Crepes

A few weeks ago I visited a friend in South Carolina. Shelly and I have know each other for several years. Our kids love to play together and that makes our time together even better. We often talk about recipes and meal ideas. When Shelly texted me the day before our visit asking if the kids and I would enjoy having crepes for lunch, I was thrilled! I had been wanting to learn how to make crepes for a while and this was my chance. 

That day, Shelly served us crepes filled with fresh strawberries and topped with chocolate syrup and whipped cream. Sounds more like dessert than lunch, doesn't it? They were so simple to make, that even with five kids running around in circles through the kitchen, Shelly was able to produce perfect crepes. I went home that day with her recipe. Two weeks later I made the crepes pictured above for breakfast filled with homemade blueberry jam and cream cheese. But, I still had batter leftover, so I put it in the fridge for later. (I love that this batter can be made up in advance and refrigerated overnight.) That evening, I made up the rest of the crepes and filled them with chocolate chips, folded them, and then sprinkled them with powdered sugar. My kids were in heaven. Thanks Shelly for teaching me!!

Crepes

2 eggs
2 Tbsp. melted butter
½ tsp. vanilla
2 cups milk
½ tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. white sugar
1 ½ cups all purpose flour
Additional butter to grease the skillet for each crepe

Whisk together eggs, butter, vanilla, milk, salt, and sugar. Slowly add flour, whisking at the same time. Heat a 8-10 inch nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Pour a scant ¼ cup of batter onto heated skillet. Immediately tilt skillet and rotate to ensure that the batter is evenly coating the bottom of the pan. Cook until the edges begin to brown. (Tip: Your crepes are ready to flip when they begin to slide around in the pan when you shake it lightly.) Flip and cook the second side until browned. Fill and serve. Yield: 15 crepes

Sweet Filling Options: fresh fruit, jam, applesauce, cream cheese, whipped cream, nutella, or chocolate chips.

Mexican Corn Dip

This is one of my go to summer recipes. I've been making it for more than ten years and to me it never gets old. You can control the spice by adding more or less jalepenos, but whether you like it mild or hot, be sure to place a few jalapenos on top if you take it to a BBQ. This will make sure no one bites into a hot pepper unknowingly.

Mexican Corn Dip

2 14oz. cans yellow corn, or Mexicorn, drained
1 cup sour cream
1 cup mayonnaise
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1/3 cup chopped jalapenos (fresh or from a jar)

Stir together all ingredients and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Serve with tortilla chips or Frito Scoops.

What is one of your go to summer recipes?

School is Out!

 

Let the Summer fun begin!!

How To Sew a Button - A Book Review

It seems like a lot of the conventional wisdom that our grandmothers shared has been lost over recent years. And, knowing how to do basic household tasks such as cooking, cleaning, and sewing is not as common as it once was. But, these old fashioned skills can be simple and fun to learn.

How to Sew a Button: And Other Nifty Things Your Grandmother Knew Written by: Erin Bried

Do you know how to roast a whole chicken? Make bread? Do you know how to grow a garden? Or, can fruits and vegetables? Do you know how to shine shoes? Hem pants? Knit a scarf? These are some of the questions that Erin Bried addresses in How to Sew a Button. She gathered together ten grandmothers who had lived through the Depression, and asked them to share their wisdom. The result is a practical and lighthearted look at simple tasks that once were tackled on a daily basis; tasks that save money and conserve resources. And, the result that is resoundingly apparent from these grandmothers is the satisfaction that comes from a job well done.

This book makes you feel as if you are sitting beside a little old lady, soaking in her wisdom. It was fun to read and had lots of great tips and hints that are simple and, many times, free! If you are new to thrifty living, or are making an effort to simplify your life, this would be a great read for you.

Blueberry Crumb Cake

While living in Germany, we had a forrest behind our housing development with walking trails. Along the trails were wild blueberry bushes. Wild blueberries grow on low bushes about 18 inches off of the ground and the berries are tiny, not at all like the cultivated blueberries that you can find in the grocery store. The first time I took my kids out to pick blueberries, it took us an hour to gather enough to make this Blueberry Crumb Cake. They were not anxious to pick blueberries again any time soon! However, we did pick blueberries again and again while we lived there. And, we really enoyed them knowing how hard we had worked to pick them.

Last week a local farm had blueberries on sale. Although they were not local, I was glad to get some anyway and I came right home and made this cake with them. I am pleased to know though, that my local farm does have blueberry bushes growing and that they will be ready for the public to pick for the first time next summer. 

Blueberry Crumb Cake

Cake
¼ cup butter, melted
½ cup sugar (raw or white)
1 egg
½ cup milk
2 cups white whole wheat flour
2 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp salt
2 cups blueberries

Stir together butter, sugar, egg and milk. Add flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir just until combined and add blueberries. Spread into a greased 9X9 pan. 

Crumb Topping
½ cup sugar (raw or brown)
3 Tbsp. white whole wheat flour
1 tsp. cinnamon
3 Tbsp. melted butter

Stir together sugar, flour, cinnamon, and butter. Sprinkle evenly over cake batter. Bake at 375º for 35-40 minutes or until lightly browned. Serve warm. 

This post has been linked to Grace at Home.

Spaghetti Salad

Summer is almost here! Just a few more days of school for my kids and I am looking forward to sleeping in and lounging around the pool. During the summer, I enjoy making lighter meals and fun salads. Pasta salads are some of my favorites. This Spaghetti Salad can be made up early in the day and refrigerated for later. And, leftover veggies like cucumbers or asparagus can be added to your salad along with cooked meats like grilled chicken, pepperoni, or salami. And, if you don't have any spaghetti on hand, you can use any other shaped pasta that you like.

The recipe below is just the beginning. The variations are endless. But, to me the best Spaghetti Salad is one made with homemade Italian Dressing. What do you like in your pasta salad?

Spaghetti Salad

13oz. pkg. spaghetti or angel hair pasta, cooked and drained
2 tomatoes, diced
2oz. can sliced black olives, drained
1 bunch green onions, sliced
1 cup Italian Dressing (my homemade recipe here)
salt and pepper to taste

When pasta is cool, add tomatoes, black olives, green onions, dressing, salt and pepper. Stir to combine. Refrigerate for one hour and serve.

This post has been linked to Mop It Up Monday.

Strawberries and Cream Cake

 

One of the recipes that we enjoyed over the weekend with our freshly picked strawberries is this Strawberries and Cream Cake. It is yellow cake, layered with sweetened strawberries, and topped with whipped cream. I took it to a friends house for a Memorial Day luncheon and it was devoured. Although this is just like Strawberry Shortcake, I have found that this travels more easily and it can be made up completely in advance. The leftovers will even keep in the refrigerator overnight.

My little one especially loves this Strawberries and Cream Cake. She even asked for it to be served as her birthday cake last year.

Cake

½ cup butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/3 cups all purpose flour
1 ½ tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
1 scant cup milk

Cream together butter and sugar. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Add half of the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add half of the milk. Add remaining flour and milk, mixing until thoroughly combined. Pour into a greased 9x9 pan. Bake at 350º for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely.

Strawberries

2 cups of crushed strawberries
½ cup sugar (white or raw)

Stir together berries and sugar. Poke 15+ holes in cooled cake with the handle of a wooden spoon. Pour berries evenly over the cake. Let sit 15 minutes to soak into the cake.

Whipped Cream

2 cups of your favorite whipped cream recipe (my recipe can be found here)

Spread whipped cream evenly over the cake. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

 

Confession: I made twice as much whipped cream as I needed and refrigerated it for later. The next day I used it to top a homemade Chocolate Peanut Butter Pudding Pie.

 

This post has been linked to Blissful and Domestic's Feature Friday.