Caramel Banana Pancakes

Caramel Banana Pancakes ....did I just say caramel banana pancakes??? Oh yes, yes I did...I had them this weekend at IHOP and couldn't rest until I had made them.  So, who wants to be my best friend?  I have some to share!!  oh, sweet mother of sweetness.

Make the caramel sauce and pudding ahead of time…but they do not need to be cooled.  For each serving cook two pancakes.  Put two tablespoons of vanilla pudding between the pancakes.  Add a tablespoon of caramel sauce if you are a wimp, and two tablespoons if you appreciate sweet, buttery caramel sauce, to the pancake.  Put half of the caramel sauce on the top pancake, slice a half (or more) of a banana on top of the caramel sauce and then the rest of the caramel sauce drizzled over the bananas.  Add a dollop of reddi whip (if you have any) to make it fancier and fun.  Then BANG!!  You are a pancake rockstar!!!!!

 

ATK Best Buttermilk pancakes

Ingredients

White Flour, 2 cup
Granulated Sugar,2 tbsp
Salt, ½ tsp
Baking Powder, 1 tsp
Baking Soda, ½  tsp
Buttermilk,, 2 cups
Greek Yogurt or sour cream ¼ cup
1 egg

Butter , 3 tbsp, melted

 Directions

Wisk flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, & baking soda together in a medium bowl.
In second medium bowl, wisk buttermilk, sour cream, eggs & melted butter.
Make well in middle of dry ingredients and pour in wet: gently stir until just combined (batter should remain lumpy with a few streaks of flour) DO NOT OVER MIX!
Allow batter to sit for 10 Mins (DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP!!!)

Heat skillet to around 350, or large pan on the stovetop.  Using 1/4 cup for measuring, portion batter on to pan. Cook until edges are set, first side is golden brown, and bubbles on surface are just beginning to break, (2-3 mins)
Flip and continue to cook for 1-2 mins longer

Caramel Sauce Recipe

Ingredients

·         1 cup sugar

·         6 Tbsp butter

·         1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

Method

1 First, before you begin, make sure you have everything ready to go - the cream and the butter next to the pan, ready to put in. Making caramel is a fast process that cannot wait for hunting around for ingredients. If you don't work fast, the sugar will burn. Safety first - make sure there are no children under foot and you may want to wear oven mitts; the caramelized sugar will be much hotter than boiling water.

2 Heat sugar on moderately high heat in a heavy-bottomed 2-quart or 3-quart saucepan. As the sugar begins to melt, stir vigorously with a whisk or wooden spoon. As soon as the sugar comes to a boil, stop stirring. You can swirl the pan a bit if you want, from this point on. Note that this recipe works best if you are using a thick-bottomed pan. If you find that you end up burning some of the sugar before the rest of it is melted, the

Quick Vanilla Pudding

2 cups milk

½ cup white sugar

3 Tablespoons cornstarch

¼ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 Tablespoons butter

Directions

1.       In medium saucepan over medium heat combine sugar, cornstarch and salt slowly add milk and whisk. In a. Continue to cook and stir until mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a metal spoon. Do not boil. Remove from heat, stir in vanilla and butter. Pour into serving dishes. Chill before serving.

 

Orange Chicken Stir-fry

I saw this recipe and guess what I had in my fridge...fresh citrus!  woohoo!  I also I am back to being able to cook and wanting to cook with lots of vegetables.  So, my fridge is loaded with veggies and ready for veggie cooking extravaganza! I used broccoli, asparagus, french green beans, red bell peppers, zucchini and served it with a buckwheat soba noodles.  So stir fry friends, stir fry.

Citrus Chicken and Vegetable Stir-Fry

modified from: Alice Currah is the publisher of popular food blog, SavorySweetLife.com

Ingredients

• Sauce:

• 3/4 cup orange or other citrus juice
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce (I used sweet soy sauce)
• 2 tablespoons  vinegar (it calls for rice vinegar, but I don't like rice vinegar, so I used what I had)
• 1 tablespoon orange zest

 

• 2 large cloves garlic
• 1 teaspoon minced ginger or 1/2 tsp powdered ginger
• optional sweetener like sugar, honey, agave, etc.

• Stir-fry:

• 1 pound chicken tender cut into cubes
• salt and pepper
• 3 tablespoons corn starch
• 4 cups chopped vegetables such as broccoli, carrots, celery, mushroom, snap peas, red peppers, sweet potatoes ...whatever you have on hand.
• olive oil
• 1/2 cup medium yellow onion, chopped

Instructions

1. Blend all the ingredients for the sauce in a blender or food processor for 10 seconds.
2. Taste the sauce and add your choice of sweetener to your liking.
3. Blend again for a few more seconds.
4. Heat the sauce in a large skillet on medium-high heat for 5 minutes. Carefully transfer the sauce to a heat proof bowl.
5. Rinse the skillet clean.
6. Season the chicken with salt and pepper.
7. Add the corn starch and massage the chicken with your hands.
8. If using fresh broccoli or green beans, boil the broccoli for 3-5 minutes until soft enough to pierce with a fork yet firm.
9. Transfer the vegetables to a plate lined with a paper towel.
10. Wipe down the skillet until dry.
11. Heat approximately 1 tablespoon of oil in the skillet on medium-high heat.
12. Cook the onion and chicken until the chicken is cooked through, approximately 3-4 minutes.
13. Add the remaining vegetables and stir-fry them together for 2 minutes.
14. Slowly add a few tablespoons of sauce while stirring the vegetables and chicken.
15. Continue to add the sauce a few tablespoons at a time, allowing about 15 seconds between each addition to allow sauce to slightly cook down.
16. Spoon the stir-fry over a bowl of hot rice or noodles. Serve immediately.

Why I will never buy another Granola Bar!

Yes, I made homemade granola bars.  They were easy and oh, so tasty!  I used almonds and cranberries, but I also want to make pecans and cherries or peanut butter and chocolate or ...whatever else I can think of.  So, if you like granola bars you have to try this!  Though, one tip, use parchment paper on the bottom or they will stick solid. 

Granola Bars

1 1/2 cups of rolled oats (I used 1 cup rolled oats and 1/2 cup steel cut oats)

1 cup chopped almonds (or other nuts)

1 cup dried cranberries (or other dried fruit)

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup honey

 

 

Preheat oven to 350. Mix all ingredients. Spread into a well-greased pan. Bake for 10-20 minutes, depending on your crunch preference (the longer it cooks, the crunchier it gets). Let the granola cool before you cut it, or it will fall apart.