pancake syrup for pennies

well, after i came home from the grocery store, with my list, i still manage to forget a few things and pancake syrup was one. oh well. i still had the old bottle, so looking at the ingredients i just figured i could make it. i quickly found a recipe online, changed it up a smidge and i got the easiest and tastiest pancake syrup for practically pennies. now, i have only made one batch, but you would definitely need to double or triple to fill your typical ain't yo'mama bottle. this is thick, sweet and downright yummy.
here is what you do...

bring to a boil the following:

one cup of packed light brown sugar
3/4 cup of water
1/2 cup light corn syrup

boil seven minutes. it should be nice and thick. now, let it cool a few minutes, add a teaspoon of real vanilla extract and a splash of butter extract. taste the elixir to see if need to add more. also, you could  add maple flavoring if you want. i didn't want. 

cool and enjoy. viola! you have just made your very own pancake syrup. i  poured mine into my empty bottle and popped into the cupboard. i am off thrifting today in hopes of finding a new, cool syrup dispenser of some sorts. yeehaw.

enjoy.

crazy moist pumpkin bread

i was not planning on posting this recipe, but it was such a big hit last night, i though why not. this is a crazy moist pumpkin bread with great flavor thanks to a secret ingredient, instant coconut pudding. if you love quick breads, this is for you. enjoy

pumpkin bread

preheat oven to 325 and grease a loaf pan or 9x9 square

mix in one bowl 2/3 cup oil, two eggs and one cup pumpkin

in another  bowl mix one cup flour, one cup sugar, 1 regular sized box of instant coconut pudding, 1/2 t salt, 1/2 t baking soda and 1/2 t of cinnamon

add dry to wet, stir to combine. bake for one hour  or so. check with a toothpick, you might need to go a bit longer depending on your oven and or pan size. i cover mine loosely with foil after an hour, so it doesn't brown too much while the inside it getting done. cool. slice. chow.

mini pumpkin muffin bites

i am not sure where i got this recipe, but it must be off the net. i have it jotted down on a piece of paper and stuck among a pile of recipe print outs and rip outs stuffed into my kitchen cabinet. you know, open the door and a downpour of paper showers on your head or open the door with one hand, as the other holds the papers, stacked cook books back! got one of those yourself?

anyway, i guess you could call these pumpkin muffin bites or something like it. i was calling them doughnuts, but they are not, really. i baked them in my mini muffin tin, not my doughnut pan. oh wait,  i don't have a doughnut pan like this one. it is on my wish list, a girl can dream can't she? oh, dreams do come true. i got the microplane and a whirly pop to prove it. anyway....

these little babies turned out great. they are quick, easy and taste yummy. my entire family liked them, but caroline loved them. they are that good. i do think next time i might up the spices a tad. i would like a bit more of a bite myself. here is the recipe that i used and feel free to call them whatever you like, pumpkin holes, pumpkin balls, pumpkin rug balls, pumpkin porch balls, etc....

mini pumpkin muffin bites

preheat your oven to 350 degrees and spray two mini muffin tins

sift together the following:


1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoons nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon allspice
heavy pinch of cloves
heavy pinch of ginger

in another bowl whisk the following:
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon good vanilla extract
3/4 cup canned or cooked pumpkin
1/2 cup buttermilk

Mix the dry into the wet ingredients. fill you tins just to the top. bake for about 10 minutes or so. you can check with a cake tester, toothpick or your finger. let cool a few minutes.

now melt a three or four tablespoons of butter in a bowl.  in another bowl mix sugar and cinnamon together to your taste. i go heavy on the cinnamon myself. dip the tops of the bites into the butter, then into the sugar mixture. you are done. easy. enjoy.
 
ps-these were fab-u-lous with a hot cup of coffee. oh yum.

EDIT-i just thought i would take a second to explain the suggested names of pumpkin rug balls and pumpkin porch balls to you, so you would not think that i was too nuts. years ago my sister in law's late mother made a batch of meatballs for her large family. it was a holiday gathering, so lots of folks. she dropped the entire pan on the carpeted floor, picked them up, washed them and fed the crowd. every year after, her kids requested her famous "rugballs". she is my hero.

the porch balls, well actually, it was basically the same thing, but on my front porch and different sister in law. they were dang tasty.  enjoy.
 
Week 5 Twelve Weeks of Christmas: 

ginger scones

for the second week of the 12 weeks of christmas cookies i opted to make epicurious' ginger scones and i am glad i did. these ginger scones, unlike last week's cookie flop, are good. they were a little frustrating at times and i know i over handled the dough a bit, but overall they turned out pretty dang tasty. the scones were not exactly the prettiest ones i have ever made or seen. i was getting so irritated with the dough that i haphazardly cut them out with my biscuit cutter. when i began, the dough was too dry, then sticky, then soft and generally ticking me off! i was loosing my patience, so i just plopped them all onto my silpat and threw'em in the oven. well, i let them get too brown, oops, no harm done.

can you can see the candied ginger? i purchased a bag from trader joe's and boy howdy, does it have a bite. i diced it on the tennie weenie side. there is not only a great ginger kick, but a tart lemon punch, too. well, more like a lemon tickle from lemon zest. what a great flavor combination those two are, wow. you know, i would make these ginger scones again. truthfully, there were pretty simple and....

i like'em. enjoy.

Week 2 Twelve Weeks of Christmas:

super quick pumpkin muffins, low fat

this is an old weight watchers recipe that i have been using for years. my daughter caroline can not get enough of these muffins. she doesn't need to know they are low fat, not that she would even know what that means or even care as she is stuffing her pie hole. these little babies are so yummy, lower in fat, yet moist and flavorful, so real quick, here is the recipe. you need one box of your favorite cake mix. i use spice, but you can use carrot, yellow or even chocolate cake mix. now add to that one small can of pureed pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling folks. it has been difficult to find canned pumpkin due to the the great pumpkin shortage charlie brown, but it is finally hitting the shelves for the season, so stock up! okay add to those one third cup of water, mix really well and your are done. bake in a 12 muffin pan spritz with baking spray, 30 minutes at 350 degrees. cool a minute or two and enjoy. you could easily icing these and call them cupcakes, or plop some cream cheese in the middle before baking to make a starbucks pumpkin muffin knockoff, and so on. the pumpkin replaces the fat, so after a day or two, they tend to get chewy. store in a covered container at room temp. enjoy!

oven ready, i use an ice cream scoop for measurement.

thirty minutes later.....

pass the butter....

and put on a pot of coffee....

breakfast cookie with tamarin and cranberries

what's tamarin you ask? well let me tell you. "tamarin is a new speculoos spread introduced to europe in 2008. based on a traditional european speculoos wafer, tamarin offers a unique, complex flavor - mildly sweet with a hint of cinnamon. when spread on a slice of bread, a biscuit or croissant, it is the ultimate compliment to a tall glass of milk, a cup of coffee or hot tea!"

i was giving the opportunity to try a complimentary jar from the tamarin sandwich spread  folks via elle over at elle's new england kitchen, on one condition, that i come up with a recipe using the spread. okay, i am game.

well, i promptly got my jar and dug in. it is different. it is delicious. it looks like, but tastes nothing like, peanut butter. it is sweet, creamy with a hint of cinnamon and other spices.

hmmmm, what can i make?

what did i make?

i made this....

beth's big  big ol'breakfast cookie with tamarin and cranberries!

heat oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit

in a bowl, mix together the following:
1/2 cup of rolled oats
1 T of all purpose or whole wheat flour
1/4 t of baking powder
1/2 t of real vanilla extract
big dash of cinnamon
1 heaping T of tamarin sandwich spread
1 T of dried cranberries
1 heaping T of unsweetened applesauce

thoroughly combine and spread onto a silpat or parchment lined baking sheet shaping into a large cookie. bake for about 25 minutes, cool briefly and enjoy.
a few notes, you might need to add a tad bit more applesauce, use your own judgment, you want the cookie to just come together, but not be too wet. also, there is no additional sweetener in the recipe. the tamarin spread makes it slightly, but not overly sweet as is, but you could always add a little sugar, honey or sugar substitute to your own taste. me, i would only add a teaspoon at a time tasting as i go, until satisfied with the sweetness of the mixture.

let me tell you, it was yummy. i ate it straight from the oven while it was still warm. the cookie was chewy and full of flavor. i am not a fan of your typical breakfast fare, so this was over the top for me. i paired it was an ice cold glass of low fat milk. yum. the tamarin spread lent it creamy cinnamon goodness to the cookie, but did not overpower the sweet tang of the cranberries. oatmeal has been praised for its fiber and its "staying" power. it sticks with me. i felt good about eating this "cookie".  i think this was a healthy start to the day, not only does it taste good, but it is good for you. enjoy.

cinnamon breakfast muffins, low carb

well here i go again, my attempt at a die-t. this go around it is the south beach version of low carbing. i am on phase one and completely over it already. thankfully, i have my foodie friend april of abby sweets to keep me company. we are both diabetics who adore food and all aspects of it, unfortunately, so we are constantly searching the net for new recipes to try and share. i made these tasty little muffins today and was surprised how good they are considering.....considering they are made out of beans! yep, beans, cannellini beans to be exact, no flour whatsoever. did you know that beans are a great source of fiber and low carb?

here is the recipe followed with a few tips from moi.

low carb cinnamon breakfast muffins

1 15oz can of cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
3 eggs
1 cup splenda
1/4 cup nonfat dry milk
2 t baking powder
2 T canola oil
1 t cinnamon
1 t imitation vanilla

whirl till smooth in your food processor. bake at 350 degrees in a greased muffin tin for about 25 minutes. cool five minutes. enjoy.

now, what i did-i used stevia instead of splenda, it is a natural not artificial sugar substitute, i used 1/2 cup, also i doubled the cinnamon and vanilla, gotta kill that bean taste. oh, grease your pan real goooood like, every one of my muffins stuck a bit. one more thing, i completely forgot the dry milk, so i bet they will taste even better next time! i think these are a great jumping off point for other add-ins like dark chocolate. tally-ho, on to phase two!

quickie blueberry smoothie

whipped this up for the fam this morning and it was a big hit.

throw in a blender a 1/2 cup milk, 1/2 frozen blueberries, 2 tbsp. instant vanilla pudding, 2 tsp. of vanilla extract[you can use imitation for this] and one cup of low fat vanilla yogurt. whirl till thick and blended. you can also add a banana, too. i didn't. you might need to add more milk, a splash at a time depending on your desired thickness. enjoy. we did.

chocolate chip surprise muffins

chocolate chip surprise muffins, you can find the recipe here. these are delicious!



my hubby immediately snarfed three and packed two for lunch, so they must be all right. the surprise part....


look close, a little pocket of sweet cream cheese! mine did not come out as pretty as karly's, but are still dang tasty. go make a batch today. enjoy.

harvest grain pancakes w/wo blueberries

this is the only picture i have of this morning's pancakes, the very last one i made and no blueberries added. we have a new ihop in town and my kids wanted to give it a try, so we did. jamie and i had the harvest nut&grain pancakes with bananas. guess what? they were good, very good. i went online and did a search and came across quite a few recipes that claimed to be "copykats". i incorporated them all to come up with a simple tasty recipe. i added frozen blueberries to the hub's and mine, just dropped a few in as they were cooking in the pan. the kid's i left plain. these pancakes were gobbled by everyone in my house, which is a rarity. these babies are a keeper in my book. next time, i plan on adding chopped walnuts and top with some sliced 'nanners. enjoy.

beth' knockoff ihop harvest grain pancakes

first, process 3/4 cup rolled oats till fine like a flour, mix with 3/4 cups whole wheat flour, two tbsp. all purpose flour, 2 tsp. baking soda, 1 tsp. baking powder and a 1/2 tsp. kosher salt.

in another bowl, beat an egg, 1/4 canola oil, 1/4 sugar, 1 1/2 cups lowfat buttermilk

mix the dry into the wet, just till well combines and griddle 1/3 cup of batter at a times, as usual. i added frozen blueberries as the batter was starting to bubble slightly. the heat will defrost the berries. you certainly could stir in any nuts or even dried fruit. ihop adds chopped walnuts, but i bet pecans and almonds would be great, too!

ps-sorry for the super, duper, pooper picture!! they were goooood.

cinnamon/vanilla sour cream pancakes

so, it feels like i have not posted anything food related in ages. so here. i made these super dense pancakes, ummmm, well, ages ago? they were simple to make, moist, heavy, cake-y and gobbled up by my four year old. i can not remember where the recipe originated, because i have it scribbled down on a old legal pad, circa 1980's courtesy of the federal government(nasa/dad). truth is, i probably wrote it down with one of those government black pens, too. if you have any connection to nasa or the government, you will know exactly what i am talking about. any way, i digress, now to the recipe. enjoy.

beth's cinnamon/vanilla sour cream pancakes

mix dry ingredients in a bowl-

2 c flour
2 t baking powder
2 T sugar
1 t baking soda
1 t cinnamon
1/2 t salt

now mix wet together in a bowl-

4 t melted butter
1 c milk
2 beaten eggs
1 c sour cream( i used reduced fat)
1 T real vanilla

mix your wet into your dry and griddle away. this make a lot of pancakes. i had a stack leftover, wrapped in saran and heated the next morning. i believe this pancakes would be even better with blueberries or chocolate chips sprinkled in when cooking.

ps-notice my hint of chicken up top? it is a table runner. isn't it amazing the useless crap you don' t really need that you can find at big lots!

karly's granola bars

so, as many of you know i have been on a granola kick lately. i started making my own to satisfy my need to eat breakfast, but lack of desire to do so. it has been a great help keeping my blood sugar stable with no crashes mid-day. now, i am getting borred, so i started thinking granola bars. i went searching on the internet and found karly, her great blog, "buns in my oven" and her even greater granola bar recipe! what a beautiful blog chock full of delicious recipes and incredible photography. i want to be karly when i grow up. when i originally found her site/recipe, i wrote her telling her i had all, but one ingredient to make these and guess what? she immediately wrote me back, like we were long lost buds. that's what i love about my fellow foodies, we are long lost buds getting (re)acquainted. see, it doesn't even matter if you have a successful site like miss karly or a humble little blog like mine. we all can get along.

anywho, let's get back to the granola bars. they are easy, delicious, moist and full of flavor. move over quaker, there is no need to buy your bars ever again, really. these come together in a snap and bake up beautifully. i did make a couple of changes to karly's original recipe. i used a combo of dark chocolate chips, unsweetened coconut flakes and dried cranberries with a splash of almond extract. i was out of vanilla, oh the horrors! other than that, it is the same. i hope you will go pay "buns in my oven" a visit. i know i need to do some more prowling around there myself. i recall seeing a peanut buttery, chocolaty thingie listed. hmmmm....enjoy.

easy vanilla granola

while on my never ending search to find something that i would actually like to eat for breakfast, i decided to give granola a try. i searched the net looking at hundreds, no thousands, no millions, no gazillions of granola recipes. holy cow, there are tons of them out there, so i just made my own. i love it! it has a slightly sweet vanilla flavor with lots of yummy crunchy clusters. i added coconut and dried cranberries, but you can add anything that you like. also, it can be thrown together and baked in about thirty minutes! you gotta love that. give it a try. enjoy.

in a large bowl mix four cups old fashioned oats, 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar, 1/2 -1 cup shredded coconut, 1/2 cup dried cranberries, 1/4 cup of flax seed, 1/4 tsp. of kosher salt and 1/4 tsp. of cinnamon.

in a saucepan heat a 1/3 cup of canola oil, 2 tbsp. of honey, and 1 tbsp of agave(i ran out of honey). heat till warm, whisk in 4 tsp. of real vanilla extract. pour this mixture over the oat mixture mixing thoroughly till everything is completely coated.

now spread this evenly on a parchment or silpat covered cookie sheet. bake at 300 degrees fahrenheit for about 25-25 minutes till slightly golden brown. now here is the trick for clusters, don't stir during baking. once done, cool completely and break into pieces. store in an air tight container.

new favorite thing, whole wheat pancakes

not only are these whole wheat pancakes easy to make, but they actually taste good!

let me tell you, i have never been a huge fan of "straight" whole wheat. it sometimes seems, well, too "wheatie" and that's probably why most whole wheat recipes involve adding some all purpose flour, not these, not necessary. on my quest to become healthier i am attempting to incorporate more whole grains such as wheat and oats into my diet as well as the family's. this is a good start, not only for my lifestyle change, but for my day. i don't like breakfast. it is not that i don't like to eat, because we know that is not an issue. it is that i don't like the common "breakfast foods". i had rather eat a lean cuisine, until now. i love these pancakes. they are quick to throw together, tasty and last till lunch, unlike a bowl of cheerios that leaves my stomach growling an hour later. this recipe makes four good sized pancakes that are pretty fluffy yet dense. i do add spices, but think these would be delicious with the addition of flax seed, fruit, chocolate chips, nuts. you name it. this pancake recipe is a great jumping off point for all sorts of combos. i like mine plain with a smidge of my favorite brummel and brown yogurt spread and some agave syrup. well, okay, i have topped one or two with some natural peanut butter while warm, oh man, so yummy! enjoy.
beth's whole wheat pancakes

in a bowl mix the following:

one cup of whole wheat flour
one cup of fat free buttermilk or your milk of choice(you can add more if you want a thinner batter)
1 egg
2 tbsp. of applesauce
2 packets of sun crystals or tbsp. of sugar
2 tsp. of baking powder
1 tsp. of vanilla extract
1/2 to one tsp. of pumpkin pie spice

heat your frying pan over med heat, spritz with cooking spray. i generally ladle out the batter to make whatever size pancake i want. watch for the bubbles or eyes to form and pop, flip and brown the other side. slather on your favorite toppings while warm. hey, even my persnickety daughter eats these.

mexican hot chocolate

not the prettiest of pics, but sure tasty. i tried a new sugar substitute this past week called sun crystals. it is a combination of pure cane sugar and extract of the stevia plant. you can read more about it here. i really like it. it is amazingly sweet, so you need less than that of the pink, blue or yellow stuff, besides i have given up the pink, blue and yellow stuff. i have mostly been using the sun crystals in my tea and coffee, but went and explored their site. they have lots of recipes listed and this is one. i changed it slightly, just less milk. i really enjoyed this for breakfast, warm, chocolate-y and filling. i would opt out of the cinnamon next go around. i just didn't care for it. i look forward to trying more of what they offer. enjoy.

beth's mexican hot chocolate (adapted from the sun crystal's website)

heat one cup in milk in the microwave till hot, about one and half minutes.

meanwhile have ready in a blender, a tbsp. of cocoa, one tbsp. semi-sweet chocolate chips(i used the mini's), t tsp. of vanilla, pinch of salt, pinch of cinnamon and two packets of sun crystals(next time i am going to try only one packet). pour in the hot milk and blend about 30 seconds. serve in a mug. you know, some cool whip would be good on top, too. what a treat!

april's amazing bran muffins

i made the most delicious and easy bran muffins, thanks to my new friend, april. she is the authoress of abby sweets, a blog full of food and fun. april, like myself, is trying hard to eat healthy. it is not easy when you are a food junkie. she shared with me the most delicious bran muffin, yes bran muffin recipe with me. i know, it hard to believe that the word "delicious" and "bran" can be used in the same sentence, but it is true. now, i did make some mistakes due to rushing through the recipe, some good, some not so good. first, i didn't realize i was completely out of all purpose flour, so i subbed self-rising. i think that is why my muffins sunk in the middle, no matter, it was just a place for my brummel and brown to melt. also, i used the full 3 cups of bran flakes, but halved everything else. oops, but no, it worked out great. i will always make them that way. plus, i added some vanilla and cinnamon for extra ump! i am thinking you could take this bran muffin recipe places with additions such as blueberries, flax seed, dark chocolate chips, and so on.... also, i am thinking that you could easily sub the sugar for agave or my new favorite, sun crystals. yummy. i hope you give april's muffin a go and don't forget to pop over at her site to let her now how much you like'em! enjoy.

april's amazing bran muffins adapted from the apple cake tea room- knoxville, tn.

1 cup boiling water

3 cup cheap bran cereal..bran flakes(i used walmart house brand)

1 sticks butter or margarine(i used margarine)

3/4 cup sugar

1 beaten egg

1 cup buttermilk or 1 cup milk soured with 1 tbsp. of vinegar i did this, but next will use low fat buttermilk)

1 tsp. good vanilla

1/2-1 tsp. cinnamon

1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 1/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

pour boiling water over cereal and let stand. cream together butter and sugar until combined. add the egg and vanilla. sift together flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. add buttermilk to butter mixture, alternating with sifted dry ingredients. add the softened bran mix. bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes, depending on your oven, it make take more or even less time, or until done, in a greased muffin tin(i forgot to grease and they came out okay with a little help)

world's easiest buttermilk pancakes, tasty too

whip these up for the family. do it now.

beth's "don't get no simpler" buttermilk pancakes

melt in a your mixing bowl two tbsp of butter or margarine( i just throw the whole thing in microwave and nuke it a few seconds). now to that add one egg, whisk briefly then add 1 cup flour, 3/4 buttermilk, 3 tsp baking powder, one tbsp of sugar, pinch of salt and one tsp of real vanilla. whisk till mixed. let sit while your pan heats up. make your pancakes whatever size you want. i usually get four good sized ones, like in the pic. i have doubled this recipe, no problem. pile on the butter and syrup! enjoy