Pancakes or Japanese Hot Cakes + Recipe

Don't they look delicious????? These Japanese Hot Cakes look like a stack of English Muffins, don't they? The recipe is easy and most of you will already have all the ingredients on hand. I can't wait to make them for breakfast. Recipe here. YUM!

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Chicken Pot Pie Cornbread Muffins

I have been saving this recipe ever since it appeared in my inbox. I love cornbread and chicken pot pie and muffins too so I had to look at the recipe. It is a winner. It pops up immediately under the photo when you click on the link so you can decide for yourself. I have everything on hand except buttermilk so I might substitute my homemade yogurt. You can google buttermilk substitute to find other suggestions. I just did that and think I will wait and pick up some buttermilk when I go grocery shopping this week because it has a flavor none of the substitutes have and I happen to like it too. Enjoy if you make these pie/muffins that just might turn into your favorite comfort food. xo

Cute Christmas Pancakes

I found this image somewhere this morning when I was browsing and fell in love with this idea for decorating pancakes this time of year. Please share with your loved ones! I added the text below the image.

xo

Chocolate Cake: Pears Inside: Recipe

This photo stopped me in my tracks. I searched google for the source of the image and found it. It's called Pear and Chocolate Loaf. The recipe is included in the link above and there are more beautiful photographs of this delicious-looking cake. I think it's stunning.

Save this recipe for fall when pears are in season. 

xo

Baking: My Sourdough Oat Bread

As promised, here is the loaf (minus a few slices) of Sourdough Oat Bread I baked yesterday. The cookbook is opened to the page for how to make the starter. Click on the link for the recipe I used. I am very pleased and this bread is very satisfying somehow and doesn't leave me wanting to snack after eating it. Maybe I'm on to something. Staying at home during this pandemic makes one try to go back to homesteading, doesn't it? I have dabbled with sourdough several times before but I think this time, I will stick with it. 

I put this photo on Instagram this morning and so many people are learning sourdough techniques right now. I am looking forward to learning more. I will probably have french toast made with my loaf tomorrow for breakfast. See you tomorrow. xo

UPDATE: HuffPost has a great article on the immense popularity of backing sourdough bread now that people are home all day. Everything old is new again!!!

Oatmeal Muffins Using Minimum Ingredients

Here is a photo of one of my oatmeal muffins on a cupcake stand, a Christmas gift from Stacey Snacks long ago. Here is the muffin recipe I found online. I really like it because it is so flexible for these times. It uses a minimum amount of sugar and oil and there are numerous substitutions if you are out of anything. Uses no baking powder, only baking soda. Almost all of the ingredients you will probably already have on hand plus there are many add-ons too for variety. This is just the basic recipe and my muffin is a basic one too, but delicious.

Ingredients: start preheating oven set to 425°
1 cup milk (almond, soy or rice milk works great too) I used my homemade soymilk yogurt.
1 cup quick-cooking oats or 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats (off-brand works perfectly and they are no different from the name-brand) I used old-fashioned oats
1 egg (or 1/4 cup of mashed banana or 1 tablespoon ground flax seed mixed with 2-3 tablespoons of water) I used an egg
1/4 cup vegetable oil or 1/4 cup canola oil I used Avocado Oil. Otherwise I would have used oiive oil.
1 cup all-purpose flour (or wheat flour) I used whole wheat flour
1/4 cup white sugar I used organic sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon I also added 1 teaspoon vanilla
Directions:
Preheat oven to 425°f (220°c). Grease or spray 12 muffin cups or line with paper muffin liners. I just oiled my muffin pan with avocado oil and a pastry brush.
In a small bowl (I used a 4-cup pyrex measuring cup), combine milk and oats. Soak for 15 minutes. I used this same cup for the other wet ingredients after the 15 minute soak to save dirty bowls.
In a separate bowl, beat together egg and oil; stir in oatmeal mixture. In a third bowl, sift together flour, cinnamon, sugar, baking soda and salt. Stir flour mixture into wet ingredients, just until combined. I never sift anything but stir with a wisk. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups until cups are 2/3 full.
Bake in preheated 425° oven for 15-25 minutes or until a tooth pick inserted in center of muffin comes out clean. 20 minutes was perfect in my oven.

Hot Chocolate Recipes

I like having this recipe for the hot cocoa dry mix. Mine will leave out the crushed peppermint candy and will probably never be served over homemade marshmallows. This recipe is worthy of being framed with the lovely poem around the edges. 
Thank you Karen and Pam for mentioning in the comments that Susan Branch is the illustrator and author of the poem.

Super Bowl Cookies

I made a double batch of Chocolate Chip Oat Cookies for a Super Bowl Party tonight. They are honestly the best cookies I have ever made. I have never used this recipe or this cookbook before. The first batch was so good I made a second batch.  The second batch is on the bottom and I didn't have quite enough butter so they didn't spread out as much as the first batch on the top layer. But they taste the same. They are better than Tate's. This will be my go-to cookie recipe from now on. My next batch will have raisins instead of chips.

Click to enlarge. I used whole wheat flour instead of white flour because I was out of white.  I increased the old fashioned oats from 3/4 cup to One Cup. I decreased the sugars to 1/3 cup (each variety) because the chocolate chips are so plentiful, you don't need so much sugar. I will let you what other people think after tonight. Enjoy the Super Bowl. 

My gas range has a gas oven and I always have to increase the baking temperature to get anything to brown on top.

HAPPY GROUNDHOG DAY click to watch a delightful video of one eating an apple. Be sure the sound is on😀 

Quinoa Muffins Recipe

This recipe for quinoa muffins uses leftover dried quinoa (you know that last bit in the box you have that just sits in your pantry for months…), fresh herbs and fruit (this one used plums, but any fruit would work like peaches, blueberries or strawberries). The link is not responding but luckily I included the ingredients. The rest is up to you. xo

Ingredients:

1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
½ cup raw quinoa
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 ¼ cups yogurt
½ cup olive oil
½ cup honey
¼ cup basil, or another fresh herb (we used mint!)
1 plum or other fresh fruit

Bear Christmas Tree at Hamburg Zoo

She has her eye on something at the top.

What a great idea. 

View more charming photos of this particular bear here. See more photos of this mother brown bear and her three cubs feeding here.

Nut Pie Crusts - Who Knew?

I read an interesting article about last minute pies at Food and Wine magazine online.

I have never heard of these nut crusts that are shelf stable, have you? I always use frozen pie crusts but my freezer is jam packed right now and can't hold one more item. These prepared nut crusts might be the answer to my problem. I must look for them the next time I go food shopping. Both photos by Sarah Crowder.

BBC: Celebration Chocolate Cake recipe

This recipe is by Mary Berry from The Great British Baking Show. It looks easy and delicious. It is even recommended to bake with and for children. I am not sure how to convert the flour to cups but you'll figure it out. I am a huge fan of cream cheese icing! recipe here

Tomato Pie Recipe : Looks Delicious

photo by Black Sheep Kitchen

Do you have Beefsteak and a variety of heirloom tomatoes in your garden? If not, when fresh homegrown tomatoes appear at the farmer's market, pick up a few and make this delicious looking tomato pie. You can make one large pie or divide up the dough and make individual ones. One large pie would be my choice. The right hand side of the pie above is multicolored heirloom tomatoes. I like the flavor of these ugly tomatoes best. YUM. I would be tempted to add some corn off the cob too. Tomatoes are the best part of summer food. xo You can Google the recipe: Tomato Pie Garden and Gun

Wonderful Vegetable Garden

Can you imagine a lovelier garden? I cannot! via

Baby Bird Feeding Time

via

“I think we consider too much the good luck of the early bird and not enough the bad luck of the early worm.” Franklin D. Roosevelt

Battenberg Cake YUM

I have never heard of a Battenberg Cake, have you?

I think the green icing is marzipan. Double YUM.

I have seen photos of this cake with each square being a different color or two colors arranged in a checkerboard pattern. Plain white cake is fine with me.

Blueberry Pancakes on the Wood Stove

Blueberry pancakes cooked on a blue wood stove. Yum. I am sure they taste extra delicious cooked this way. I have bright sun and a high today of 43° but it feels warmer because of the sunshine. I understand the deep south is having a heatwave. Mother Nature always likes to tease us in February! xo, Rosemary @ Content in a Cottage

Pumpkin Pies in a Basket

Two beautifully decorated pumpkin pies ready to travel. via

Butter-Rum Walnut Cake: King Arthur Flour Recipe

Oh, WOW. This looks so delicious. Be sure to read the reviews below the recipe for one lady's changes. The recipe is very versatile. King Arthur Flour Recipe

Halloween Pot Luck Lunch at My Office

We had our office meeting today and most of the agents dressed up for Halloween. I went dressed for a Safari Hunt with a pith helmet, binoculars around my neck, khaki pants, hunting jacket and white turtle neck. I bought the white pith helmet at the fireman's rummage sale the end of September and I have worn it several times outside when I do yard work. Our manager made turkey chili and we all brought something for a pot luck lunch after the meeting. Pictured above is the best Halloween party food that one of our agents found on Pinterest and copied. Isn't it great? People dived right in and the guacamole was gone in a flash. Happy Halloween. Don't eat too much candy. xo