November 12: German Pancakes/Buttermilk Syrup

It is a Saturday morning and often on a Saturday or Sunday morning we dine on German Pancakes. There are many names for this type of pancake but what it is is a egg, flour, and milk mixture that bakes and puffs up as it bakes. My recipe comes from one of my cookbooks "Company Best."

Pancake

6 TB butter

6 eggs

1 c milk

1 c flour

1/4 tsp salt

1 TB sugar

Preheat oven to 350. Melt butter in 9 x 13 pan in the oven. This warms the up pan and melts the butter at the same time. Watch it carefully, it can burn. Wire whisk the eggs, milk, flour, salt and sugar together. Pour egg mixture over melted butter in 9 x 13 pan. Cook 20-25 minutes or until lightly golden brown and bubbly.

Serve immediately with suggested toppings.

Buttermilk syrup. This is the best syrup ever! You will want to eat it by the spoonfuls. This recipe comes from my church cookbook. I love church cookbooks!

Or fresh fruit with whipped cream.

Or regular maple syrup is great also.

Buttermilk Syrup

1 cup sugar

1/2 c buttermilk

1/2 c butter

1/2 tsp soda

1 tsp vanilla

Bring sugar, buttermilk and butter to a boil over medium heat. Take off heat and add soda and vanilla. (When adding soda, it will double in size.)

November 11: Wendy's Like Chili

Happy Veteran's Day! I will post a recipe that reminds me of my dad, a veteran of the Korean War. He loved beans. Maybe he didn't love them, but he loved that they provided a hearty,economical meal for a family of 9. He was a barber and had Mondays off. Every Monday we would come home from school to a big pot of some kind of bean dinner. It was often chili. He never used a recipe and would just add things to taste. So I am posting one of my favorite chili recipes and it comes from my mother in law, Barbara. It gets this name because it tastes very much like the restaurant Wendy's chili.

2 lb ground beef

1 29 oz can tomato sauce

1 29 oz can kidney beans (with liquid)

1 c diced onions

1/4 c diced green chilies

1/4 c diced celery

3 medium tomatoes, chopped

2 TB cumin

3 TB chili powder

1 1/2 tsp black pepper

2 tsp salt

2 c water

Brown beef. Drain. Add all other ingredients. Simmer over low heat for 2 to 3 hours. Stir occasionally.

November 10: Taco Soup

It is starting to be soup season. Soups are generally easy to make, filling and a lower calorie meal. This recipe came from one of my church cookbooks. It was submitted by Bradley. There are many versions of taco soup out there. I love this one!

1 lb lean ground beef

1 can corn, undrained

1 biggest can tomato juice or V-8

1 can tomato soup

1 can kidney beans, undrained

1 can pinto beans, undrained

1 can black-eyed peas, undrained

or 1 can black beans, undrained

1 to 2 TB sugar

1 squirt ketchup

1/2 envelope taco seasoning

Cheddar cheese, grated

Fritos

Brown the beef in a large kettle. Add the next 10 ingredients; bring to a slow simmer. Place Fritos in the bottom of each bowl. Add soup. Top each bowl with grated cheese.

November 9: Parmesan Yogurt Chicken

This is definitely our favorite chicken recipe! I tasted this several years ago at my friend, Barbara's, Relief Society dinner. I went to the kitchen and requested this recipe and have been making it ever since.

1 tube of crushed Ritz Crackers

1 c plain yogurt, if it is too thick, thin it down with a little milk

1/3 c grated Parmesan cheese

¼ c butter, melted

1 tsp garlic salt

1 recipe Sour Cream Chicken sauce

6-8 boneless, skinless chicken breasts Sauce (see below)

Combine cracker crumbs, Parmesan cheese, and garlic salt. Dip each piece of chicken in yogurt to coat and then in crumb mixture. Arrange in greased 9x13 baking dish. Drizzle with melted butter. Bake at 350 degree oven for about 45 minutes. Top with Sour Cream Chicken Sauce, if desired.

Sour Cream Chicken Sauce

2 (10 3/4-ounce) cans cream of chicken soup, undiluted

1 c sour cream

In a small saucepan heat soup and sour cream together over low heat, stirring frequently.

November 8: Lettuce Wraps

I love lettuce wraps from PF Changs and so I sampled and experimented with a few recipes until I came up with this one. It is so yummy. Enjoy!

Meat mixture:

1 lb extra lean ground turkey

1-2 cans water chestnuts, drained and chopped

2/3 c chopped mushrooms, optional

3 TB chopped onion, optional

½ bottle teriyaki sauce, or homemade stir fry sauce

3-4 sliced green onions, green part only

Brown turkey in a generous amount of olive oil. Add water chestnuts and teriyaki sauce. Heat. Add green onions. Place a 1/4 c portion of meat mixture on lettuce leaf. Add a spoonful of special sauce. Add any toppings. Roll up lettuce around meat mixture. Enjoy.

Stir Fry Sauce: 4 TB soy sauce 4 TB brown sugar 4 tsp rice wine vinegar Special Sauce: 1/4 c sugar 2 TB ketchup

½ c water

1 TB lemon juice

2 TB soy sauce

1/8 tsp sesame oil

2 TB rice wine vinegar

1 TB hot mustard

1-2 tsp garlic and red chili paste

Mix together over medium heat. Serve over lettuce wraps.

November 7: Rice Dessert

My family and I were spending some time with our friends, the Boogert's, on their house boat at Lake Powell and one evening they showed us this great treat using leftover rice.

Cooked rice

Sugar

Butter

Combine all ingredients in a microwave safe bowl. Heat until butter melts and heated throughout.

November 5: Creamy Alfredo

This recipe is a staple in our family. It tastes like Pizza Factory's Alfredo. It is fast and easy. A friend, Linda, took a cooking class and shared this recipe with me.

1 8-oz cream cheese, cubed

½ c butter

¾ c grated Parmesan cheese

½ c milk

In a large saucepan stir together cream cheese, Parmesan cheese, butter and milk over low heat until smooth. It gets very thick. I add more milk to the consistency that I like.