Wednesday, August 20, 2014

Oven Pancake

Serves 2:

1/2 c. flour
3 eggs
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 c. milk
2 Tb. butter

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Mix eggs, salt, milk, flour in a bowl. Put butter in a pie plate and put into the hot oven until butter melts.  Remove pie plate from oven and pour pancake batter into the center of the pie plate.  Bake in the oven 15-20 mins until pancake is puffy and edges turn golden.

Monday, August 18, 2014

Best Ever Banana Pancakes

Where has this recipe been all my life?  Now that I've discovered banana pancakes from Allrecipes.com, I have made it too many times to count.  It is hands down the best pancake recipe I've ever tried.

1c. flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 Tb. sugar

1 egg
1c. milk
2 Tb. veg oil or melted cooled butter
2 ripe, mashed bananas (use a ziploc bag to mash, then cut a hole on the end and squeeze it out)
handful chocolate chips (optional)

Combine dry ingredients and wet ingredients (minus the banana) in separate bowls.  Pour wet ingredients into dry, mix, then gently fold in banana.  Mix in a handful of chocolate chips.  Makes 9-10 pancakes which is just enough for us.

Spicy Japanese Eggplant

I was thrilled try a recipe from a beautiful Japanese cookbook, Everyday Harumi.  This was so delicious, the whole family was fighting over the last bite!  I made a few modifications and here's our version.

2 japanese eggplants (or 1 large "regular" eggplant)
1/3c. soy sauce
2 1/2 Tb. sugar
1/4 c. unseasoned rice vinegar
2 scallions, minced
1/2 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp minced ginger
red pepper flakes
vegetable or canola oil

Cut eggplant into chunks and soak in cold water for 5-10 mins.  Drain and pat dry.
Combine soy sauce, sugar, rice vinegar, ginger and garlic.  Add red pepper flakes to your liking.
Heat a few tablespoons oil in a skillet.  Sautee the eggplant until it turns soft and starts to brown.  Drain on a paper towel.  In a mixing bowl, combine the sauce mixture and the eggplant.  Let stand for 5-10 mins before serving.  Garnish with the scallions and enjoy.

We ate this over rice and I also served a side of tofu drizzled with soy sauce and dusted with crushed peanuts.

Key Lime Pie

1 prepared (unbaked) graham cracker crust
1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
zest of 1 lime
1/2c. key lime juice (or bottled lime and lemon juice)
4 egg yolks, beaten

Combine ingredients, pour into pie shell.  Bake at 375 for about 15 mins or until a knife inserted in the center of the pie leaves a mark.  (Don't let the pie start to brown or turn golden as it will be overdone).

Tips:
Zest the lime, then squeeze the fresh lime juice into a 1/2c. measuring cup.  Add a few tablespoons of bottled lemon juice, and then bottled lime juice to equal 1/2 cup total.

This recipe gives a nice thin layer of pie filling.  For a full, thick pie the recipe could be doubled.