"Roll Out the Blueberries..."

Whole wheat blueberry pancake.

Everybody now! You don't like sing alongs? Or the song "Roll Out the Barrel?" Fine, just hum along, we're heading into blueberry country anyway!

Tonight I reached for ol' reliable, the Better Homes & Gardens Cookbook. I went to pg. 72, the much loved family "Pancake" recipe; oil stained, dog eared, and yes, this cookbook's been written in. (Don't tell the cookbook police.)

Ingredients for the fluffy buttermilk pancakes

My Version of the BH&G Pancakes

1 C whole wheat flour

2 T sugar

2 t baking powder

1/4 t salt

1 egg

1 C buttermilk

2 T melted butter

1/2-1 t vanilla

Milk (to thin down the batter a little)

1 C Blueberries

1-2 T Butter (to butter the skillet between each pancake)

If you haven't made blueberry pancakes before. Mix the dry ingredients first, then mix in the wet (beat the egg first). I use a measuring cup to pour the batter into the skillet. Next drop the blueberries onto the pancake with plenty of room between them (especially if they're frozen). Make sure to cook these on med-low heat so the blueberries de-thaw and you don't end up with raw batter around the berries. Sound like I'm speaking from experience?

Something other than syrup? My mom taught me to butter the pancake then sprinkle white sugar over the top. If the pancake is thin, roll it up and eat, if not, just use a fork. Happy eating!

Suz
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C'mon, I'm Taking My Vitamins!

My mom reminded me that I said I was going to post about "healthy" stuff too. It looks like I've been on vacation from "healthy," but I haven't. I've been drinking "blue-goodness" and water, choosing "wheat" over "white," taking my vitamins... AND cooking stuff that tastes good. Is it because it's winter in Utah? The long dark days that simply call for comfort food? We aren't even at the darkest part of winter yet! Lately, when I find a highly rated recipe it's like it's burning a hole in my pocket until I try it out.

So, I've had a recipe and an ingredient that I never have on hand "buttermilk." I also found some recipes that appear to be tried and true by the Pioneer Woman (Ree Drummond). The buttermilk met cocoa and it was a happy thing! Here are 2 recipes that are keepers:

• "The Best Chocolate Sheet Cake Ever" (Photo above) This is the yummiest chocolate cake I have ever made. Love the buttermilk in it! Kind of fluffy like the cake at my elementary school!
• "Marlboro Man's Favorite Sandwich" Everybody thought this was a really good sandwich, even Eric! The Squirrel loved it (note: the Squirrel is not a nut loving rodent, but a dog)!

One recipe I don't recommend is Lazy Chiles Rellenos. Maybe it's the altitude difference. I think less milk would have made it set up better. I like my eggs cooked, for sure!

The Best Chocolate Sheet Cake 

Cake Batter:
2 C Flour
2 C Sugar
¼ t Salt
4 T (heaping) Cocoa
2 sticks Butter
1 Cup Boiling Water
½ C Buttermilk
2 Beaten Eggs
1 t Baking Soda
1 t Vanilla

Frosting:
½ C Finely Chopped Pecans
1-¾ stick Butter
4 T (heaping) Cocoa
6 T Milk
1 t Vanilla
1 pound (minus 1/2 Cup) Powdered Sugar

"In a mixing bowl combine flour, sugar, and salt. In a saucepan, melt butter. Add cocoa. Stir together.
Add boiling water, allow mixture to boil for 30 seconds, then turn off heat. Pour over flour mixture, and stir lightly to cool. In a measuring cup, pour the buttermilk and add beaten eggs, baking soda, and vanilla. Stir buttermilk mixture into butter/chocolate mixture. Pour into sheet cake pan and bake at 350-degrees for 20 minutes. While cake is baking, make the icing. Chop pecans finely. Melt butter in a saucepan. Add cocoa, stir to combine, then turn off heat. Add the milk, vanilla, and powdered sugar. Stir together. Add the pecans, stir together, and pour over warm cake. Cut into squares, eat, and totally wig out over the fact that you’ve just made the best chocolate sheet cake. Ever."

Source: Ree Drummond, Pioneer Woman

Twilight Chocolate

Countdown to "New Moon" in t-minus 5 days! Why, yes that is Edward on that candy bar wrapper! There's a new chocolate bar in town with 3 flavors in one. Edward is peanut butter, Jacob is carmel, and Bella is creme. Can't think of a better treat to take to the movies next week! Look for them at Walmart.

Pineapple Upside Down Cake

On Halloween, after trick-or-treating, Em came down with h1n1. After a long week+ of fevers, coughing, TiVo - when she was feeling better she decided to try her hand at making a Pineapple Upside Down Cake. This was no easy task, the egg whites had to be whipped to peaks, the sugar caramelized in a pan, this wasn't anything like from the side of a Bisquick box.

First taste was - holy moly, that topping's sweet! Probably great with black coffee to balance the sweetness, or maybe vanilla ice cream would mellow it out; however, our take? Put it in the fridge and wait a day or two. Em and I had it for snack the other day, straight from the fridge, cold. It was really good.

Get the recipe: The Joy of Baking: Pineapple Upside Down Cake

Suz