Einkorn German Pancake with Lemon Syrup

German Pancakes also known as Dutch Babies are on the top of my "favorites" list. They are one of the quickest,  prettiest and yummiest breakfast meals you can make. For this recipe, I used all-purpose Einkorn Flour instead of wheat  flour and they turned out just delicious. Buttery, crispy bottom, creamy, fluffy center, topped with lemon syrup, berries and powdered sugar...mmm so good.
I love the rich yellow color of the Einkorn flour (the color of a wonderful grain loaded with extra nutrition and protein), and it looks so pretty with all of the berries, doesn't it?  The syrup is a thin buttery complement to this pancake, and perfect with the addition of fruit and a dusting of powdered sugar.

Begin by starting the syrup, and it can be simmering while you make the pancake.

For the Lemon Syrup
Ingredients:
1/2 cup water
Juice from a large fresh lemon
1/2 cup organic cane sugar
1 lemon thinly sliced
4-5 drops lemon essential oil or 1 tsp of grated lemon rind
3 Tablespoons butter

Instructions:

1. Place all ingredients, except the butter, including lemon slices, into a small sauce pan.
2. Bring ingredients to boil.
3. Simmer 5 minutes.
4. Add butter and simmer 2 minutes more.
5. Remove lemons and use for garnish.
6. Pour syrup into a small pitcher and drizzle over pancakes

For the Einkorn German Pancake
 Ingredients:
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 large eggs, room temperature
1/2 cup milk, room temperature
1/2 cup all-purpose Einkorn Flour
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
Berries or fruit
Lemon Syrup
Powdered Sugar for dusting


Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 450°F. (The high temperature oven is important to get the pancake to rise and puff nicely).
2. Put butter in a 10 inch cast iron skillet, and place in the oven to melt. (Remove from the oven once the butter is melted, before it becomes brown)
3. While the butter is melting, add the eggs, milk, flour,  and salt to a blender,  food processor or mixing bowl, (I like how easy a blender works for this.)
4. Blend or mix until the batter is smooth.
5. Remove the hot skillet from the oven and place onto the stove top.
6. Swirl the butter over the skillet, spreading the butter evenly over the bottom of entire pan.
7. Pour the batter into the skillet and place the skillet back into the oven.
8. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes until it has puffed and the edges are golden.
9. Serve warm, with berries, lemon syrup and a dusting of powdered sugar. 

Makes 4 Servings

Once the pancake is removed from the oven,

add fruit

drizzle with lemon syrup.

and dust with powdered Sugar.

Serve and Enjoy!!!

Chicken Divan

This delicious chicken and broccoli casserole, covered with creamy, cheesy sauce and topped with the crunchy perfection of homemade croutons, is one of our favorite family recipes.  I have been making it since we were first married, (almost 40 years now).  It was one of my Mother in Law's recipes, and when Steve and I got married, I quickly learned to make it, and to this day, our kids count it as one of their favorites as well.

The original recipe calls for Cream of Chicken soup and Mayonnaise, and I have tried variations to try to do away with the Cream of Chicken soup and Mayonnaise combo, but I always seem to go back to the original recipe with "Cream of" soup in it, because of how easy and delicious it is.  You can buy organic "cream of soups", if you want to avoid the Cambells version and pick up a healthy mayo as well (I've been using Mayonnaise made with Avocado oil of late, and I am really  happy with it). Either way, its a family pleaser, and wonderful to serve up something special for company.  For the topping, croutons are the only way to go. If you can make them yourself, they are even better, and in recent years, I simply use fresh sourdough bread cubed and tossed in butter and seasoned with garlic salt, or just drizzle the butter over them once they are on the casserole.  They will get crunchy while baking in the oven.

1.  Start by cooking and de-boning a chicken. You will want about 4 cups of cooked, cubed chicken.

2.   Pour two bags of frozen broccoli into a 9X13 rectangular casserole pan or two small casserole pans (I sometimes use two smaller pans and freeze one of the casseroles for another meal).

3. Spread chicken evenly over broccoli.

4. Stir together Cream of chicken soups, mayonnaise, lemon juice, and lemon essential oil. 

5. Spread the mixture evenly over the chicken and broccoli.

6.  Top with Shredded Cheese.

7.  Add croutons to the top of the Cheese. 

8. If you are using fresh cubed sourdough bread or french bread, instead of croutons, like I am using here, drizzle melted butter over the top, and sprinkle with garlic salt. 

9.  Bake in a 350 degree oven for 35-45 minutes, or until topping is browned and the base is bubbly and hot. I like to cook it until the broccoli is just done, but not over done.

10. Dish it up and enjoy.

Over the years, we have served this dish up with a sweet potato side dish, a salad and rolls and sometimes rice. It seems kind of strange to think to serve it with sweet potatoes, but the flavors have always gone together so well. I think Steve's Mom may have served it that way one time, and we have done it ever since.

Chicken Divan

Ingredients:

4 cups cooked and cubed chicken.
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 cup mayonnaise

1 Tablespoon lemon juice
10 drops Food Grade Lemon Essential Oil (I use Young Living Essential Oils) (This an optional addition that I have loved adding, because it really enhances the lemon flavor)

3  cups shredded cheddar cheese 

2-3 cups croutons or cubed Sourdough bread, drizzled with 1/3 cup melted butter and sprinkled with garlic salt)

Instructions:

1. Spray the bottom of a 8x6 casserole dish.
2. Spread chopped broccoli evenly in the bottom of the pan.
3. Top with chicken
4. In a small mixing bowl, mix together cream of chicken soups, mayonnaise and lemon juice and mix together well.
5. Spread the mixture over the chicken and broccoli.
6. Top with cheese and then croutons.
7. Bake 30-45 minutes, until the croutons are golden brown, and the casserole is bubbly.

Enjoy!

I Love You Buckets

I have had a lot of fun making Valentines Buckets the last few weeks.  I'm calling them "I Love You Buckets".  They are just a quick idea for giving gifts or collecting Valentines Cards, but I thought I would share the little "how to" with you, and perhaps it will inspire some fun ideas.

 

Supplies:

Bucket (I found some really cute ones at the Dollar Store)

Ribbon, lace, fringe

flowers, or decorations of choice

Magnets

Glue gun

Instructions:

1. Using a hot glue gun, glue ribbon or lace around bucket (You can clip an opening through the ribbon where the handle is.
2. Glue magnets to decorations
3. Decorate bucket with magnets
4. Stuff with tissue paper or shredded paper, 
5. Fill with goodies.

Note: Other than the ribbon and lace, these buckets are all decorated with magnets.

Note: Look closely to  see where the ribbon is clipped to make an opening  for the handle to move up
 and down.

Place those magnets anywhere, to create a cute design.

 

Have Fun and Happy Valentines Day, Everyone!

Baked Brie and Cherries in Puff Pastry

I had a wheel of Brie cheese left over after Christmas (how is that possible?) that inspired me for a recipe idea for Valentines, and did it ever come out good.  Its hard to decide if this should go into the Appetizer, Main Dish or Dessert category in the recipe section, so perhaps you should try it for yourself and let me know what you think, ha ha. There is something very addicting about the sweet, tangy, cheesy, melty, gooey, crispy combination in this recipe, and it is making me hungry to make it again, even as I write this post..... Anyhow, I thought it would make a lovely, romantic treat for Valentines, with the pretty red cherries, and heart cut out, but of course it could be adapted for any special occasion.

Baked Brie and Cherries in Puff Pastry

Ingredients:

1 large Brie
1-2 Sheets of Puff Pastry ( the extra is for decorating,  and is optional... I actually used 1 1/2 sheets for this).
1 Can of Cherry Pie Filling (You will need about 1/2  -3/4 cup)


Instructions:

Note: These instructions are adapted to make the pastry and the heart that will best display the pretty red cherries through the heart as a special decoration for Valentines Day. You can of course,  wrap the pastry up and around the cheese in any variety of ways that seems good to you.

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Prepare pastry, by thawing approximately 30-60 minutes before needed (or follow the package instructions).
3. Unfold the thawed puff pastry on a lightly floured surface.  Using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll the pastry into  a 11 or 12 in rectangle
4. Place Brie wheel onto a corner of the pastry and cut around Brie to make a circle of pastry underneath.  
5. Place Brie with the pastry still on the bottom onto a cookie sheet lined with Parchment paper.
6. Roll out and cut remaining pastry in to a large square/rectangle (enough to drape over the top and sides of the Brie).
7. Using a cookie cutter, cut a heart out of the pastry square and set the heart and the square to the side
8. Spoon and spread cherry pie filling over the top of the Brie.
9. Drape the heart cut square of pastry over the top of the cherry topped Brie.
10. Gently tuck the bottom edge of the pastry slightly under the Brie and pastry circle.
11. Cut a strip of pastry that is the length of the circumference of the Brie. 
12. Wrap it around the outer edge of the Brie and Pastry. Use a little water to help adhere the pastry edges to each other. ( This is optional, but I did it to make a tidier presentation.
13. Place the cut heart on top for decoration.
14. Brush the Brie with melted butter, or with a combination of 1 egg whisked together with 1 Tablespoon of water).
15. Bake 20 - 25 minutes, or until golden brown.
16. Serve with fresh fruit, toasted Baguette or crackers.

Enjoy!

Make a Simple Felt Rose

You can make a pretty little felt rose in less than five minutes. Use them to make magnets, headbands, or to embellish crafts or home decor.  You only need a few supplies.

 

Supplies

1. 1 sheet of felt for the rose  (any color you like).
2. 1 sheet of green felt for the leaves.
3. A circle to use as a pattern, such as a Stencil, Cardboard Ribbon Cover, Jar Lid, or Old CD,  any size will work.
4. Scissors
5. Glue Gun with glue stick (a small one with an extra small nozzle is best when making these, to minimize excess glue and limit burns).

Instructions

1.     Lay your circle pattern on top of the felt.

2.     Trace the circle onto the felt using a pencil.

3. Cut out the circle.

4.  Cut a spiral into the circle. A small pair of scissors works best for this.

5.  Cut slowly, keeping an even, narrow pattern.

6.  Finish in the middle, leaving a small circle at the end.

7. Trim any uneven edges.

  8.  It should look like this, but if its a little wobbly at first, it will get better the more you practice cutting it out.

9.  Begin your rose, by curling the outer end into itself, as shown.

10.  Continue to roll.

11.    When you have finished rolling, hold your rose together, allowing the end to drape around the edge, and then down under the bottom.

12.  Put a dot of hot glue on the edge to hold it together

.......as seen here.

13.     You will have the small circle remaining, that you can glue down over the bottom of the rose.

14.     Put some hot glue over the base, enough to touch all the layers.

15.     Put the circle down over the glue, and press together.

16. You can trim off any uneven edges at this point, if you have any.

17.  You now have a nice simple little rose flower.

 18. Cut out an oval or tear drop shape for a leaf, from the green felt.

 19.     Squeeze a drop or two of glue onto the leaf.

 20.     Place the leaf, glue side down, to the bottom of the rose.

21.  Press the leaf into the bottom of the rose so the glue will be well distributed and adheres nicely on both pieces.

22. All done... now create something fun with it.

I love to put magnets on my flowers, and then decorate buckets, cans, frames or any metal item.
Its also fun to glue them to wall hangings, or little wooden plaques etc.

Have fun!