Classic French Crepes

Classic French Crepes

(This is the recipe that came with the crepe pan we received as a wedding present. 15 years later, the recipe and the pan are still going strong!)

Ingredients:

1 ½ c. milk

6 eggs

1 ½ c. flour

3 tbsp. melted butter

½ tsp. salt

3 tbsp. sugar

Mix in blender or with hand mixer until well mixed and frothy. Best to let stand for 30 minutes before cooking (or make the night before and keep in the refrigerator overnight).  Mixture should be about the consistency of heavy cream. For easy pouring, put it in a pitcher or measuring cup with a spout (or keep in the blender container). Preheat non-stick small frying pan or crepe pan for about 30 seconds on medium high heat. Pour about 2 tbsp. of mixture into pan then pick up the pan and tip it around to coat pan with a thin layer. Cook for 30 seconds or until it gets little bubbles throughout and the edges start to curl. Then flip over and cook second side for 15-20 seconds. Slide cooked crepe out of pan and onto plate to cool. Then keep going!

Filling Ideas:

• Nutella and banana slices and/or berries (works best if you put the crepe in a warm pan while spreading the nutella, the heat helps it spread better)
• Lemon juice with powdered sugar
• Fresh chunky jam
• Butter and cinnamon sugar
• Cookie butter with bananas

Jonah's Awesome Granola

My brother Jonah makes such delicious, healthy stuff. Back when we used to be neighbors in St George, we traded recipes a lot and had a great time eating over at each other's houses on Sundays. Now I just get to enjoy his cooking at Bear Lake.

This year, he made some masterful granola at Bear Lake and everyone loved it. It's by far the best granola I've ever had and makes all store-bought granolas seem too oily or too sweet or just plain not that great. Here's his recipe that I now make every week:

JONAH'S GRANOLA

Mix the following together in Kitchen Aid mixer (or can mix by hand in a big bowl)

4 C old fashioned rolled oats (not quick oats - but quick oats will do if that's all you've got)
1 t salt
1 t vanilla
3/4 C chopped nuts (walnuts, pecans, almonds, macadamia nuts if you're Jonah and live in Hawaii, whatever you've got)
1 C wheat germ
3/4 C ground flax seed
2 C flaked dry coconut
1 C honey
1/2 C canola oil (or coconut oil - a little better that way)

1/2 cup raw unsalted sunflower seeds (optional)

Then add:
4 MORE cups old fashioned rolled oats (1/2 cup at a time until you can't fit any more in w/o it flying out of the mixer - I can fit about 3 3/4 cups)

Spread out evenly over two cookie sheets.

Bake at 275 for 30 mins, checking at 20 and 25 minutes to see if it's getting brown on the edges (every oven is different!). It's done when everything's golden and the edges are a bit brown. It'll be soft when you take it out of the oven but after cooling, it'll become quite crispy. When it's totally cooled, you can put it into a container, breaking up the big clumps as you scoop it off the cookie sheets.

Mix in 1-2 cups raisins or craisins after cooking or upon serving if you like. You can add the raisins before cooking but they puff up while cooking and can end up sort of hard in the end so we like to add them after cooking to keep them softer.

Makes the equivalent of two big boxes of store-bought granola.

Banana Pancakes

These pancakes are SOOOOO good. They're quick and easy to make and they're a perfect thing to do with overripe bananas. Plus they're pretty darn healthy. We just ate these this morning. 

Ingredients:
2 mashed extra-ripe bananas
1 1/3 - 1 1/2 cups milk (determines thickness of pancakes)
2 tbsp melted butter
2 eggs
1 c. white flower
1 c. whole wheat flower
3 tsp baking powder
3 tbsp sugar, honey, or molasses
1-2 c. chopped walnuts/pecans (optional - but really really good)

Mix together wet ingredients, add and mix in dry ingredients, fold in walnuts. Turn on griddle or frying pan to medium-high heat. Use 1/3 cup measuring cup to put batter on hot griddle or frying pan. Once bubbles come up on the raw side of the pancake, flip it over. Cook until both sides are golden brown. Server with maple syrup or fruit. Add a little whipped cream on top to make them extra special.

Quick Quiche

This is our traditional breakfast on Christmas Eve morning but we often do it on New Year's Day as well. It's super easy and you can make it the night before, then just pop it in the oven in the morning. It does take an hour to bake - so plan accordingly. Super yummy and can be made in lots of varieties based on what you love.

Quick Quiche

4 ½ c. milk

9 eggs
1 ½ c. pancake mix
1 ½ cubes (¾ cup) melted butter
1 ½ tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
½ tsp garlic powder (if you like garlic)
2-3 c. shredded cheese (swiss, mozzarella, cheddar – your choice)
5-6 chopped green onions (white part and green part) or 1 large sweet onion, chopped
3-5 chopped roma tomatoes

Suggested variations:

• For Italian style, use mozzarella cheese and add 10 leaves chopped fresh basil or 1 tsp dried basil or Italian seasoning. Can also add ½ cup cooked chopped spinach (from fresh or frozen) and/or 1 c. chopped mushrooms if you like.
• For American style, use swiss or cheddar/monterey jack cheese and add 1-2 cups cubed ham, crumbled bacon or sausage plus 1-2 cups of chopped broccoli and/or 1 cup chopped mushrooms if you like.

Mix milk, eggs, pancake mix, butter, salt and pepper in large blender (I have a Vita Mix which has a very large container and fits all this perfectly. Can mix in a bowl and use an egg beater if you don't have a really big blender container). Spread your choice of cheese and other ingredients in a greased 9x13 baking dish. Pour mixture from blender over the top.

Cook at 325 degrees for about 1 hour and 15 minutes (until middle is pretty much set and top is slightly browned).

Pumpkin Pancakes

This is our family's traditional Halloween morning breakfast. Plus we just have to enjoy these delicious pancakes on other days as well!

Pumpkin Pancakes
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups milk (add little more at the end if the batter is too thick)
1 1/4 cup pumpkin puree (cooked mashed pumpkin or canned pumpkin)
1 egg
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons vinegar
2 cups all-purpose flour (or one cup white flour, one cup whole wheat flour)
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
(optional – add chopped walnuts or pecans)

Directions
1. In a bowl, mix together the milk, pumpkin, egg, oil and vinegar. Combine the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, allspice, cinnamon, ginger and salt in a separate bowl. Stir into the pumpkin mixture just enough to combine.
2. Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake. Brown on both sides and serve hot with maple syrup or apple butter.

Makes about 24 pancakes.

Delicious Overnight Steel-cut Oatmeal

As it's been getting a bit colder, this has been a favorite yummy super-easy breakfast. Just put it in the crock pot the night before and voila! Nice tasty hot breakfast ready when you wake up.

Ingredients:
2 cups of dry steel-cut oats (don't try to use quick or old fashioned rolled oats!)
8 cups of water (I actually use 7 - I like my oatmeal a little thicker)
1 cup of sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1 cup of raisins
(can also add chopped walnuts or pecans, berries, chopped apples, craisins, bananas, etc.)

Directions:
Put the oats and water in the crock pot before you go to bed. Set it to cook on low for 6 hours (if it doesn't have a timer, it can cook a little longer until you wake up but it does get a bit mushier after 6 hours and many people prefer it slightly chewy). In the morning, stir in the sugar, cinnamon and other toppings. If you like, you can stir in chopped apples about a 1/2 hour to an hour before serving so they can cook a bit. Serve with a bit of milk or a dollop of vanilla yogurt. Add a little more sugar if you think it needs it. So easy, healthy and yummy!