Oatmeal Make-Ahead Pancake Mix

A few weeks ago I mentioned how I make pancakes about 5 times a week.  That's no exaggeration.  I'd think my kid's would get sick of pancakes, but they don't!  These are the pancakes my daughter lives for.  Last night in her bedtime prayers she prayed that I would "make the good pancakes again".  I had been trying a different recipe for a few days and I think she was done with that.  Her prayers were answered and this morning these pancakes appeared on her plate.

I love make-ahead mixes because I can make the mix during an afternoon when I don't have much going on so all I have to do is add a few ingredients the morning of and wah-lah: yummy, homemade pancakes to help with those crazy morning rushes.

These pancakes are fluffy and filling.  My husband says 10 times out of 10 he would take this pancake recipe over any iHop pancake any day of the week.  Wow.  You want to give this girl a compliment?  Say that.  Made. my. day.

So fluffy - I love them.

Oatmeal Make-Ahead Pancake Mix
Yield: About 20 cups of dry mix

*Update: The last couple of weeks my pancakes have been clumpier than usual.  There have been a few times when I've bitten into a little ball of mix and that's not very appealing.  I've realized that sometimes I'm adding too much oil.  So I decreased the oil just a little (probably less than 1/8 cup or right around) and they are turning out perfect.  If you're experiencing any clumps maybe give this a try.  Not sure if this picture depicts it, but it's softer and fluffier with less oil.

Ingredients
7 cups rolled (quick) oats
10 cups whole wheat flour
5 tablespoons sugar
6 tablespoons baking powder
2 tablespoon salt
2 tablespoon baking soda
2 cups canola or vegetable oil

Directions
Grind the oats in a blender or food processor.  (If you want to have a little more texture to your pancakes you can leave some of the oats whole.  My kids prefer smooth pancakes so I blend them pretty well in my Vitamix and it comes out to a perfect powder.)  Then add all the dry ingredients together in a large bowl and mix together with a wooden spoon until all is combined.  Gradually drizzle the oil into the bowl.  I do one cup at a time.  After the first cup of oil I stir it with my spoon but once I add the second cup of oil I mix it together with my hands.  You'll know it's all mixed together just right when you squeeze a clump of mix in your hand and it stays together.  If it's still crumbly, add another tablespoon of oil at a time.  (I've never had to add more oil.)  Store in an airtight container indefinitely in the refrigerator.

To make the pancakes: whisk together 2 cups of mix, 1/2 cup plain greek yogurt, 1 1/4 cups milk and 2 eggs.  The mixture seems thin at first but the oats will soak up the milk as it sits.  I let it sit for anywhere between 10 minutes to an hour (depending on how far in advanced I make this).  If it gets too thick I add a little more milk.  Heat a griddle and drop the batter onto it.  When the edges look dry and bubbles come to the surface and don't break, turn the pancake over to finish cooking on the other side.  This usually makes 12, 5-inch pancakes.

*If you like thicker pancakes you can do more yogurt or less milk and if you like thinner pancakes up the milk or reduce the yogurt.  I make my own Kefir so now I actually do 1 cup Kefir to 1 cup milk and they turn out even fluffier!  You can also substitute the plain yogurt for buttermilk.  As you can tell - you can play around with the ingredient amounts to your liking.

This is the container I love to store this mix in, in the refrigerator.  I bought a few of them at Walmart for $2 or $3 a container.  I use these containers to store a lot of things in my pantry, too - nuts, baking items, chocolate chips,...

Source:  adapted slightly from melskitchencafe.com

Sesame-Pineapple Chicken Stir-Fry

This dinner was so quick to put together and even more delicious to eat and not to mention... pretty gosh darn healthy in my book.  I love all the colors, too!  If you're in need of a quick, easy, yummy, healthy meal I invite you to give this one a try.  It's made a home in the Park recipe cookbook.

Sesame-Pineapple Chicken Stir-Fry
Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients
1 tablespoon oil
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into bite-size pieces
2 cups sugar snap peas, trimmed
1 large red bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups fresh pineapple chunks, cut into 1-inch pieces
1/4 cup Asian Toasted Sesame Dressing
1 tablespoon lite soy sauce

Directions
Heat oil in a large skillet on medium-high heat.  Add chicken, peas, peppers and garlic; stir-fry 8 to 10 minutes or until chicken is done.  Add pineapple; stir-fry 2 minutes or until heated through.  Combine dressing and soy sauce and add to skillet.  Remove from heat and serve over hot rice.

Recipe Source: adapted slightly from kraft

One-Hour Dinner Rolls

Who doesn't love a soft, fluffy, delicious, warm dinner roll?  My family sure does.  Sometimes we pack rolls in my purse as snacks!  Making bread can sometimes be time consuming and you don't remember that you've forgotten to make the dinner rolls until one or two hours before you need them.  That's why this recipe is so magical.  These rolls come together fast and so beautiful.  My 18-month-old gets excited when he sees them baking in the oven.  This is also a great starter recipe if working with yeast intimidates you.  (I know it did me for years.)   

So many times I've made these rolls on Sunday mornings before heading out the door to church.  Yes, even amidst the craziness of Sunday morning these rolls are still doable.  Jump in the shower while they're rising, blow dry your hair while they're baking and enjoy one on the way out the door before indulging on the rest of them the moment you walk back in the door.

I hope you try these and love them!  They've for sure become my go-to roll recipe.  They even make a wonderful gift to a friend - just because you want them to know how grateful you are for them in your life.  (The friend, not the rolls - although I am definitely grateful these rolls are in my life.)

This dough is so soft.  I love it.

One-Hour Dinner Rolls

Yield: 15 rolls

Ingredients

4 cups all-purpose flour (give or take a little)

1/4 cup granulated sugar

3/4 tablespoon instant yeast

1 1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup cool water

2/3 cup milk

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, diced into 5 or 6 pieces

1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees. In the bowl of an electric stand mixer mix together 4 cups flour, sugar, yeast and salt.

2. In a medium bowl add water, milk and butter and heat in microwave on high for 1 minute 30 seconds.  You want to make sure the butter has softened through - not melted all the way.

3. Pour milk mixture into dry mixture in bowl of electric mixer along with the lemon juice.  Start the mixer on low speed to combine all ingredients then gradually increase the speed.  Knead about 3-4 minutes until smooth and elastic while adding additional flour if necessary (dough should be lightly sticky but manageable).

4. Cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap or lid and allow to rest for 5 minutes.  Meanwhile coat a 9x13 baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.

5. Drop dough onto a lightly greased surface.  Shape into an evenly level square, about 9x9-inches.  This dough is so soft you don't even need a rolling pin.  Cut into 16 equal portions (don't have to be exact).  Shape dough into 15 balls, while using excess dough from the 16th portion to add to smaller rounds as needed.  If you like bigger rolls you can make less rounds, if you like smaller rolls you can make more rounds.  15 rolls for us has turned out perfect every time.  Place shaped dough portions into prepared baking dish.

6. Dampen hands with water and brush tops of dough with the water (just so they don't dry while rising in the oven).  Transfer to oven, close oven and turn oven off.  Allow rolls to rise for 20 minutes (do not open oven door).  Remove from oven and preheat oven to 375 degrees (this should take about 5 minutes so just allow rolls to rest on counter while oven is preheating).

7. Bake in preheated oven 14-16 minutes until tops are golden brown.  Remove from oven and if you'd like, you can run the top of a stick of butter over the tops.  Serve warm.  Store in an airtight container.  Rewarming the leftover rolls is wonderful.

Recipe source: Adapted slightly from cookingclassy.com

Ravioli with Arugula, Tomatoes and Pancetta

Colby is the master mind behind this recipe being added to our family.  While we were living in Italy he was flipping through TV channels and came across Food Network. Giada was making this ravioli.  He wrote down all the ingredients and the directions, gave me the list of things to buy and when I brought it all home he made it.  I love to make food for my family but every once in awhile it is sooooooo nice when Colby jumps in and says, "I've got this tonight."  (Usually that means we're having mac and cheese, but not this time!)  Not only was I so happy that he was making dinner, but I was so happy that this recipe was incredibly delicious and looked easy to put together.

Now every time this is on the menu Colby will usually step in during some part of the process and start to take over.  I need to get him to watch Food Network more often.

A few things about Pancetta...

1. I had never used Pancetta before this recipe.  It's kind of like bacon.  I normally find it by all the lunchmeat, but I've only had luck finding it at larger grocery store chains, not Aldi or Walmart. 

2. The Pancetta can go from being done to burnt in a heartbeat so watch it carefully and remove it right when it's getting close to being crisp.  Burnt pancetta isn't very fun.  We've had a couple of times when every room in our house smells like Pancetta because I let it go too long and it burned and smoke was bellowing through our house.  Oops.

 I love the colors, and the combination of all the ingredients is just so good.

Ravioli with Arugula, Tomatoes and Pancetta
Yield: 4-6 servings

Ingredients
1 pound cheese ravioli
6 oz thinly sliced pancetta, chopped
1 (15oz) can diced tomatoes, drained
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt, plus extra for seasoning
1/4 teaspoon pepper, plus extra for seasoning
3 cups arugula
3 tablespoons dried basil
2 tablespoons butter, room temperature

Directions
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil over high heat.  Add the ravioli and cook for 7 to 9 minutes until tender.  (I like to add a little oil to my water to prevent sticking.) Drain and set aside.

While the ravioli is cooking, in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat, add the pancetta and cook stirring frequently, until crispy, about 8 minutes.  Remove to a paper towel and let drain.

Add the tomatoes, olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and cook for 2 minutes until tender.  Add the arugula and basil and cook until wilted, about 30 seconds.  Stir in the butter and melt.  Add the cooked ravioli and cooked pancetta and toss until coated.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Serve warm.

Source: Giada de Laurentiis from www.foodnetwork.com - she uses fresh basil, but I don't always have that on hand.  If you do use fresh then use 1/2 cup thinly sliced fresh basil leaves.