Pancakes

I used to think pancakes were impossible to make without Bisquick. But they're not. And they make a weekend morning awesome. Plus, there's something to be said for knowing exactly what you are eating AND being able to pronounce all the ingredients that go into it ;)

Here's what you'll need

1  3/4 cups flour

2 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 egg

1  1/2 cups milk

3 tablespoons cooking oil

Put you egg, milk, and oil in a bowl/measuring cup and mix.

This is me squishing the egg yolk.

Now add the sugar, flour, baking powder, and salt and mix. 

Add the egg mixture to the flour combo and mix. Make sure your sous chef is supervising.

The trick with pancakes is low and slow. Low heat, seriously at about level 2 out of 10. Otherwise the insides will be goo and the outside will burn.

Add another tablespoon of oil to a skillet and a quarter cup of your mix to make on pancake.

Now, I often end up with a sacrificial first pancake and that's ok. I'll flip it too early or there's too much oil in the pan and it looks weird. So be prepared to throw the first one out and keep going.
It will be worth it, I swear.

This is what should look like when you are ready to flip. You can see bubbles that are popping, the sides look solid. It's starting to look cooked.

 Flipped!

 Stack them together on a plate and smile.

 Then add some syrup :)

Applesauce!!!

You can make your own applesauce. It's actually not too hard.

Here's what you need
6 apples (go to the orchard, it's a good date)
3 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 orange - juice and zest
1 lemon - juice and zest


First, zest your lemon and orange. Place this stuff in a bowl. Then squeeze out the juice into the bowl.
Preheat your over to 350.

Now peel your apples. This part is a pain. I have an apple slices that cores and cuts the apple, so it made this next step easier. Either way you need to cut your apple into 4 pieces and cut out the core part.
Then put the apples in the bowl and mix with the juice and zest.

Now add this to a dutch-oven style pot that's oven safe. Add your sugar and butter. Mix it up.

 Cover the pot and put it in the over for 1 1/2 hours. When you take it out, use a whisk to swish all the goodness together.

And you just made applesauce :)

Pepper Jack Stuffed Pork Chops

So I have a thought, let's put some cheese in a pork chop.

Here's what you'll need
2-4 pork chops, thick ones without the bone
Shredded pepper jack cheese
Cajun seasoning (your choice)
Sliced apple (optional)
Tin foil
Olive oil for you to drizzle

First, preheat your oven to 400.
Then, you need to cut a pocket into your chop. Take a knife and push it about 2/3 of the way into the side of the chop like this.

Be careful not to cut your hand as you move the knife all the way across the one side of the chop. Also, don't let the knife go all the way through.
Here's a sliced one.

 Now take a handful of cheese and shove it in each chop.

You can shove as much in as you want. I like to put so much that it's hard to press the edges down to close the chop.

Now place the chop on a piece of tin foil that's big enough to close it into a little pouch. Then cover with Cajun seasoning. I use some stuff my parents brought me back from New Orleans and it's amazing.

We just went to the apple orchard so I thought hey, let's put a few slices of apple on the pork because they bake beautifully.
Does this look like Kermit the frog to anyone else?

 Close up your pockets and back for 30 minutes.

Ta da! The salty kick of the Cajun spice matches the pepper jack in an equal battle of deliciousness.
I chose to serve this with some sautéed veggies.

Garlic Lime Chicken Bucatini

Bucatini? This pasta gem was an adventure to find...until I realized it's sold at Hy-Vee. It's thicker than spaghetti with a hole that goes right down the middle. I think it was designed for slurping.

Anyways, this dish is my take on something I ate at Flying Mango - a taste explosion in Beaverdale. If you haven't been there before, then you should probably go. Just google them and make your reservation now.

Here's what you'll need

2 chicken breasts

3 limes

2 lemons

1 zucchini chopped

some mushrooms chopped

4-6 garlic cloves, depending on the size, minced

2 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon olive oil

1+ teaspoon red pepper

1 mango chopped

1 package bucatini pasta

This one requires some marinating for at least a couple hours if not overnight. Put your two chicken breasts in a plastic bag or a container that closes. Add the juice of two limes and one lemon. Throw the leftover limes and lemon in the bag too. 

So I forgot to take pictures when I started this, but I then I remembered about half way through.

When you're ready to start cooking, chop your chicken into small pieces.

Boil your water and cook the pasta according to the package directions.

While that's cooking, turn your pan on medium heat. Add oil. Then add your garlic. Let it sizzle for just a few moments so you don't burn it. Now add your chicken. Sprinkle some, but not all, of your red pepper flakes on the chicken when it starts to cook. 

When your chicken is almost cooked, add your veggies and cook until they're done.

Set this mix aside. Here's what it looks like. Look, a picture!

Now turn your heat down a little. Add a drizzle of olive oil and the butter. Melt the butter. Watch it so you don't go overboard and burn it.

Once the butter is melted add your pasta and mix. Add the juice of your last lime. Add more red pepper flakes. If you love the spicy, you can add more and more until you're happy. Just mix it all up.

Once the butter is evenly mixed through the pasta, add your meat and veggies.
Then chop up your mango and scatter some piece on top of each plate.

The sweetness of the mango blends into the tang of the lime and then they both roll into the cream of the garlic-butter sauce. Every few bites you get the pep of the red pepper. And it's a damn good time!