Smarties Cookies

This cookie recipe comes together pretty easily and makes about 2-2.5 dozen cookies (depending on your size).  You can substitute the Smarties for chocolate chips if you like.

Ingredients:
1-1/2 cups Smarties
1 cup butter, softened
1-1/2 cups packed brown sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4  tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375F.  Grease a large baking sheet, or line it with parchment paper.

2. In a large bowl beat butter and brown sugar with electric mixer until creamy.  Beat in vanilla and eggs.  Beat in flour, baking powder, and salt.

3. Drop by rounded tablespoons on to baking sheet, about 2-inches apart.  Flatten cookies slightly and press 4-5 Smarties into the top of each.

4. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until edges are lightly golden brown but center is still soft.  Cool in pan for 5 minutes before removing them to a rack to cool completely.

5. Cookies can be stored in an airtight bag or container for up to one week.

Sautéed Veggies & Pork Cutlets

Today I stopped by the grocery store and just browsed around waiting for some type of inspiration for dinner.  I saw some fast frying pork cutlets and knew right away I could use that, so I made my way to the veggies and picked up some zucchini and spinach.  I was going to pick up some broccoli as well, but remembered that I had some frozen at home so left them behind.  I had a good idea of what I wanted to make for dinner!  The problem for the blog is that I didn't really  measure my ingredients and just eye-balled it.

Sautéed Veggies

Ingredients:
1 onion, thinly diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups broccoli florets (or broccoli cut into small florets)
2 small zucchini, halved and then sliced
1/2 cup spinach
2 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
Parmesan cheese

Directions:
1. If using fresh broccoli, cook in boiling water for about 3 minutes until tender.  If using frozen broccoli, follow instructions (ie: microwave with water for 3-5 minutes or boil until tender).
2. Heat oil over medium-high heat in a large pan.  Add onion and sauté for 1-2 minutes until softened; add garlic and cook another minute until fragrant.
3. Add zucchini, tossing to coat, and cook for 2-3 minutes until tender.  Season with salt.  Add broccoli and cook for another 1-2 minutes.
4. Tear the spinach in half or thirds and add to the pan.  Cook, tossing to combine, until the spinach is wilted.  Season with salt and pepper.
5. Remove from heat and grate Parmesan cheese over top.

Breaded Pork Cutlets

This is a pretty easy thing to bring together.  All you need is some thin pork cutlets, bread crumbs, an egg and oil for frying.

1. Beat an egg and place the cutlets in the egg to coat.  Drip off any excess.
2. Coat the cutlet in your favourite bread crumb mix (I like Italian breadcrumbs), patting down to make sure the crumbs stick and the cutlet is fully coated.
3.  When you are ready to fry, cover the bottom of a pan with enough oil for frying.  Heat over medium-high heat.  When the oil is hot, place the cutlets (in batches) in the oil.  Don't overcrowd the pan as it will lower the temperature.
4. Fry the cutlet about 4 minutes on each side, until it is golden brown, turning once.   Remove from oil and place on paper towel-lined plate to absorb excess oil.  Fry the remaining cutlets.

Yummy Pancakes!

There's nothing worse than promising your daughter pancakes on a rushed morning to discover you are out of pancake mix.  That's what happened this morning, so I had to whip up an easy "from scratch" pancake recipe.  This recipe came together quickly and was really quite light and fluffy.  It just soaked up the maple syrup and was absolutely delicious!

For a dairy-free alternative, use unsweetened (vanilla) almond milk and oil (vegetable, canola or melted coconut) instead of milk and butter.

Ingredients:

1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3-1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp white sugar
1-1/4 cups milk
1 egg
3 tbsp butter, melted
1 tsp vanilla


Directions:

1. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar.  Make a well in the centre and pour in the milk, egg and butter; mix until smooth.

2. Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium-high heat.  Scoop the batter onto the griddle (approximately 1/4 cup each pancake).  Brown on both sides and serve while it's ot.

Feel free to add in your favourite mix-ins: chocolate chips, cinnamon, berries, etc.

Makes approximately 10-12 pancakes.

Puff Pancakes

I think the more I cook / bake - I realize I really truly love breakfast food. There's just something about the weekend and having time - I'm not in a rush to get to work and I feel more relaxed.  Clean up is rarely as big as dinner and my daughter can really help me get breakfast together.

This morning we made Puff Pancakes.  I saw this recipe while getting out a tried and true recipe and vowed to make it the next morning (meaning THIS morning).  It was so simple and a great recipe to include a toddler on.

What's great about this recipe is that it uses one bowl and two pans - and it bakes in the oven.  So while it is baking, you can clean up or get ready for the sit-down.

Ingredients:

3 eggs
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole milk
2 tbsp melted butter
1/4 tsp salt
freshly grated lemon zest (from most of a lemon if you have it) as well as a few tbsp of the juice
Icing sugar (for dusting)

Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 400F.  Generously butter two 8-9" pie pans.
2.  Beat the eggs in a mixing bowl on low speed for a few minutes.  Add the flour, 2 tbsp at a time, beating well after each addition.  Beat only until smooth.  Beat in the milk, butter, salt and lemon zest/juice. (The more lemon you add, the more lemony it tastes, so I always add a bit more!)
3. Evenly divided the batter between the two pie pans, evenly pouring it throughout.
4. Bake for 10 minutes.  Reduce the oven temperature to 350 and bake for another 5 minutes.
5. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with icing sugar.  Serve immediately.
6. Top with whatever you like (syrup, jam, Nutella, cinnamon-sugar, etc).

My daughter loves syrup and always says "more syrup."  She would drink the syrup rather than eat the food.  We finished our syrup yesterday so today's puff pancake had to have a different topping: we used homemade Canadian wild blueberry jam and it was just perfect!  My husband put Nutella - another great choice.  The lemon flavour with the pancake was so good, it reminded me of the lemon-sugar crepes I had in Paris!  Speaking of crepes, this pancake was almost like a crepe but a little bit thicker.  It's the perfect in-between of a pancake and crepe - for those days where you can't decide which one you'd like!

I cut each pancake into 4 large slices and it served my family of 3 just fine.  It could easily have fed 4; we just liked it too much!

By the way - it was so much fun for my daughter to see how it puffed up in the oven! And of course we were just so excited to eat them that I completely forgot to take a picture of at least one all dressed up with its toppings!

Both pancakes right out of the oven.

Close-up of one.

Sprinkled with icing sugar (my daughter did the lower one!)

Close up