Wendy’s Blog

While I was at grocery shopping, I saw this little item.

I had to get it! Pancakes, no pan or cooking required. And it’s American! Whohoo. Until now, I never thought about pancakes being American style or not. It was ok. Very sweet and fluffy.

So all this got me inspired making my own “American Pancakes.”

I found this simple recipe on the internet, of course. Internet is like a giant cookbook! UnQAed cookbook that is. I have made some hideous food out of the unQAed internet cookbook.

Anyway, here’s the recipe if you feel so inspired not to eat out of the packet. It’s not hard and it’s fun!

American Style Pancake

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon white sugar
• 1 1/4 cups milk
• 1 egg
• 3 tablespoons butter, melted

Directions

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Make a well in the center and pour in the milk, egg and melted butter; mix until smooth.
Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake. Brown on both sides and serve hot.

So, I didn’t have plain flour, so I used some self rising flour and omitted salt and baking powder. Also, don’t heat up the pan too hot, you will end up with a burnt mess. The pancakes got butter in it so it didn’t really stick to the pan.

Here are some photo evidence of this yummy yummy goodness.

Being cooked!

Flipped!

Ready to eat!

I made some scone this week and they were mighty delicious! It’s a lot easier than I thought it would be too! I had to guestimate on the butter because butter here doesn’t come in measurement blocks. More butter = More better right?!

One weird thing about scones making is that it doesn’t involve eggs! I had to read it twice to make sure I read it right. No eggs! I was sad because I bought eggs thinking I needed them. But it’s all right I love eggs!

Here’s the recipe I used:

3 cups self raising flour; 60g butter; 1 cup of milk. Sift flour into a bowl, rub in butter, add nearly all of the milk at once and mix in quickly with a knife. Add remaining milk if nescessary to mix to a soft dough. Turn onto a floured board and knead by pressing with heel of hand 3 or 4 times. Pat out to a round,2cm thick and cut out into 4cm rounds with a floured cutter. Place scones close together on a lightly greased baking tray. Brush tops with a little milk and bake in a preheated very hot oven 230C for10 – 15 min or until well risen and golden. For soft scones wrap in a tea- towel as soon as they come from the oven, for crusty scones cool on a wire rack. And always for serving, no matter how thick the cream says it is on the container, whip it until you can cut it!

I added raisins I found in the cupboard.

Extreme close up of the scone ready to be eaten!

Ready to eat with butter (of course) and bit of honey.

Not scone related, but it’s cute anyways!

Most people think dent-de-lion (aka dandelions) is just some weedy plant that are blithe to their gardens. Our land lord certainly think so for he gave us three bottles of dandelion killers. They used to be under the stairs, but I moved them to the annex (yes we have an annex!).

My sister in law gave me a Irish cook book when we moved here. The book had all sorts of recipes Irish. I was particular drawn to dandelions. I didn’t know they were editable! Apparently the leaves can be used for salad and flowers can be eaten. I was fascinated by the fried flower recipe. Any recipe with the word ‘FRIED’ is by default is delicious in my book!

So today we went out to gather dandelions. I wonder if our neighbors think we are insane!

Surprisingly it was hard to find. I guess people really hate them!

Anyway, feast your eyes on these wonderful dent-de-lions!

Before :

After:

Mr said they taste like bland fried vegetable. I will have to tweak the recipe next time to see if I should change the herbs or more salt. It smelled delicious as I was cooking them!

If you want to try it out, here’s the recipe:

Ingredients:

• 20 to 30 dandelion – or how ever much you can find in the garden
• Vegetable Oil for frying (you can use olive oil I just had vegetable oil handy
• 2 tablespoon of flour (you can use cormeal if you want)
• Pinch of salt
• Pinch of black pepper
• Pinch of dried thyme
• pinch of dried oregano
• 1 egg, lightly beaten

Directions:

• Rinse the flowers and dry them gently. I left them on a plate on top of some paper towels.
• Mix the flour, salt, black pepper, dried thyme, and dried oregano.
• Heat frying pan over medium heat with the vegetable oil. You don’t need that much just enough to cover the flowers.
• Dip the flower in the beaten egg and then in the seasoned flour mixture.
• Fry the little flowers in batches, stalk side up until golden.
• Serve

You really want to cut as much as stalk off as possible without breaking up the flower. It’s pretty tricky, but if you cut too deep you just end up with petals. It’s kind of cool but hard to fry.

Last night as I was browsing through my cookbook (awesome bedtime reading!) I found a recipe for granola. We have been buying muesli for a while and it’s so yummy and look kind of like granola.

Anyway, this morning we walked down to the Londis and got all the ingredients.

Shopping in a foreign grocery store is a treat. Everything is just a little bit different but the same a the same time. They also have exotic items like sultana aka grapes.

Part of the recipe called for rolled oats. I looked at all the oats (and there are so many different brand and kind of oats.) and had no idea which one is roll oats. I mean everything there says it’s oatmeal. So I end up picking some organic none quick oats (but it did say you can make it in oatmeal in the microwave with it) and hope for the best.

When we got home I read the back of the package and it had instruction for making home made museli. So I guess I got the right one! YAY!

Anyway, making granola is surprising easy. This is what you need:

• 4 cups of Rolled Oats
• 1 cup of Flaked Almonds (for you Americans it’s Sliced Almonds)
• 3/4 cup of vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup of good honey

Pre heat oven to 175 C (for you Americans that’s 350 F)

Mix the Rolled Oats with flaked almonds and sit aside. Whisk the vegetable oil and 1/2 cup of honey together. Pour into the oats mixture and make sure to coat all the oats. Put it in a baking dish and bake in the oven for about 40 minutes or until golden brown.

Make sure to stir it every now and then in the oven.

Take it out of the oven and let it cool. Make sure to stir it other wise you will end up with granola bar. (Happened to my first more brown than golden batch!)

You will end up with something like this:

After all that you can mix it with whatever dry fruit and nuts you want. I end up getting some dry figs, dry apricots, and raisins.

And say SUCCESS!