Monster Pancakes / Hootenannies / German Pancakes

I had these once when I was a tween or a young teenager when I slept over at my Aunt's house.  I had forgotten about them until I dreamed about them the other day...hahahahah.  So I googled a recipe and made them for dinner tonight.  They were a hit...everyone gave them 4 out of 5 stars...even the hubby...I mean...even the kids.  Hahahahaha.  (Both hubby and kids and myself gave them 4 out of 5 stars).

They were super easy.  Really fast.  Quite cheap.  Not very many ingredients.  Very filling.

Win, win, win, win, win!

They get really big in the oven and then fall when you pull them out of the oven.

Other reviewers thought they tasted "eggy", but no one in my family thought so.

I did warm my family before we ate that even though they are called pancakes, they do not taste like pancakes, that they need to expect a whole new food.

I got the recipe from Real Mom Kitchen.
https://www.realmomkitchen.com/73/hootenannies-otherwise-known-as-german-pancakes/

1/4-1/2 C. butter (some people even use up to 1 cup) (I used 1/2 and it was great...I would try 1/4 next time just to see if they still turned out good)
1 C. milk
6 eggs
1 C. flour
1/2 tsp salt

Instructions
1.  While oven is preheating to 425 degrees, melt butter in a 9 X 13 pan.
2.  Mix remaining ingredients in a blender.
3.  Remove hot pan from oven and pour batter into melted butter
4.  Bake 15-20 minutes (They will rise, but won't overflow)
5.  Cut into squares and serve with normal french toast toppings.  One traditional topping is lemon juice and powdered sugar on top.  (We really liked the lemon juice and powdered sugar, they almost tasted like lemon squares.)

Serves 8 (I only needed 1 pan for my family of 6 eaters and we had leftovers).

Peanut Butter Bites

Submitted by Sister Jan L.
She brought these for the girls on the last morning of Girls Camp 2018

2 C. Peanut Butter
1 C. Honey

Blend honey and PB.

Add 7 C. Rolled Oats.
(Jan says...I don't like it real sweet or real soft, so I usually add more oats (about a cup or so).)

Then she adds whatever add-ins she wants.  For girls camp she did...
1 small bag unsweetened coconut
1 bag of mini M &M's
1 C. of trail mix (to taste)
1 C. craisins (to taste)
Sunflower seeds

You can really add whatever you want.

Using a cookie scoop or tablespoons place on a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper or in cupcake papers.  She puts hers in the freezer, then after they are frozen she puts them in baggies.  They will keep in the fridge for a couple of weeks or in the freezer for about 6 months.

Biscuits

These were amazing.  I have tried probably 5 different biscuit recipes and can finally end my search.

Makes 6 grand sized biscuits

2 C. flour

1 T. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

1 T.  White Sugar

1/3 C. shortening

1 C. milk

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Cut in the shortening until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Gradually stir in milk until dough pulls away from the side of the bowl (you might not need all of the milk).
3. Turn out onto a floured surface, and knead 15 to 20 times--do not over-knead. Pat or roll dough out to 1 inch thick. Cut biscuits with a large cutter or juice glass dipped in flour. Repeat until all dough is used. Brush off the excess flour, and place biscuits onto an ungreased baking sheet.
4. Bake for 13 to 15 minutes in the preheated oven, or until edges begin to brown.
5. These were 8 Weight Watchers points plus each--Ouch!  But oh so yummy!
6. The recipe was taken from Allrecipes.com called "J.P.'s Big Daddy Biscuits"    http://allrecipes.com/recipe/jps-big-daddy-biscuits/

Chocolate Peanut Butter Smoothie

Last year we bought a BlendTec blender and we love it! This smoothie is really good and easy to make:) I usually double it and add more honey.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Smoothie
by BlendTec

1/2 cup milk
1 1/2 Tbsp peanut butter
1 Tbsp honey
1/2 Tbsp cocoa powder
1 banana
1 cup ice cubes
Add ingredients to jar in order listed and secure lid. Select "Sauces" and serve.

3 dinners for under $10 total

Okay, so I didn't add up the amounts, but I think I made all three of these dinners for under $10 total. My family does not eat leftovers, so I do not save leftovers. They just go moldy, so I would rather throw them away when they smell good, than when they smell horrible. (I know, not very frugal of me---but that's the way it is.) But, if I can make it into something else, then it works. I haven't done the following plan before, but it worked out quite nicely.

10-12 medium potatoes

Toppings for baked potatoes

1 tube jimmy dean hot sausage

1 yellow onion

1/2 bottle BBQ sauce

9 eggs

S & P

Beef boullion cubes

Biscuits or biscuit ingredients

The first night we had baked potatoes. Mine were red potatoes, but it doesn't matter. Make extra for the following meals... (I think I made 10-12 medium sized potatoes for my family of 5 eaters).

Then a night or two later we had Rancho's Juevos. (My Dad always said it meant "Ranch Eggs" in spanish, but who knows?) Here is how to do it...

After the baked potatoes cool (you can just leave them in the foil and put them in the fridge) or let them cool on the counter for a few hours. Remove the foil and cube. Put them in the fridge in a ziploc until ready to use. In a large non-stick skillet put the potatoes in and brown edges and heat through. Salt and Pepper. In a separate pan cook 1 chopped yellow onion and 1 tube of jimmy dean hot sausage (by the ham and hot dogs at the grocery store). Add cooked sausage to potatoes. In a separate bowl beat some eggs. (I did 9, but it just depends on how many potatoes you have and how much egg you like). Add eggs to potatoes and cook through. Add half a bottle of any brand/flavor BBQ sauce and serve. You can also top with cheese if desired.

For the third meal I made a beef broth with water and beef boullion cubes. I did 5 bouillion cubes to half a big pan of water. (The normal recipe is 1 cube to 1 C. water...and I estimated that it was about 5 cups of water). Then I added the left over Rancho's Juevos to make a sausage and potato soup. The egg looked a little weird, but it didn't taste bad at all. In fact the soup was really really good. (I figured there is egg in egg drop soup). I also made biscuits to go with the soup. I am still looking for the perfect biscuit recipe so I will not post the recipe I used. (Anyone have any suggestions.)

And there you have it...3 cheap, easy, fast, yummy meals!

Omelets

My Dad was the omelet maker in my family.  My mom would make us scrambled eggs and she knew how to make other kinds of eggs, but she didn't do it very often because she doesn't like eggs.  So that left it to my Dad to be the egg cooker.

I'm sure there are different was to do omelets and different tips and tricks.  So let us know how you do it!!! I will  tell you how I do it and I will include a lot of photos because it's really something you learn by watching and doing, not necessarily from a recipe.

First get everything ready...
Stainless steel (not non-stick) frying pan  (mine is 10.5 inch diameter--but you could probably use a 9 inch up to an 11 inch---I'm guessing?!?!)  (Maybe you can do it with a non-stick coating...but I'm just telling you how I do mine!)

Stick of Butter (margarine doesn't work as well, and definitely not tub butter)  ( I have used margarine before--but do not use a light margarine--I just think butter keeps it from sticking as much as with margarine)

Spatula or 2

Salt

Pepper (I like coarse)

Eggs (I do 3 egg omelets, unless I'm watching my calories, then I do 2 egg whites and 1 whole egg)  (for kids sometimes I do 2 egg omelets)

Toppings:  Grated cheese, chopped ham, green peppers, mushrooms, onions, bacon, sausage, etc...)  (Have them all chopped and grated before you start.

The chopped/grated ham/cheese below would be for 1 omelet.  It is a medium sized fistful of each.

If doing veggies...saute them in 1/2 T. of butter until softened, cooked and browned.
1st pic below is mushrooms, green peppers and onions
2nd pic below is just onions

Remove sauteed veggies from frying pans and place in small bowls to use later.

Wash out and dry frying pan if using same frying pan to cook the omelets in.


Break 3 eggs into a small bowl.

Whisk them (Beat with a fork) for a few seconds until fairly well blended.

Put about 1/2-1 T. of butter in frying pan over med-high heat.

Once butter is melted...swish the butter around the pan and up the sides just a bit so the eggs won't stick to the sides of the pan.

Pour the beaten eggs into the frying pan.

Salt and Pepper fairly liberally.

They cook quite quickly.  Once it cooks just a bit...it will still be a little runny on top...place toppings on 1/2 of the omelet.

A few seconds later (almost not runny at all now--just a tiny tiny bit) lift up all of the edges on the half without toppings.  Then fold over the half without toppings.  Sometimes this step takes 2 spatulas.

Almost immediately flip the omelet over once more to seal the omelet all together.  The one in the pic is cooked just a tad longer than I like it...but still good!)

Carefully remove omelet to plate (sometimes it takes 2 spatulas).



Then immediately rinse your hot pan and spatula.

Scrub out all the eggs with a metal scrubber.

Rinse and dry your frying pan and spatula.

Start over with more butter for your next omelet.

It takes some practice.  You can do it.  It's not as hard as it seems!  Give it a try!

Omelets are best served hot...I serve mine as they come out of the pan...so this is one dinner we don't necessarily eat all at the same time.

Carmel Syrup

This is a really yummy carmel syrup recipe from Jacque.

1 cube butter
1/2 C. buttermilk (from store, or make by mixing 1 T. lemon juice into milk and let sit for a few minutes until it curdles)
2T. Karo Syrup
1C. Sugar

Bring to a boil and stir constantly for 3-4 minutes.  Remove from heat and add...

1 tsp. baking soda
1 T. vanilla

Homemade Syrup

Twice as much white sugar as water.  (For example 2 C. sugar and 1 C. water...but you can do less or more)
Boil until the sugar dissolves and liquid becomes clear.  Add a splash of mapeline (maybe 1 tsp-1 T.).

I store my syrup in the fridge, but don't know if you have to or not.  This syrup is runny unlike store-bought.  I like it better that way because then it absorbs into the pancakes better!

Pancake Mix

These are fluffy and absorb a lot of syrup!  I will do a separate post for my homemade syrup recipe.

Here is the mix (obviously this makes a lot)
12 C. flour
1/2 C. baking powder
4 tsp. salt
3/4 C. sugar
4 C. powdered milk

To make the pancakes...
1 C. mix (from above)
1 T. oil
1 egg
1/2 - 3/4 C. water
This made 4-5 medium sized pancakes (I measured each pancake batter out with a 1/4 measuring cup and it made 4-5 pancakes)

Here is a smaller version of the mix if you want to try it first (this is a fourth of the total mix)
3 C. flour
1/8 C. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
3 T. sugar
1 C. powdered milk