german pancake(s).

some call it a 'dutch baby.'

others call it a 'puff pancake.'

me? i call it a German Pancake.

it's a simple, delicious alternative to

the typical pancake and can be 

altered to accompany savory ingredients.

the recipe i use is as follows:

setting your oven temp to 400, put a few generous

tablespoons (real) butter in your cast iron pan

and slip it onto the rack as the oven heats up.

when the oven reaches temperature you'll

be ready to pour the batter into the pan

and wait for the magic to happen.

batter recipe:

1/2 cup AP (all purpose) flour, 1/2 cup milk,

1 teaspoon vanilla, pinch salt,

2 tablespoons sugar & 3 large eggs.

using an immersion blender

i whirl it until completely combined

and a bit on the frothy side.

just before the oven temp reaches 400

i'll give it another quick whirl

then pour it into the skillet.

set your timer for 20 minutes.

sure hope you've remembered

to use an oven mit!

while the pancake is baking you can ready your toppings. 

strawberries were cut along with banana,

walnut pieces in a little bowl, and 

three sugared liquids: 

sorghum and maple syrup and date syrup..

 !!! bacon !!!

(baked and portioned and pulled from the deep freeze)

also made an appearance much to the hubs delight.

when the timer dings simply use your mits

to bring the pancake out of the oven and

portion it for however many you're feeding.

with the toppings available for personal

taste you'll have a delicious breakfast

to share & be delighted by plenty of yUm sounds.

let me know if you make this already

or will try it in the near future, okay?

note: on youtube i saw that *roots and refuge*

used a clay baker as well as a glass pan to make

her pancake .. so a cast iron (CI) skillet isn't required.

i sure love my CI though and use it plenty

throughout the week! 

a savory application was made a week ago tuesday.

same recipe as above but no sugar, replaced with

2 tablespoons cornmeal. baked the same method

but i added a cup of cheese 

(micro-planed toscano cheddar from trader joe's) 

as well as a few slices of prosciutto. 

so... pour in batter, sprinkle cheese on the perimeter,

arrange prosciutto. quick like! then bake 20-25 minutes.

before portioning onto plates i added arugula salad

on top (golden balsamic vinaigrette .. recipe below)

and micro-planed added cheese. 

it sure made a pretty picture & was tastebud worthy.

the pancake didn't puff up like the the other one

but i think that's due to the added ingredients

and lack of sugar...? regardless, delish!

golden balsamic vinaigrette

into a half pint mason jar:

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1 minced garlic clove

1/2 cup golden balsamic vinegar *

1 teaspoon dijon

1 teaspoon maple syrup

pinch pink himalayan salt

1/4 cup EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)

cap the jar and shake like the dickens'..

the jar not you.

a little goes a long way so ensure you don't

drown your greens in dressing. 

* i buy most of my staple goods through Azure Standard,

this includes golden balsamic vinegar. it's a Napa Valley

blend distributed by Stonewall Kitchen. i'm sure you 

could locate it elsewhere other than Azure if needed.

or, use a golden balsamic vinegar other than this one.

even use white wine vinegar in a pinch. 

not regular vinegar. my thoughts.

:: a couple points to ponder ::

"this morning i asked God

 for more of Him. 

the answer i received was,

'make room'"

{unk}

"The Word is like a mirror shining back 

to us the person and glory of Jesus - and as we

meditate on Him, we are changed, 

our thoughts purified, and our minds renewed."

{Dr. J. Vernon McGee}

until next time,

.sherry.

p.s. maranatha

of vintage mug(s).

just a simple sampling of another favorite vintage mug.

this, being yet an additional vintage 'hall.' 

the basket is very vintage itself .. and holds books,

mason jars filled with pens, highlighters, scissors,

 books, writing tablets, journal, devotional(s),

a couple bibles, etc. there's even a cough drop or three

at the bottom - for just in case i sport a dainty hack.

we still have snow. last year this time it was over 5 feet.

it's warming up so the few feet that fell recently will

most assuredly melt quick. unless another storm

heads our way this month. i do hope we're done for

season though.. i'm itchin' to get busy in the gardens.

have to remind myself we have a another couple

months of possible weather, but the greenhouse 

is fair game. the hubs recently planted potatoes in

barrel size pots and stuck them in the greenhouse;

seed potatoes from our '23 harvest and sprouted

in a big way so thought it'd be fun to see if they'd 

grow. my beets have wintered in the greenhouse

and still growing albeit slOwly. so slOw. sigh.

i'm writing this post in advance and just saw the time..

need to get busy with my tortillas if we're to eat

at an acceptable hour in our parts of the country.

steak & potato tacos --- yUm

until next time...

love,

.sherry.

p.s. maranatha

 

of liquid life.

i recently invested in a milk frother that also

 heats the milk if that's a preference.

it all started when we enjoyed

a baked potato bar meal at the home of dear

friends here in the mountains.

i must add that the hubs requested i

add a potato bar meal to our rotation.

i agreed and did so. sure is delish!

after the meal, our hostess offered fancy coffee.

we agreed it would not only be tasty

but equally beneficial to our very lives.

(i'm not exactly one to say no to liquid life)

she has a fancy schmancy machine and by her hand,

she produced the most delectable, perfectly

frothy topped coffee enjoyed in a long while.

i wanted that experience again but didn't want

to pay a lofty sum. instead i ordered a

milk frother/steamer and made it simple simon style.

sometimes my foam is gentle .. waltz-like.

and sometimes? boy howdy that foam is serious

like a jitterbug at 78 speed taking on 

a life all its own!

like below. see? serious foam. still delicious. yUm.

it's in my vintage 'hall' mug.

makes a statement, i'm thinkin'.

while sitting on the sofa i noticed a pretty pattern

being made from our upper window reflection.

we have sun shades and more cloth over the shades

to prevent the west facing windows to sear

through the glass into our living area and

further into the kitchen and dining space.

the shades do a superb job in that respect.

the shades also offer a bit of an artsy 

pattern to the wall just left of the hutch.

i'm rather liking the effect.

do you make fancy liquid life?

do you see artsy patterns on your walls?

is it just me? should i be concerned? wink.

love,

.sherry.

p.s. maranatha