Monday, September 19, 2011

Best Ever Pancakes

I don't try to make it any secret that everything I do at home is homemade. Before we moved to Oklahoma City when I had an actual kitchen with an actual oven, I even went so far as to make our own hamburger  buns and pretzel buns for those times we had Black Dog Brats at home.

I like being in control of the ingredients in the food we eat. I like being in control of the quality of the ingredients of the food we eat! Not to mention everything is so much better when it is homemade. This really didn't take an extraordinary amount of extra time for me. I worked two jobs and still managed to make everything homemade. I guess the issue here is whether or not it is a priority to you and for me, it is a priority.

At any rate, I pretty much despise any form of box mix baked good. It's lazy and often times you can make it for cheaper and better! I'll admit it, my husband and I are complete and total food snobs. We just prefer to think we like and know good food.

Before I get into the pancake recipe, I have to share a good food find here in OKC, The Wedge Pizzeria. We had the pleasure of eating dinner there last night and it was pretty amazing! Of course I think any pizza that has truffle oil sprinkled over the top has got to be pretty amazing! When we pulled up they had a garden of their own, which automatically made them awesome in my book! Then I ate their food and they are completely awesome! We had a pizza called Truffle Shuffle; truffle oil, sage, crimini mushrooms, spinach, roasted chicken, Parmesan and mozzarella. We also had the Prosciutto Wrapped Pears as an appetizer; pears with goat cheese wrapped in proscciutto atop a bed of greens drizzled with extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vingarette. Of course we split a cesar salad too with homemade croutons and nice, big shavings of parmesan! They have an A from me and I can't wait to go again!! 


Now, on to the pancakes!! We always had a nice breakfast on the weekend growing up in my house. It was usually a Sautrday morning tradition, my mom would get up and make us something fabulous! Often times it was pancakes, french toast, biscuits and gravy or eggs benedict. To this day, breakfast is still my favorite meal of the day! 

I did a little google searching and found a recipe that seemed good and of course tweeked it for myself, to get something I know we would enjoy. Without further ado, the best ever pancakes!


I like to cook my pancakes on an electric griddle, but however you like to do it. My recipe reflects a preheated electric griddle at about 325 degrees and sprayed with PAM. Other items you'll need are a mixing bowl, whisk, measuring cup, 2+ cup measuring cup to pour batter, spatula and measuring spoons. 




Ingredients: 
1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt 
1 Tablespoon + 1 teaspoon granulated sugar or raw sugar which is what I use
1 cup of whole milk
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
1 egg
3 Tablespoons melted butter
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 


Combine the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl and mix together with whisk. Add the wet ingredients until all combined and smooth.


Pour batter into your 2+ cup measuring cup and drop by the 1/4 cup onto pre heated electric griddle. The pancakes will practically double in size before flipping and you won't see the traditional bubbles that you normally see. So basically you'll just want to wait until they are really puffy and take your spatula and look at an edge to see how they are, before flipping.


They are the best pancakes I have ever tasted! They are so good!! Top with some butter, some pure maple syrup and you have a great Saturday morning breakfast! They would even be good topped with some Pan fried apples

Friday, September 16, 2011

Trials and tribs in OKC

Well howdy there y'all, finally updating from great and wonderful OKC. That is some pretty thick sarcasm if you couldn't tell!

We have been here in OKC for about 2 months and I find myself half way done with my prision sentence of middle america hell or what I so lovely refer to as the buttcrack of america.

There are very few redeeming qualities about this city. But first, I have to talk about the food right? I don't think I have mentioned my extreme distain for Walmart. Suffice it to say, I think they are the root of all evil! Lucky for me, that is all there really is in this place! Walmart and Sam's Club! OHHH I would kill for a Costco.

We spent our first couple of weeks buying groceries from Walmart before we finally discovered a nicer place that carries some organic things. I couldn't even find a shallot in this freaking town for about a month!! Apparently, Okies don't have very refined taste.

After my first two weeks here I went on a road trip with my mother in law, it was a very nice break away from this place! I ended up going to Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky and Tennessee. The most memorable places we ate were at the Bavarian Inn in Frankenmuth, Michigan they serve a famous chicken dinner and I have to say, they were pretty awesome! PIG in Memphis, Tennessee was my other favorite. Great BBQ in a pretty cool atmosphere, of course it's on Beale Street, it doesn't get much cooler than that.

I've been back from my second road trip of the year for about a month now. My husband and I are settling into a groove living in our temporary housing (aka Studio 6 hotel in the ghetto, oh wait that is ALL of OKC). I am getting use to cooking in our tiny little kitchenette, but I absolutely hate not having space and cuss constantly and continuously about it. My poor husband. It only lasts while I'm actually cooking and/or doing dishes and then I'm done with it.

We have had some good dining experiences here though, we went to Cattleman's for our anniversary. It is a pretty famous steak house here in OKC and it has been featured on triple D (Diner's, Drive-In's and Dives). There is a BBQ place here that isn't half bad, called Earl's. I got to explore my first bakery in OKC and it was also featured on Triple D, it's called Ingrid's Kitchen. They had some pretty amazing baked goods! We have also hit up a local pizza place called The Hideaway, which I can't ever hear without thinking of a dive bar in Lewiston, ID that has the best fried chicken known to man.

I just bought a toaster oven last week because I was getting really sick of having to make everything in a pot or a pan, it really limits your creativity man! I have lovingly dubbed it my adult easy bake oven. I made my first baked good in it today which was a vanilla pound cake. I am still getting use to my dear adult easy bake oven though, jeeze things cook so much quicker in that bitch! However, its nice to bake a piece of wild caught salmon in. WHOA....hold the phone, back up! Did I just say wild caught salmon, in OKC? Yup, thanks to a local place called Braum's! I was so happy when I found that beautimous thing!

So now I should explain Braums. It is a fast food/ice cream/fresh market. Say what? Yeah, its kind of awesome actually. They own their own dairy farm, make their own ice cream, sell their own milk in their store. It's actually pretty freaking awesome and probably one of the ONLY things I will miss when I leave OKC.

I think that's about all I've got for today, you feel all caught up now? Maybe I will actually jump into some recipes next time. Oh, but I forgot to mention I am competeing in Oklahoma Sugar Artists competition at the Tulsa State Fair, I am doing a tiered cake and making some cookies. Wish me luck! Cross your fingers I'm not out of my league and I'll catch y'all next time!