Corn and Spring Onion Pancakes

This week's theme at I Heart Cooking Clubs  is "Pattycake, Pattycake...."  Participants were asked to make a Yota Ottolenghi recipe that was a fritter, latke, vegetable pancake, patty, burger, fishcake, etc.  I've already made Turkey & Zucchini Burgers, Sweet Potato Cakes, and Leek Fritters for previous themes.  I ended up searching online and found this recipe for a corn pancake.  It sounded very promising and not too difficult.  I halved the recipe, since I wasn't sure that the kids would like it.  I didn't end up smoking/grilling one of the cobs like the original recipe called for.  I ended up forgetting midway through that I was halving the recipe and ended up putting the one egg into the food processor.  I should have only put the yolk in and then whipped the white separately to fold in later.  I ended up with dense pancakes and unfortunately, I wasn't really impressed with the flavor.  Using the jalapeno didn't make the pancakes too spicy so the kids tried them.  But they too didn't like them very much.  Overall, this just wasn't one of our favorite Ottolenghi recipes.

Corn and Spring Onion Pancakes
recipe adapted from The Guardian, October 12, 2012

Ingredients:
3 corn cobs
3 spring onions, finely chopped
1 jalapeno pepper
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1tsp soft brown sugar
1 egg
Salt and pepper
1 cup flour
butter
1 limes, cut into wedges

Directions:
With a sharp knife, separate the kernels from two corn cobs and put them in the bowl of a food processor. Add half the spring onion, the jalapeno, cumin, sugar, one egg, three-quarters of a teaspoon of salt and half a teaspoon of pepper, blitz for 45 seconds until fairly smooth, then transfer to a bowl. Separate the last egg and add the yolk to the mix, followed by the flour and remaining spring onion.

Heat a large frying pan and add butter to coat. Add 1/4 cup of batter and fry on medium heat for two minutes a side until golden brown. Remove and keep warm while you cook the rest, adding butter as necessary. Serve warm with the lime wedges.

Family Rating: So-so.

Strawberry Cream Bread

I've been seeing strawberries on sale a lot recently at the grocery store.  My family never tires of eating them fresh out of the container, but I'm always on the lookout for other ways to use them.  I thought this recipe was interesting since I had never seen or thought of using strawberries in a bread.  This was really easy to make and was really tasty.  The original recipe at One Perfect Bite also includes a recipe for a Strawberry Cream Cheese Spread.  However, we already had an open strawberry cream cheese that I wanted to use up.  The cream cheese on the bread was an awesome idea!  This was a great breakfast for the kids served with some yogurt and fruit.

Strawberry Cream Bread
recipe from One Perfect Bite

Yield: 1 loaf

Ingredients:
1/3 cup butter, softened
2/3 cup sugar
2 eggs
3 tablespoons sour cream
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup strawberries, cut in pieces

Directions:
1) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan and set aside.

2) Place butter and sugar in a large bowl and beat until light and fluffy. Add eggs and mix to blend. Stir in sour cream, blending well.

3) Add flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Mix to incorporate. Do not over beat.

4) Stir strawberry pieces into batter. Spread in prepared loaf pan. Let mixture sit in pan for 20 minutes prior to baking. Bake for 50 – 55 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire cooling rack. Let sit for 10 minutes before before before removing from pan. Slice and serve.

Family Rating: 2 thumbs up.

Roasted Red Pepper and Italian Sausage Frittata

I had a bunch of eggs in the fridge and was looking for a recipe to use some of them up.  I recently rediscovered the blog Closet Cooking and was busy bookmarking tons of recipes.  This one was perfect since I  already had sausage in the freezer.  Of course, I roasted my own red pepper for this recipe.  You do NOT need to roast your own pepper.  Since the pepper is mixed in with the a lot of other ingredients I felt that the effort was unnecessary.  However, this dish is totally worth making!  It's really tasty and besides me roasting the pepper, was quick and easy too!  We all enjoyed this. 

Roasted Red Pepper and Italian Sausage Frittata
recipe from Closet Cooking

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 pound Italian sausage, casings removed
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, chopped
6 large eggs
1/2 cup parmigiano reggiano, grated
1 large roasted red pepper, diced
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 cup marinara sauce
1 cup mozzarella, grated
1 handful parsley, chopped, optional

Directions:
1.Heat the oil in an oven proof pan over medium heat.

2.Add the sausage and cook until it has just browned all over, breaking it apart as you go.

3.Add the onion and saute until tender, about 5-7 minutes.

4.Add the garlic and saute until fragrant, about a minute.

5.Mix the eggs, parmigiano reggiano, roasted red pepper, sausage, onions, garlic, salt and pepper in a large bowl.

6.Pour the egg mixture into the pan and cook until the eggs are almost set, about 10-15 minutes.

7.Transfer the pan into a preheated 400F oven and let the eggs finish cooking, about 10 minutes.

8.Pour the marinara sauce over the frittata, sprinkle on the cheese and broil until the cheese has melted, about 2-4 minutes.

9.Serve immediately, garnished with chopped parsley.

Family Rating: 1 1/2 thumbs up.

Giada's Macaroni and Cheese

This week is the May Potluck at I Heart Cooking Clubs.  Participants can choose any of the former featured chefs and cook any of his or her recipes.  Since Ottolenghi is the first chef that I'm cooking with, I had a lot of chefs to choose from.  In the April Potluck I made a Jamie Oliver recipe.  This month I decided to cook one of Giada De Laurentiis' recipes.  I'm not sure that I've ever cooked any of her dishes before, though I have watched many of her shows on the foodnetwork.  I had some leftover ham in the freezer and I knew I couldn't go wrong with mac and cheese.  My kids LOVE the boxed mac and cheese.  I have tried many different homemade versions of the dish since they love it so much.  But I always get the same response, "I like the boxed one better!"  This version of mac and cheese has no cheddar.  So it's really different than what my kids are used to. Although they ate it and my daughter requested some for lunch the next day, the boxed stuff still rules for them.  This dish is really cheesy.  I substituted swiss cheese for fontina, added ham, which was optional in the original recipe, and left out the Italian parsley. Definitely not cooking "light" with this one.  But with the recent rainy and chilly weather we've been having it was actually quite the comfort food.

Macaroni and Cheese
Recipe slightly adapted from foodnetwork.com, courtesy of Giada De Laurentiis

Ingredients:
Butter, for greasing dish
12 ounces wide egg noodles
2 cups heavy cream
2 1/2 cups milk
2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 cups grated Swiss
3/4 cup finely grated Parmesan
3/4 cup grated mozzarella
4 ounces cooked ham, diced
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

Butter a 13 by 9-inch glass baking dish and set aside. Cook the noodles in a large pot of boiling salted water, about 5 minutes. Drain well, but do not rinse.

Whisk the cream, milk, flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper in large bowl to blend. Stir in 1 cup Swiss, 1/2 cup Parmesan, 1/2 cup mozzarella, and ham. Add the noodles and toss to coat. Transfer the noodle mixture to the prepared baking dish. Toss the remaining 1 cup Swiss, 1/4 cup Parmesan, and 1/4 cup mozzarella in a small bowl to blend. Sprinkle the cheese mixture over the noodle mixture. Bake until the sauce bubbles and the cheese melts and begins to brown on top, about 20 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Family Rating: 1 1/2 thumbs up.

Banana Bread Waffles

I used to look forward to Fridays.  The family could relax after a long, busy week.  Then my daughter started soccer. Her practice is Fridays at 5:30 at a field that's about a twenty minute drive from the house.  So now Friday afternoons have turned into a mad rush.  I get my daughter off the bus at 4 and we rush to get her unpacked from school and changed into shorts and a t-shirt.  She's starving by the time she gets home from school and by the time we get home from practice it's 7 PM.  So I've recently started giving the kids dinner at around 4:30 and a snack when we get home.  Or I give them a substantial snack (bagel with butter, turkey or ham sandwich and fruit) before practice and feed them dinner afterwards.  I made these waffles as a breakfast for dinner before soccer.  I served them with sausage and fruit.  The kids loved them.  My son said he could "eat these for breakfast, lunch, and dinner!" 

Banana Bread Waffles
recipe from i heart eating

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1 ½ cups low-fat buttermilk
1 T. vanilla extract
1 cup mashed ripe bananas (about 2-3 large bananas)
2 T. butter, melted

Directions:
1.In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and nutmeg; set aside.

2.In a large bowl, stir together buttermilk, vanilla, bananas, and melted butter.

3.Add flour mixture to buttermilk mixture, and stir until just combined.

4.Spray waffle iron with nonstick cooking spray and add batter according to waffle iron’s directions.
5.Cook waffles according to your waffle iron’s directions.

Family Rating: 2 thumbs up.

This post shared at:
Sweet & Savory Saturday @ Dessert Now Dinner Later
Show and Tel Saturday @ Be Different Act Normal

Honey Ginger Glazed Chicken

I found some boneless chicken thighs on sale at the grocery store and picked up a few packs.  I stuck them in the freezer, until I could find a recipe to use them in. Then I realized that my friend, and fellow blogger, Ashley (go check out her blog Big Flavors from a Tiny Kitchen) from my Supper Club made this chicken dish for our Asian themed dinner back in March using boneless chicken thighs.  Everyone had enjoyed it so I thought I'd make it for the family.  This dish is really quick and easy to make.  It is also really flavorful!  Even better, the kids loved it too!  I served this with rice and broccoli to complete the meal.  My chicken ended up with more of a sauce than a glaze, as seen in this pic, but it was still really tasty.  We even drizzled it over our rice!

Honey Ginger Glazed Chicken
recipe from Big Flavors from a Tiny Kitchen, via food.com, courtesy of Sue Lau

Total Time: 25 mins
Prep Time: 10 mins
Cook Time: 15 mins
Servings: 4

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 large onion, cut into wedges
1 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into 2 inch pieces
6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon grated ginger
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons fish sauce
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon five-spice powder
fresh cilantro stem (for garnish)

Directions:
1. Heat oil in the wok.

2. Add onion and stir-fry until golden.

3. Add chicken and stir-fry until browned.

4. Add the garlic, ginger, honey, fish sauce, soy sauce, and five-spice powder.

5. Toss to combine.

6. Cook until chicken is nicely glazed and heated through.

7. Place on serving platter and garnish with cilantro sprigs.

Family Rating: 2 thumbs up!

This post is shared at:
Fabulous Friday @ Real Housemoms
Foodie Friday @ Simple Living and Eating
Sweet & Savory Saturdays @ Dessert Now, Dinner Later
Show andTell Saturday @ Be Different Act Normal

The Busy Mom Cafe is on Pinterest!

Hi readers!  I have FINALLY hopped aboard the "pinterest" train and have found a new addiction!  You can find some of my posts from the blog there along with some boards of recipes that I've been pinning (future posts?!).    Come check me out and leave a comment so I can be sure to follow you!  If the button below and/or on the side bar does not work you can find me
http://pinterest.com/thebusymomcafe/.





Thanks!
Nancy