Pancake Puffs!

   I have a toddler. Shocker right?! What I should say is I have a toddler who likes to eat from the moment he wakes up to the time he goes to bed. While I believe God made me his Mama for a reason, I must admit I don't function quite like him in the morning...My morning involves grunting noises till coffee time then I'm able to pretend to be a big girl who uses real big girl words. All this to say when my Monkey asks for breakfast 5 seconds after waking up I tend to just stare at him blankly like a weird specimen at the museum I have never seen before. Don't lie, You do the same thing with your kids! Coffee is essential in life :) 

   So I was perusing Pinterest (like all good Blue-Blooded American Women) and stumbled on Pancake Muffins from multiple sites (we call them Puffs since it's cuter and easier for Monkey to say). And dismissed them. A few weeks later I was making pancakes for the fam and realized I didn't want to stand there flipping  'em for the next 30 Minutes. So I pulled out my Mini Muffin Pan, which I love, and dumped my batter into it and shoved it into the oven. 10 minutes later my Monkey is running around the house with Pancakes, high on life. He can help himself, one batch made about 30 muffins, they travel well, store easy, and alter easy to become healthier! Ah-Ha moment if I ever had one...So I have to share it with the world. The Girls in my Sunday School class looked at me like I was changing religions when I started talking about them because seriously Breakfast has been changed forever! So here we go...

What you need:
Pancake Mix
Mini Muffin Pan

Too easy? Here's what I use:
Bisquick Heart Healthy Pancake Mix
  2 cups Bisquick
  1 1/4 cups 2% Milk
  1 Egg
  1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
  2 Tablespoons Sugar
  Pancake Additions ~ Cranberries, Blueberries, Bananas, Chocolate Chips, etc.

I keep my sugar in a Penny Jar on the counter for easy access. Plus, it's cute :)

*Preheat Oven to 350 degrees.*

Mix everything together except the Pancake additions. When the batter looks ready for normal Pancakes then you're ready to go. 

This Batch has 8 Cranberry, 4 Banana, 4 Chocolate Chip,  & 8 Plain

                                                                                          



Spray your Mini Muffin Pan down so things don't stick (I use Pam Butter Spray). Place whatever goodness you are adding in the bottom of the muffin cups. You only need about 2 or 3 pieces in each cup. Slice the bananas thinly and only put one piece in each cup. I use a 1/8 Cup measuring spoon to fill mine because it happens to be the right size but use what you like to fill them up to the top over the fruit and candy :)

Bake for about 10 Minutes. They will not get brown. They will get golden looking and the fruit will be bubbly. Pull them out and let them cool for about a minute and pop them out. I line a bowl with a paper towel and throw them in there. Cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel. One batch will make about 30 Mini Muffins.

Bonus:

You can use your brand of pancake mix, change out the milk type, the fruit, etc. to make this fit your family's dietary needs and likes. Super easy, Super quick, annnnd you guessed it, Super delicious!

**Warning: This recipe causes Toddler self-sufficiency and Mommy coffee breaks to last longer.**

Us after his first Christmas Show! He was sooo Hyper!

              Happy Baking!
            Jules & Monkey













I have found some variations that I love for the Holidays! So here is your bonus round  :)

Eggnog Pancake Puffs
  2 cups Bisquick
  3/4 cup Buttermilk
  3/4 cup Eggnog
  1 Egg
  1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
  2 Tablespoons Sugar
  Cinnamon / Nutmeg
  
   Mix all together and pour into a buttered Mini Muffin pan. Sprinkle with Cinnamon or Nutmeg, your preference, before baking them. Bake as directed above.
   We hope you enjoy your holiday breakfast rendition! Happy Holidays :)

Old Fashioned Stew

     I have to admit one of my favorite things in the world is curling up on the couch under a blanket in front of a fire watching my favorite shows with a hot bowl of fresh old fashioned stew. However, My Hubby and I live in Mississippi right now where winter is a whopping 60 degrees outside and a fire requires turning your air conditioning on. I love to cook but turning on the stove for too long is torture down south so I have become a fan of my amazing Crock-Pot that my awesome Hubby bought me the first year of our marriage. (Squirrel Moment: We had furniture that was on the verge of disintegrating beneath us, two pots, one pan, and a baby on the way and my Hubby surprised me with a complete splurge gift of a lifetime! I'm a complete dork I know...) So that said...I still use my Crock-Pot to make stew even in this air conditioning induced winter and this is the recipe I use...

Ingredients:
(Caveat: I use certain spices regularly so I keep them on hand at all times. Refer to the page Picky-Eaters Approved to find what they are and to get yourself a hand-dandy Grocery Shopping List as well!)

1lb Steak Cubes (labeled stew meat as well)
1/2 lb baby carrots (1/2 the bag)
4 medium sized washed red potatoes
3 stalks celery, ends chopped off
1 medium onion (your choice of type)
2 cups Chicken Broth
Water
About a 1/2 Tablespoon of each:
  Italian Seasoning
  Garlic Powder
  Onion Powder
  Thyme
  Rosemary
  Basil
  Oregano
3 Whole Bay Leaves
Salt / Pepper to taste

     Here's the best part. Grab a big chopping board / knife and a big mixing bowl. Chop everything roughly. All the odds and ends of your veggies throw into the bowl (it's my "Thank you for coming bowl" courtesy of Chef Anne on Food Network :D). Quarter the potatoes (skin on) and onions. Chop the celery into inch long pieces. Throw the meat and veggies into your Crock-Pot with the all the seasonings (except the bay leaves) and chicken stock and mix it around. Add enough water to cover your beautiful mix. Tuck your bay leaves into the sides and put the lid on. Start to finish this takes me about 5 minutes. You can increase or decrease any item you want to your family's preferences as well. Toss the bowl items into the trash and the dishes into the sink / dishwasher and you're done!

     I cook ours on low all day but we also leave at about 6am and don't get home till 5:30pm (now that I see that written down I'm starting to see why people think i'm nuts for working ;p). That said...you could cook it on high for about 6 hours and reduce it to low for the last however many if you want. This stew can't be ruined so whatever your schedule may look like as long the meat is cooked through and the potatoes are fork soft you will have done well. I serve this with the breads I make (especially the Amazing No Knead Bread) and some butter and call it a day. Easy Peasy for even the novice cook!

My Stew all done and ready to go! mmm-mmm delish :D

    Whatever you do just remember one simple thing. Your children will remember the smells and smiles from their memories more than the time it took to make them happen. Take the five minutes to make this. Your house will smell delicious, your family will have a well rounded dinner to laugh and talk over, and your child will be all smiles just from spending that extra time with you. 

Best Wishes,
Jules

My crazy family at Thanksgiving this year...

Now if only I could remember why Monkey and I are laughing so hard!

Bread!

     "Hi. My name is Jules and I have an entire family that has an extreme carb addiction". Normally this would be where you would say "Hi Jules"! Except that we do not apologize for it and in fact we try to accommodate it...especially me since it allows a great opportunity to get a ton of whole grains into my family. Hey, if you can't beat 'em join 'em right? So Everyone who knows me knows I love to bake but that i don't have a lot of time and I have a pretty picky audience so these two bread recipes that I have found have been tested and approved both time and taste wise. I hope that they work for you too!

      The first is The Amazing No-Knead Bread, a five minute bread that can be made as a white or wheat bread. It has a crunchy crust and a chewy center that is fantastic for panini's and stews and even as a bread bowl! It's amazing! I found the recipe through Mary Beth, my college suite-mate who is a SAHM. She was right. It's easy and delicious. The website not only walks you through the process but the writer is nice enough to provide pictures as well for people like me. I'm constantly second guessing bread dough for some reason but this bread...you can't screw it up! No matter what it will be delicious :) 

Quick photo of my first loaf before my boys devoured it :)

       The second is Potato Flake Sourdough Bread. I grew up on this bread and to this day it is one of my favorites. Everyone gets scared at the idea of keeping something alive in their fridge but it's easy! I can't keep the flowers on my back porch alive but Lord knows I can keep my Starter alive. This site walks you through from creating your starter, feeding it (like a pet :D), and making your bread. I make cinnamon rolls, mini loaves, and regular loaves from this. It really is my go to bread and it takes so little time that I have loaves going at least once a week. Unfortunately they don't last long enough for pictures sooo...hopefully in the future I can add some :) 

      Also, as a side note. If you don't own any  Mason Jars...go buy some. I use them for storage, decorating, my sourdough starter (**hint, hint**). They're versatile across the house and garage for any need  and are incredibly cheap. annnnd...they come in all sorts of fun sizes. So go. Buy. Now. Well, after you finish reading anyways :D

Happiness is a crust smile :)

       Being a working mom isn't always easy, and often we have to sacrifice certain things to make our schedules work, but homemade food shouldn't be one of them. I want my son to be able to look back and say that growing up our house always smelled like good food and fresh bread. These recipes help me accomplish those goals. Hopefully they will help you accomplish your mommy dreams too!

                                               Best Wishes,

                                            Jules & Monkey

Gotta love PJ's and cuddle time!