German Pancakes

I was going through all of my pictures and I found these - mmmm...German Pancakes. This is a favorite around our house, and they are super easy. I'm not sure how many generations we've been passing this recipe down, but I know it's been at least three.

I hope you make them and enjoy them as much as we do. Oh..and please be forgiving as far as the pictures go - they were taken with my son's camera.

Ingredients:

1/2 to 1 cube butter

6 eggs

1 cup flour

1 Tbs sugar

1 cup milk

1 scant tsp salt

Cut up butter into squares and place in a 9 x 13 baking dish. Turn oven on to 350 degrees and immediately put dish inside.

You want the butter to melt before you put in the batter. The original recipe calls for 1 cube, but I usually do 1/2 cube instead - you know, to make it healthier and all that stuff. : )

While the butter is melting, put the eggs in a large bowl. Whisk until well beaten. You can you a hand mixer if you would like.

Add the sugar, salt, and flour. Mix as much as possible and then add the milk. If you throw the milk in too early, it will be lumpy. You really have to whisk a lot to keep out the lumps.

That hand mixer doesn't sound like such a bad idea now, does it.

Remove the baking dish from the oven and pour in the batter. Do not mix it! You want the butter to float to the top so that it creates a nice crust when it cooks.

Place back in the 350 degree oven and bake for about 28 - 30 minutes, or until the edges are puffed up and golden brown.

Remove from oven, cut into 6 rectangles, and serve topped with maple syrup.

I have also had this with fresh fruit and whipped cream - I think it was peaches. Very good!

Enjoy!

Deviled Eye Balls

So...I realize that Halloween was a few days ago, but with my last minute trip out of town just before Halloween, I've been thrown off by a few days. I realize this is late, but maybe someone will want it for next year - and since I have pictures, I figured I would post it.

Ingredients:

Eggs

Mayo - the good kind (Best Foods/Hellmanns)

Salt

Pepper

Garnishes - pickles & ketchup or pimento filled olives

Boil your eggs. Once they are done (hard boiled), allow them to cool down - refrigerate if necessary.

Peel eggs and cut in half lengthwise. Scoop out yolk and place in a bowl. Continue with all the eggs, placing the egg whites cut side up on a platter or plate.

Use a fork to smash all of the yolks and then add enough mayonnaise to make it creamy. Add salt and pepper to taste. I can't really give you exact amounts, because it all just depends on how many eggs you're doing, and how you like your deviled eggs.

Once the yolk mixture is nice and creamy, spoon it back into the holes on the yolks. You can use a pastry bag and pipe it in if you want - or just throw it in a small plastic sandwich bag with a hole cut in the corner (homemade pastry bag).

Once the eggs are filled, you want to decorate them to look like eye balls. You can do this with olives that have a pimento in the center. Just cut the olive in half and place it on the egg. However, I didn't have olives, so I sliced up some baby dill pickles and set them on the egg. Then I placed a small dot of ketchup for the center of the eye.

Be sure to refrigerate until you serve - you want these nice and cold.

These Deviled Eye Balls were super easy and very fun to make - plus, my kids ate them all!

Quick Spinach Pie

This seems to be the time of year to have a Brunch. Maybe it's the Easter holiday...maybe it's the spring time baby showers...or possibly it's just because they're fun!

No matter your reason, this is a great recipe for a brunch - or even for dinner. We had it as part of our "Green" St. Patrick's Day dinner. My kids ate all of it - and didn't even complain about the spinach.

I found this recipe on Kraftfoods.com and changed it just a little bit (not much). So...here goes.

Ingredients:

5 large eggs, lightly beaten

1 container (16 oz.) low fat cottage cheese

1 pkg. (10 oz.) frozen chopped spinach, thawed, well drained

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1 jar (7 oz.) roasted red peppers, well drained, chopped

1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese

1 tsp. dried oregano

4 strips bacon, cooked, cut into small pieces

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all ingredients until well blended. Pour into a greased 9-inch pie plate. Bake 40 minutes or until center in set.

* Here's a hint. To drain your spinach, let it thaw until it is soft, or if you are in a hurry, you can put it in small sieve and run hot water over it. Then, drain as much water as you can out of it using the sieve. Once you've done that, put the spinach into a doubled paper towel or a cheese cloth. Squeeze the spinach (like you would a dish rag) but be careful not to squeeze too hard. This should take out almost all of the water.

** Hint #2 - buy extra roaster peppers, only use half, and then use the rest on a panini. (Panini...yum....)

Here are my kiddos enjoying their St. Paddy's day dinner.

Overnight Breakfast Strata

6 slices white or wheat bread (I used wheat)
2 1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup chopped cooked ham
5 eggs
2 Tbsp green onions sliced
3/4 tsp dry mustard
3/4 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp garlic powder
dash of cayenne
salt and pepper to taste
1 3/4 cup milk

Trim crust from bread. Butter slices lightly and fit into buttered 7" x 11" dish. Sprinkle with 1 1/2 cups cheese. Top with ham. Mix eggs, onion, mustard, etc.. together and pour over layered ingredients. Cover and refrigerate 8 hours or overnight. Bake uncovered at 350 for 30 minutes. Then top with remaining cheese. Bake an additional 10 minutes or until center appears to be set. Let stand five minutes before cutting.