2-1 Cake Mix

A completely easy and fool proof quick dessert recipe.  And I mean quick.

Without thinking I apparently told my oldest that he could have cake for dessert.  So not like me.  I had meant to make cupcakes with him, but life happened and it slipped my mind.

  During dinner I remembered, slightly panicked, and then hoped that he would forget all about it.  He usually does.  But not this time.

It was 20 minutes from bedtime, and I was praising Pinterest, yet again, for saving my menu.

I whipped this up in no time (seriously, like 5 minutes total).

I'm pretty sure I won the mom of the day award.

3-2-1 Cake Mix

Recipe from The Hidden Pantry

1 box Angel Food Cake Mix

1 box Cake Mix (any flavor - I chose chocolate)

In a large bowl, thoroughly combine the two cake mixes (just the dry stuff - don't add anything else).

They fit and store perfectly in a quart ziplock bag.

To make each serving:

3 Tbsp. cake mix

2 Tbsp. water

1 minute in microwave

Mix water and cake mix in a pint size jar or mug.

Microwave for 1 minute.

For added mom coolness, drizzle on chocolate syrup or caramel sauce, preferably in the initial of your kiddo's name.

Enjoy!

Biscuit Breakfast Casserole

I've made my own bread for over 4 years now, but there are some bread items that I will occasionally still buy in the store.  Pillsbury homestyle original biscuits is one of them.

Try as I might, I can't recreate those delicious little biscuits.  And so this recipe was discovered - when I found myself with an unhealthy amount of them in my fridge and a need for something other than cereal.

This breakfast casserole comes together in no time and is wonderfully tasty.

Biscuit Breakfast Casserole

Recipe modified from Tablespoon

1 tube Pillsbury Grand Biscuits

3 eggs

splash milk

1 c. shredded cheddar cheese

3/4 c. bacon crumbles

1/4 c. green onions

Cut each biscuit into 4 pieces.

Whisk eggs with milk.

Add cheese, bacon and green onions.

Pour over cut biscuits and stir gently, coating evenly.

Pour everything into a greased 9x13" pan.

Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes until golden on top.

Serve warm or at room temperature.

Avocado Egg Salad Sandwich

How I never thought to add avocado to an egg salad is beyond me.

It pairs perfectly with the eggs, and can significantly reduce (if not replace completely) the mayo.

Perfect for a quick lunch or snack.

Avocado Egg Salad Sandwich

Recipe modified from Never Homemaker

4 hard-boiled eggs

1 large avocado, cubed

2 Tbsp. mayo

salt and pepper to taste

cilantro, to taste

Mash hard boiled eggs with fork and add remaining ingredients.

Stir to combine.

Serve on carb of choice.