Apple Oatmeal Pancakes

It's a cold, rainy October morning in Virginia - perfect for some apple pancakes, a cup of coffee and a newspaper.

These pancakes are delish and full of fiber, so they'll fill you up. I doubled them this morning so I can pop them in the toaster for breakfast during the week... give 'em a try if you have some time and apples!

Apple Oatmeal Pancakes

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup all purpose flour

2 t baking powder

1/4 t salt

1/2 cup oats

1 T brown sugar

1 egg, beaten

1 cup milk

1/2 cup grated apple

3 T melted butter

Stick butter to grease griddle

Whisk together the dry ingredients in one bowl. In another bowl, combine milk and butter well. Add eggs to liquid and whisk, then add apples and stir. Create a well in the dry ingredients and add liquid; stir until just combined. Let sit for 5-10 minutes. This time allows the oats to soften and for your batter to "grow" and become slightly bubbly.

While your batter is sitting, heat a griddle on the stove top on low heat. The griddle is hot enough when a splash of water sizzles. Just before pouring your batter on the griddle, quickly rub the end of a stick of butter on the griddle to grease. Using a one-quarter cup measuring cup, pour batter into small circles, about 4-5 in. diameter. Let the pancakes cook until bubbles have burst and flip. Re-grease in between batches of pancakes.

Top with spiced apples, applesauce and/or syrup.

Makes about 12 pancakes.

Making Do (or Cleaning Out the Fridge)

Okay, so I haven't been to the grocery store this week. It's been on my list of "to-do's" but I haven't quite made it there yet. And tomorrow is Friday. As a consequence, I've challenged myself to one of my favorite games: to make do with what I have when it comes to dinner.

Admittedly, I tend to keep a stocked freezer (two, actually) and some staples in the pantry, so I usually have something to work with. And I like "cleaning up" and using what I have before I shove something else in the fridge (i.e. first in, first out). Although not going to the store means not having many fresh fruits or vegetables, sometimes you just gotta make do.

So what was on the menu this week? Mostly items that involve leftover toppings from Friday's pizza night...

MONDAY: Emeril's Braised Chicken Thighs and Mushrooms- which, by the way, is so good that it was the second time I made it (which is saying something for me) - over basmati rice, paired with steamed asparagus and a glass of vouvray.

TUESDAY: Ham, asparagus and mozzarella frittata with oven fries. Frittata's are my new favorite quick-and-easy go-to meal - similar to but easier than an omelet, nutritious and tasty, you can throw anything in a frittata and it's ready in 20 minutes. I like it with potatoes, cheese grits or just toast and some fruit.

WEDNESDAY: Two loaves of coconut banana bread (See When Life Gives You Bananas...). After I ate enough of that, I didn't need dinner.

THURSDAY: Egg (over easy) and white cheddar on toasted whole wheat and an apple.

Next on my list: still gotta do something with about 10 lbs of apples that are getting wrinkled in my fridge... any good ideas?

The Birthday Cake

My son's first birthday presented me with an opportunity to tap into my creative side: I decided to make him a dog cake to coordinate with the dog-themed party. Surprisingly, I had a great time doing it and it was much less stressful than anticipated!

In short: I made a yellow butter cake and topped it with a homemade chocolate cream cheese/whipped cream frosting. I used a 14 in cake pan for the head, and a 9 in cake pan for the ears, which was cut like the ying yang symbol. I then used a cupcake for the muzzle - topped with a prune and black licorice for the nose - and a fruit leather for the tongue. The eyes were melting chocolates on top of white icing (leftover from the dog bone cookies I made), and the dog hair is toasted coconut and sifted cocoa powder. I also used some gel icing for the eyelashes and "freckles." What you can't see is a red licorice collar around his neck.

My son squealed with excitement when he saw it. I'm already thinking about next year's cake...

Fall Cooking: Beef Stew and Homemade Bread

Feeling under the weather today, I was craving a heart-warming (and house-warming) meal of beef stew and fresh, crusty bread. It helped that for most of the day it was pouring rain so I didn't step foot outside - which is good since it's actually 70 degrees out and still a little to warm for stew... but in my stuffy, congested head, it was a perfect day for it.

Stew is great because it's easy to have all the ingredients at any time. I buy wholesale stew meat and freeze it one -to-two pound portions in plastic bags so I always have it on hand, like I do carrots, celery, onions and potatoes.

Tonight I made Beef Porter Stew - a recipe I saw on the Today Show last year - that is rich, hearty and delicious. As usual, I tweaked a couple of things.

First, I ignore the cooking times a little and let it cook until the beef is so tender it can be shredded using a spoon with minimal effort - stew should not be eaten with a fork and knife. Sometimes this requires adding a little extra liquid near the end so that it doesn't get too thick and stick to the bottom. My enamel cast-iron dutch over conducts heat well over an open flame and tonight it took just over 3 hours to cook. I also used sweet potatoes instead of parsnips because that's what I had on hand, but parsnips give a slightly bitter contrast to the saltier stew which is actually quite tasty.

As for my bread... well, I slept most of the day away and didn't really have time to put a lot of effort into making bread but I really wanted a hot, buttered piece of crusty bread. Enter: Multigrain English Muffin Bread. All I can say is YUM about this quick, no-need-for-kneading bread that has all the nooks and crannies that are perfect for melted butter. I will be making this in double batches from now on.

Pleased to enjoy!

Beef and Porter Stew

By Chef Michael Lomonaco, Porter House New York

Serves 6 to 8

INGREDIENTS

1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 1/2 pounds beef chuck stew meat, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 large onion, diced
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 bottles, 24 ounces, American Porter –rich dark ale, or any beer
2 cups low-sodium, beef broth
1/4 cup tomato paste
3 carrots, peeled and diced
3 parsnips, peeled and diced
2 stalks celery, diced
3 large red bliss potatoes, washed and diced
Sea salt, freshly ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS

1. Put the oil and butter in a large, heavy-bottomed pot and heat it over medium-high heat. Season the beef with salt and pepper. Add the beef to the pot in a single, not-too-tightly-packed layer and brown the beef well on all sides, approximately 8 minutes total. Transfer the beef to a plate and set aside. This may be done in batches to brown all the beef evenly.

2. Add the onion and butter to the casserole and cook until golden and caramelized, approximately 15 minutes. Sprinkle the onions with the flour and stir to combine well.

3. Return the beef to the casserole, add the porter ale, beef broth, tomato pasted diluted in 1 cup warm water, and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer 1 1/4 hours.

4. Add the carrots, parsnips, celery and potatoes. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Return to a boil then simmer for 45 minutes before serving with toasted or grilled country bread.

Multigrain English Muffin Bread

Taste of Home Complete Guide to Baking

INGREDIENTS:

1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast

1 1/4 cups warm water (110 degrees to 115 degrees F)

1/3 cup whole wheat flour

1/3 cup quick-cooking oats

1/3 cup wheat germ

1 tablespoon sugar

3/4 teaspoon salt

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 cup cornmeal

DIRECTIONS:

In a mixing bowl, dissolve yeast in water. Add whole whet flour, oats, wheat germ, sugar, salt and 1-1/4 cups of all-purpose flour; beat until smooth. Add enough remaining all-purpose flour to form a soft dough. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour. Punch dough down (no not knead). Shape into a loaf. Coat a 9-in. x 5-in. x 3-in. loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray and sprinkle with half of the cornmeal. Place loaf in pan; sprinkle with remaining cornmeal. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 30 minutes. Bake at 400 degrees F for 30 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pan and cool on a wire rack.