Gingerbread Pancakes

Gingerbread Pancakes

I make these pancakes when I'm craving spice and my homemade apple butter.










2 1/2 cups gingerbread mix.
1 cup milk
¾ cup apple butter or applesauce and 1 teaspoon apple pie spice
2 tablespoons melted butter
2 eggs

1. Mix all of the ingredients together (it's OK to have a few lumps).
2. Heat a griddle on medium (I use cast iron but any griddle will do).
3. Spray with cooking spray for each batch of pancakes you cook.
4. Pour by ¼ cup increments on to the griddle.
5. Cook until there are bubbles on top of the pancakes and you are able to flip them. It will take a lot less time to cook the other side.
6. Should make about 20-24 small pancakes.

Potato Bacon Cheese Bread

Makes two loaves

I make this bread for people I love all of the time.  It's a favorite of many people.

1 cup real mashed potatoes (save the potato water)

2 T butter

1 c milk scalded, skimmed, and cooled to slightly warm

2 T agave nectar

¾ c potato water

2 T yeast

2 cups cooked bacon ends and pieces

2 cups cheddar cheese

1 T bread dough enhancer or vital wheat gluten

2 t Chef's Essence

http://pookachef.blogspot.com/2012/06/chefs-essence-2-12-t.html 

or Emeril's Essence

5 ½ -6 c all purpose flour

1. Cook some mashed potatoes for a meal and plan for about 1 cup extra . I never peel my potatoes unless I have someone I'm feeding that hates the potato skins. I just scrub them well. Chop them up into 1 inch or so pieces and boil them in sea salted water ( about 1 t). By the time the bread is baked you will hardly see the potato skins they'll just be barely noticeable flecks in the dough.
2. Scald the milk and skim the film off of the top This will help it rise higher and lighter since there is a protein in a milk including dried that retards growth. Skimming removes some of that protein.
3. Add the butter.
4. Let the butter melt into the milk and let the mixture sit for 20 minutes.
5. In the mixing bowl, add agave nectar, yeast and potato water and let it proof for 10 minutes. You can use sugar , honey or whatever you have but I prefer agave nectar because it's lower in the glycemic index. The potato water does make a difference, it makes a softer bread.
6. Add the butter/milk combo.
7. Then the potatoes.
8. Then the bacon ends and pieces.
9. Then the cheese
10. Then the Chef's Essence or Emeril's Essence.
11. Add the vital wheat gluten or bread dough enhancer.
12. Mix
13. Add in the flour one cup at a time
14. Run mixer for 7 minutes and it becomes a firm, smooth, dough
15. Oil the dough with cooking spray and let it rise for at least an hour.
16. Gently punch down the dough.
17. Divide in two portions.
18. Oil with cooking spray again and let it rise until doubled in the load pans.
19. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes to and hour

Baked Egg Roll Cups

Egg Roll Cups

I found this recipe for baked, not fried egg rolls and was intrigued. My husband loves egg rolls and we were planning a Chinese meal soon. This is a recipe based on a video I saw on Linda's Pantry called Egg Rolls Dressed Up In A Different Outfit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2vi7cnqpm3M. As I usually do, I took it and made it my own.

1 T chili oil

1 T sesame oil

1 lb ground chicken

1 bottle of whatever Asian type sauce you desire

1 small bag of coleslaw mix

1 pack of won ton wrappers ( I used the round ones)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Add the oils and heat up your wok or frying pan.
3. Cook and break up the chicken.
4. Mix in the he coleslaw mix and sauce of your choice.
5. Cook on low medium for 5 minutes.
6. Line a muffin pan with the won ton wrappers.
7. Fill the lined cups with the chicken mixture.
8. Top the chicken mixture with another won ton wrapper.
9. Bake until crispy and brown (about 20 minutes).

How To Make Potato Bread From Leftover Mashed Potatoes

Pooka's Potato Bread  

This recipe requires the use of a stand mixer if you prefer a bread machine, my experience has been to add liquids first, then solids except for the yeast, then the yeast on top. You don't have to take my word for it though look it up in your bread machine's manual. If you prefer to do it by hand, here is the recipe and the video I based my recipe on. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YWAIcjHgzKE&list=FLSxqt9Xv7kc7hKZJJGNQSNQ Just omit the herbs and if you like my recipe, just use it following along to the video and the technique geniusinexile is using.

1 c cup mashed potatoes or 1 medium potato cut up boiled with the water saved

2 T yeast

2 T butter, melted

2 T agave nectar

2 t sea salt

1 c butter milk

5 ½ -6 c all purpose flour

¾ c potato water

1 T vital wheat gluten

1 t vanilla

1. Cook some mashed potatoes for a meal and plan for about 1 cup extra . I never peel my potatoes unless I have someone I'm feeding that hates the potato skins. I just scrub them well, chop them up into 1 inch or so pieces and boil them in sea salted water ( about 1 t). By the time the bread is baked you will hardly see the potato skins they'll just be barely noticeable flecks in the dough.
2. Add agave nectar, yeast and potato water and let it proof in the mixing bowl for 10 minutes. You can use sugar , honey or whatever you have but I prefer agave nectar because it's lower in the glycemic index. The potato water does make a difference, it makes a softer bread.
3. Add the butter.
4. Then the buttermilk combo.
5. Then the potatoes.
   Then the sea salt.
6. Add the vital wheat gluten and vanilla.
7. Mix for one minute.
8. Add in the flour one cup at a time.
9. Once the dough is well mixed (at least 2 minutes) run your mixer for 6 minutes until it become a firm, smooth, elastic dough and the flour is cleaned up from the sides of the bowl.
10. Oil the dough with cooking spray and let it rise for and hour.
11. Gently punch down the dough  (when you're too rough it compromises the quality of the dough).
12. Divide in two portions..
13. Oil with cooking spray again and let it rise until doubled in two loaf pans.
14. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes to and hour