This week in class  we had the pleasure of practicing our measuring and baking skills together and made Oatmeal Blondies and Silver dollar pancakes.

I think everyone had a blast  and the kids really enjoyed making and eating their creations!

The cool thing about these recipes is they use a  convenient baking mix we call Everyday Baking Mix.

It is easy to make and can be used for several different recipe variations.

I’m posting it here for all of you to try out……..it stores for up to 3 months in an airtight container.

Just be sure to mix it up before measuring out for your recipes.  Enjoy!

Everyday Baking Mix

v 6 Cups all purpose flour

v 3 Cups sugar

v 2 Tablespoons baking powder

v 1 Tablespoons salt

In a large bowl, whisk together 6 c. flour (spooned and leveled), 3 c sugar, baking powder and salt.  Store in an airtight container at room temperature up to 3 months. Whisk before using.  Makes about 9 cups

Use it to make the following 3 Recipes

Chewy Oatmeal Blondies

• 1 stick butter room temperature
• ½ Cup  packed light brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 ½  Cup Everyday baking mix (spooned and leveled)
• 1 Cup old fashioned oats/ not quick oats

Preheat oven 350. Brush 8’’ square baking pan with butter. Line bottom and 2 sides with parchment paper letting 2’’ overhang on both sides.

Using an electric mixer beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Add egg beat until combined with mixer on low, gradually and slowly add baking mix.  Mix until combined.  Mix in ¾ cup of oats.  Pour batter into pan.

Using a butter knife, smooth batter evenly in pan, and sprinkle remaining oats on top pressing gently.   Bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.  Using overhang on sides of pan, transfer brownies to a wire rack to cool.

Toothpick test:  The toothpick test is one of the best and most accurate ways to judge the doneness of baked items such as cakes and brownies.  One simply takes a clean toothpick and gently pushes it into the middle of the pan.  If the toothpick comes out clean without any batter attached to it, you will know that the cake is done.  If it comes out still gooey and sticky more time is needed in the oven.

Silver Dollar Pancakes with chocolate sauce

WE made these with chocolate chips instead of chocolate sauce! Just put a  handful of semis sweet chips in the batter before you  cook them .  They are great either way.

• 2 teaspoons unsalted butter, melted, plus more for skillet
• 1 large egg
• 1 cup milk
• 1 ¼ cups everyday baking mix
• 1/3 cup store bought chocolate sauce or chocolate hazelnut spread
• ½ cup vanilla ice cream

Caution hot stove or griddle!  Adult Supervision required for young children!

1. 1. In a medium bowl, whisk together butter, egg and 2/3 cup milk. Add baking mix, whisk lightly just until moistened.

IMPORTANT ( DO NOT OVERMIX; a few small lumps are fine).

1. Preheat oven to 200. Heat a large nonstick skillet or griddle over medium, very lightly butter the bottom of the pan.
2. Drop 2 -3 tablespoons of batter onto the hot skillet or griddle.  Cook until surface of pancakes have some bubbles and a few have burst, 1 to 2 minutes. Flip pancakes with a thin spatula, and cook until browned on the underside another 1 to 2 minutes.
3. Transfer pancakes to a baking sheet, cover loosely with foil and put into the preheated oven to stay warm. Continue to make pancakes with remaining batter, adding more butter to skillet as necessary.
4. Recipe should make about 12 pancakes.
5. In a small saucepan combine chocolate sauce with 1/3 cup milk. Bring to a simmer over medium low, and whisk until smooth.

Serve pancakes topped with chocolate sauce and ice cream.

Jam Sandwich Cookies

4 cups Everyday baking mix

1 cup (2 sticks ) butter cold unsalted , cut into pieces

½ cup milk

¾ cup seedless jam or jelly any flavor

(Recipe makes 36 cookies/  18 sandwiches)

1. Preheat oven to 350. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.. In a food processor, pulse baking mix and butter until mixture resembles coarse meal.  Add milk; pulse until a thick dough forms.
2. Drop dough by heaping tablespoons on to cookie sheets, 4 inches apart.
3. Bake until cookies begin to turn golden but center is still pale, approx 12-14 minutes. Rotate sheets halfway through.
4. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
5. Spread flat side of half of the cookies with 2 teaspoons jam each
6. Sandwich cookies with the remaining cookies.

Greetings all my friends!

Another year gone by and again its time to celebrate the Season of Giving.  How thankful I am that I have been blessed with so many wonderful opportunities to share with others. Just as we finish up our Thanksgiving turkey and all the left overs…….its time for another celebration feast to begin! If only I could just eat my way through the Holidays without feeling so guilty for all the pumpkin spice cake, and toasted apricot and almond baked brie that I plan to consume !

So this week I decided it would be a great time to put up a couple of my favorite Holiday recipes.  There are so many fun holiday recipes we could go for days and days cooking fantastic stuff.  I am eating up recipe blogs and magazines right now looking for new spins on old recipes. There ares so many wonderful cookies and cakes to bake, yum!  Incredible side dishes and appetizers, and of course delicious holiday Cheer!   , but seeing as I don’t have that much time and energy I will just put up  some of the best for you to check out at your leisure.

Being from Jewish heritage I do have a few traditional Holiday recipes up my sleeve.  I must admit my mother is actually a very good cook.  Although she isn’t as quick as she used to be, she still does a great job during the holidays.  Mom does a mean potato latke and delicious meat blintzes from scratch.  Heres one of our family recipes.

TRADITIONAL (LATKES)  POTATO PANCAKES

Serves 4 to 6

• 4 large russet potatoes, peeled
• 1 small white onion, finely grated
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 3-4 tablespoons matzo meal
• 1 tablespoon coarse salt
• Freshly ground pepper
• Vegetable oil, for frying
• Serve with applesauce and/ or sour-cream or creme fraiche

Traditionally matzo meal is what makes a potato latke taste different from a regular potato pancake.  You can usually find it in the specialty area of your grocery store, otherwise you can substitute flour.   We always used a hand grater as kids to grate the potatoes, but many folks prefer to use a food processor with the shredder attachement which works fine and is quick and simple.

DIRECTIONS :  

1. Have the kids carefully peel and grate the potatoes on a hand grater into a large bowl of cold water.  Watching fingers so that they don’t get to close .
2. Allow the potatoes sit in the water for about 10 minutes to allow the starch to separate to the bottom.  
3. Meanwhile finely grate onion and set aside.
4. Drain the potatoes in a cloth lined collander  and reserve the liquid. Drain off the water and leave the starch in the bowl.  (This is the thick, milky white substance that settles to the bottom of the dish that  is a natural glue.) 
5. Put potatoes back into the starch bowl and mix.
6. In a seperate bowl, mix onions, salt, and pepper. Add eggs and whisk . Add matzo meal and stir.
7. Pour wet mixture over the potatoes and combine until potatoes are evenly coated.
8. Parents:  Heat oil in a frying pan about 1/2 inch deep on medium heat,  (carefully test pan by dropping a small bit of batter into the pan, it should sizzle upon contact. )
9. Carefully drop about a 1/3 cup  of batter  into the hot pan.  I use a  measuring cup with a handle to scoop out the mixture . Make sure that you have room between the pancakes in the pan so they can cook evenly.
10. Lightly pat  the pancake in the pan and let them fry about 6 minutes per side.  Flip  with a slotted spatula , and cook until both sides brown and crispy.
11. Line a tray with paper towels to allow pancakes to drain and cover with foil and keep warm in oven at 200f.
12.  Serve immediately……with organic applesauce and sourcream.  

 

This is a very easy recipe that looks beautiful on the table and tastes great !  

  Baked Brie with apricot jam and toasted almonds

Ingredients: Serves 10-12 people 

1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed

1 (8 ounce) round Brie cheese

1/3 cup apricot or raspberry preserves

1/4 cup sliced almonds toasted

1 egg  and 1 tsp water (for egg wash)

DIRECTIONS:

 Freeze the brie for an hour prior to starting the process.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees

1. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and lightly spray with cooking spray.
2. Carefully roll out a piece of thawed pastry dough and set on the prepared baking sheet.
3. Remove the brie from the freezer and cut in half vertically so you have two  disc shapes.
4. Set one half onto the pastry dough skin side down and spread the apricot preserves on top the brie.
5. Top the preserves with the toasted almonds . ( If you have raw almonds toast them in a pan on the stove top for a few minutes on low heat, and turn continually with a spatula until crisp.)
6. Carefully set the other disc on top of the open brie so the skin side faces up.
7. Wrap the  dough around the brie tucking the loose ends around the cheese and closing it up on top.
8. Carefully turn the brie over so the smooth side is facing up
9. To decorate cut out leaf shapes with extra dough and lay on top of the puffed pastry.
10. Beat egg  and water in a small bowl and carefully brush on to the top of the puffed pastry.
11. Bake in the oven 20-25 minutes until brown and puffy.

Remove from oven and serve on a decorated platter with an assortment of crackers or thin cut baguettes.