GREEK YOGURT PANCAKES

 

I rarely buy pancake mix. There are so many excellent recipes out there that I just can't see the need. Besides, if I make my own, I can add my own touches to the recipe and have a variety of pancakes. This recipe didn't disappoint either. In fact, they were so good, one of the best recipes I have found. 

I had some wheat flour leftover from the unleavened bread recipe we use to make the communion bread for church that I have just started using. The grocery store has apparently switched the brand they are selling and I really liked the Hungarian wheat flour I was buying but I must admit this naturally sweet wheat flour that is stoneground whole white wheat flour is pretty awesome also. Both are light and not coarse like much wheat flour you find.

I also used a strawberry flavored Greek yogurt for an added twist. I also had vanilla and blueberry options. It has no sugar added, no fat, and no artificial flavors and is nice and thick. 

There wasn't that much sugar in the recipe, but I did substitute stevia for it. 

They were just about the prettiest pancakes I have made in a while. Hope you will give them a try.

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GREEK YOGURT PANCAKES

1       cup flour (I used half bread flour and half naturally sweet whole wheat white flour)

1-1/2 cups sugar or stevia

3/4    teaspoons baking powder

3/4    teaspoon baking soda

1/2    cup Greek yogurt (I used a strawberry flavored no fat/no added sugar/no artificial flavors yogurt.)

3/4    cup milk

1-1/2 tablespoons melted butter

1        egg

1/2     teaspoon vanilla

Whisk together the dry ingredients in one bowl and

then the wet ingredients in another larger bowl.

Pour the dry ingredients over the wet ingredients and

stir gently with a whisk until all of the dry ingredients are wet. It's okay to have a few small lumps.

Let batter set for 5 minutes to thicken slightly.

Heat skillet or griddle and cook as usual for pancakes. 

 

BANANA BREAD MINI MUFFINS

 One Sunday when I was standing behind the counter with the Cafe Treats at church, a man walked up and said, "I like to make scones." 

"I love scones" I responded. I waited a second or two and said, "Would you like to join our group?"

And he said, "Yes." And that's how Lee became a member of the Cafe Treats Bakers. 

Well, imagine my surprise when he signed up for a date, he said he would be bringing Banana Bread Mini Muffins. I have discussed this with him and he promises me he is going to make some scones. I can't wait. He said after he retired, he worked at a bakery making scones. I'm so intrigued. 

Lee may be able to make scones, but he can also make delicious Banana Bread Mini Muffins. He took his Banana Bread recipe and made mini muffins instead of a loaf of quick bread. I have so often wondered why you couldn't do this but never tried. I usually make mini loaves when I do and they turn out fine, but just never tried to make muffins instead. Now I know.

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BANANA BREAD MINI MUFFINS

1/2     cup canola oil

1        cup sugar

2        eggs

3        bananas (mashed)

1        cup all-purpose flour

1        cup whole wheat flour

pinch of salt

1        teaspoon baking soda

1        teaspoon vanilla

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. 

Cream the oil, sugar, and eggs together; add the mashed bananas.

Stir the rest of the dry ingredients together and add to the creamed mixture. 

Add the vanilla.

Pour into loaf pan for Banana Bread or scoop into mini-muffin pan and bake for 30 to 45 minutes for the bread (depending on the size of the pan) and about 20 minutes or until golden brown for the mini muffins. It all bakes quicker in a darker pan.

PATRICIA'S DOUBLE TREE INN COOKIES

 When we were back in CA recently, we spent the entire week catching up with friends we hadn't seen since our last visit just before the country shut down because of COVID four years ago. It is always a good thing to be with people who are special to you and that you share many fond memories. 

One evening with spent with our dear friends Lyn and Diane. Lyn, who retired the same year I did, was one of the counselors at the middle school where I spent my last 16 years teaching easily 75% of the classes there. 

I started out teaching special education classes (four periods) and filled the other two periods with classes that needed a teacher. While it was interesting, it also required a lot of prep time on my part. One year after teaching seventh grade core for the first time, the principal told me she wanted me to teach something different the next year. I told her I really wanted to teach the same classes the next year; I had read all of the novels for seventh grade and planned them out. Her response to me was that was so boring. I told her I would like to bored just once. It didn't work. 

I don't remember what two classes I taught the next year, but it was never boring. My experience teaching there just made me more "well-rounded". Miss C was an interesting lady. I started the position as a long-term sub and she asked me at the mailboxes one day after I had been there for two weeks, if I would stay on full-time. I was so surprised. I had not interviewed with her at all. She had stuck her head in the classroom a few times, but that was all. When I questioned her about it later, she told me she didn't need to, she could tell just by talking to someone how good of a teacher (s)he would be. She later retired and had moved away. Lyn told me she had died since our last visit.

For dinner, Diane made stew in the Instant Pot and Lyn made these delicious cookies for dessert. Naturally I took a picture and asked her for the recipe. I was making them within a week after getting home. 

I did make one change from the Double Tree Inn's recipe for their signature cookie that you don't have to make if you want to follow the original recipe, but we really liked them. The recipe calls for 2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour and I substituted 1 cup of whole wheat flour for one of the cups of all-purpose flour. We just like the results of using two flours in a lot of recipes. 

It's not really a change, but I didn't have 2-2/3 cups of chocolate chips, so I used a 10 ounce bag of my favorite 70% cacao chips and filled in the rest with mini-semi-sweet chocolate chips to make the 2-2/3 cups. I substitute the dark chocolate chips for semi-sweet chips most of the time and don't really think of them as a substitute, but technically they are.

The same goes for substituting stevia for the sugar in recipes. Society eats too much sugar anyway and we try to do our part. 😊 Lyn did the same when she made hers.

Anyway, I hope you will give this recipe a try. You definitely won't be sorry that you did.

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 PATRICIA'S DOUBLE TREE INN SIGNATURE COOKIES

2       sticks of butter, softened (1 cup)

3/4 + 1 tablespoon sugar (I used stevia)

3/4     cup packed light brown sugar (I also used a brown sugar blend) 

2        large eggs

1-1/4  teaspoon vanilla

1/4     teaspoon juice

2-1/4  cups flour (I used 1-1/4 cups of all-purpose flour and 1 cup whole wheat flour)

1/2     cup rolled oats (I used old fashioned oats)

1        teaspoon baking soda

1        teaspoon salt

pinch of cinnamon

2-2/3  cups chocolate chips (she note above)

1-3/4  cups chopped walnuts (I omitted the nuts)

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. (Yes, 300 degrees F.) Line cookie sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.

Cream the butter and sugars on medium speed for about 2 minutes.

Scrape the sides of the bowl as needed.

Add the eggs, vanilla, and lemon juice with the mixer on low speed for 30 seconds,

then increase the speed to medium speed for an additional 2 minutes or until light and fluffy,

scraping the sides of the bowl.

With the mixer on low speed, add the flour(s), oats, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon; blending for about 45 seconds.

Don't overmix.

Scrape the sides of the bowl again. 

Add chips and walnuts, if you are using them, and stir with a wooden spoon.

I did try using my spoon, but decided to mix together with the mixer a couple of seconds. Lots of chips. 

Scoop dough and place about 2 inches apart. I use a cookie scoop to form cookies and

I found if I place the dough on the sheet on its side instead of the flat end and press lightly, the cookies will flatten more when they are baked. I love using my cookie scoop but I also like flat cookies. (The original recipe says to scoop 3 tablespoons of dough, but I wanted to make more smaller cookies so I used my 1-1/2 tablespoon scoop.)

Bake the cookies for 20 to 23 minutes or until edges are golden brown and center is still soft. 

First pan...

Second pan...

Remove the baked cookies from the oven and allow to cool on the cookie sheets for 1 hour before removing to a wire rack.

Hard to wait an hour to bite into one...

After I cooked two sheets about 20 cookies, I scooped up the rest of the dough and froze it in the freezer to bake at another time.

After they were frozen, I placed them in a freezer bag. To bake later, remove however many you plan to bake from the bag and preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. and place the frozen cookie dough on a parchment lined cookie sheet about 2 inches apart. Bake until the edges are brown and the centers is still soft.

Here is a picture of Lyn's cookies we enjoyed that night. She did add the nuts and more dough than I used but not the full 3 tablespoons the original recipe called for.

APPLE - OATMEAL COOKIES

 Being gone for a week to go back to Ventura, CA to visit with friends was such a nice break. Getting settled back into being home has not all been nice. 

Our plane landed in a downpour (didn't it rain enough in CA while we were gone?) but our younger son, Patrick, came to pick us up. It was so good seeing him. He wasn't a happy camper though because of people not following the rules for picking up passengers.

At our old terminals people were used to driving up and parking until their family or friends came out with their luggage. It was nice, but now with our new airport terminal we have an upper departure level and lower arrival level and as in most every other airport terminal in the country a minimum parking at both areas. Some people who didn't think we needed a new terminal anyway, insist on the old methods. Well, Patrick was just complaining so about the new airport and how much he already hated it and we didn't need a new one anyway as he tried to pick us up in all of the traffic. Admittedly there is more traffic because the terminal is smaller across than the old ones where the different airlines were so spread out, but everyone just needs to follow the rules and be patient.

Anyway, Wayne, my husband, had already realized that he left his prescription glasses in the rental car after we got on the plane in Long Beach. After we got home, he realized he didn't have his cell phone and had left it on the plane.

Are you getting an idea about what I meant at the beginning about getting back hasn't been completely nice? 

BUT getting back for church yesterday was another nice thing about getting back. I do feel like church is one of my families and so seeing everyone at church, setting up for the Cafe Treats, helping with hospitality, and hearing an awesome message from our District Superintendent, helped my disposition greatly. I am enjoying my role with the Cafe Treats so much and the three friends who brought the treats yesterday outdid themselves. So many people are overjoyed having the treats being offered. 

The three treats were so pretty and delicious and I get to share one of them with you today. It was so hard to decide which one to share first, but I will share another one on Wednesday.

Friend Sharon brought these delicious Apple-Oatmeal Cookies. They were so moist, one person said. The chopped apples and the raisins looked inviting.

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APPLE - OATMEAL COOKIES

1-1/2   cups quick-cooking rolled oats

3/4      cup all-purpose flour

3/4      cup whole-wheat flour

1/2      cup brown sugar, firmly packed

1         teaspoon baking powder

1/4      teaspoon baking soda

1/2      teaspoon salt

1-1/2   teaspoon cinnamon

1/2      cup raisins

1         cup finely chopped, peeled apple (such as Granny Smith)

1         egg, slightly beaten

1/2      cup honey

1/2      cup oil

1/3      cup milk

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

In a medium bowl, combine the oats, all-purpose flour, whole-wheat flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Stir to combine.

Stir in the raisins and apples.

In a large bowl, combine the egg, honey, oil, and milk. Stir in the dry ingredients. Mix to form a smooth batter.

Drop batter onto ungreased baking sheets, using a rounded teaspoon of dough for each cookie, leaving 2 inches between. Drip fingers into water and press dough down to about 1-1/2 inch diameter.

Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until lightly golden.

Remove from oven and transfer the cookies to a cooling rack.

Makes 3 dozen cookies.

I hope you will check back on Wednesday for one of the other fabulous Cafe Treats from yesterday.

Hopefully Wayne's new cell phone will arrive this afternoon and it won't be too difficult setting it up. I'll update you in Wednesday's post.

DRIED CHERRY WHOLE WHEAT MUFFINS

 On Monday I shared a recipe for Apricot Sunshine Muffins that I made to share with some friends for Christmas. We have really enjoyed the few extras I kept for us. Two of the friends that I have heard from couldn't stop raving about them. 

I also made these muffins from the same cookbook, Pillsbury Healthy Baking. The recipe had a different title because they used dried blueberries, but did indicate that you could use dried blueberries, dried tart cherries, dried cranberries, or raisins. Since I had some dried cherries that I had not opened, I thought I would try them for something different. I really liked the results.

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DRIED CHERRY WHOLE WHEAT MUFFINS

1     cup flour

3/4  cup whole wheat flour

1/2  cup firmly packed brown sugar

2     teaspoons baking powder

1/2  teaspoon baking soda

1/2  teaspoon salt

1     cup buttermilk

1/4  cup oil

2     egg whites

1/2  cup dried tart cherries, dried blueberries, dried cranberries, or raisins

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Spray 12 muffin cups with nonstick cooking spray or line the muffin cups with paper baking cups and spray the paper cups with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the flours, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt;

mix well.

In a small bowl, combine the buttermilk, oil, and egg whites;

blend well with a fork.

Add to the dry ingredients all at once;

stir just until dry ingredients are moistened.

Gently stir in the dried fruit.

Because there is always space in the cup when you are measuring dried fruit, I always measure a heaping cup measurement.

Spoon batter evenly into the muffin cups. I use a scoop I have that measures a scant 1/4 cup. I had just a little bit of batter left to make probably one more muffin

so I added just a dab to each cup and smoothed it out.

Bake for 14 to 19 minutes or until light golden brown and a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. (I usually press lightly on the center of a muffin to test for doneness.)

Immediately remove from the pan to a wire rack. 

Serve warm.

I am so glad I decided to use the dried cherries instead of blueberries or anything else. They were really yummy.

APRICOT SUNSHINE MUFFINS

 I usually share some of my baked goods with neighbors and friends at Christmas. This year I am a little behind. Our below zero temperatures for several days before Christmas kept me inside and I only got around to a couple of friends and the mailman. (Yes, he is a male.) Anyway, I guess I will be making up for it this week. I thought I would share one of the recipes I made that we especially enjoyed.

I have been wanting to find a recipe for dried apricots as I have had some in the refrigerator that we hadn't eaten. The bag was big that I bought at the store. I saw this recipe in my go-to cookbook lately from Pillsbury called Healthy-Baking Fresh Approaches to More than 200 Favorite Recipes that I got at an estate sale. I haven't made all 200+ recipes from it, but I've made a lot. This one for Apricot Sunshine Muffins didn't disappoint me at all. I love having the whole wheat flour along with the all-purpose flour.

I did make a few substitutions but it was because I didn't have the apricot or orange yogurt. I used a no-sugar-added and fat free vanilla Greek yogurt instead. The orange oil I got from King Arthur Flour. I also have lemon oil. I like to add a small amount when I really want to enhance the flavor. Worked out fine.

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APRICOT SUNSHINE MUFFINS

1       cup flour

1       cup whole wheat flour

1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1       teaspoon grated orange peel

1/4    teaspoon salt

1       (8-oz) container low-fat apricot or orange yogurt (I used 1 cup of no-sugar-added & fat-free vanilla yogurt plus 1/4 teaspoon orange oil)

1/2     cup chopped dried apricots

1/3     cup orange juice

1/4     cup honey

1/4     cup oil

1        egg, slightly beaten

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line 12 muffin cups with paper baking cups or grease bottoms only. I did bought because I ran out of the paper baking cups. I did spray the cups with non-fat cooking spray. 

In a large bowl, combine the flours, baking soda, orange peel, and salt;

mix well. Make a well in the bowl with the mixture.

In a medium bowl, combine the remaining ingredients

mixing well.

Add to the dry ingredients and

stir just until the dry ingredients are moistened. 

Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups.

(I ended up getting three large muffins extra.

I added some water to the three empty cups so the three muffins would bake evenly.)

Bake for 14 to 18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Immediately remove from pan to a wire rack to cool. Store in an air-tight container. Best if heated slightly in the microwave when eaten later.