Pumpkin Swedish Pancakes...or Pumpkin Crepes

This morning I made Pancake Swedish Pancakes. Or Pumpkin Crepes.  For a first attempt they were quite good.  And yes, they were orange, although with not quite the yellow cast that shows in this picture.

Pumpkin Swedish Pancakes/Crepes

• 1 cup oat milk
• ¼ cup pumpkin puree
• 2 eggs
• ½ cup oat flour

Mix pumpkin with the oat milk, then add in the eggs, beaten. Add the liquid mixture slowly to the flour, while stirring. Cook on griddle until done.

Next time I will add a bit more pumpkin, and maybe some more milk to thin them out a bit more. I was aiming for swedish pancake style and they were a little thicker than that, but not nearly as thick as a pancake. Still Delicious!!

With our food restrictions this works really well, eliminating the cows milk and wheat flour. Trust me, you won't even notice the difference. You can substitute type of milk or flour for these and get great results.

Enjoy!

Review: Pudding on the Rice

Pardon the fuzzy picture, but it was the best I could do on a dark evening walking down the sidewalk to my car.  However, that should not detract from the fact that this was probably one of the most delicious, rich and creamy desserts I have had in a long time.  

I LOVE rice pudding, and this was excellent.  I had Pumpkin rice pudding on the bottom of the cup, and then S'mores on top of that.  I will say that I don't love the combination of pumpkin and chocolate, but they were both excellent on their own.  K had coconut and some other flavor that escapes me right now.  He said they were both great.  We also split a savory crepe, ham and swiss with mustard and fresh baby spinach (a great dinner snack!) before we dove into dessert!

Rice pudding in all flavors is just fun.  It's not a common dessert, it's all hand made fresh every day by Aaron and Jessica, the local owners.  Jessica developed the recipe for the rice pudding from her Swedish grandmother's recipe.  Hhhmmmm, maybe I should introduce her to my Swedish great grandmothers secret-recipe cookies!  That would be a heavenly combination, and just as unique!

Enjoy!

every kitchen needs one...

Among the many projects we have going, one of them is the redecorating/mini-remodeling of our house.  I have spent the past few years living in a safe black and brown world.  And I love color so I am not sure why I have distanced myself from it.  One of the challenges right now is deciding what color to paint the kitchen.

Not too safe, not too kooky!!  I keep going back and forth on color choices.  But I like fun, daring, and unusual combined with clean, classic, straight lines. Then I found this clock, and so many other color choices by this fun artist here in Portland, made from recycled records ~ Eye Pop Art.  Hhmmm.....maybe she would like some of the hundreds of records we have stashed in our closet!  But one of these clocks will be in my finished kitchen. I just have to decide which color I want!

Enjoy!

the perfect quinoa...

I have talked about Quinoa before, as a side dish. We eat it often. It's healthy, quick and simple to make, and if done right, it tastes good. I start out with a cup of Quinoa, washed in a strainer. Add that to the pot, then add 2 cups of liquid. I usually use chicken broth, or half broth/half water. Season well with salt, pepper, ground dried garlic, thyme, or try your own spice combination. It needs salt, but not a lot, just enough to give it some flavor. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer with the lid on, for about 15 minutes. Once it looks done, turn the stove off and let it sit for 5 to 10 minutes.

Quinoa is a very bland grain. I have done some experimenting with it and it works best if you cook it simply with broth and/or water. Once it is cooked you can add more ingredients to flavor it. I usually make enough for two meals, and we even add it to our tacos and enchiladas. My favorite way to eat it is as a side dish with seafood, sprinkled with a good balsamic vinegar. Absolutely delicious! How do you like your Quinoa?

Enjoy!

heavenly hash browns...

I love good hash browns, but I am often disappointed at restaurants because they are usually greasy or undercooked. I know this may sound crazy but I never made hash browns at home because the one time I tried was a disaster, and when I did a little research people had some crazy ideas on how to make them. So I just didn't.

Last week I decided enough was enough, and I was really in the mood for hash browns. I had 3 small Yukon golds, which I washed, ran through the shredder on my food processor, and plopped into the frying pan with some olive oil and a small dash of butter to help them brown. On went the lid, the burner on medium low, and away they cooked. As they started to brown I flipped them over, and by the time the rest of breakfast was ready they were done. Seriously the easiest and best tasting hash browns. Ever!

If you have never made them but want to just give it a go. I seasoned mine with salt, pepper, a dash of paprika, and some thyme. The options are endless! And for those of you who enjoy over easy (or over medium) eggs but don't like the hassle of flipping them, try this: pour your eggs into the frying pan, season (salt, pepper, thyme, etc, lightly), cover the pan and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. This works best if you pre-heat the pan and then turn it down to a medium low, and it works for me every time. I love cooked whites with a runny yolk, but not too runny, and this does the trick, as you can see in the picture above! If you are not using a non-stick pan make sure to use some butter, olive oil, or Pam.

Enjoy!