Buttermilk Pancakes

I don't know anyone that doesn't like pancakes. They are the quintessential breakfast food. My husband grew up having pancakes most Sunday mornings. Most people are familiar with the pancakes from a box. And while that still works, this recipe is just as easy to me and makes the best pancakes. It's slightly (and I mean slightly) adapted from Alton Brown's recipe for buttermilk pancakes from his book I'm Just Here for More Food. You just mix together the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and cook. It's basically the same as from a box, but with a few more measurements. The original recipe only calls for 2 cups of buttermilk, but the batter comes out more the consistency of muffins. I prefer a more runny batter, so I increased the buttermilk by half a cup.

Buttermilk Pancakes
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
3 Tbs sugar
2 eggs
2-1/2 cups buttermilk
4 Tbs butter, melted and cooled

Mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar. Beat eggs with buttermilk and butter. Mix wet ingredients into dry ingredients until just blended. Let stand for 5 minutes.

Heat griddle on medium-low heat. If using an electric griddle, heat to 350 degrees. Grease pan and cook in 1/4 cup portions. Flip when bubbles appear and bottom is golden brown; approximately 2-3 minutes. Flip and cook until bottom is golden brown.

Disneyland Dining

Since my husband works at  Disneyland we go there often. We usually get a treat, too. Last night we went to the Jolly Holiday Bakery at the end of Makn Street. I got the raspberry cheesecake and Jeff got the raspberry almond twist. Both were quite delicious.

Teriyaki Sauce

I used to just buy bottles of teriyaki sauce at the store and they were usually delicious. But I wanted to make my own. I found a recipe from food.com that I adapted to my tastes as well as what I had available in my pantry. It's a thick sauce like those you find in a restaurant. Besides being delicious, it's really easy to make.

Teriyaki Sauce
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 cup water
3/4 tsp ground ginger
2 small cloves garlic, finely minced
5 Tbs brown sugar
2 Tbs honey
2 Tbs cornstarch
1/4 cup cold water

In a sauce pan, combine all ingredients except 2 Tbs cornstarch and 1/4 cup water and bring to a boil over medium heat.

Mix cornstarch and cold water to make a slurry.

Once the sauce just comes to a boil, add the slurry and cook until desired thickness.

Feel free to experiment using fresh ginger. I rarely have it on hand, so I haven't done that yet. Enjoy!

Baked Pancake

Whenever I was sick growing up, my mom would make me a baked pancake. It's soft, easy to digest and delicious. Today, it's still a comfort food for me, even if I'm not sick.

Baked Pancake
1/3 cup flour
1/2 cup milk
1 egg
2 tsp sugar
drop vanilla
pinch cinnamon
pinch nutmeg
2 Tbs butter

Set oven to 350 degrees. Put butter in ovenproof 6"-8" skillet and let melt in oven while it preheats. Whisk all other ingredients together. Once oven is preheated, pour the batter into the pan and bake for 8-10 minutes. The pancake will be puffy and the sides high and dry. Serve with fruit, jam or plain with a dusting of powdered sugar.

Curry Chicken

My husband spent a year in South Africa where he developed a love of curry. While I'll probably never get it quite like the ones he had in Africa, he's a fan of this one. I adapted it from a few recipes I found and what he's told me he remembers about the curries he had in Africa. It's especially delicious served over rice and with naan bread.

Curry Chicken
1/4 cup (4 Tbs) curry powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp smoked paprika (regular is fine, too)
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp sugar
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp salt
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, in bite-sized pieces
2 carrots, chopped
1 Tbs tomato paste
6 oz plain yogurt
1 15 oz can coconut milk


Heat a pan on medium heat. Toast the curry powder, onion powder cinnamon, paprika, and bay leaf over medium high heat for about 45 seconds stirring constantly. Add chicken, salt and garlic. Cook for just a few seconds, then add tomato paste, yogurt, coconut milk and carrots. Stir together. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 20-25 minutes.

Pie Crust

The perfect pie crust is hard to find. There are many theories bakers prescribe to; all butter, all shortening, both shortening and butter. Don't touch the crust with your hands, etc. I'm an all butter baker myself. The flavor can't be beat. I also touch the crust. This particular recipe is adapted from Sur La Table's The Art and Soul of Baking. Even though pie crust can be daunting, this one has yet to fail me. This recipe is for a single crust, but can easily be doubled for a double crust pie.

Pie Crust
1 stick of very cold butter, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 1/4 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp sugar
2-3 Tbs cold water

In a food processor, pulse the butter, flour and sugar together until it resembles course sand and peas. Add cold water 1 tablespoon at a time and pulse until dough forms a ball. Form the dough into a disc and place on a well floured board. With a flour rolling pin, roll from center to the top. Turn dough 1/4 turn, and roll from center up again. Keep repeating this, turning 1/4 turn until the dough is the appropriate size for the pan.

These are cherry pocket pies I made with my lattice mold. A single crust recipe makes 4 of these pocket pies. And excess pie dough is also delicious sprinkled with cinnamon sugar and baked.