Swedish Pancakes

We made it! This is my last blog post! Since this is the last blog post, I though I would make a dessert. This recipe is Swedish Pancakes! Even though these are pancakes, they taste and act like crepes. According to the baker of this recipe, Susan Johnson, these pancakes are crepelike pancakes that are a little lighter than traditional pancakes (245). The difference between Swedish pancakes and crepes are that they're thinner and are made on a nonstick skillet which makes them easy to flip. This recipe makes about 20 eight-inch Swedish pancakes which is enough for multiple people depending on how many pancakes you want to give people.

The ingredients you'll need are:

• 2 cups milk
• 4 eggs
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1/4 tablespoon salt
• Lingonberries or raspberries
• Seedless raspberry jam or fruit spread, warmed
• Whipped topping
  

Steps to make this dish:

1. "In a blender, combine first six ingredients. Cover and process until blended. Heat a lightly greased 8-in. nonstick skillet; pour 1/4 cup batter into center. Lift and tilt pan to evenly coat bottom. Cook until top appears dry; turn and cook 15-20 seconds longer" (Johnson 245).

     Tip: In order to get smooth Swedish pancakes, either sift the flour before you mix it with the other ingredients or strain the batter after all the ingredients are blended together.

Step 1 - Combine first six ingredients 

Straining the batter

Strained batter

Step 1 -  Pour 1/4 cup batter into center and evenly coat bottom of pan

Step 1 - Flip pancakes once top appears dry

2. "Repeat with remaining batter, adding oil to skillet as needed. Stack pancakes with waxed paper or paper towels in between. Reheat in the microwave if desired" (Johnson 245).

3. "Fold pancakes into quarters; serve with berries, raspberry jam and whipped topping" (Johnson 245).

Final Product

These crepes were incredibly delicious and was a type of dessert you could make in minutes! While making these I learned that when making Swedish pancakes or crepes you need to have a fast hand because once you pour the batter in the skillet, the pancakes start cooking right away. At first I didn't have a fast hand and made some not fully circular pancakes; but once you get into the mojo, your hands start working faster and your pancakes become more circular! Since this is the last blog, I hope that you guys try all the 5 recipes I've made in the past 3 months and make them better than I did since I've said some tips about all of them. Thanks for tuning in on my blogs!

Question:

What's your favorite dessert? What's your favorite toppings to put on your dessert? Have you ever tried crepes?

Citation:

Johnson, Susan. "Swedish Pancakes." The Taste of Home Cookbook: Best Loved Recipes from Home Cooks like You. Greendale, Wisc.: Reader's Digest, 2014. 245. Print.

Chicken Thighs with Shallots & Spinach

Hello. . . is it me you're looking for? Hahaha welcome back to my food blogs! This is my second to last blog so I'm going to try to end this with amazing food that will leave you speechless! This recipe is called Chicken Thighs with Shallots & Spinach. It tastes more amazing that how it sounds. Genna Johnson, the founder of this dish, says that it has an "eye-catching presentation and goes together in no time flat for a healthy supper" (A23). The recipe that is given in the cookbook includes white wine. But if you can't use white wine because of certain reasons, the recipe gives the alternative, which is chicken broth. For this recipe, I will use chicken broth, but you're more than welcome to use white wine when doing this yourself. 

The ingredients you'll need are:

• 6 boneless skinless chicken thighs (about 1 1/2 pounds)
• 1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil
• 4 shallot, thinly sliced
• 1/3 cup white wine or reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 1 package (10 ounces) fresh spinach
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup fat-free sour cream

Steps to make this dish:

1. Sprinkle seasoned salt and pepper on both sides of the chicken. Coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray and heat the oil over medium heat. Add chicken to the skillet and cook for 6 minutes on each side or until a thermometer reads 170° (or until your chicken is fully cooked). Remove the chicken from the pan and keep the pan warm (Johannes A23).

Step 1 - Sprinkle salt and pepper on chicken and cook on nonstick skillet

Step 1 - Cook chicken until cooked

2. "In same pan, cook and stir shallots until tender. Add wine [or chicken broth]; bring to a boil. Cook until wine [or chicken broth] is reduced by half. Add spinach and salt; cook and stir just until spinach is wilted. Stir in sour cream; serve with chicken" (Johannes A23).

Step 2 - Cook and stir shallots until tender

Step 2 - Add chicken broth

Step 2 - Add spinach and salt

Final Product

This dish was simple to make and is full of flavor! This dish was an enjoyable meal to eat and was worth all the time it took to cook. The spinach, shallots, and chicken broth adds a load of flavor to the chicken and gives the dish a creamy kind of onion flavored base. The onion base taste makes it an amazing dish to eat altogether! Hopefully you try this recipe and love it as much as I did!

Question:

How do you like your chicken? Fried? Grilled? Roasted? What side dishes would you like to go with your chicken? Have you ever tried dishes with white wine in them?

Citation:

Johannes, Genna. "Chicken Thighs with Shallots & Spinach." The Taste of Home Cookbook: Best Loved Recipes from Home Cooks like You. Greendale, Wisc.: Reader's Digest, 2014. A23. Print.

Burritos Made Easy

¡Hola amigos! How was your Christmas? Did you spend time with family? I did and I absolutely loved it! Anyway, all Christmas conversations aside, the recipe I'm going to share with you today is a simple fast fix recipe that will fill you up and bring smiles to everyone who eats it. This recipe is so simple to make that it's called Burritos Made Easy. According to Jennifer McKinney, the creator of this simple recipe, these burritos are "packed with beef and bean filling for a taste of the Southwest. And since the recipe makes eight big burritos, you can feed a crowd!" (A10). This dish is a must have if you're having a burrito bar, and is certain to fill you up! This recipe makes eight big burritos, but since I made these for more than 8 people, the pictures show 2x more food than you'll actually get if you only make 8 burritos.

The ingredients you'll need are:

• 1 pound ground beef
• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 1 can (15 ounces) chili with beans
• 1 1/4 cups chunky salsa
• 1/4 cup canned chopped green chilies
• 8 warmed flour tortillas (8 inches)
• 8 slices process American cheese
• OPTIONAL: Taco sauce and shredded lettuce

Steps to make this dish:

1. "In a large skillet, cook the beef and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in chili, salsa and green chilies. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, 5 minutes" (McKinney A10).

Step 1 - Cook the Beef and Onion

Step 1 - Cook the Beef and Onion until no longer pink

Step 1 - Add the Chili, Salsa, and Green Chilies

2. Put about 1/2 cupful beef mixture (or however much you want) on each tortilla. Add a slice of cheese (lettuce - optional) on top and roll it up. Serve with taco sauce if desired (McKinney A10).

Step 2 - Add Beef Mixture to Center of Tortilla

Step 2 - Top with Slice of Cheese (Lettuce is Optional)

Step 2 - Roll the Burrito

I know this isn't an authentic Mexican burrito, but making this burrito was one of the fastest meals I've ever made. It was simple and easy to make, but it tasted like it took hours to make. The beef mixture in this recipe was one in a million. You could taste all of the ingredients that were put into the flour tortillas working together to taste like perfection in a wrap. The beef, the chili, the salsa, the green chilies, the cheese, and the lettuce all did their part in making this burrito taste amazing!

Question:

What's your favorite Mexican food? Have you ever tried authentic Mexican food? Have you ever been to Mexico and tried their food? If so, when did you go and what dish was it? 

Citation:

Gomm, Stacie. "Pasta Arrabbiata (Angry Pasta)." The Taste of Home Cookbook: Best Loved Recipes from Home Cooks like You. Greendale, Wisc.: Reader's Digest, 2014. 294. Print.

Pasta Arrabbiata (Angry Pasta)

Hey guys! How has your break been so far? There's only 1 day until Christmas, then after that New Year's is right around the corner! Wow this year has gone by fast. Well this recipe isn't a traditional Christmas recipe that you'd find at a Christmas dinner. It's an Italian recipe that is sure to make a red appearance on the dinner table at a Christmas party. Stacie Gomm, the chef of this recipe, says that this Italian recipe is called Pasta Arrabbiata or Angry Pasta because "you can add more or less crushed red pepper to define how angry you would like your pasta" (294). This recipe will spice up the menu for a Christmas dinner but still have the red sauce to make it look like a traditional meal.

The ingredients you'll need are:

• 1/2 pound bacon strips, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 3 cans (15 ounces each) tomato puree
• 6 thinly sliced basil leaves
• 1/2 - 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 3 cups uncooked penne pasta
• Grated Parmesan cheese

Steps to make this dish:

1. "In a large skillet, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp. Remove to paper towels with a slotted spoon; discard drippings" (Gomm 294). After the bacon is cooked, chop it until it's in bite-size pieces.

Step 1 - Cook the Bacon

Step 1 - Cook the Bacon (cont.)

2. Using the same skillet, salute garlic in olive oil for 1 minute then add tomato puree, basil, pepper flakes and bacon. Bring it to a boil and reduce heat. Let it simmer for 15 minutes to allow flavors to blend and stir it occasionally (Gomm 294).

Step 2 - Making the Sauce

3. "Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions; drain. Serve with sauce; sprinkle with Parmesan cheese" (Gomm 294).

Step 3 - Making the Pasta

Step 3 - Making the Pasta (cont.)

Final Product

This dish is a twist on a simple pasta recipe. It has crushed red pepper to spice it up and make it a type of pasta that isn't typically basic. But it is also topped with Parmesan cheese to remind us that it is a signature Italian dish. Having this be the second meal to cook made me feel like an Italian chef with the way it turned out! This dish tastes amazing, looks amazing, and smells amazing. Hopefully you give this recipe a try and impress your guests with your delicious Italian Angry Pasta! 

Question:

What's your favorite Italian dish? What kinds of foods do you have at your Christmas dinner(s)? Do your Christmas dinners have dishes all from one culture (exp. all Italian food, all Filipino food, etc.)?

Citation:

Gomm, Stacie. "Pasta Arrabbiata (Angry Pasta)." The Taste of Home Cookbook: Best Loved Recipes from Home Cooks like You. Greendale, Wisc.: Reader's Digest, 2014. 294. Print.

Hawaiian Pork Chops

Aloha my beautiful blog readers! I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving break! Even though it's almost winter, and Christmas is right around the corner, I'm going to bring back the summer vibes just for this one recipe that you won't regret trying to make. According to Michelle Cavalier, the maker of this recipe, this is a "great meal when friends drop in unexpectedly" (A17). This month's recipe is Hawaiian Pork Chops. This meal not only takes about 30-45 minutes to make (depending on how skilled you are at cooking ), but it's also very sweet and truly gives off its Hawaiian vibe. This recipe makes about 4 servings but you could always tweak the amount of ingredients for the amount of servings you want to make. For example, if you want to make double the amount of servings, then you will have to double the amount of ingredients you'll need to use.

The ingredients you'll need are:

• 4 boneless pork loin chops (3/4 inch thick and 4 ounces each)
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/3 cup chopped green pepper
• 1/3 cup thinly sliced onion rings
• 1 can (14 1/2 ounces) reduced- sodium beef broth
• 1 can (8 ounces) unsweetened pineapple chucks (undrained)
• 1/4 cup ketchup
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons cornmeal
• 3 tablespoons cold water

• OPTIONAL (but recommended): Hot cooked rice - as much rice as you desire

Ingredients (The water is in the white cup)

Steps into making this dish:

1. The number one first thing you have to do before cooking ANYTHING, is to wash your hands!

2. Now that you've washed your hands, sprinkle salt and pepper on the pork chops. In a large non-stick skillet, coat it with cooking spray. Then, cook the pork chops at about 4-5 minutes on each side (or until it's lightly brown), and once it's cooked, remove the pork chops from the skillet, move the meat to a plate, and keep the skillet warm (Cavalier A17). 

Step 2 - Cooking the Pork Chops

3. "In the same skillet, saute green pepper and onion until almost tender. Stir in the broth, pineapple, ketchup, brown sugar and vinegar. Bring this mixture to a boil. Return the pork to the pan. Reduce heat; cover and simmer 6-10 minutes or until meat juices run clear" (Cavalier A17).

Step 3 - Boiling the mixture

Step 3 - Adding he meat back into the pan

4. Combine cornstarch and water until it's smooth; stir it into skillet and bring it to a boil. Cook the mixture for about 1-2 minutes (or until thickened). Serve over rice if desired and enjoy your meal! (Cavalier A17).

Final Product

This recipe was an amazing recipe to make and tasted absolutely amazing! It really brings back the summer vibes into your kitchen and is an easy recipe for anyone to make. I, honestly, have never cooked an actual meal, but I've always wanted to learn how to cook, so being able to make this meal and have it taste good was such a big accomplishment for me! My experience making Hawaiian Pork Chops shows that anyone can cook this meal!

Question:

If you wanted to bring the summer vibes back into your kitchen, what would you make and why? What kind of food would you want to make that was from a different culture than your own? Why?

Citation: 

Cavalier, Michelle. "Hawaiian Pork Chops." The Taste of Home Cookbook: Best Loved Recipes from Home Cooks like You. Greendale, Wisc.: Reader's Digest, 2014. A17. Print.