6 Tablespoons of unsalted butter 1 cup all-purpose flour 1 cup Spelt flour 1 Tablespoon sugar 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1 cup buttermilk 1 cup soy milk 4 large eggs
Step 1 – Melt the butter and set aside. Step 2 – In a large bowl, whisk together flours, sugar, baking powder, salt and baking soda. In a separate bowl, whisk together buttermilk, soy milk, melted butter and eggs. Fold wet ingredients into dry ingredients, Step 3 – Preheat waffle iron and, using a pastry brush lightly coat with butter or neutral oil.
Instant Pot is an all in one: a pressure cooker, rice cooker, slow cooker, yogurt maker, steamer, saute pan and food warmer. I have the small 3 quart Instant Pot and I don’t use it for a lot dishes but I do like for the following;
Hard Boiled Eggs – Prepare the Instant Pot by adding a little water to the pot and placing the steam rack on top. – Place the eggs on the steam rack and secure the lid. – Select Manual and cook at low pressure for 6 to 7 minutes (I do 6 minutes because I like a little softer hard boiled egg. – Once cooking in complete, use a quick release. Let the eggs cool for 30 seconds then immerse in ice water.
Long Grain Brown Rice – Turn Instapot on Saute, drizzle a little olive oil on the bottom – Add 1 cup of brown rice and a pinch of salt – stir to combine – Add 1-1/2 cups of water to the pot – stir – Secure the top, cancel saute and select manual pressure. – Select high pressure for 18 minutes. – When cooking in complete use a natural release.
Steel Cut Oats – Turn Instapot on saute, drizzle a little olive oil on the bottom – Add 1 cup of oats and a pinch of salt – stir to combine – Add 1-1/2 cups of any nut milk (Soy, almond, Oat etc) to the pot – stir – Add 1-1/2 cups of water – stir – Secure the top, cancel saute and select manual pressure. – Select high pressure for 8 minutes. – When cooking in complete use a natural release.
I really like this recipe for banana bread that I found and tweaked slightly. I’ve made it twice already and want to get the recipe down before I forget.
1/2 cup (8 Tablespoons) of soften unsalted butter.
1/2 cup of granulated sugar
1/2 cup of brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 overly ripe bananas (1 to 1-1/2 cups) mashed
1/4 cup of buttermilk
1 cup of all-purpose flour
3/4 cup of spelt flour
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 cup of finely chop toasted walnuts
1/2 cup organic raisins
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease and 4-1/2×9 loaf pan – I use a cast iron loaf pan and love the way the edges come out crispy
Cream the butter and sugar together in a large bowl – add the buttermilk, eggs, vanilla and the mashed bananas – beat until just combined.
In a separated smaller bowl whisk together the dry ingredients – flours, salt and baking soda.
Mix the dry ingredients into the wet and fold until fully mixed.
Add the optional raisins and toasted walnuts.
Pour batter into prepared loaf pan and bake for 50-55 minutes – when a tooth pick comes out clean.
Date: Sunday July, 2 2023 Time: 11AM Guests: Ed and Mary Frey, Rick and Alice, Andy, Matt and Clare Honorees: Robin and Andrea
I wanted and Robin and Andrea to come up and stay for a few days so I could pamper them so they could get a little relieve from there intense last several months. They bought a new house in Gray, Georgia, worked very hard to get their current ready to sell and they both had new jobs. I thought a little break would be good, but because of our train trip Robin didn’t have two days off in a row so they came up Saturday, after he got off work, stayed Saturday night and they left Sunday afternoon.
At the last minute, Friday afternoon, I decided to throw a Sunday brunch for a few family friends to help them celebrate. I had already scheduled a bike ride with Ed for Saturday and didn’t want to cancel, We started a ride at 8:10AM and finished our 28 miles around 10AM. I had a chocolate protein shake to help me recover and after a shower took off to the grocery store to get everything I needed for the brunch.
Menu: Drink: Coffee, Orange Juice and Champagne (Rick brought). Fruit: Grapes (red and green), watermelon and cantaloupe. Cheese: Brie and goat cheese. Bread: Croissants and Carr crackers. Main: Fried potatoes, Berry Croissant Bake, Ina Garten’s Breakfast strata
Berry Croissant Bake 6 – medium croissants, cut into small pieces 1-1/2 cup fresh blueberries 1/2 cup of fresh raspberries 1-1/4 (10 ounces) cream cheese soften 2/3 cup sugar 3 eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla 1 cup whole milk
Spray a 7×11, 2 quart baking disk with cooking spray.
Add croissants pieces to baking dish, Sprinkle berries over croissants, place optional the raspberries for a touch of color.
Beat the cream cheese for a minute with an electric mixer. Gradually add in sugar, eggs, vanilla and milk. Continue to mix until well blended.
Pour cream chees mixture over croissants and berries.
Cover and refrigerate over night.
Take out of refrigerator at least 30 minutes before baking.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Bake for 35-40 minutes or until golden brown and set in the center.
Let rest for at least 15 minutes. Serve warm with powdered sugar sprinkled on top.
Ina Garten’s Breakfast Strata 8 – cups (about a 12-ounce loaf) of a cubed crispy baguette of sourdough loaf. 8 slices of uncooked bacon. 1/2 cup chopped onion. 3 gloves of garlic. 3 packed cups fresh chopped spinach. 9 large eggs. 2 cups of whole milk. 1 teaspoon salt. 1 teaspoon ground mustard. 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper. 1-1/2 cups shredded parmesan 1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar.
It’s difficult, for me, to pass up Atlantic Salmon, especially when you can get at $8.99 a pound, but a whole salmon filet is a lot for one person. I decided to buy one and experiment with cutting it up into smaller pieces and freezing them. I cut them into rather large portions, wrapped each piece individually in saran wrap and and placed the pieces in a freezer bag. I’m not sure how long they last frozen, but I thawed a piece, that was in the freezer for 3 weeks, in the refrigerator over night – it was still very good. I baked the piece and had enough for 4 meals and 3 different dishes – they were all very good.
Baked Salmon over Pasta with Feta Cream Sauce Cook your pasta as directed, to slightly al dente and set aside. I used spaghetti but, angle hair, fettuccini or any long pasta will work. Feta Cream Sauce – 1 Tablespoon unsalted butter. – 3 teaspoons all-purpose flour – 12 Ounces evaporated milk. – 1-1/4 cups of feta cheese. – squeeze of lemon. In a medium skillet over low heat melt the, when the butter has melted, bout a minute, add the flour and whisk constantly for 2 or 3 minutes until the mixture turn a light brow and has a nutty aroma. Whisk in the evaporated milk and continue to whisk until the mixture comes to gentle boil – cook 3-5 minutes. Then stir in the cheese a little at a time until all the cheese has melted. Add the pasta to the cream sauce and cook long enough for the pasta to get coated. Note: I made my own evaporated milk by using a 32 ounce box of Parmalat milk and simmer all of the water out until I got 14 ounces – it took about 40 minutes. Now, I stock my pantry with evaporated milk. Salmon Set oven rack on top position and pre-heat to 450 degrees. Lay your salmon on baking sheet lined with aluminum foil, pat dry and sprinkle generously with Tony Chachere’s Creole Seasoning. Bake for 11 minutes then turn oven to broil and broil for a minute or so.
Salmon Cakes – with the baked salmon left over I decided to make make salmon patties.
Ingredients – Salmon, I used what I had left over. – 1 Cup panko bread crumbs. – 2 large eggs. – 2 teaspoons smoked paprika. – 1 Tablespoon nutritional yeast. – 1 teaspoon salt and pepper to taste. – 1 Tablespoon fresh parsley – chopped
Salmon cake with tartar sauce, zucchini, roasted potatoes(Brown’s garden), salad and cheddar jalapeno bread.
I made a salmon/ feta wrap with a leftover salmon cake for lunch that was delicious.
I put a little mayo on a tortilla wrap, crumbled the salmon on top, topped with some tartar sauce, sprinkled some chopped jalapenos and roasted red peppers, some fresh dill, and feta cheese. Then I rolled it and put it on a hot griddle long enough to warm the salmon, melt the cheese and get a little crunch on the tortilla – very good.
