Last week we purchased a beautiful bunch of bananas for the week and then promptly forgot about them, which means today they were perfect for banana bread. We had enough for two loaves - one for us and an extra for a grieving friend. Who doesn't feel a little better after a slice of home made banana bread?
Read MoreUltimate Weekend Pancake Breakfast
Pancakes are tricky, although most people do not realize this. To get a light, fluffy pancake, you need to sacrifice flavor. But for a truly flavorful pancake, you almost always end up with something closer to a crepe. Personally, I'll take the flavor over the fluffiness. But, recently my counterpart came up with a recipe that provides both. The key - acidulation. By adding things like vinegar and cultured dairy, you give the baking powder a boost and can scale back on it a bit. You also inject the batter with a little savory zing, adding more depth to the flavor. If you serve these up right away, they are light, fluffy, and flavorful - pancake perfection.
Read MorePerfect Oatmeal
After a lengthy and much-needed hiatus, I felt inspired this morning to return to the blogosphere. Not that I haven't been eating well - on the contrary, the four months or so that I took off, I was eating some of the best food of my life. Gareth started a sour dough sponge and was making fresh bread every other day. He also figured out how to make cheese (photos are on my Facebook profile - http://www.facebook.com/merry.wit). As byproducts to the cheese-making activities, I also got fresh butter and home-made yogurt. Plus he decided to learn how to prepare my favorite deserts cherry pie and carrot cake. Overall, the fall and winter months have provided some excellent eating, and I am remiss for not sharing.
The inspiration for today's posting is a very cold morning and a stomach that is still a bit touchy from a run of antibiotics. My appetite is slowly returning, and this morning I wanted oatmeal. Here is Mary's Perfect Oatmeal recipe:
Make the oatmeal as instructed but before you turn on the burner to boil your water, add some sugar, cinnamon, a little nutmeg and allspice, and a handful of dried fruit, depending on how much oatmeal you are making.
Let the water come to a boil, add the oats, and simmer as instructed. When it has finished cooking, mix in some natural peanut butter and let it sit for a couple of minutes so the peanut butter melts. Give it a good stir and serve with a little milk.
I am preferential to steel cut oatmeal, but anything other than instant oatmeal will work. Cook it on the stove top like your mother used to, not the microwave, or it won't turn out right.
Enjoy!
The inspiration for today's posting is a very cold morning and a stomach that is still a bit touchy from a run of antibiotics. My appetite is slowly returning, and this morning I wanted oatmeal. Here is Mary's Perfect Oatmeal recipe:
Make the oatmeal as instructed but before you turn on the burner to boil your water, add some sugar, cinnamon, a little nutmeg and allspice, and a handful of dried fruit, depending on how much oatmeal you are making.
Let the water come to a boil, add the oats, and simmer as instructed. When it has finished cooking, mix in some natural peanut butter and let it sit for a couple of minutes so the peanut butter melts. Give it a good stir and serve with a little milk.
I am preferential to steel cut oatmeal, but anything other than instant oatmeal will work. Cook it on the stove top like your mother used to, not the microwave, or it won't turn out right.
Enjoy!