Apple Pancakes with Apple Cider Syrup

I made an amazing breakfast of apple pancakes with apple cider syrup this morning, and I needed to make a record of how I did it! 

Apple Pancakes

The pancakes were easy - I actually just used some leftover pancake mix. I diced a large golden delicious apple and cooked it in a small saucepan with a little bit of water. When the water was almost gone I added a few good shakes of cinnamon. Be careful when stirring the apples, you them soft but still in distinct pieces rather than applesauce. When they're soft and the liquid is gone, let them cool - I made mine the night before - then mix into pancake batter and cook as usual!

Apple Cider Syrup

Important note: this uses the fresh juice type of apple cider, not the alcoholic type!

1/2 c brown sugar, more to taste
1 Tb cornstarch
pinch salt
1 c cider
cinnamon (optional)
vanilla (optional)
1 c cider
2 Tb butter

Mix brown sugar, cornstarch, and salt, then add cider and cook over medium heat till it boils, whisking constantly

Cook 2 minutes still whisking constantly, then taste to see if more sugar is needed

Cook until it thickens slightly.

Turn off heat, stir in butter.

Enjoy over apple pancakes!

Sourdough Sandwich Bread

 Last March, during the first major quarantine of the COVID 19 pandemic, I joined all the other people in making sourdough bread. I have been baking my own bread for years now, and I even had a little jar of sourdough that I kept feeding and adding into my yeast dough, but I had never used that as the sole leavening agent in my bread. My sister was doing even more baking and basically did all the research for me. I'm not going to put the details of how to start sourdough here (mine was a gift) but I will say that I had apparently been giving mine too much water, since I was feeding it equal amounts of flour and water. I started doing 3 Tb flour and 2 Tb water, and it woke up and started bubbling! So now I feed it every night, and fill the jar gradually just in time as I finish my current loaf.

This recipe is modified from two different ones I found online. It is pretty easy but does have a lot of rising time, including mixing the starter with some flour and water in advance. This is called a levain.


Sourdough Bread

Levain - mixing this ahead of time lets the sourdough get really active.

3/4 c whole wheat flour
3/4 c water
3/4 c sourdough 

(I have made this with 1 cup sourdough, and with 2/3 cup. I'm sure 1/2 cup would work, as long as the levain has time to get nice and bubbly.)

Whisk together in a large bowl and let it sit loosely covered with a lid or plastic wrap for 6 hours or overnight.
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Dough 

2 Tb softened or melted butter
2 Tb olive oil
2 Tb honey, sugar, brown sugar, etc.
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 c flour

Add to levain and mix together, then turn out onto floured surface and knead until it is elastic and not too sticky. You may need to work more flour in, up to another 1/2 cup.

Spray the bowl with cooking spray or olive oil, put the dough in and then turn it over so that it is coated all over, and cover again.

Let rise for two hours in a warm place. You can turn on the oven at a low temperature for a couple of minutes, and then turn it off again before putting the dough in.

Grease a 9 x 5 loaf pan. (Even if it is nonstick, it still needs to be greased.)

Sprinkle flour on the risen dough and turn it out onto the counter. With floured hands, flatten it out into a rectangle to press out most of the air, then roll it up tightly, pressing the layers together with each turn. Turn the two ends of the log under and squish them in place, then place in loaf pan. There should be a slight dip at the center of the loaf - this will even out in baking. Get your hand wet and pat the top of the dough to moisten it.

Put  another loaf pan or some oiled plastic wrap over the loaf, and put it back into the warm oven for 1 hour and 45 minutes.

Take loaf out and preheat oven to 425 F. After it preheats, put the loaf in and turn the temperature down to 350 F. Bake for 45 minutes, which is usually just as you suddenly realize the house smells amazing.  Turn out onto a rack to cool.

Chicken Enchilada Soup

This is one of those recipes I make when I have leftover crockpot chicken and chicken juice. You could substitute storebought chicken stock, but that usually has seasonings added that don't really go with the southwestern flavor of the soup. 

It would work well in a crockpot but I usually just make it on the stove.

INGREDIENTS

1/2 pound dried black beans (or canned)
1 can diced tomatoes - I like Hunt's Fire Roasted Tomatoes
1 onion
1 poblano pepper (a green bell pepper would also work)
2-3 cloves garlic
1 1/2 - 2 cups cooked chicken, in small bite-sized pieces
1-2 cups chicken juice (or chicken stock, or broth)
2 1/2 cups frozen corn, thawed (it has a fresher, sweeter flavor than canned)
water as needed

1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2-3 tsp Ancho chili powder (or regular chili powder)
1/2 tsp cumin
1/8 tsp oregano
(These are approximate measurements! Be sure to taste and adjust!)


Rinse the beans, then soak overnight or do a quick soak - bring up to a boil for 1 minute, then turn off heat, cover, and let sit for at least an hour. 
Then bring up to a boil, turn down to a simmer, and let cook for at least an hour.

While beans are cooking, dice the onion and sauté in a skillet with a little olive oil over low heat. Cut open the pepper, making sure to remove all the seeds and cut away the white "ribs" before dicing the rest and adding to the onions. Mince the garlic and add that as well. Let cook several minutes until onions are translucent, then transfer vegetables to a large soup pot. Use some water to rinse the skillet and pour that into the pot as well.

Add chicken juice/stock, canned tomatoes, and spices, and another inch or so of water. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.

When beans are soft, drain them and add to the soup pot. Let it simmer for at least an hour, then add the chicken and corn, and cook for at least another half hour. Check the seasonings; if you add more spices or water, let it simmer for a while longer.

Serve with corn chips, green onions and cheese! Try crumbling some corn chips into the soup. Like chili, this is something that will taste even better the next day, so make sure to leave some leftovers!

Skillet Cornbread

I usually make cornbread to go with Senate Bean Soup, or chili, or red beans & rice. It's got a little sugar in it but is not a sweet recipe - though it's delicious with butter and honey! It is quick and easy - I make it in a cast iron skillet, but a cake pan would work just as well. Warning: it can be a bit crumbly, but again, butter and honey!


Skillet Cornbread
1 1/4 c milk or buttermilk (I usually mix a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar or a bit of plain yogurt into the milk.)
3 Tb butter or bacon grease
1 1/2 c cornmeal
1/2 c flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 Tb brown sugar
1 egg


Preheat oven to 400 F.

Heat butter/grease on the stove until melted and bubbling, then turn off. If you are using a cake pan, you can set it inside the oven for a few minutes to get hot.

Combine cornmeal, flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.

Mix egg, milk, and brown sugar, then stir into dry ingredients, just enough to combine.

Pour about 2/3 of the hot grease into the batter and stir it in quickly.

Scrape batter into hot skillet/pan and bake 25 minutes, until lightly browned. The sides should pull away slightly. Let it rest in the pan for at least five minutes before cutting it.

I like to split each piece horizontally, then put the butter and honey on each half.

Optional first step: combine the milk and 1 cup of cornmeal and let them soak, anywhere from 30 minutes to overnight (I would refrigerate it for that length.) Then just dump in the other 1/2 cup of cornmeal and the rest of the ingredients and whisk it all together - it will be stiff at first but will loosen up. This softens the cornmeal, and seems to make the bread a little less crumbly - and then there is still some dry cornmeal for a little bit of grittiness!

Senate Bean Soup (no politics, please!)

Senate bean soup is very tasty and hearty! Here's the text copied from my mom's recipe card (recipe format below):

"Put two cups of white beans, and a hambone with some meat on it, in 3 qts water and let them soak all night. Then start simmering them, which should continue for at least two hours. At the end of the first hour, add 1/2 cup of cooked, mashed potatoes. Stir the soup thoroughly, until the potatoes are well mixed. Then add 3 finely chopped onions, a whole bunch of celery (tips stalks & all) chopped finely, a clove of minced garlic & 1/4 cup finely chopped parsley. Let it simmer the second hour. Then take out hambone, chop pieces of meat from bone and put back in soup. A big bowl of this and all you'll need is dessert and coffee."


I am writing up the recipe below with several tweaks that I tend to use. For example, I usually don't have a ham bone, so use a smoked pork hock - which adds tons of flavor!


Note: this makes a LOT of soup. I almost overflowed our pot. Maybe try a half portion first if you're not sure your pot will fit!


Senate Bean Soup
1 lb white beans (navy beans work well)
ham bone/hock
ham (if not enough on bone - I used one pack of large-diced ham)
1 small/med potato
3 onions
bunch celery
1/4 c parsley (or some dried parsley, if you forgot to get fresh like I did)
garlic - I use several cloves, original recipe uses 1
salt and pepper

Soak beans with bone overnight in 3 qt water - or enough to cover bone.

Bring beans up to a simmer and note the time - wait an hour to add next ingredients.

While waiting, peel and slice potato, and boil in a separate pot until soft - then drain and mash. It's quite all right if there's more than a half cup!

After 1 hour, add potatoes.

Dice onions and celery, mince garlic, chop parsley, and add to soup. I put the onions and garlic in a skillet with a little olive oil and butter and cook on low heat for a few minutes before adding them.

Add the diced ham at this point as well, and some salt and pepper.

Simmer another hour. It will start sticking to the bottom so be sure to keep stirring and scraping so it doesn't scorch. Check the seasoning again before you serve.



This goes really well with cornbread, which can be made during that last hour of cooking!

Chicken and Rice

This is not a fancy dish. It is extremely basic. And it is extremely delicious!

It's basically just what the name says - Chicken and Rice. As in, already-cooked chicken and rice. With Parmesan cheese.

So, first, cook the chicken in the crock pot and pull it apart. Here's a more detailed description: Crock Pot Chicken

Be sure to save the juice! Don't add it to the stock if you make stock, keep it separate! That's a major part of the flavor!

Then, cook the rice. But don't cook it quite as long - you want it a little al dente. Here's the method I use: How to Cook Brown Rice - I would say boil 20-25 minutes and steam 10, instead of 30 and 10.
Keep in mind rice expands to about 3 times the original volume! I recently used about 3/4 cup dry for three people, and had a bit left over.

So, you have your hot rice steaming. If your chicken and juice are still hot, you can skip this next step:

Put about a cup of chicken juice in a small pot with some pulled-apart chicken. Turn on the heat. You don't have to cook it long, just enough to make sure it's nice and hot. If you didn't have much juice, add a little water and let it all cook together a little longer.

When the rice is done steaming, take off the lid and pour in the chicken and juice. Stir it around to mix thoroughly, then put the lid back on for 2-3 minutes to let the juice soak into the rice. If it's still a little runny you can turn the burner on and reduce it - just keep stirring or it will stick.

Finally, serve with lots of Parmesan cheese! I like to layer the cheese and rice in my bowl. Or you could transfer it all into a casserole and layer it that way... The point is to get the cheese mixed in with the chicken and rice so it gets melty and adds that flavor.

It seems very basic - and it is! But that pure chicken juice, plus the saltiness and flavor of the Parmesan cheese, makes it very rich, and very tasty!

Crock Pot Chicken - Cooking chicken to use later

This is extremely basic - more of a technique than a recipe. It's how I usually cook chicken in order to use it in other recipes, or sometimes as lunchmeat. It also makes a lot of delicious chicken juice to use in soup and other things.

Chicken breasts or thighs work best. You can get the boneless-skinless, but you don't have to. If you do get bone-in chicken, you can use the bones to make stock.

Put the chicken in a crock pot. If you have a small rack to set it on, that will let it roast and keep the juice dripping down; otherwise half the meat ends up sitting in the juice. Which is okay, but I like the texture better if it's sitting up above.

Cook on low for 4-5 hours, maybe more if it's really packed. You can always check to make sure that it is cooked through, juice runs clear and it pulls apart easily.

Take the cooked chicken out and put it in a casserole or on a plate. Let it sit and cool for a while. After it is cool get a second plate and a container to put the meat in after you pull it apart. I like to pull it into fairly small pieces, to use with soup or noodles. This part gets messy.

Save the bones and some of the skin, and any dubious bits like cartilage that you wouldn't want to keep in with the main meat.

Carefully pour the juice from the crock pot into a jar or other container. Maybe dip most of it out with a ladle or measuring cup first, if there's a lot.

Take the bones/skin/weird bits and put them in a pot. Pour a cup or two of water into the crock pot and swish it around to rinse off any last drops of juice - and pour that into the pot with the bones. Add some more water until the bones are well covered, and sprinkle some salt in. Bring to a boil, then turn down to a medium simmer, put a lid on it, and let it go for an hour or so.

Use a slotted spoon to remove everything from the pot of stock except the liquid. You can either pour that into jars or containers to store (please do not pour boiling water into plastic. Let it cool!) or go straight into making soup or whatever. You can add the juice to the soup, or use it for other things.