Fluffy Canadian Pancakes

Fluffy Canadian Pancakes

3 egg whites
1 tbsp sugar
1 cup flour
1 tbsp baking powder
Pinch salt
1 cup milk
3 egg yolks

Beat the egg whites and sugar in a large glass or metal bowl until stiff peaks form. I love my Kitchen Aid Mixer! It was busy beating while I put the rest of this together.

In another large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Stir in the milk and egg yolks until smooth. Fold in 1/3 of the egg whites, then quickly fold in remaining whites until no streaks remain.

In the meantime, heat a lightly buttered girddle over medium high heat. Pour or scopp the batter onto the hot griddle and cook until pancakes are golden brown on both sides. Makes about 16 pancakes.

Serve hot with butter and warm syrup! These may well have been the best pancakes I've ever made! They were fluffy and light and tasted great!! John loved them...I swear the man ate a dozen by himself and would have ate more if I hadn't beat him to them!

Adapted from allrecipes.com

Ham and Noodle Casserole

Ham and Noodle Casserole

4 tbsp butter
1 small onion, diced
16-oz pkg diced cooked ham
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 cup reduced fat sour cream
Pepper
1/2 cup half & half
1 1/4 cups shredded swiss cheese
3/4 cup shredded cheddar
16-oz pkg egg noodles, cooked and drained
1 can French Fried Onions

Preheat oven to 350^F. Grease a 13x9 casserole dish.

Melt the butter in a large skillet. Add the onion and saute until translucent. Stir in ham, chicken soup, sour cream, pepper to taste, and the half and half until combined. Simmer gently until mixture is hot. Stir in the swiss, cheddar and the noodles and pour all into the 13x9" dish.

Bake 35 minutes, covered with foil. Remove the foil and sprinkle with the crushed French Fried Onions. Bake 10-15 minutes longer or until lightly browned and bubbly.

Quite tasty! Inspired by recipe of the same name at (where else?) allrecipes.com!

Tuscan Salad Dressing

Tuscan Salad Dressing

3 tbsp mayonnaise
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
1/3 cup water
2 tsp lemon juice
2 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp minced roasted garlic
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp black pepper

Whisk all ingredients together and pour into a salad dressing container. Regrigerate at least 1 hour. Shake well before serving.

I didn't have any red wine vinegar so I used Balsamic. This dressing was very good...but it was an ugly color because of the Balsamic vinegar. I'll definitely try it again with the Red Wine!

Adapted from allrecipes.com's "Nonna's Tuscan Salad Dressing".

Southwestern Style Spaghetti

Southwestern Style Spaghetti

1.75 lb meat loaf mix (ground chuck and ground pork)
Garlic Salt and pepper to taste
3-4 shakes Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup chopped red onion
1 pkg taco seasoning mix
1 heaping tsp chipotle chili powder
3/4 tsp roasted cumin
24 oz Barilla Roasted Garlic pasta sauce
1 lb hot, cooked thin spaghetti

In a skillet, crumble and brown the ground meat, garlic salt, pepper and Worcestershire sauce until the meat is completely cooked. Drain. Stir in the taco seasoning mix, chipotle powder, cumin and pasta sauce. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer about 20 minutes.

This was really good for something I just threw together! The sauce was nice and thick and mildly spicy and tasted great over the thin spaghetti.

Hamburger Lo Mein

Hamburger Lo Mein

1 lb ground chuck
1 small onion, chopped
1 tsp garlic, minced
Garlic salt and Pepper to taste
1 (12-oz) jar homestyle beef gravy
3 tbsp lite soy sauce
1/2 tsp ground ginger
2 packets Beef seasoning mix from Ramen Noodles
16-oz pkg frozen stir fry vegetables (or mixed veggies of your choice)
12-oz pkg spaghetti, cooked and drained

Brown and crumble the ground chuck, onion, garlic, garlic salt and pepper until done. Add gravy, soy sauce, ginger, beef seasoning packets, and vegetables. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and cook until vegetables are crisp-tender. Stir in cooked spaghetti and serve hot.

This was very good and very easy! Adapted from allrecipes.com "Ground Beef Lo Mein"

Banana Pound Cake with Caramel Glaze

Banana Pound Cake with Caramel Glaze

3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
2 cups brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
4 ripe bananas, mashed
5 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup milk
1 cup chopped pecans

1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1 tbsp Praline Liqueur
1/4 cup heavy cream

Preheat an oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. Set aside. Grease and flour a fluted tube pan.

Beat 1 cup of butter, shortening, 2 cups of brown sugar, and 1 cup of white sugar with an electric mixer in a large bowl until light and fluffy. The mixture should be noticeably lighter in color. Add the bananas, followed by the eggs one at a time, allowing each egg to blend into the butter mixture before adding the next. Beat in 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract with the last egg. Pour in the flour mixture alternately with the milk, mixing until just incorporated. Fold in the pecans; mixing just enough to evenly combine. Pour the batter into prepared pan.

Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 1 hour and 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare the glaze. Heat 1/2 cup of butter, 1/4 cup of brown sugar, 1/4 cup of white sugar, 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract, and heavy cream in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir continuously until the sugars have dissolved, then gently simmer for 1 minute. Slowly pour half the glaze over baked cake while still in the pan. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes before removing to cool completely on a wire rack, and slowly drizzle remaining glaze over the top.

Adapted from allrecipes.com. This is AWESOME! John says on a scale of 1-5 this is a 10!

Hamburger Vegetable Soup

Hamburger Vegetable Soup

1-1/2 lbs lean ground chuck
1 onion, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
Garlic Salt and Pepper to taste
1 tsp minced roasted garlic
15.5 oz can black beans, drained
28 oz can Muir Glen crushed tomatoes with basil
1/2 cup water
32 oz beef broth
1 tsp celery flakes
1 tsp basil
1 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp rosemary
1/2 tsp sugar
6 dashes Tabasco
2 large potatoes, peeled and diced
16-oz frozen mixed vegetables
2 handfuls of shredded cabbage (the kind for cole slaw)

Crumble the ground chuck into a large Dutch oven. Add the onion, celery, garlic salt, pepper and garlic and cook over medium-high heat until meat is browned and crumbled, stirring often. Add the beans and tomatoes. Rinse the tomato can with 1/2 cup water and add the water to the pot. Stir in the beef broth, celery flakes, basil, thyme, rosemary,sugar and Tabasco. and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 20 minutes. Stir in the diced potatoes and simmer until potatoes are nearly done. Add the frozen vegetable and the shredded cabbage and simmer, stirring occasionally until vegetables are cooked, about 10-15 minutes.

Good soup...next time I'll chop the cabbage though. I didn't like it shredded - it was ugly! John loved this soup.