I practiced to bake pancakes for Easter Sunday.
Recipe
Homemade Pancake Mix
Recipe from Everyday Food magazine (September 2006).
* I use a gallon size resealable freezer bag instead of an airtight container.
3 cups flour
6 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
Put all of ingredients into a resealable freezer bag. Seal and shake the bag.
When you store, press out most of the air and keep in a cool & dry place.
Homemade Grapefruit Peel Powder
I have been keeping grapefruit skins over the months in my freezer.
Now I have enough grapefruit skins to make grapefruit peel powder 🙂
1. Place the grapefruit peels in a large saucepan and cover with water. Set on the stove on high heat and bring to a boil. Drain the water from the peels.
2. Place back the peels and add 4 tablespoons sugar and 2 cups water to the saucepan. Cook until the peels are translucent.
3. Drain any remaining syrup from the peels.
4. Remove the white pith as much as you can.
5. Preheat the oven to 200 F.
6. Spread the peels in a single layer on parchment paper. Dry the peels in the oven until they are crisp and begins to curly. Let cool completely.
7. Place the cooled, dried peels in a food processor. Graind until fine powder is formed.
Sugar cookies
Sugar Cookies
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
1 sticks cold unsalted butter, cut in pieces
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 egg yolks
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Almonds and Dried Cranberries
Directions:
1. In a small bowl, lightly beat egg yolks and vanilla.
2. Place flour, sugar, butter, and salt in the bowl of a food processor; process until mixture is the texture of coarse meal.
3. With motor running, add egg mixture to food processor. Process until a dough forms.
4. Wrap the dough in plastic; chill until firm, at least 1 hour.
5. Preheat oven to 320F. Roll to a thickness of 3/4 inch.
(When I roll a cookie dough, I put the dough between the plastic wraps, so I don’t need sprinkle the extra flour to prevent sticking.)
6. Cut dough with a ginger bread man shape cookie cutter; transfer to baking sheet.
7. Put an almond or a dried cranberry on the cookie man’s chest; fold his arms over the almond or the dried cranberry; make eyes with a small writing tube.
8. Bake until edges are firm, 12-15 minutes. Cool 1-2 minutes on baking sheets.
Almond, Cranberry, and Raisin Biscotti
These delicious Biscotti (Italian cookie) are perfect for dipping in coffee or having with a cup of tea.
Ingredients:
2 cups All-Purpose Flour
½ cup Sugar
½ teaspoon Baking Powder
¼ teaspoon Salt
2 large Eggs + warter =4 oz
3 tablespoon Olive Oil
½ teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1 cup Almonds
¼ cup Dry Cranberries
¼ cup Raisins
Directions:
Toast whole almonds and cut them in halves.
Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Preheat oven to 350F
In a large bowl, combine dry ingredients (flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder) and mix well with a spoon.
In a small bowl, combine and beat eggs, olive oil, and vanilla extract.
Add egg mixture to the dry ingredients and mix well.
Add almonds, dry cranberries, and raisins to dough and mix well.
Sprinkle a little bit flour on a piece of plastic wrap. Dump ½ dough onto the plastic wrap. Form the dough into a rectangle shape (1 inch thick, 2 inches wide).
Place them on the cookie sheet with parchment paper. Bake for 30 minutes.
Remove from oven to a cutting board and slice on the bias while they are still warm.
Reduce oven temperature to 320F. Place cut sides down and bake an additional 20 minutes.
Let cool completely on wire rack.
Enjoy!!
Mont Saint Michel Style Omelette with Himalayan Truffle Salt
Last week I got a small cylindrical-shaped tin with the label “Himalayan Salt with Truffles” from Trader Joe’s.
Truffles go well with eggs, so I decided to make Mont Saint Michel Style Omelette with this salt.
Ingredients: (1 serving)
1 egg
1 Tablespoon unsalted butter
Himalayan salt with Truffles & Pepper
Directions:
1. Crack the eggs into a glass mixing bowl. Add salt and pepper. Beat it until turn a pale yellow color and stiff peaks form.
2. Heat a pan over low heat. Add the butter to the pan, swirling to coat.
3. Pour the egg mixture into the pan. Use a rubber spatula to smooth the egg mixture evenly. Let that cook until bubbles appear on the surface (like when you make a pancake but don’t flip it over)
4. When carefully slid the omelette out of the pan on to the plate, hold it in half.
Serve Immediately
Lemon Chicken
Quick and Easy. Sautéed chicken breasts in a flavored lemon sauce.
Ingredients:
1 Skinless, Boneless Chicken Breast Halves
1/2 (10 3/4 oz.) can Campbell’s Healthy Request Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup
2 Tablespoons Water
1/2 teaspoon Dried Parsley Flakes
1/2 Tablespoon Lemon Juice
1/4 teaspoon Paprika
1/8 cup Chopped Green Bell Pepper
1/8 cup Chopped Red Bell Pepper
1 lemon slice
Directions:
1. Stir the soup, water, parsley, lemon juice, and paprika in a small bowl.
2. Heat skillet over medium-high heat and add the olive oil or cooking oil.
3. Add the chicken and cook until well browned on both side. Remove the chicken from the skillet.
4. In the same skillet, heat soap and return the chicken to the skillet.
5. Put lemon slice on the chicken and add chopped bell peppers. Reduce the heat to low. Cover and cook until the chicken is cooked through.
Enjoy Lemon Chicken!!
Black Bean & kabocha Soup
4 servings
Ingredients:
1 medium red onion
2 cloves garlic
1 medium carrot
1 medium stalk celery
1/8 kabocha about 5 oz (Kabocha is a Japanese pumpkin. )
1 slice bacon
1 can (14 oz) chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 can (15 oz) black beans
1 lemon
Ingredients: Black Bean & Kabocha soup
Directions:
1. Peel and chop all vegetables. Slice Kabocha with its skin into small pieces.
2. Cut the bacon slice crosswise into 1/2-inch strips. In a large saucepan, cook bacon strips over medium heat about 1 minute, stirring constantly.
3. Add the onion and garlic to the bacon. Cook until onion is tender, stirring frequently.
4. Stir in the chicken broth, all vegetables, oregano, red pepper flakes. Heat to boiling over high heat. Once mixture is boiling, reduce heat just enough so mixture bubbles gently. Cover lid; cook until carrot and kabocha are tender about 10 minutes.
5. While broth mixture is cooking, drain the beans in a strainer then rinse with cool water. Place the 1/2 can beans in a small bowl, and mash them with a folk.
6. Stir the whole beans and the mashed beans into the broth mixture. Cook until beans are heated. Sprinkle chopped parsley or cilantro. Serve soup with lemon wedge.
Quinoa Salad
Ingredients:
1/2 cup quinoa
1 cup water
1/8 red bell pepper
1/8 green bell pepper
1/2 cup grape tomatoes
1/2 stick celery
1 tablespoon red onion
1/2 tablespoon raisins
1/2 tablespoon dried cranberries
2 tablespoon lemon juice
1. Cook quinoa according to package directions or read “How to cook Quinoa“. Set aside to cool.
2. Chopped vegetables.
3. Combine quinoa, chopped vegetables, dried cranberries and raisins, and lemon juice; season with salt and pepper.
The other day I added the diced cucumber, apple, and cooked soy beans. You also can add your favorite diced vegetables.
Quinoa Crackers
“Homemade nutty cracker”
Ingredients:
1/2 cup almond flower
1/2 cup cooked quinoa
1/2 tablespoons flax seed meal
1 tablespoon unsalted cashew nuts
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons water
1/2 tablespoon olive oil
(If you like to add more taste, you can add cayenne pepper, paprika, and some dried herb leaves.)
quinoa crackers:
Ingredients
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350F
2. In a food processor or blender, chop the cashew nuts into small pieces. Add the cooked quinoa; Process until dough is well combined.
3. Mix cashew nuts-quinoa dough, almond flower, flax seed meal, and salt together in a bowl until well combined. Add water and olive oil; mix until dough is moist and holds.
4. Turn dough onto parchment paper. Place a second piece of parchment over dough. Roll dough, using a rolling pin, into a 1/16-inch thick.
Remove top piece of parchment paper and cut dough with a pizza cutter.
5. Place dough on baking pan.
4. Bake in the preheated oven until outside edges of dough are browned about 20 minutes. Cool crackers.
(Before baking, I sprinkled cayenne pepper, paprika, and dried thyme leaves on the half of the dough.)
I Love Today!! --4Cs-- 