Homemade Old School Pancakes

Pancakes what a great way to start any day. Winter, Spring Summer or Fall nothing beats a good plate of pancakes. As most of you know my Vintage Cookbook are vast. This one is special as it gives us many recipes from the once popular book Balancing your meals in a Jiffy!

This would also be an exceptional plate of yummy to slather our Gourmet Jam on! It is easy and did you know you can freeze left over batter for later or even better make them and freeze the pancakes whole in the freezer for a quick breakfast.

Lets get started I could go on forever.



Ingredients

1 cup sour cream

7 tablespoons all-purpose Flour

2 tablespoons Sugar

1 teaspoon Baking Soda

1/2 teaspoon Salt

2 whole large eggs

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

** Butter, for frying and serving

Warm Syrup or Jam





Start by mixing your batter everything on the list. The only thing I do and it is actually in their recipe is sift my flour but I do this with anything using flour. A good batter for pancakes or waffles always bubbles.






Heat up your skillet and pop that batter in. Any size small dollar pancakes or regular size. Once you see bubbles on the top of the pancakes flip them over. Not sure if they are ready to flip? Just pull up on the side then flip.

These pancakes are just beautiful.

And there you go how easy was that. Unlike your box brand mix these pancakes are thick and dense. You many need extra butter and syrup!

Chicken with Stuff Soup

Well Soup is a must during those cold winter or rainy day's. Although soup for me is an any weather day thing. You will notice the more you cook that there is always something in the pantry to make soup with.

Just a Chicken Soup

2 tbs olive oil
1 large onion chopped
1 red/yellow bell pepper chopped (half of each)
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon chili power
1 box organic chicken broth
1 can organic/fresh tomatoes
2 whole boneless chicken breasts chopped into squares
2 ears of corn fresh is best
1 cup cooked/canned cannellini beans
Pasta what ever kind you like you only need a hand full
Salt to taste

Heat the oil in your soup pot and add the onions, peppers and the garlic to the pot and saute. Add the chicken and let this cook together until your chicken is cooked thu out.







Garlic tip I did learn this on Food TV they put kosher salt on the garlic cloves before they smashes it to bring out the flavor I do say it works. Peel the garlic and put it on the cutting board then sprinkle some kosher salt. NOT TABLE SALT. Take the flat side of your knife and smash down now pick up the garlic and pop it in the soup. I rarely chop because I love the flavor of the garlic, at the end I fish the garlic out prior to serving if I remember….;-)



Cooking your pasta can be done while you are cooking the other stuff. Now I can say that you can cook the pasta half way because it will cook more in the soup. Also adding pasta to your sou is optional.




Add you chicken and spices to the pot


Now add your tomatoes






Add the corn is next












Look at the nice trick  for cutting fresh corn and keeping it in one spot using a bundt pan. . I use to have such a time with that I only wish I knew this trick sooner. My bundt pan the hole is a little wide but I go the gist of the trick.









Alright now add the chicken stock and mix everything up and add the  beans.






Let everything simmer for a good 30 minutes to one hour. I add the pasta the last 10 minutes as to not let it get soft or mushy.

When you serve the soup top each bowl off with cheese I use shredded mozzarella

Enjoy your soup !

Cauliflower Potato Soup

Cauliflower Potato Soup well any soup at this time of year is great. The vegetables combined with the natural thickener potato is so delicious.

My family is a soup family. We love to get a warm soup and some homemade bread during the colder month's.

Soup just makes you feel comfortable and safe.




Ingredients 

1 whole cauliflower
2 carrots
1 half yellow onion
2 tablespoons Italian parsley
2 quarts chicken broth
One stick of butter
5 tablespoon flour
2 cups of milk
1 cup half and half
Pepper to taste
4 medium potatoes

 

In a large soup pot melt half your stick of butter.

 

 
Add the onion cook until it starts to turn brown




Add the carrots cook an additional couple of minutes. Add cauliflower and parsley and stir to combine. Turn the burner down to low cover it and let it simmer for say 10 minutes or so.

After it has simmered pour in chicken broth, bring to a boil, then reduce heat and allow to simmer.

Make sure you skim all the stuff off the sides of the pot waste nothing





I let all this simmer for about a half hour before I go to the next step. Keep an eye on the soup and stir when needed.

In a medium saucepan melt the other half cube of butter

Mix the flour and milk then whisk to combine in a separate bowl

Add flour-milk mixture slowly to the butter whisking constantly




Remove from heat and stir in 1 cup half-and-half

Add mixture to the simmering soup







Add the potatoes. Allow the soup to  simmer for 1 hour or until you potatoes are soft not mushy. Fork tender. Stir every 10 to 15 minutes.


After the hour your soup should be ready to eat!




Notes to self

I use Italian Parsley because it just has a better not so tart taste like regular parsley
I use a food processor to chop the carrot and half of the cauliflower See the picture
I do not salt my food when cooking I think it should be left to the eater.

I just love each process of cooking.  I do not jump from step to step. I stop long enough to think does this need a little extra time to get its flavors together on there own prior to adding the rest of the stuff this holds true for most things I cook.

Cinnamon Rolls Home Made

Cinnamon Rolls from scratch like all home made food they just are the Best Cinnamon Rolls  




This is a time consuming recipe but worth every minute. If you have the taste for Cinnamon Rolls today you will have them fresh tomorrow morning.  I made these for a book study I was having and the ladies went nutty over them. With Tea, Coffee or just some juice these are scrumptious !







I am so good about giving credit for recipes but this one I have had so long I truly do not know where I got it. Sorry

Dough:
4 large egg yolks, room temperature
1 large whole egg, room temperature
2 ounces sugar, approximately 1/4 cup
3 ounces unsalted butter, melted, approximately 6 tablespoons
6 ounces buttermilk, room temperature
20 ounces all-purpose flour, approximately 4 cups, plus additional for dusting
1 package instant dry yeast, approximately 2 1/4 teaspoons
1 1/4 tsp kosher salt
Vegetable oil /cooking spray

Filling:
8 ounces light brown sugar, app 1 cup packed
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
Pinch salt
3/4-ounce unsalted butter, melted, app 1 1/2 tablespoons

Icing:
2 1/2 ounces cream cheese softened, app 1/4 cup
3 tablespoons milk
5 1/2 ounces powdered sugar, approximately 1 1/2 cups

Directions

For the dough:

In a mixing bowl it can be a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, hand mixer or by hand. Whisk the egg yolks, whole egg, sugar, butter, and buttermilk. Add approximately 2 cups of the flour along with the yeast and salt. Whisk until moistened and combined.

 Add all but 3/4 cup of the remaining flour and knead for 5 minutes. Check the consistency of the dough, add more flour if necessary. The dough should feel soft and moist but not sticky. Knead for 5 minutes more or until the dough clears the sides of the bowl.






Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface; knead by hand about 30 seconds.












Lightly oil a large bowl. Transfer the dough to the bowl, lightly oil the top of the dough, cover and let double in volume, 2 to 2 1/2 hours.










Combine the brown sugar, cinnamon and salt in a medium bowl. Mix until well incorporated. Set aside until ready to use.







Butter a 9 by 13-inch glass baking dish.










Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Gently shape the dough into a rectangle with the long side nearest you. Roll into an 18 by 12-inch rectangle.











 Brush the dough with the 3/4-ounce of melted butter, leaving 1/2-inch border along the top edge.









 

Sprinkle the filling mixture over the dough, leaving a 3/4-inch border along the top edge, gently press the filling into the dough.









Beginning with the long edge nearest you, roll the dough into a tight cylinder.
Firmly pinch the seam to seal and roll the cylinder seam side down.
Very gently squeeze the cylinder to create even thickness.
Using a serrated knife, slice the cylinder into 1 1/2-inch rolls; yielding 12 rolls.
Arrange rolls cut side down in the baking dish lined with butter.






Cover tightly with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator overnight or up to 16 hours.










Remove the rolls from the refrigerator and place in an oven that is turned off.
 




Fill a shallow pan 2/3-full of boiling water and set on the rack below the rolls.










Close the oven door and let the rolls rise until they look slightly puffy, approximately 30 minutes.







 Remove the rolls and the shallow pan of water from the oven.








Preheat the oven to 350 degrees


When the oven is ready, place the rolls on the middle rack and bake until golden brown, or until the internal temperature reaches 190 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer, approximately 30 minutes.






While the rolls are cooling slightly, make the icing by whisking the cream cheese in the bowl of a stand mixer until creamy. Add the milk and whisk until combined. Sift in the powdered sugar, and whisk until smooth.














 Spread over the rolls and serve immediately.

Potato and Kielbasa Soup

Potato with Kielbasa Soup is heaven in a bowl. Just the topic of rain in the forecast makes me think soup. Potato and kielbasa soup !

Last night at 4:30 am I shot out of bed ran to the freezer and took out all the chicken bones and fix-in's to make chicken stock today.







 Pondering the way to get back to sleep I ran back to the freezer and grabbed the already frozen chicken broth and a kielbasa sausage out of the other freezer.


I truly love all potato based soup's but as you know I am always looking for something new.
In my mind I thought oh what a great idea I have left over baby potatoes and the kielbasa so why not potato and kielbasa soup. As if it was never done. Really Lani? Better yet roasted!
I love to roasted veggies prior to adding it to the soup this too has been done forever and it just adds that old time taste like grams made. Helps makes the taste go one step further.

Let us get started

Ingredients

• 10 baby potatoes chopped
  1 russet potato peeled and chopped
  2  tablespoons of flour if needed to thicken
  1  -  14oz kielbasa sausage chopped
  2 quarts chicken broth
  1 -2 garlic cloves finely chopped
  1 onion chopped
• 2 tablespoons of canola oil

Prep

Pour your chicken stock into a large stock pot and add the potatoes (reserve two cups of them chopped bite size) and let it simmer for a least one hour.

You want to be able to mash the potatoes to thicken the soup.

*If everything else is in the pot it becomes a chore to try to avoid mushing the onions and sausage. 

While this is cooking make the rest of the ingredients.





In a skillet but a tablespoon of canola oil and fry up your chopped onions about 3 minutes prior to them being ready pop in the chopped garlic.




The reason for this is the garlic cooks so quickly and you do not want to burn it.







Once this is roasted toss the onions and garlic into your stock pot.  Making sure the potatoes are done and mushed.




In the same pan you used for the onions now put the chopped kielbasa and brown it well.

Remember you are looking for the roasted taste in your soup. Once the kielbasa is done toss this into the stock pot.

Add the 2 cups of reserved chopped potato's. Let this all simmer on low for another hour.






I simmer all my soup to get all the flavor gather together. Many soup take under an hour mine a lot longer so all the ingredients can get acquainted. There is many a time when I will let my soup sit overnight then warm it up the next morning to get a taste.

Well almost everything is better then next day!

Love this season so soupy.

Don't for get to try making some homemade bread here is a link.  See mine next to the soup.