Fabulous GF (Blender) Waffle/Pancake Batter Recipe

A very good friend turned us on to this recipe, or one similar to it.  Of course, you know I have fiddled with it some in the last few months … so it isn’t quite like we originally received it.  Try it this weekend and let me know how yours turn out.  :-)

Place in a blender, at highest speed, for 3 minutes:

  • 1 Cup of Brown Rice
  • 3/4 Cup of Oat Groats (or steel cut oats)
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 cups of buttermilk (or some non-dairy alternative)
  • 2 Tbsp of Olive Oil

(You can use other grain combinations, but the proportions should remain about the same.)  The batter should flow freely in the blender and it should swirl around the “vortex”.  If, for some reason it doesn’t, add a bit more liquid.  The batter for pancakes can be a bit thicker.  Truly thick batter can be used, when complete, to make muffins.

Put the lid on the blender and let it stand at room temerpature overnight (or at least 12 hours, and up to 24 hours)

As you prepare to cook the pancakes, heat the griddle or waffle iron to the highest possible heat that won’t damage the equipment (generally med-high).

Before cooking the pancakes, add:

  • one egg
  • additional liquid if needed

… and blend again on high speed for 1 minute.  Blend thoroughly.  Then add:

  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1 – 2 tsp baking powder

You can sift these ingredents into the mix, but I have not found that to always be necessary.

Prepare your cooking surface with a spray on non-stick cooking spray, i.e. spray on olive oil.  Pancakes are ready to flip when the bubbles pop and stay open.  For waffles, definitely spray the cooking surfaces and following the cooking instructions for your equipment.

Serving:  We have added chocolate chips (minis) to the pancakes, and that turned out just fine.  We have also served with organic maple syrup, blueberry syrup and raspberry syrup.  Last week, Pip ate some with honey on them; William Bradford will even eat them plain.  :-)

I have some in the blender now to serve in the morning.  :-)  Enjoy!

Plan it … Don’t Panic … Hmmm….

We’ll see if this works.  I’m not quite sure how we’re going to swing this with all the variety in our schedule(s), but we’re giving it a whirl.

Monday

  • Breakfast: Maple Oatmeal
  • Dinner:  Beef Tacos and Black Beans
  • (Remember to thaw the beef for chili.)

Tuesday

  • Breakfast: Scrambled Eggs and toast
  • Dinner: Chili and Cornbread
  • (Remember to thaw the Pork Roast.)

Wednesday

  • Breakfast:  Muffins and Yogurt
  • Dinner: Pork Roast, Sweet Potatoes and Green Veggie

Thursday

  • Breakfast: Cereal and Yogurt
  • Dinner: Mushroom Chicken (slowcooker) w/ rice and glazed carrots
  • (Remember to start the Slowcooker in the AM, and thaw the Ground beef for Friday.)

Friday

  • Breakfast: Fried Eggs and sausage
  • Dinner: Beef Lombardi and fresh salad

Saturday

  • Breakfast:  Muffins and Fruit
  • Dinner: Pork Tenderloin w/buttered potatoes and veggies

Sunday

  • Breakfast: Oatmeal, fruit or Cereal
  • Dinner:  Soup, Sandwiches, and Salad

B-bque Pork … Southern Living Style

I’ve used this recipe since my sister-in-law tried it several years ago. The basic recipe is in the pages of this month’s Southern Living Magazine, but it’s missing a few things. After playing with the recipe for a while, I settled on the basic three ingredients, plus a few “secret” ingredients. Before you “lock down” the slow cooker, add: sliced fresh jalepeno (w/seeds removed if you want to cut down the heat), 2 healthy cloves of fresh garlic (minced), and a slice or ring of fresh apple (seeds removed). The slice of apple (and the peel) can be removed from the dish before the meat is chopped or shreaded. Slicing the jalepeno, seeds and all, ups the heat factor a bit … removing the seeds just provides the flavor w/o the heat.

NOTE: I usually add the B-bque sauce (home-made or purchased) at the end of step two, rather than at the beginning. It helps keep the final product moist.

This is an easy weeknight dinner, great for company or crowds, and very versatile. Enjoy!!

A Toy’s Story

We just realized that this toy, Woody, will be turning 10 in a couple weeks. We hadn’t seen Woody, or Buzz for that matter, in quite a while. Like all toys, they somehow were forgotten amongst the iPods, Wii’s and other new toys.

At Christmas though, these toys were rescued from oblivion by Claire and her cousin, Piper. And since their return to the playroom, even Sam, Sophie and Wilson have enjoyed their presence. They did acheive a new level of playroom status this week. Woody and Buzz were invited to “Library Time” with Claire. She set up her spot and proceeded to “read” The Nutcracker to them.

The biggest laugh this week though came when Claire came out and told me “somebody’s poisoned the water hole.”

What’s a Mom to do?

So … yesterday, I took a veteran homeschooler’s advice and asked my three older children what they would like to study as electives as they move into Middle School, and eventually High School.  Here is the list they compiled, in no particular order.

  • Home Ec
  • Cooking Science
  • Sewing
  • Design
  • Art History
  • Large Animal Vet Science
  • Greek (failing that …. Italian)
  • French x 2
  • Computer Science
  • Acoustic Guitar x 2
  • Flute
  • Piano
  • Typing
  • Home Design
  • Journalism
  • Sculpture
  • Woodworking
  • Landscaping/Horticulture
  • French Cooking
To make matters more interesting, the children assure me that they have forgotten some things but that it would be “okay” for me to begin here.  What was I thinking?

    Start shopping early…. and be creative.

    I’ve been receiving all kinds of catalogs in the mail the last few weeks.  Some of them have actually had some good deals on shipping and decent discount amounts on purchases.  So, if you shop with any of the following retailers – check out these discounts.

    Christian Book Distributors 10% OFF your order of more that $35 with CODE 251523FF until December 24th, or Free Shipping until November 14th with CODE 275405.

    Snapfish is offering 20% OFF until December 31st with CODE – WINTER08.

    Get four free Greeting Cards from Shutterfly until November 20th with the following CODE : TCCA-AET0-H1JA-NM2UFK.

    FREE shipping at Landsend on ANY SIZE order placed by November 18th. Now, this CODE can only be used twice, so if you want to use it, email me and you can have the PIN number.

    Also, if you are a BELK’s Department Store shopper, there is a coupon in the Sunday paper for $10 OFF your first $25 purchase on Sunday, November 9th and Monday, November 10th, 2008. It’s on the front of the Veteran’s Day add.

    Have fun and save, save, save…..

    New Puzzle

    Okay, well this doesn’t happen everyday. I got an email this morning offering us a free puzzle if we passed on the info via blog or email. I was a little bit skeptical, so I watched the YouTube infomercial about the “Pieceless Puzzle” from Ceaco (Parent Company of GAMEWRIGHT). It’s VERY cool. Click the link here to watch the short movie about this nifty invention the Pieceless Puzzle.

    As you can see, we use puzzles frequently for school projects and studies, and often just for fun! Check it out! I think we’ll be trying this new kind for sure.