Nana's Pancakes

Nana {My Mom} is one of the best cooks on the planet.

That is according to her 6 grandchildren.

{And her 4 children.}


According to my kids, she is best known for banana cake, her sloppy Joes and

...Nana's Buttermilk Pancakes.

I am going to do my best to share her pancake heaven with you.

The board of ingredients is pretty white.
Luckily we have our own homegrown brown eggs for some color.

• Canola Oil
• Buttermilk
• Flour
• Eggs
• Baking Powder
• Baking Soda
• Salt
• Sugar

Let's start with the wet ingredients.

Crack the eggs into a large bowl.

Mix them up with a whisk.

Add the buttermilk.

Add the canola oil.

Whisk the wet ingredients together until they are combined.

Now it's time to mix the dry ingredients.

Add the sugar to the flour.

Add the baking powder, baking soda, and salt to the flour.

Mix the dry ingredients with a spoon until it is combined.

Now it's time to bring the wet and dry together.

Dunt, dunt, dunt, duh.

{to the tune of Monday night football music}

Use a whisk to mix it.

You're going to wind up with a lump batter.

That's okay.

Don't mix the heck out of it trying to get it smooth.

A non stick surface is the best way to cook pancakes.

Add a little canola oil to your pan or griddle.

You can move it around with a silicon brush or just use the back of your spatula.

Pour about 1/4 to 1/3 of a cup of batter into the pan.

You can make them perfect little circles if you want to.

{My pancakes are never perfect circles.}

See those bubbles on the edge?

The first pancake always has crispy edges and we fight over it.

:-)

It's going to be so yummy.

How do you know when to flip the pancakes?

See those bubbles forming along the edge of the pancake?

When the bubbles pop, it's time to flip.

There is a great deal of confusion when it comes to knowing if your pancake is fully cooked.

There are two ways to tell if your pancakes is ready.

Give your pancake a little poke in the middle.

If the pancake slowly bounces right back at you, it's perfectly cooked.

If the dent stays stuck, it's raw in the middle.

That is not as exciting as taking the pancake out of the pan, 

ripping it open to see if it is cooked,

and then eating it because the pancake is ripped in half.

My kids, of course, prefer the second method.
{See the popped bubbles along the right side of the pancake?}

You'll have to excuse me now.

I am craving carbs.

:-)

Buttermilk Pancakes

Ingredients:

4 Eggs
3 Cups Buttermilk
1/2 Cup Canola Oil
3 Cups Flour
6 Tablespoons Sugar
1 Tablespoon Baking Powder
1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
3/4 Teaspoon Salt

Directions:

1. Combine eggs, buttermilk and canola in a large bowl.
2. Combine Flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl.
3. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and whisk until combined. Batter should be lumpy. Do not over mix.
4. Cook pancakes over medium heat or at 350 degrees F on a griddle.
5. Enjoy.

Click here for a printer friendly version of this recipe.

Raspberry & Lemon Trifle

A few years ago I had to bring a dessert to a school function.
I panicked because I could not think of a single recipe that I wanted to make.
So I made something up.
I wanted it to be pretty and I was pretty pleased with what I came up with.
I was super delighted when the dessert seemed to be a hit.

It has since become one of our favorites.

Isn't it beautiful?

The best part about this is that it's so simple to throw together.

The board of ingredients:

• Angle Food Cake or 2 Angle Food Loaves
• 1 3.4 Ounce Package of Instant Lemon Pudding, Prepared
• 3 Cups Whipped Cream or Cool Whip
• Fresh Raspberries {I could only get half a pint, but use more if you like berries}
• 1 Lemon
• Willow Cottage Raspberry Sauce

Add the zest and juice of the lemon to the pudding and stir.
Look at this post for directions on zesting.
The pudding will thin out after you add the lemon juice, but that is okay

Angel Food cake is amazing.
It is a staple in our home.
Anyway, cut the cake up into cubes.
You could rip it if you wanted to.
This is how I did it.

Begin with about half the angle food cubes in the bottom of the bowl.

I turn the cubes on the outside of the bowl so that the brown crust is hidden.

Pour about half a cup of raspberry sauce over the angle food.

Spoon half of the pudding into the bowl.

 Spoon half of the whipped cream into the bowl.

 

Let's talk about technique for a moment.

I am very carefully leaving pockets of space on the side of the bowl.

I am doing this so that the trifle looks pretty.

Also, the next couple of wet layers will have a place to run when they are added.

Add a few raspberries.

Again, I like to put them around the outside edge so you can see them.

Add the second half of the angle food cake and repeat the same layering process.

Finish the top off with a puddle of whipped cream and raspberries.

Store it in the fridge for a few hours before you serve it.

Lemon and Raspberry Trifle

Ingredients:

Angle Food Cake
1 3.4 Ounce Package Instant Lemon Pudding, Prepared
Fresh Raspberries
Zest and Juice of One Lemon
3 Cups Whipped Cream or Cool Whip
2 Tablespoons Sugar
1 Cup Raspberry Sauce

Instructions:

1.  Cut Angle food cake into one inch cubes.  Layer one half of the cubes in the bottom of a trifle bowl.
2.  Drizzle 1/2 cup of raspberry sauce over the angle food cake.  
3.  Zest and juice the lemon.  Stir the juice and zest into the prepared lemon pudding.  Spoon one half of the lemon pudding over the angle food and raspberry sauce.
4.  Spoon half of the whipped cream onto the trifle and half the raspberries.
5.  Add the remainder of angle food cubes.
6.  Add another 1/2 cup of raspberry sauce to the angle food cubes.
7.  Top with the remainder of lemon pudding.
8.  Garnish with whipped cream and fresh raspberries.  Store in refrigerator.  Enjoy.

Click here for printer friendly version of this recipe.

I am linking to Foodie Friday at Rattlebridge Farm.

Easter Table Scape 2012

This is the first holiday that we will celebrate without all the kids at home.
So, I am setting a table for 4 instead of our usual 6.
I am going to need a little time to get used to this idea.
My husband keeps reminding me that this is a good thing.
I have to focus on counting our blessings instead of the headcount at the table.
I have to focus on our blessings.

Anyway, on to the tablescape.
I am starting with this adorable table cloth.  

My Mom made it from a piece of fabric.

Next on is the place mats.   

The place settings take up a lot of space on the table.

Next we add the dinner plate and the salade plate.

I am using my Noritake Tahoe china that we received as wedding presents when we got married.  

I love the tone on tone delicate floral pattern. 

Pale pink glasses and a water pitcher go on next.

I am serving lamb, so I am adding some steak knives to the table.  

I put the napkins on the plate to save space.  

On top of that is my quickie little place markers. 

I made little nests out of raffia and shot glasses.  

I added a sweet little green or cream egg to the glass.  

I will add a little tag later and tuck it into the raffia nest.

I love these sweet little favors.

Here is the table complete with the centerpiece. 

I love how it turned out.  

I'll show you how I made the centerpiece next. 

I started with a container that would fit the space.  

I am using the oval serving dish that matches the china.  

I also grabbed some more raffia, a silk hydrangea, dried eucalyptus and a few more farm fresh eggs.  

I love buying eggs straight from a farmer...and they come in amazing Easter colors.
I found a local farmer on Craig's List.

I love these colors.
They are so natural and beautiful.

I started with a little raffia in the bottom of the bowl. 

Next I grabbed some raffia and wrapped it around my fingers until it made a cute little nest shape. 

I added three nests because you always want to work in odd numbers.  

I can be very obedient.

Then I filled the little nests and added a couple more eggs for extra color.

I thought the flower added a springy touch.

Is springy a word? 

I cut some of the eucalyptus berries to add to the arrangement.  

I love the color of the berries next to the beautiful eggs. 

Ta-da! 

It's perfect for our little table. 

I hope you have a Joyous Easter Celebration.   

I am linking this to Tablescape Thursday at Between Naps on the Porch, Easter Link Party at Dear Lillie and Thrifty Tablescape at The Thrifty Groove.