Pancakes

Alright, Mother's Day is less than a week away. Can you tell I'm a little excited? There are only two days of the whole year that everyone in the household takes care of me. I do not take advantage of these two days. I do not act like a diva and say please provide me with a small bowl of green M&Ms only. I do not go crazy but it is nice to feel appreciated. Now if only it doesn't rain and then the picnic will be fun. 

 I will admit my husband is very sweet and makes me breakfast on Mother's Day. He makes the best french toast. Since I knew we will be having french toast next week, I decided to make some pancakes. I frequently look at The Pastry Queen cookbook. There are so many recipes I want to try that The Project Pastry Queen have posted before I joined. When I saw Mother's Day Pancakes, I had to try them. It does say Mother's Day. 

 This recipe made enough for 5 people with plenty of left over. I made little silver dollars and then froze them. When you want to make them, you just pop them in the toaster oven and toast them. My youngest daughter checks making them. Yes, she liked them that much.

Mother's Day Pancakes
2 eggs
3 1/2 cups buttermilk
1 tsp baking soda
3 1/4 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 tsp sugar
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 Tbsp vegetable oil

Directions:

1. Whisk together the eggs and buttermilk in a large bowl. 
2. Whisk in the baking soda until combined.
3. Add the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Whisk until incorporated.
4. Stir in the melted butter and vanilla.
5. Heat a frying pan over medium heat.
6. Add a little oil to the pan and wait about 30 seconds.
7. Pour 1/2 cup of the batter into the frying pan.
8. When bubbles form on top of the pancake, flip the pancake over.
9. Cook the pancake until the bottom is golden brown.
10. Serve immediately with maple syrup or sugar.

Recipe adapted from The Pastry Queen.

Did you already know...
-It takes roughly 40 gallons of sap from the maple tree to make 1 gallon of maple syrup.
-It does no permanent damage to a maple tree and only 10 percent of the trees sap is collected per a year.
-The maple syrup tapping season tends to last only 8 to 10 weeks.
Now you know why it is so expensive.

Dulce de Leche Arborio Rice Pudding

Sometimes you make something and it comes out so good that you are surprised. This dish surprised me. I have only had rice pudding with raisins in it. So, I thought I wasn't a big fan. I loved this dish. I think this may become a staple on my Thanksgiving meal. My family liked it too.

 The rice pudding was picked by Emily of Ruf Love for The Pastry Queen Project. My youngest daughter loved the Dulce de Leche. I am lucky I had enough for this recipe. She kept trying to sneak some. She also informed everyone else in the house how great it tasted and they should try it. I had to hide it so I could use it for this recipe. I did leave out the vanilla and amaretto liqueur and still thought this recipe was wonderful. I did keep rinsing out my medium saucepan to reuse so I could save on dishes. I think saving on dishes is my ultimate domestic goal. If I only had a family member who loved to do dishes, but as of this date I have had no volunteers.

Dulce de Leche- Arborio Rice Pudding
1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup Arborio rice
2 cups water
1 1/2 cups low fat milk
4 large egg yolks
1/4 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 cup toasted slivered almonds, for garnish
1 cup chilled heavy cream
1/3 cup dulce de leche

Directions:
To make the dulce de leche:

1. Take the paper wrapper from the can of condensed milk. Make sure all the glue is removed.
2. Puncture two small holes on the opposite sides of the top of the can with a can opener.
3. Place the condensed milk can in a medium saucepan.
4. Fill the saucepan with water until the water reaches 2/3 of the way up the side of the can.
5. Cover the saucepan and bring the water to a boil over high heat.
6. Lower the heat so the water simmers. Simmer for 1 hour.
7. Check on the water content to ensure the water level is above the 1/2 mark. Some of the milk will seep out of the holes in the can but it is fine.
8. The condensed milk has become dulce de leche when the milk has turned a golden brown.
9. Remove the can from the simmering water with tongs very carefully. 
10. Allow to cool slightly and open with a can opener.

To make the rice pudding:

1. Coat 6( 4 oz.) ramekins with cooking spray or a 6 cup ovenproof casserole dish.
2. In a medium saucepan, bring the rice and water to a boil.
3. Allow the rice and water to simmer for 5 minutes.
4. Drain the rice in a colander and pour back into the saucepan.
5. Add the low fat milk to the rice.
6. Cover and simmer the rice for 20 minutes or until the milk is absorbed.
7. Transfer the rice to a bowl.
8. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
9. In a heat proof medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks and brown sugar together until smooth.
10. In a medium saucepan, bring the heavy cream and 1 cup dulce de leche to a boil over medium heat.  Remove the saucepan from the heat.
11. With a second person/mixer, begin to whisk the egg mixture vigorously. Add 2 Tbsp. of the hot cream mixture to the continuously whisked egg mixture. Continue to whisk for a few seconds.
12. Slowly, pour the rest of the cream into the egg mixture while whisking continuously.
13. Add the cooked rice and mix to incorporate.
14. Pour the rice mixture into the prepared casserole dishes. 
15. Bake for 45 minutes or until the top is browned. A toothpick should come out clean if it is stuck in the middle of the dish.
16. While the rice pudding is cooking, make the whip cream.
17. Add the heavy cream to a large bowl. Whisk the heavy cream until soft peaks form.
18. Add 1/3 cup dulce de leche into the heavy cream. Beat until incorporated.
19. Serve the rice pudding warm or room temperature. Top each serving with toasted almonds and whip cream if desired. 

Recipe slightly adapted from The Pastry Queen.

 Did you already know...
- Dulce de leche translates into sweet of milk.
-It is very popular in South America.
-Some versions use goat milk or unsweetened coconut milk to make dulce de leche.

Chicken Salad Roll Up

When I was growing up, I hated leftovers. I hated them. (I just wanted to make sure you knew how I really felt.) So, I think it is very strange I live in a household that like leftovers. If I make a nice meal, my husband will call on his way home to ask me if there is any left. 

The problem comes when I am trying to make two meals from one. I made this roast chicken which is popular in our household. I also planned to make chicken salad roll ups with the leftover chicken. I had to stress to everyone not to touch the leftover chicken. My husband later told me that he was glad he waited. It was hard but he was glad.

Chicken Salad Roll Up
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup light Greek yogurt
1 Tbsp mustard
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp tarragon
3 cups cooked chicken, cubed
1 cup slivered blanched almonds
1 Granny Smith apple, cored and diced
2 stalks celery, diced
1/4 cup minced onion
salt and pepper
4 tortilla

Directions:

1. Arrange the almonds on a baking sheet in a single layer.
2. Toast the almonds for 7 or until golden brown. Set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, mix the mayonnaise, yogurt, mustard, lemon juice, tarragon.
4. Add the chicken, almonds, apple, celery, and onion to the  mayonnaise mixture.
5. Mix the ingredients until incorporated.
6. Season with salt and pepper to taste. 
7. Place 1/4 of the filling in the center of the tortilla and roll. 

Recipe adapted from The Pastry Queen.

Did you already know...
-As a celebration to the Duke Duc de Richelieu's military victory over the English, the Duke's French chef created a feast in 1756.
-For the feast, the chef was making a sauce with eggs and cream but he didn't have any cream.
-The chef substituted olive oil for the cream and named it mahonnaise.
-The word mahonnaise was misprinted in a 1841 cookbook and the name has been known since as Mayonnaise.

May Day

When I think of May Day, I think of Maypoles, flowers, and ribbons. The flowers are in bloom and it is a beautiful time of year. In celebration of enjoying the warm weather. I made pinwheels. This time in the form of a cookie. I have made pinwheels out of paper and they aren't very hard to make. They usually work.

My husband liked the filling in these cookies. My children did not. So, I made them both ways. I preferred the cookies with the filling since it gave them a little more flavor. I normally do not show you the steps of making something but I did this time since I think it's always easier to show then describe.

Coconut-Cream Cheese Pinwheels
Dough:
2 cups all purpose flour (additional for work surface)
1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
3 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
Filling:
3 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
3 Tbsp sugar
3/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1/4 cup white chocolate chips
Glaze:
1 egg, lightly beaten
fine sanding sugar, for sprinkling
1/3 cup strawberry jam

Directions:

1. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, and baking powder. Set aside.
2. In a mixer, cream the butter and cream cheese for about two minutes.
3. Add the egg and vanilla to the mixer.
4. Slowly, add the flour mixture. 
5. Mix until just combined.
6. Divide the dough into half and pat into disks.
7. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate dough for about 1 to 2 hours.
8. After dough is chilled and firmed, preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
9. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
10. Make the filling by creaming together the sugar and cream cheese. 
11. Fold in the coconut and white chocolate chips.
12. Roll the dough to about 1/8 inch think on a lightly floured surface. 
13. Make 2 1/2 inch squares with a fluted cookie cutter or fluted pastry wheel.
14. Place the dough onto the baking sheet and refrigerate for 15 minutes.
15. Repeat with the other disc of dough.
16. With a fluted pastry wheel, cut 1 inch slits diagonally from each corner towards the center. Do not cut all away across. (See above)
17. Place 1 tsp filling in the center of each square.
18. Fold over every other corner towards the filling. Form a pinwheel.
19. Press lightly to seal the corners. Make a well in the center of each cookie.
20. Brush each cookie with the beaten egg. Sprinkle each cookie with the sanding sugar. Bake 6 minutes.
21. Add 1/2 tsp jam in the center of each cookie.
22. Bake another 6 minutes or until the edges are golden.
23. Transfer to a wire rack to cool for about 5 minutes.

Recipe adapted from Martha Stewart's Cookies.

Did you already know...
-May Day is the celebration of Spring.
-The celebrations date back to Egyptian times.
-The Celtics celebrated the Pagan holiday called Beltane on Mayday.
-Traditional May Day foods are oats and diary.
-The Puritans banned Maypoles.

Pasta Salad

Did you know Mother's Day is less than two weeks away? I just can't believe May is here tomorrow. Normally, I visit my Mom on Saturday of Mother's Day weekend. I bring her a gift and visit with her. My husband does the same and brings his Mom a gift. Since I have three sisters, I normally do not have to share my Mom on Saturday. My Mom gets to celebrate the whole weekend for Mother's Day. 

Normally, we spend Mother's Day doing yard work. However, this year I want to go on a picnic. I was hoping to bring the kids on a picnic before now but time has gone by so fast. We have invited our Mom's to join us if they would like. It would be really nice.

I figured I would make pasta salad with supper. I decided to try this recipe from food network's Sandwich King. I had to adapt this recipe a lot due to no asparagus. I already had macaroni noodles. Also, the original recipe did not have a lot of flavor. My oldest daughter told me an artist has to change 70% of a picture to claim it as their own. I'm not sure what the rule would be in cooking. I know if I go into the kitchen with no recipe and create a dish which wasn't inspired by another then I can claim it as my own. If I use another recipe, I would have to change it a lot before I will say it is mine. My oldest daughter insists this needs to be served cold. I liked it both ways. She also said she liked the shredded cheese better since she gets some in every bite. I will admit I added my frozen peas to my pasta water to save on dishes.

Pasta Salad
1 lb macaroni noodles
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp sugar
2 cloves of garlic, minced 
1/8 cup lemon juice
2 Tbsp white wine vinegar
salt and pepper to taste
10 plum tomatoes, cubed
1 cup cooked peas (optional)
1/4 cup roasted yellow peppers
2 sprigs of fresh dill
1 Tbsp oregano
1/4 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions:
Cook the pasta according to directions.
Mix the olive oil, mustard, sugar, garlic, lemon juice, vinegar, salt, and pepper. Make sure the ingredients are well incorporated.
Toss the olive oil mixture with the pasta.
Add the tomatoes, peas, peppers, dill, oregano, and cheese.
Toss well and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Recipe by Jen of Sweet Morris

Did you already know......
-Distilled white vinegar is the most popular vinegar in America.
-Wine vinegars are more acidity in Europe than in America.
-Vinegar has been used for over 10,000 years.