100% Whole Grain Pancakes

So I promised I would be sharing some of my new favorite healthy recipes.  This is one of the first ones I made.  During Lent, we eat pancakes for dinner every other week.  Now that Lent is over, we still eat them for dinner, just not quite as often and usually accompanied with bacon or sausage.

I took my family's favorite pancake recipe and gradually changed it until it was 100% whole grain.  I started slow, just substituting a little bit of whole wheat flour for the white flour.  Each time I made them, I added a little more and a little more until I had the recipe at 80% whole grain.  Then finally I made the jump to 100% whole grain by using some oat flour in place of that last bit of white flour.  And let me tell you, my kids LOVE them!  And I love that I am feeding them something I know is good for them.  It's a win/win!  This morning I made a huge batch of these pancakes, individually froze each one, then wrapped them in packs of three and put them back in the freezer.  Now whenever my kids (or husband) want pancakes, I have premade, healthy and delicious pancakes ready to go.

100% Whole Grain Pancakes
(adapted from "Favorite Pancakes" in Betty Crocker's Picture Cook Book)

2 eggs
2½ cups buttermilk
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
½ cup oat flour
2 teaspoons honey
2 tablespoons butter, melted
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt

In a large bowl, using a whisk, beat eggs well. Whisk in buttermilk and soda. Add all remaining ingredients and whisk or stir until fairly smooth.

Drop by 1/4 cupfuls onto hot griddle and cook as you would for pancakes.  Serve with butter and maple syrup.

Yield: about 26-28 pancakes


These really are so easy and so yummy!  I hope you think so, too!

Getting Healthier

Last year was crazy in so many ways.  The biggest and craziest part of the year was the diagnosis of both of my parents with cancer.  My Dad had prostate cancer, my Mom had liposarcoma.  My Dad had surgery in August and appears to be cancer free!  My Mom's cancer was inoperable and she passed away in September.  I can't say for sure if it was my mom's death or any number of other things that got me started into looking to eat healthier, but I do know it was one of the reasons.

I have struggled to lose weight the last 3-4 years.  I'm not looking to lose a lot, about 10 pounds or so, but have struggled to do so.  I was also tired and definitely had food cravings most days.  I really just wanted to feed myself and my family better. 

So I started looking into things.  I looked at what some of my very healthy friends were feeding to there families.  I looked online at what other people were doing to eat healthy.  I went to Bible study where my friend Katie served delicious banana muffins that had no sugar in them and were completely whole grain!  I did more research online.  I started to think about the obesity epidemic in the USA.  I thought back to the no fat/ low fat craze of the late 80's early 90's. 

I started to think something wasn't adding up.  Here we are, one of the most developed and advanced nations in the world, and huge amounts of our population (including our children) were overweight.  I had long ago switched to butter when the trans fat information came out.  I had long ago switched to whole wheat pasta when the low carb revolution took hold.  But I was still giving my kids 1% milk,  I was still buying what I thought was a better brand of margarine to spread on my rolls and toast, I was still feeding my kids boxed mac and cheese.  Then I started reading labels, looking up what the ingredients on the label really were, finding out how many products have high fructose corn syrup in them (among other things), and questioning why I was feeding this not only to myself, but to my husband and kids as well. 

I started reading, a lot.  Most low or no fat dairy products have additives in them to make them seem thick and creamy like the real, full fat versions.  Pre-shredded cheese has a mold inhibitor and anti-caking agent in it that most block cheeses do not (and you are eating those things).  Most processed foods are that, highly processed.  Eggs are from chickens that are kept inhumanely cooped in cages and fed diets that are not natural to them.  Same with most of our meat supply.  (Cows are ruminants, they are supposed to eat grass - not corn and soybeans.)  I started wanting to know that the meat and dairy products my family consumes comes from humanely treated animals that are also not treated with unneccessary hormones or antibiotics. 

I started to wonder if God had a better plan for us.  He created so many amazing fruits, vegetables, grains and animals for us to be stewards over.  Was I doing my job there?  Was I taking care of not only my body but also the animals and land that we are tasked to care for? 

So I started making some small changes.  I changed the oils and fats we use to now only butter, extra virgin olive oil and coconut oil.  I started cooking and baking with more whole grains.  I started making more and more meals form scratch.  I started buying my eggs from a local farmer who raises her chickens humanely.  I found a local farmer of 100% grass fed beef and started purchasing my beef there.  I started buying grass fed butter, whole milk, and whole milk yogurt.  I try to use honey and maple syrup as my primary sweeteners.  I eat more fruit and veggies. I make a hot breakfast for my family once a week - totally form scratch.

And guess what?  I have lost some weight.  I have very few cravings any more, and when I do they are satisfied more quickly with a small amount of a snack instead of lots and lots of it.

 I have come to the conclusion that all this low fat, no saturated fat is nonsense and not good health.  Eating real foods, healthy natural fats, is far more satisfying to the body and soul.  Do I still have a sweet tooth, yes.  But I satisfy it with naturally sweet things like fruit and yogurt smoothies.  And I don't crave the junk anymore, and I feel better.  I hope to get my kids and husband as excited about this transition as I am, though it has not been easy.

I am planning on sharing some of my new, healthier recipes in the coming weeks.  Not all of them are sugar free, and not all of them are 100% whole grain, but they are good alternatives if you are just starting this journey into the land of healthier eating.  To make it easier for my kids, I have adapted a lot of my regular recipes and subbed in whole wheat flour and healthy oils.  They haven't complained about the muffins with less sugar and whole grains, since they were used to eating the white flour versions of these.  Stop by in the next few weeks, you may find a few new favorite recipes that are healthier for you, too!

My Mom's Tea Ring

One of my family's most cherished Christmas traditions was when my mom would make her Swedish Tea Ring.  Every Christmas Eve, she would work her magic and take flour, sugar, butter, an egg, cinnamon and a few other ingredients and make the most wonderful thing we could think of, her tea ring.  When we were little, we would eat it on Christmas morning for breakfast.  When we got older, we would indulge after Midnight mass.  She kept up the tradition for many years, but as we grew up, got married, and left home, she stopped making it.  We often talked about how yummy it was and how pretty it was, but she didn't make it.  I'm not sure why, but probably because it was a lot of work and we started celebrating Christmas with my parents at lunch or dinner, not breakfast.  Instead she would make homemade rolls and cherry and pecan pies.  But the tradition of the tea ring has stayed with me through the years.  My family has it's own tradition for Christmas morning, but the tea ring still says "Christmas" to me.  And it says Mom.

My mom in the red and green dress reading from the Christmas Book.

On September 16 of this year, she passed away at the too young age of 69.  She had only been diagnosed with stage IV cancer 6 weeks earlier.  To say it was a shock is an understatement.  In our family she is Christmas.  She spent a week every year decorating every corner of her house.  She had an enormous angel collection and Santa collection.  She had peach colored Christmas decorations to match the color of her bathroom.  She put lights up over the English bar in her dining room and every window or ledge had some Christmas decoration.  She had what looked like an elf on the shelf waaaaaaay before they were called that.  She put on a green and red striped floor length dress and read a Christmas story to her grandchildren.  She often had themed gifts for not only her grandchildren, but her children and daughters and sons-in-laws.  She would come downstairs and tell the grandkids to go in the other room so she could fill the stockings.  Christmas was always an event with her and my dad.  She made sure we always were all together to celebrate, not worrying about whether it was on December 25.  I am so grateful to her for that.  Once we moved to Illinois, we only went home about three times a year.  To know I was going to get to see my two older brothers and older sister, their spouses and all of my nieces and nephews at Christmas every year was such a blessing.

So with her on my mind right now, I knew I had to try my hand at a tea ring.  I made two and my kids told me they were delicious.  My husband told me it was great.  And I had a little piece of my mom again, if only for a moment.  I decorated it just the way she did, with green and red maraschino cherries.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I always did, and now will in memory of my mom.

Tea Ring decorated with red and green maraschino cherries

 Tea Ring
Adapted from The Betty Crocker Cookbook: Swedish Tea Ring

1 package active dry yeast
½ cup warm water , (105 - 115º)
½ cup lukewarm milk, (scalded then cooled)
⅓ cup sugar
⅓ cup butter, softened
1 teaspoon salt
3½ - 4 cups all purpose flour
Filling:
4 tablespoons butter, softened, divided
⅔ cup sugar
3 teaspoons cinnamon
Glaze:
2 cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla

In large mixing bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Stir in milk, sugar, butter, salt, egg and 2 cups of the flour. Beat until smooth. Mix in enough remaining flour to make dough easy to handle.

Turn dough onto lightly floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Place dough in a greased bowl, turn dough greased side up. Cover. Let rise in a warm place until doubled in size 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

Punch dough down. Divide dough in half.

On a lightly floured surface, roll half of dough into a 15x9-inch rectangle. Spread with two tablespoons of butter (like buttering a piece of bread). Mix sugar and cinnamon together in a bowl. Sprinkle half of sugar mixture evenly over dough. Roll up tightly, starting with the 15-inch side. Pinch edge of dough into roll to seal well. Stretch roll slightly to make even.

Transfer dough to greased or parchment lined baking sheet. With sealed edge down, shape into a ring. Pinch ends together to close ring. With kitchen scissors, make cuts 2/3 of the way through the ring at 1-inch intervals. After ring has been cut, pull out each piece carefully and turn on it's side. Let rise until double, 40 to 60 minutes.

Repeat method with other half of dough.

Preheat oven to 375ºF. Bake for 23-29 minutes, or until golden brown. If tea ring browns too quickly, cover loosely with aluminum foil.

Glaze:
In a bowl, stir together the powdered sugar, milk and vanilla. Spoon over warm or cooled tea rings. Decorate with maraschino cherries if desired.

Tea Ring before adding the glaze.

Notes: The best part of this recipe is that it makes two!  One to eat and one to share.  that is exactly what my mom did when we lived in England for five years.  She would make several tea rings then we would deliver them to friends to share on their Christmas morning. 

Have a blessed Christmas!  Thank you for sharing in my 12 Recipes of Christmas!

Spiced Spritz

I have been making spritz cookies for my husband for almost as long as we have been married.  His Grandma and mom both used to make them every Christmas, and so I started making them, too.  We always made the basic butter variety, simple and delicious.  Through cookie exchanges I have tried chocolate spritz and frosted spritz, but never any that were as good as the basic butter version I had been  making for years.  Then I saw this recipe for spiced spritz cookies and thought that I must try these.  I am so glad I did.  So are my kids.  And the husband.  They still love the traditional butter version, and these do not replace those.  But if you are looking for something a little different, something with a lovely spiced flavor, then this recipe is for you!

Spiced Spritz

1 cup butter, softened
⅔ cup sugar
1 egg
½ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2¼ cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ teaspoon ground allspice
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
Glaze:
1½ cups powdered sugar
3 tablespoons milk
½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 400ºF.

Combine butter, sugar, egg, salt and vanilla in a large mixing bowl. Beat at medium speed until creamy and well combined. Add flour and all the spices. Beat on low until mixed well.

Place dough into cookie press fitted with desired disc. Form cookies 1-inch apart onto ungreased cookie sheets.

Bake for 6-8 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Remove to rack to cool.

To make glaze: Stir together the powdered sugar, milk and vanilla until smooth. Drizzle over cookies.


Notes: If dough is too soft after mixing, refrigerate for 30-45 minutes.  Place cookies on a cooling rack with wax paper underneath. When drizzling cookies with glaze, glaze will drip onto wax paper instead of your counter.  Glaze can be drizzled over warm or cooled cookies. These cookies will perfume your kitchen with spicy sweetness!

Only 1 more recipe until Christmas!  (It is a very special one - come back Monday for my last recipe of the year!)

Chocolate Caramel Thumbprints

Whenever I think of thumbprint cookies, I think of the traditional butter cookie with jam in the middle.  My husband loves these.  They were never a part of my holiday traditions growing up, and I'm just not a huge fan of jam in baked goods.  Seems too healthy.   So when I came across this gem of a recipe, I knew I had to make it.  And let me tell you, these do not disappoint!  It is a chocolatey cookie (tasty in it's own right) then filled with gooey caramel, then drizzled with more chocolate!!!!  Oh yes, this is a good cookie!

Chocolate Caramel Thumbprints
from Christmas Cookies: 50 Recipes to Treasure for the Holiday Season by Lisa Zwirn

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1¼ cups sugar
1 egg
1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all purpose flour
½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
½ teaspoon salt

Caramel Filling:
20 caramels, unwrapped
¼ cup heavy cream, (or whipping cream)

Chocolate Drizzle
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped

Using an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar together until fluffy. Beat in the whole egg and egg yolk. Mix in the vanilla extract. With the beaters on low speed, add the flour, cocoa powder and salt. Mix until well combined. Gather the dough into a ball, then divide in half. Wrap each half in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour or overnight.

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line cookie sheets with parchment or a Silpat.

Remove one dough half from the refrigerator. Roll pieces of the dough into 1-inch balls. PLace about 2 inches apart on prepared cookie sheets. Make an indentation in the center of each ball using the handle end of a wooden spoon (or your thumb), being careful not to go all the way through the dough.

Bake for about 13 minutes or until the cookies feel just slightly firm. Immediately upon removing the cookies, again use the handle on the wooden spoon to reinforce and slightly widen the indentation. Transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.

For the Caramel Filling:
Heat the caramels and cream in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring often, until the caramels are melted and the mixture is smooth, about 5 minutes. Using the smallest, narrowest spoon you have, spoon the caramel into the indentations of the cookies, filling just up to the rim. If the caramel becomes too thick, place the saucepan back over low heat for a few seconds. Let the caramel set before drizzling the cookies with chocolate.

For the Chocolate Drizzle:
Melt the chocolate in the microwave at 30 second intervals on medium power, stirring after each interval, until melted and smooth. If not too hot, spoon (or pour) chocolate into a disposable decorating bag. PLace the cookies close together, but not touching, on racks set over wax paper. Cut just the tip of the decorating bag and drizzle chocolate in a zigzag pattern over the cookies. Let the chocolate completely set before storing cookies.

Store layered between sheets of wax paper in an airtight container.

Yield: 60 cookies

Notes:  This cookie is like a Rolo in cookie form!  For longer storage, store in refrigerator.  I used a metal 1/8 teaspoon to spoon the caramel into the cookies.  Any spoon small and pointy will work best for this.

Only 2 more recipes until Christmas!

Peanut Butter Tart with Chocolate Ganache

This is another one of those Pinterest finds.  I saw this recipe and knew I wanted to try it.  Peanut butter and chocolate.  They should be best friends, and in this tart they are.  The shortbread crust is a nice foil to the rich peanut butter filling and decadent chocolate ganache topping.  This dessert is a showstopper!

 

Peanut Butter Tart with Chocolate Ganache

From Orgasmic Chef's "Peanut Butter Tart with shortbread Crust and Chocolate Ganache Glaze"

Crust:
10 ounces shortbread cookies, crushed
6 tablespoons butter, melted
Filling:
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 cup peanut butter
1 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1 cup heavy cream, whipped
Glaze:
½ cup heavy cream
6 ounces semisweet chocolate chips

Crust:
Preheat oven to 350ºF. Spray a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom with cooking spray. Mix cookie crumbs with butter and press mixture evenly into pan. Bake for 8 minutes. Remove from oven and cool completely.

Filling:
Place cream cheese and peanut butter in mixing bowl. Beat with mixer on medium speed until well blended. Add the powdered sugar and butter and beat until fluffy. Thoroughly fold in half the whipped cream into the peanut butter mixture. Gently fold in remaining whipped cream. Spoon into crust and refrigerate until firm, at least 2 1/2 hours.

Glaze:
Heat 1/2 cup cream in microwave until very hot, about 1 minute and 15 seconds. Add chocolate chips and stir until smooth. If not already cool, cool until lukewarm and spread over peanut butter filling. Refrigerate until firm, at least 1 1/2 hours.

Notes:  This was LOVED in my house by ALL the inhabitants, young and old alike.  Be sure to use creamy peanut butter for a smooth and velvety filling.

Only 3 more recipes until Christmas!

Chocolate Shortbread Wedges

I have looked at many shortbread recipes and notice how simple the ingredient list is.  I have longed to make shortbread, but worry I'll be the only one in the house to like it.  Then I found this recipe.  And I decided it didn't matter whether I was the only one who liked it, or everyone liked it,  I was going to try this recipe.  And I'm so glad I did.  These not too sweet shortbread wedges are rich, crumbly, and oh so chocolatey.  The perfect accompaniment to a hot cup of coffee in the late morning or early afternoon. 

Chocolate Shortbread Wedges

From "Christmas Cookies: 50 Recipes to Treasure for the Holiday Season" by: Lisa Zwirn

1½ cups all purpose flour
¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
¼ teaspoon salt
12 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
½ cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Grease a 9 1/2-inch tart pan with removable bottom.

Beat the butter in a large bowl until creamy. Add the sugar and beat well until fully blended. Mix in the vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, mix in the flour, cocoa powder and salt until fully incorporated. Spread the dough in the pan, pressing evenly with your fingers to make the dough as smooth as possible. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour or until firm.

Preheat the oven to 300ºF. Prick the dough with a fork all the way to the bottom of the pan in two concentric circles. Bake in the upper middle of the oven for 63-65 minutes or until the shortbread feels mostly firm around the edges and semifirm in the center. Cool on wire rack for 10 minutes.

Carefully remove the outer ring of the tart pan. Place the shortbread, still on the pan bottom, on a cutting board. Using a pizza cutter, cut the shortbread into quarters while it is still warm. Cut each quarter into 4 equal sized wedges. Using a spatula, carefully transfer wedges to a wire rack to cool completely.

Notes: Be sure to cut the shortbread while warm (too hard to cut when cool) and cool on a rack - they are difficult to remove if left to cool on pan bottom.

Only 4 more recipes until Christmas!