Fluffy Strawberry and Champagne Pancakes

In the state of Utah, you cannot buy mini bottles of alcohol through the state liquor stores (which is basically the only place you can buy alcoholic beverages) unless you want to order an entire case.  I am sure that there is some kind of reasonable logic behind this, but the end result of this state of things is that if you are like us and only cook with alcohol instead of drinking it, you end up having to buy things in rather larger bottles than you might otherwise want to, given that many recipes only call for 3-4 tablespoons... and then you're stuck finding something to do with the leftovers.  We typically freeze our red and white wine and then thaw it out every time we want to use it.  I have had people tell me that's a horrible thing to do to a wine, but the flavor still seems to come through well enough for the purposes of cooking.  All of which is a long preamble to say- If you're looking for something to do with the leftovers of a large bottle of champagne, make these pancakes.  If you're not looking for something to do with leftover champagne, go and buy a bottle and make these pancakes anyhow.  They're seriously amazing.  We came across this recipe from Veggie and the Beast when we were looking for something to do with all the leftover champagne we had after using just 3 tablespoons worth in the super tasty caramelized onion and jalapeno waffles, and I am so glad we decided to try them.  The pancakes turn out super light and fluffy, almost like angel food cake made into pancakes, and the strawberry sauce goes really well with them.

For the Pancakes:
4 large eggs
2 cups buttermilk
1/4 cup canola oil
3 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp salt
4 tsp baking powder
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup champagne (we used Brut)

For the Strawberry Sauce
2 lb strawberries (we used frozen, thawed and drained)
1-1/2 cups sugar
1/2 tsp orange zest
1 Tbsp orange juice
2 tsp cornstarch
6 Tbsp champagne

Whipped cream to garnish

In a small bowl, whisk together the milk, egg, and oil. In medium sized bowl, mix together the flour, salt, baking powder, and sugar.  Gradually stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.  The batter will be a little bit lumpy, but that's okay.  Let sit for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat a griddle to 375º and start working on the strawberry sauce.  In a medium saucepan, mix together the strawberries, sugar, orange zest and juice, and cornstarch.  Smash the strawberries, and then bring to a boil.   Reduce to a simmer and simmer uncovered for 10 minutes, stirring frequently.  Remove from heat and add the 6 Tbsp champagne.

As the sauce is simmering, cook the pancakes.  Gently fold the 1/2 cup champagne into the batter until it's just incorporated.  Pour out 1/4 cup at a time of the batter onto the hot greased griddle.  Bake on one side until bubbles begin to form, and the edges start to solidify. Flip the pancakes and cook another couple of minutes until golden.   Repeat with remaining batter.  Serve topped with strawberry sauce and whipped cream.

Pepper Lime Fettuccine with Avocado Sauce

We first made this recipe clear back in February of 2014, but it's something we've made several times since then, since it was just SO good, and I'm copying the recipe over from my Photo a Day blog for ease of finding it later when I want to make it again. :)  The avocado sauce, which I found over at 5 Dollar Dinners, is super easy to throw together and would go equally well with just regular store bought pasta, but I really liked the extra layer of flavor that using homemade pepper lime fettuccine gives the dish.

For the Pepper Lime Fettuccine:
3/4 lb all purpose flour
3 large eggs, at room temperature
3 Tbsp lime juice
Grated zest of 3 limes
2 tsp black pepper

Place the flour in a large bowl and make make a well in the center to form a "volcano."  In a small bowl, combine the eggs, lime juice, lime zest, and pepper.  Pour the egg mixture into the center of the volcano and then beat together, slowly mixing more and more flour in from the edges until it forms a dough ball.  Slowly add more water, if needed, 1 Tbsp at a time, continuing to knead by hand until all the flour is incorporated into the dough ball, and it is soft, but doesn't really stick to your fingers.  Knead for 5 minutes or so by hand until the dough is cohesive and moderately smooth.  Cover with a damp cloth or plastic wrap and allow the dough to rest for 30 minutes at room temperature.  Then, either send through a pasta machine, or knead for another 10 minutes or so, until the dough is completely smooth and elastic, and roll out with a rolling pin and cut into noodles.  Cook in lightly salted boiling water for about 4 minutes or until al dente.   Meanwhile, make the sauce:

For the Avocado Sauce:
2 medium avocados
Juice and zest from 1 lemon
3 Tbsp olive oil
3 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tsp dried basil (or 6 fresh basil leaves, chopped)
Salt and Pepper to taste
Parmesan cheese to taste
1/2 cup sun dried tomatoes

While the pasta is boiling, mash up the avocados in a medium sized bowl.  Stir in the rest of the sauce ingredients and serve over the top of the pasta.

Spicy Southwestern Chicken with Mango Guacamole

I love mango.  It's something that we don't buy very often, since it tends to be a somewhat more expensive fruit, and honestly, it makes a sticky mess to cut it up, but I love the flavor.  I also really love guacamole (so long as it's not too spicy), so when I came across this recipe from Deals to Meals that combined mango with guacamole and put it on top of chicken, I was intrigued.  It turned out to be super easy to throw together (I was in a hurry to get dinner on the table at the end and used minced dried onion and thawed frozen mango chunks in the guacamole) and the kids both really liked it.  The chicken is a bit spicier than I would normally do- I probably couldn't eat it plain (but again, even my kids have a higher spice tolerance than I do), but the mango guacamole helps to counteract the spiciness nicely, so that I was able enjoy the dish.  The end result was super tasty- a definite keeper for our family.

For the Marinade:

5 chicken breasts 2 limes, juiced 1 t. paprika 1 t. salt 2 t. taco seasoning 2 t. cumin 2 cloves garlic, minced Dash cayenne pepper 1 t. chili powder 1 T. brown sugar 2 T. olive oil - See more at: http://www.dealstomealsblog.com/2012/08/mango-guacamole-lime-chicken.html#sthash.l2604RaI.dpuf  kk

1/4 cup lime juice
2 tsp paprika
2 tsp salt
4 tsp taco seasoning
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp chili powder
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1/4 cup  olive oil
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 2 lb)

Put the marinade ingredients and the chicken in a ziplock bag or shallow bowl and let marinate for a couple of hours.  Put the chicken and marinade in a 9x9 pan and cook at 375º for 45 minutes or until the chicken breasts reach an internal temperature of 165º (since the marinade is very red, it can be a bit hard to tell if the breasts are done without a meat thermometer).  Meanwhile, cook up some rice and make the mango guacamole.

For the Mango Guacamole
1/2 cup chopped sun dried tomato
3 large avocados
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup chopped onion (or 1-1/2 Tbsp minced dried or 3/4 tsp powder)
2 cups diced mango (we used frozen mango that we thawed)
1-1/2 Tbsp lime juice
1/2 tsp salt

Serve the chicken over hot cooked rice and top with the mango guacamole.

1 t. salt 2 t. taco seasoning 2 t. cumin 2 cloves garlic, minced Dash cayenne pepper 1 t. chili powder 1 T. brown sugar 2 T. olive oil - See more at: http://www.dealstomealsblog.com/2012/08/mango-guacamole-lime-chicken.html#sthash.kJN6xNMj.dpuf

1 t. salt 2 t. taco seasoning 2 t. cumin 2 cloves garlic, minced Dash cayenne pepper 1 t. chili powder 1 T. brown sugar 2 T. olive oil - See more at: http://www.dealstomealsblog.com/2012/08/mango-guacamole-lime-chicken.html#sthash.l2604RaI.dpuf

5 chicken breasts 2 limes, juiced 1 t. paprika 1 t. salt 2 t. taco seasoning 2 t. cumin 2 cloves garlic, minced Dash cayenne pepper 1 t. chili powder 1 T. brown sugar 2 T. olive oil - See more at: http://www.dealstomealsblog.com/2012/08/mango-guacamole-lime-chicken.html#sthash.l2604RaI.dpuf

5 chicken breasts 2 limes, juiced 1 t. paprika 1 t. salt 2 t. taco seasoning 2 t. cumin 2 cloves garlic, minced Dash cayenne pepper 1 t. chili powder 1 T. brown sugar 2 T. olive oil - See more at: http://www.dealstomealsblog.com/2012/08/mango-guacamole-lime-chicken.html#sthash.l2604RaI.dpuf

 jkljkl5 chicken breasts 2 limes, juiced 1 t. paprika 1 t. salt 2 t. taco seasoning 2 t. cumin 2 cloves garlic, minced Dash cayenne pepper 1 t. chili powder 1 T. brown sugar 2 T. olive oil - See more at: http://www.dealstomealsblog.com/2012/08/mango-guacamole-lime-chicken.html#sthash.l2604RaI.dpuf

Black Rice Apple and Pear Risotto with Parsley Basil Pesto

A few days ago, when I was trying to come up with a menu for this week, my older sister told me that she had made a risotto out of black rice.  Justin and I have had some good success with making risottos, and since black rice was supposed to have some different health benefits and an interesting flavor and texture, I was intrigued by the idea.  This particular recipe was cobbled together using this black rice risotto from Ellie Krieger and this apple walnut risotto, plus some other ideas we brainstormed during that conversation.  Inspired by the basil garnish on Ellie Krieger's risotto, I decided to top ours with a pesto slightly modified from one found in this cookbook.  The risotto turned out fantastic, and the pesto went really well, though it's not strictly necessary if you are not a fan of pesto. :)

Ingredients
For the Risotto:
6 cups chicken broth
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped (about 1 cup)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups black rice
1/2 cup dry white wine (Martinelli's sparkling apple pear would work well as a nonalcoholic substitute for this recipe)
black pepper to taste
1/2 tsp salt
1 granny smith apple, chopped
1 green pear, chopped
4 oz smoked Gouda, cubed
1/4 cup crumbled Gorgonzola

For the Pesto:
1 bulb garlic, roasted
3/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves
3 Tbsp toasted pecans
1/4 cup olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

In a food processor, combine pecans, parsley, basil and garlic and process until fairly well chopped.  Pour in oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.  Continue to process until desired pesto texture.  Set aside.

Heat the broth in a medium pot over medium-high heat until hot but not boiling. Reduce the heat to medium low; keep warm while you make the risotto.

Heat the oil in large frying pan over medium heat.  Add the onion and garlic and stir to coat. Cook until very soft, about 4 minutes, then stir in the rice until evenly coated. Cook for 1 minute, then add the wine; reduce the heat to medium-low and cook until the wine is almost completely absorbed, about 3 minutes. Add about 3/4 cup of the hot broth, stirring frequently until the broth is almost completely absorbed, 6 to 7 minutes. Repeat with the remaining broth, adding about 3/4 cup at a time, until the rice is tender yet still a little bit chewy and the dish is creamy-looking, about 50 minutes total. Add the chopped apple at the same time as the last of your chicken broth.  Remove from the heat and stir in the 1/2 teaspoon of salt, pepper to taste, the pear, and the gouda and gorgonzola.  Serve topped with the pesto.

Greek Style Couscous

This salad (originally found from a Kraft food magazine) is one of our kids' favorites.  It makes a good side dish, but is actually hearty enough that, if served with a side of garlic toast, you can actually have it as a main dish, which is great for those summer days when it's just too hot to use the oven.

2 cups uncooked whole wheat couscous (we generally just use plain)
2 cups cucumber slices halved or quartered
2 large tomatoes, chopped
8 oz crumbled feta cheese
2 tsp dried dill or 2 Tbsp fresh
1 cup Italian dressing

Cook couscous as directed on package, without the salt and butter. Fluff with fork. Place in large bowl; cool 10 min.  Add remaining ingredients and mix. Original recipe says to chill 1 hour, but we generally don't bother and just eat it right away.

Tomatillo Ranch Chicken

I'll admit that I was a tad wary of this recipe when I first saw it going around Pinterest.  I am very much not a fan of most Mexican food (and the original blogger over at Creme de la Crumb went on for quite a while in her introduction of the recipe about how much she loves Mexican food).  Still, the only ingredient involved that I'd never actually tried was tomatillos, and everything else looked pretty good, so since I'm always up for a new way to serve boneless chicken breasts, I was willing to give it a try.  I'm so glad I did- it was way easy to toss together and almost everyone loved the dish (though my 5-year-old wouldn't touch it- no surprise there.  He doesn't believe in sauces).  This one is definitely going to stick around in our regular recipe rotation.

Ingredients:
2 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 cup mayonaise
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 package buttermilk ranch dressing mix (we used 2 Tbsp of homemade ranch dressing mix, which basically follows this recipe)
2 cloves garlic, coarsley chopped
1 cup cilantro, chopped
3 tomatillos, husked and chopped
1/2 tsp lime juice
Hot cooked rice

Toss the mayo, buttermilk, dressing mix, garlic, cilantro, tomatillos, and lime juice into a blender and blend until smooth.  Pour 1 cup of the dressing into a large bowl or gallon bag.  Place the rest of the dressing in a separate container and chill to top the chicken after it's cooked.  Add the chicken breasts to the 1 cup of dressing and make sure they're coated.  Marinate in the fridge for at least half an hour to overnight. 

When ready to make the chicken, preheat oven to 375º.  Drain chicken breasts and place them in a shallow greased baking dish.  Bake 25-30 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through.  Serve over rice with the additional dressing spooned over the top.  We served this with cornbread and broiled corn and it made enough for 2 adults and 1 preschooler for 2 days worth of dinner.

Almond Coconut Cake with Dairy-Free Almond Frosting

 
Last week, Justin and I were planning on having a celebration for both our kids' birthdays down in the Salt Lake area closer to where our families are, and we stayed up late into the night making the cool airplane cake that Taliesin had requested. 

Unfortunately, Lionel woke up late that night with a stomach bug, which meant that not only did we have to reschedule the party for the next weekend, but also we had an entire spice cake with cream cheese frosting to finish off- and less than a month after having made Lionel's birthday cake.  Taliesin was adamant, though, that it couldn't be a proper birthday celebration without some kind of cake, so Justin and I decided that we would find an easy gluten free, dairy free cake so that we could be sure everyone would be able to have a slice, leaving us with less cake to have to take home (and our strategy worked- we only had two pieces left over).  This almond cake recipe from Bob's Red Mill fit the bill- it's not nearly as cute as the airplane, but it was much, much tastier than a box spice cake mix, and not actually much more work in my Kitchen Aid.  Making the almond flour and coconut flour definitely took some time, but it didn't require that much active attention, so it was surprisingly easy to do, and if you don't feel like making the flour yourself and don't mind spending an arm and a leg for it, you could obviously just buy the flour from the store instead of making it yourself. 

Ingredients:
3/4 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
4 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla flavoring
1/4 tsp almond extract
1-1/2 cups almond flour
1/2 cup coconut flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
Frosting (recipe below)

Preheat oven to 350º.  Grease a 9x13 pan with vegetable shortening and set aside.  Don't leave your butter softening in a bowl on top of the back burner while you're preheating the oven, though, or you'll find yourself having to re-solidify it in the fridge before you can make the recipe.  Not that I know this from experience or anything...

In a small bowl, mix together the almond flour, coconut flour, baking powder, and salt, and set aside.

In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, around 7-10 minutes.

Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until fully blended after each one.  Add the milk, almond extract, and vanilla flavoring, and mix until combined.

Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture, and beat until creamy- but this batter is going to be much stiffer and much less smooth than a normal cake batter.

Spread the the cake batter out in the pan and smooth the top.

Bake at 350º about 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out of the center clean, and let cool completely before frosting.  Mine came out of the oven with a random hole in the middle for no apparent reason.

Frost with your favorite frosting, or use the recipe below for a dairy-free almond flavored frosting that went smashingly.  I decided to adapt a butter frosting recipe I that had to use coconut oil and coconut milk so it would be a dairy free frosting that didn't use shortening (I don't like the flavor of shortening) but if you aren't trying to make your frosting dairy free, you can feel free to use margarine or butter and regular milk.

Ingredients:
1/3 cup coconut oil
4-1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup coconut milk, plus additional coconut milk to desired consistency
1 tsp almond flavoring

Place the 1/3 cup coconut oil in a mixing bowl and refrigerate it for 5 minutes or until relatively solid.  Trust me- you want to do this step.  Originally, I only made a half batch and just used the coconut oil straight out of the cupboard.  My frosting was oddly grainy and very thin- even with a bunch of extra powdered sugar added in.

Once the coconut oil is mostly solid, beat on medium speed until fluffy.  Gradually add 2 cups of the powdered sugar, beating well.  Slowly beat in the 1/4 cup coconut milk and almond flavoring.  Slowly beat in remaining powdered sugar.  Beat in additional coconut milk, if needed, to reach a spreading consistency.

If desired, tint with food coloring, and spread over the cake.