Sourdough Pancakes

Last weekend, I was inspired to make yet another wonderful recipe from the apron my parents made me for Christmas. (If you're new to the blog, you can read about it here and here... among a zillion other posts.) With all the crummy weather we had last weekend, I wanted to lay low on Saturday morning... so I decided to make my Uncle D's Sourdough Pancakes. I started the recipe on the night before with these basic ingredients. And while these pancakes take a little planning (since you start the sourdough the night before), they are totally worth it! Per my Uncle D's very specific instructions, I dissolved some yeast in water and let it sit in there for 17 minutes. (Please excuse the white stuff on my kitchen timer... it's frosting from the last cake I made... I think...)
In a separate bowl, I measured some flour. I decided to use white flour, but my Uncle D says you can use a mixture of flours, if you'd like!
After the 17 minutes were up, I poured the yeast into the flour...
Which looked just like this:
And after some steady mixing, I had this:
Again, per my Uncle D's instructions, I covered the starter in a warm place and went to bed.
The next morning, I began with THIS cast of characters. (See the sourdough starter in the bowl? That's what it looked like the next morning!)
And I proceeded to add some additional ingredients to the sourdough starter I had concocted the night before.
I also mixed some baking soda and water in a small bowl...
Before adding it to the pancake batter.
Once everything was combined, I put my beautiful, new Calphalon pan on the stove to heat up... since I don't have a griddle.
And then I started to make pancakes.
When they started bubbling on one side, I flipped them... waited a bit... and slid this baby right off the pan.
Come on- doesn't that look like the best weekend breakfast you can imagine?
And it only got better... because there's enough batter to make TONS of these tasty pancakes! The only thing you'll have to worry about is having enough syrup to cover 'em!
If you'd like to make these for yourself (or anyone else who eats breakfast at your house), here's the recipe:

Sourdough Pancakes
Night before: Dissolve 1/2 tsp. yeast in 1/2 cup water- wait 17 minutes, add 2 cups flour (1 cup white and 1 cup other, if you'd like) and 1 1/4 water , mix to a thin paste, and cover in a warm spot.
In the morning add: 1 large egg, 2 tbsp oil, 1 tbsp sugar, and 1 tsp salt- beat well.
Combine: 1 tbsp. water and 1 tsp. baking soda- add to batter.
Bake on hot griddle.

Thanks, Uncle D, for sharing this amazing recipe... I can't wait to make these again!
Thanks for stopping by- I hope you have a wonderful Thursday!

Cherry Salad/ Dessert

As its been a while since I posted a recipe from the apron, here's a quick recap: for Christmas, my folks made my brother and I the coolest present. They asked some of our family members to write up some of our favorite recipes, and they ironed the recipes onto the apron. Over the past few weeks I've been sharing various dishes from the apron... and today, I'd like to show you Grandma G's Cherry Salad/Dessert!
NOTE: Though she's my cousins' grandma (and not mine), I still call her Grandma G. She's known me since I was born, and I have so many wonderful memories with her.

And without further adieu, here is Grandma G's Cherry Salad/Dessert. It begins with this cast of characters: I started by crushing the pecans. I was being lazy, so instead of using a knife, I just put them into a Ziploc and rolled them with my marble rolling pin a few times!
After I set those aside, I got down to the business of the salad. First, I poured a can of crushed pineapple into a mixing bowl.
Then I added a can of cherry pie filling. (I couldn't find the right brand, Grandma G, so I went with the generic version my grocery store carried.)
Then I added a can of condensed milk.
Next came the "chopped" pecans.
And finally, the Cool Whip! (Are you dying over these ingredients? So yummy!)
Once all the ingredients were in the bowl, I got to stirring!
After things were homogeneous, I poured everything into this adorable Jadite dish.
It's not required that you use a dish like this, but it sure makes things look extra scrumptious!
And after a few hours in the freezer, look what I got:
Doesn't this look cute and tasty?
Let me tell you- after I bit into this tangy yet sweet treat, I was instantly transported to Grandma G's house: I think the first time I tried this was at a party in her backyard!
If you'd like to try this delish dessert, here's the recipe:

Cherry Salad/ Dessert
1 regular size can of Crushed Pineapple in own juice
1 can Thank You cherry pie filling
1 8 oz. container of Cool Whip
1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
1 regular size can of condensed milk

Instructions: Mix all ingredients together and refrigerate for at least 6 hours. Keeps for days- also can freeze!

There you have it- thanks for recipe Grandma G!!
Thanks for stopping by- I hope you have a great Wednesday!

Wacky Cake

It's Thursday.
It's cold in NYC.
So how about another recipe from the apron?
In case you haven't seen this before, my parents made my brother and I the best gift for Christmas. They collected some of our favorite recipes from various family members, and ironed them onto aprons for us.
Isn't that awesome? Over the past couple weeks I've been making recipes from the apron. So today, how about Aunt J's Wacky Cake?
I love this cake. In fact, I think I've asked my mom to make one for my birthday as long as I can remember. It's chocolate-y and moist... and I just love it!

Now, you're probably wondering why it's called Wacky Cake... well, check out the ingredients:
Not your typical cake-making supplies, right? But believe me, they mix together to create one scrumptious cake! So let's get baking! First, I followed the recipe. (Please note that I even used a sieve... I hardly ever do that any more, so you must know that this recipe it worth it!)
When the batter was lump free, I poured it into a batter bowl. I decided to make cupcakes instead of a cake. (SFS' roommate's birthday is this week, and he asked that I make him cupcakes to celebrate- how could I turn that down?)
This is the first batter bowl I've owned, so I never knew how easy it was to fill cupcakes with it... but now I'm a total convert- even if it means I have to wash one more bowl!
After a short time in the oven, I pulled these babies out.
Then I just swirled on some canned frosting- I like cream cheese frosting with this cake!
And because SFS's roommate loves the Eagles, I added some green sanding sugar.
Now, I know you can't taste this cake, but let me tell you- it is SO good. Here's what a bite would look like:
Trust me- it's divine!
So thank you, Aunt J, for one of the best cakes EVER!

Wacky Cake
2 C sugar
3 C flour
½ C cocoa
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking soda
Sift together, then add:
2 T vinegar
2 tsp. vanilla
2/3 C vegetable oil
2 C cold water
Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes for a 9x13 cake.

Thanks for stopping by- I hope you have a wonderful Thursday!!

Knox Blox

How about another recipe from the apron? (Check out this post to see what I'm talking about...)
Last night I decided to make some Knox Blox, courtesy of my Grandma V.
The ingredients are pretty simple:
Start by putting your water in the microwave to boil.
Then, empty the boxes of jello and packets of Knox gelatin into a large bowl.
Mix the the two powders together...
And by now, your water should be boiling, so pour it over the powder mixture.
Once all the powder has dissolved...
Pour the liquid into a 9x13 pan.
And now, your refrigerator does all the work. Just put the pan into the Frigidaire, and wait a while.
Eventually the liquid sets, and you can start cutting up your Knox Blox.
Doesn't that look yummy?
If you haven't had Knox Blox before, you're probably wondering what makes them different from regular jello or Jigglers.
Well, Knox Blox are a lot firmer and chewier. I mean, can Jello Jigglers do this?
I'm telling you- these are a really fun finger food!
And, they're pretty! (I was playing around with the lighting in this one...)
So if you have a free 5 minutes, I highly recommend whipping up a batch of these Knox Blox!
And thank you for the recipe Grandma!

Knox Blox
4 envelopes unflavored gelatin (Knox)
3 packages flavored jello
4 cups boiling water
In large bowl, mix gelatin and jello. Add boiling water and stir until completely dissolved. Pour into 9x13 baking dish and chill until firm. Cut into one inch squares.

I hope you had a wonderful weekend- thank you for stopping by!