Pumpkin Waffles

Thanksgiving is 1 week away!! What better way to start out your holiday fest by serving a classic waffle with the season’s favorite flavor, Pumpkin!

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1 3/4 Cup Flour

2 TBSP Sugar

1 tsp. Baking powder

1/2 tsp. Baking Soda

1/4 tsp. Salt

1 tsp. Pumpkin Pie Spice

2 Eggs

1 1/2 Cups Milk

1/4 Cup Vegetable oil

1 tsp. Vanilla

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Plug in Waffle Iron and set to 4 on the heat index.

Take a large bowl and add flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and pumpkin pie spice. Sir together and create a well in the middle of the bowl.

Now take another bowl and add eggs, milk, vegetable oil and vanilla. Mix together until all is combined.

Add the wet ingredients to the center well in the dry ingredients bowl and mix everything together. This will take about 2 min.

Set mixture aside for 5 min.

Use a 1/2 measuring cup and scoop out your waffle batter into the middle of your waffle iron and close the top. Usually your waffle iron will give a “green” light or “beep” when it is done.

Serve one at a time or set your oven on 300 degrees and take a cookie sheet with a cooling rack on top and place the completed waffles on top of the rack. This will keep waffles hot when you want to serve family style at the table.

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TIPS:

I like to use vegetable oil since it is the cheapest option at the store, but you can also use canola if you have that on hand.

With this recipe I used whole milk, but again just use what you have in your fridge.

I said to mix the wet and dry ingredients together for about 2 min. You are looking for all the dry to be incorporated and it is ok to have a few lumps.

I set the completed waffle batter aside to let the baking powder and baking soda activate to make fluffy waffles!

If you find you like your waffles more crisp, set your waffle iron to 5 or a higher setting. This is your preference.

If you find that 1/2 cup of batter isn’t enough.. just add a bit more to find the perfect measurement to make your ideal waffle.

 

Pancake Muffin with Breakfast Hash

As the Holiday season as approaching, many of us are playing host to our families and friends. Here is a great recipe to make an impression to those you serve. It will be requested for many years to come.

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3 Eggs

1/2 Cup of Flour

1/2 Cup of Milk

1/4 tsp. Salt

1/2 tsp. Vanilla

2 TBSP of Butter (melted)

1/4 lb of Sausage (Jimmy Dean brand)

1 Large Yukon Gold Potato

1 Green Onion

1/4 Cup of Maple Syrup

Salt & Pepper

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Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Take a muffin pan and lightly grease with oil spray.

Heat a skillet pan to medium heat.

Dice your potato into 1/2 inch cubes.

Add your sausage to the skillet and break into small pieces. Cook until sausage is evenly brown.

Remove sausage from the skillet and add diced potatoes and 1 TBSP of butter. Cook the potatoes for 10-12 min until they are golden brown and tender. The last 3 min of cooking add salt and pepper. Once it is finished cooking add chopped green onion on top.

In a large bowl add eggs, flour, milk, salt, and vanilla. Mix together using a whisk or an immersion blender. Once it is well mixed (no lumps) add half of the melted butter and mix again. Then add the other half of the butter and mix one last time.

Pour your egg mixture into the muffin pan using a 1/4 measuring cup for each muffin section.

Bake for 15-20 min.

Assemble by placing a pancake on a plate, add 2-3 spoonfuls of filling on top and finish with drizzled syrup.

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TIPS

I used Yukon Gold Potato because it has less starch which help it to brown up easily and become tender and fluffy in the inside. You can use Russets (which is my usual go to potato) it may take longer to cook.

Make sure to cook the sausage first! This insures that your potatoes absorb the sausage flavor as they cook in the pan.

When making a hash it has no rules. You can add whatever you want! As I think about it if I had an onion and green or red bell peppers I would have added this as well. If you do decide to add more to your hash just cook it with the potatoes.

This pancake is similar to my previous recipe “Lemon Drop German Pancake” see link ( https://outoftheboxcooking.wordpress.com/2015/05/26/lemon-drop-german-pancake/ ) but this time it is the basic recipe and is individualized.

When cooking the pancake you want it to have a golden brown top, that is when you know it is ready.

When putting the filling on top of the pancakes don’t worry if you end up mashing it down. The goal is to get as much of the filling on top as you can.

Heat up my syrup before drizzling, it is better hot than cold.

 

Red, White & Blue Cupcakes

Happy 4th of July! This is a perfect treat to eat while sitting out enjoying the fireworks!

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1 Box of White Cake Mix

3 Eggs

1/3 Cup Oil

1/2 Cup Water

2 Cups Powdered Sugar

1/2 Cup Butter (Softened)

1 tsp. Vanilla Extract

2-3 TBSP Milk

Blue & Red Food Coloring

White Cupcake Liners

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Preheat oven to 350 F.

In a bowl add cake mix, eggs, water and oil.

Mix together until combined. Add 20 drops of red food coloring to the mix and stir.

Place your white cupcake liners inside the cupcake pan and fill each one with the red cake mixture about 1/2 full.

Bake for 18- 22 min. Let cupcakes cool for 20 min after baking.

In a separate bowl mix powdered sugar, softened butter and vanilla extract.

Add the milk one TBSP at a time until it becomes together with no lumps.

Next add 15- 20 drops of blue food coloring and stir the frosting until combined.

Take your red cupcake and top it with the blue frosting.

20-24 servings.

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TIPS:

I know that this recipe is “in a box” but I also strive to take those things and turn them into something new. So I am keeping with my premise of “out of the box cooking” 🙂

With the food coloring, I used the regular liquid food coloring that you find anywhere at the store.

Make sure to add plenty of food coloring to the cake mix and frosting to get a dark and vibrant red and blue color, especially red! You don’t want pink cupcakes!

For the frosting, I ended up using x2 amount of vanilla (since I was using the artificial stuff.) If you do have the real bottles of vanilla stick to the 1 tsp.

When adding milk to the frosting add slowly and don’t worry if you need to add more to tone down sweetness or to make the frosting smoother. I ended up using a bit more to get a smooth texture.

I doubled the cupcake liners so that the white color would be represented, but you can just use one.

Take your cupcakes one step further and add decorations to the top. Maybe a flag, sprinkles, etc. Be imaginative and make it your own!

Lemon Drop German Pancake

This past weekend I had this idea to take my original German Pancake recipe and add lemon to it. Perfection! Immediately after tasting it reminded me of eating  lemon drop. If you like lemon, give this a try!

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6 Eggs

1 Cup Milk

1 Cup Flour

Zest of 2 Lemons

1 TBSP Lemon Juice

1/4 tsp. Salt

1/2 tsp. Vanilla

2 TBSP Sugar

2 TBSP Butter

Glaze:

1 Cup Powdered Sugar

2-4 tsp. Lemon Juice

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Preheat oven 400 F.

In a medium bowl mix together eggs and milk.

Slowly add the flour, mixing as you go.

Add lemon zest, juice, salt, vanilla and sugar.

Stir the mixture until there are no flour lumps in the batter.

Once oven is preheated take a 9×13 pan and add the butter to the pan and set it into the oven to melt.

Now that the butter is melted, turn the pan in different directions so that the butter is evenly coated the bottom of the pan.

Add the egg batter to the pan and place into the oven for 20-25 min. Edges should be brown and the whole pancake will rise.

Make the glaze by adding enough lemon juice to make the powdered sugar thin and glaze like.

Add the glaze to the pancake once it comes out of the oven and let sit for 5 min.

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TIPS:

When using lemons, make sure to zest them before juicing. It is quite difficult to zest a lemon that is no longer round.

I used whole milk, but I have made this with 1% and it is fine. My opinion, if you have milk then use it.

DO NOT OPEN OVEN WHILE BAKING! This batter is very delicate and will deflate fast. If you need to see if it is done, use the oven light. Best indicator to look for is brown edges and a golden color in the middle.

You don’t like lemon? Instead of the lemon flavorings add:

2 tsp. vanilla

1 tsp. cinnamon

If you do make the version without lemon, you can top the pancake with syrup or my favorite is powered sugar and syrup!

Tara’s Eclair Cake

A fabulous dessert that my cousin Tara taught me how to make. Every time I make this for my husband he gets so emotional that he is almost close to tears because it is so good!

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1 Cup of Water

1/2 Cup of Butter

1 Cup of Flour

4 Eggs

1 8oz Package of Cream Cheese

1 Large Box of Instant Vanilla Pudding

3 Cups of Milk

1 8oz Container of Whipped Topping

Chocolate & Caramel Sauce

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Preheat oven to 400 F.

In a bowl combine milk and vanilla pudding and mix until it becomes thick.

Put into the fridge to set.

Pull out cream cheese and allow to come to room temperature.

In a medium pot bring water and butter to a boil.

Once it is boiling, add flour and sir then immediately remove from the heat.

Add one egg at a time and make sure it is mixed completely into the batter until adding another egg.

Take a greased 9X13 pan and pour egg batter into the pan. Spread it out into an even layer and bake for 20-25 min until the top is a golden brown color. Allow to cool for 30 min.

Take the cream cheese and using a mixer with a whisk attachment and whip for 3 min. Add vanilla pudding into the cream cheese and stir together. Place the mixture back into the fridge.

Now that the crust is cooled, add the vanilla/cream cheese mixture on the top and spread into an even layer. Lastly add the whipped topping on top and spread also into an even layer.

Place the whole cake into the fridge for 2-4 hours before serving.

Serve with a drizzle of chocolate and caramel sauce.

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TIPS:

The crust of the eclair cake is technically called a “pâte à choux,” an egg batter that is light and fluffy. To make sure it turns out that way, make sure the pot is off the heat when you add the eggs. Also add one egg at a time after the previous has been fully mixed into the batter. I would suggest to put the batter into your standing mixer and add the eggs.

Make sure the cream cheese is at room temperature! You don’t want lumps of cream cheese in the pudding.

The egg crust will rise a bit when it cooks. What I like to do is when it comes out of the oven I take a spoon and lightly flatten out the bubbles and edges. Don’t be aggressive with it, just to make the crust even.

I like to wait at least 2 hours for the whole dessert to set, but the best time I found was leave it in the fridge over night. So yummy!

If you want to make this even better, Add sliced strawberries on top of the vanilla layer and then top with whipped topping. Feel free to play with the recipe. Another thought was to change the pudding mix to chocolate, butterscotch, lemon, possibilities are endless!

Chicken With Rice &Veggies

My husband and I are trying to lose weight and I am changing up the food on the menu. This is a healthy meal that can be prepared quickly.

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1 Chicken Breast

1 Cup Rice

1 1/2 Cup Water

1 Can Cream of Mushroom Soup

1/2 Cup Milk

1 TBSP Parsley Flakes

Asparagus

Broccolli

Olive Oil

Salt & Pepper

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Preheat oven to 400 F.

In a pot bring 1 1/2 cups of water to a boil, add rice and cover with a lid.

Reduce heat to medium low and cook for 15 min.

After rice is done take off the heat and wait 5 min before removing lid and fluff with a fork.

Drizzle about 1 TBSP of olive oil, salt & pepper over the veggies and place them onto a sheet pan.

Cook in the oven for 10-15 min until tender.

Take chicken breast and cut into medium size pieces and season with salt and pepper.

Heat a skillet to medium heat with 2 TBSP of olive oil.

Add chicken pieces and cook for 2 min each side. Remove chicken and let rest.

Add water to the skillet to De-glaze the pan then add cream of mushroom soup, milk, parsley and chicken.

Cook mixture for 10-15 min.

Serve chicken and sauce over the rice.

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TIPS:

Start cooking the rice first, then while it is cooking work on the veggies. By the time the rice is done, so should the veggies. Work on the chicken last. The meal should be ready around the same time.

Chicken is a very healthy protein, but you do want to watch your portions. I found a great way to get more out of your chicken breasts. Cut the breast in half length ways. You should have two thinner cuts of breasts. So now instead of using 2 breasts, you can use 1 per two people.

Also, if you cut the chicken breast in half it makes it easier for you to cut it into even pieces.

One more tip about the chicken, when you are cooking them don’t worry if they are not cooked all the way. When you put them back into the sauce they will cook the rest of the way.

Now I know that cream of mushroom isn’t exactly “healthy,” but I think if you were to buy the low sodium option it is better than the regular. It also saves you time, so you don’t have to make a cream sauce from scratch.

Make sure to De-glaze the pan! This is where your flavor comes from. I just added about 2 TBSP of water, you can use about the same amount of white wine or chicken stock.

Feel free to use fresh parsley. I have a hard time keeping herbs fresh in the fridge, so I use dried most of the time. Either way, it won’t make too much of a difference.

 

Twice Baked Potatoes

This recipe is dedicated to my sister, April. She loves mashed potatoes..if.. they don’t have lumps in them. Here is my way of making this dish “April-Approved!”

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4 Large Russet Potatoes

2/3 Cup Milk (warm)

1/4 Cup Sour Cream

2 TBSP Butter

2 Green Onions

4 Bacon Strips (cooked)

Salt & Pepper

2 Cups Shredded Cheese

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Preheat oven to 450 F.

Wash potatoes and place directly into the oven. Cook for 45-50 min.

Pull potatoes out of the oven and let cool for 5 min.

Cut each potato in half and with a spoon scoop out all the potato into a large bowl. Keep the potato skin!

Add warm milk and mix with a “whisk” attachment. Mix until it becomes fluffy and has no lumps!

Add sour cream, salt and pepper.

Fold in butter, green onions and cooked bacon (crumbled into small pieces)

Take your potato mixture and spoon into your potato skins and top with shredded cheese.

Place back into the oven at 350 F for 10-15 min, until cheese is melted.

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TIPS:

To make sure your baked potato is cooked, place a knife in the middle of the biggest potato. If it goes in and out easily, it is done. If you have trouble getting the knife in or out, let the potato cook for an extra 10-15 min.

The secret to “no lumps?” Make sure you are using warm milk. This will break down the already warm potato and you will have smooth potatoes. Also use an electric hand mixer or use the whisk attachment for your kitchen aid mixer.

After you add salt, mix and taste! Potatoes need salt. Have a spoon ready and keep tasting until it has enough flavor for your palate.

This is a great side dish to go with grilled chicken or steak!