Easy Fluffy Pancakes

I have a few go-to pancake recipes like my World’s Easiest Pancake Recipe and my Basic Crepe Batter Recipe but another easy peasy fluffy pancake recipe is this one….it can be whipped up in mere moments and cooks up fluffy with some crispy edges (my favorite).

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 tsp. baking powder
  • ½ tsp. salt
  • 2 Tbsp. granulated sugar
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 Tbsp. butter, melted
  • ¼ cup vegetable oil (approximately) for frying the pancakes
  • Good quality butter and pure maple syrup for serving (not optional!)

Directions:

  1. In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar.
  2. In another small bowl, whisk together the milk, egg and butter.
  3. Gently combine the dry and wet ingredients until just incorporated – don’t overmix.
  4. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add a tablespoon of vegetable oil. Ladle about 3 tablespoons of batter onto skillet and cook until the surface of pancakes have some bubbles, around 1 minute (see photo below). Flip the pancake and cook another 90 seconds, or until browned. Continue the process until all the batter’s been used, wrapping cooked pancakes in foil until ready to eat.
  5. Serve with pats of butter and maple syrup.

Serves 4 healthy portions.

Easy Cilantro Rice

This easy cilantro rice is so easy to prepare but so tasty. It pairs beautifully with a variety of proteins like grilled chicken, steak, pork chop or fish and the bonus is that you’ll have leftover chimichurri sauce leftover for other meals!

Ingredients:

Directions:

  1. In a medium pot, combine the rice, a big pinch of salt, and 1 cup of water. Heat to boiling on high then reduce the heat to low, cover and cook, without stirring, for 12 to 14 minutes, or until the water has been absorbed, and the rice is tender. Turn off the heat and fluff with a fork. Cover to keep warm.
  2. Halve, peel, and thinly slice the onion. Cut off and discard the stem of the pepper; remove the core, then thinly slice lengthwise. Combine in a bowl. Thoroughly wash your hands immediately after handling the pepper.
  3. In a large sauté pan, heat the olive oil on medium-high until hot. Add the sliced onion and pepper; season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, 5 to 7 minutes, or until softened. Add 2 tablespoons of water (carefully, as the liquid may splatter). Cook, stirring, 30 seconds. Transfer to the pot of cooked rice; add the cilantro sauce and stir to combine. Taste, then season with salt and pepper if desired.

Makes 2 servings of rice.

Strawberry Bread Pudding by Redz Restaurant

Strawberry Bread Pudding by Redz Restaurant

Bread pudding is a dessert popular in many countries and typically made with bread, milk or cream and generally containing eggs and butter. The dish can be sweet or savory depending on where in the world it’s served.

Redz Restaurant (https://redzrestaurant.com) stays true to the American inspired fare it serves. Chef Roeloff DeGroot prepares it as it’s enjoyed in the United States, traditionally sweet, and utilizes the freshest seasonal fruit.

Photo by Redz restaurant

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 1 Tbsp. butter (plus more for greasing ramekins)
  • Pinch salt
  • 4 croissants, or half a loaf of sweet bread such as a Challah or brioche (cubed)
  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
  • 1 Tbsp. lemon zest
  • 1 cup strawberries, quartered
  • Powdered sugar, optional

Method:

  1. Heat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. In a small saucepan over low heat, warm milk, egg, butter, vanilla, sugar, strawberries, lemon zest and salt. Cook just until butter melts; cool.
  3. Meanwhile, butter a 4 ramekins and fill with cubed bread
  4. Place Ramekins in a sheet pan with water and place in oven for 45 minutes
  5. Garnish with powdered sugar, if using

(Serves 4)

About Redz Restaurant

Located at DoubleTree Suites by Hilton, Redz Restaurant & Bar in Mt. Laurel, NJ serves authentic specialties from all over the country. Known for its carefully chosen and locally sourced in-season ingredients with an imaginative approach to many of the foods you know and love—as well as many others you’ll be delighted to discover.

The Shannon Rose’s Guinness BBQ Pulled Pork

The Shannon Rose’s Guinness BBQ Pulled Pork

Don’t have a smoker but love BBQ pulled pork? The Shannon Rose Irish Pub (http://theshannonrose.com) has a very tasty alternative that requires just an oven and some rich Guinness stout.

The Shannon Rose’s Guinness BBQ Pulled Pork, with slow-roasted pork simmered in Guinness BBQ sauce and topped with pepper jack cheese on a toasted brioche roll, is a customer favorite. Adding Guinness to the barbecue sauce creates a sweet and sharp balance, using the stout’s smoothness to keep it from being overpowering.

The Shannon Rose’s Guinness BBQ Pulled Pork

BBQ Sauce Ingredients:

  • 1 oz shallots
  • 1 cup Guinness
  • 1 qt BBQ sauce
  • ½ cup honey

Dry Rub Ingredients:

  • 3 tbsp brown sugar
  • 3 tbsp paprika
  • 3 tbsp salt
  • 1 tbsp black pepper
  • 1 tbsp white pepper
  • 2 tbsp cumin
  • 1 tbsp onion powder
  • 1 tbsp garlic powder
  • 1 tbsp coriander
  • 1 tbsp Cajun spice

Other Ingredients:

  • 8lb Pork Butt
  • 1.5-gal water
  • ¼ cup liquid smoke
  • ¼ cup apple cider vinegar

BBQ Sauce Directions:

  1. Mince shallots and sauté over medium heat in vegetable oil until softened, about 2 minutes.
  2. Add Guinness and allow to reduce.
  3. Whisk in BBQ sauce and honey. Set aside.

Dry Rub Directions:

  1. Combine all the dry rub ingredients together.

Pulled Pork Directions:

  • Rub the pork butts with 1 cup of the dry rub, making sure all surfaces are covered.
  • In a deep pan, combine water, liquid smoke & vinegar and place in pork butts.
  • Cover with aluminum foil and cook at 300 degrees for 6 hours. Finished pork should be dark brown and pull apart with ease.
  • Remove from the liquid and let cool.
  • Once cooled, pull pork into bite-sized pieces.
  • Heat and mix the pulled pork with the Guinness BBQ sauce.
  • Assemble your sandwich by placing Pepper Jack cheese on the bun with a heaping scoop of pulled pork. Top with frizzled onions, coleslaw or your favorite condiment.

About The Shannon Rose

The Shannon Rose Irish Pub provides a chef-driven menu using fresh, high-quality ingredients, blending Irish pub classics and new tavern favorites. For its thirsty guests, The Shannon Rose Irish Pub features more than 30 beers on tap – including Guinness, Harp and Smithwick’s – and a wide selection of premium scotch malts and Irish whiskeys.

Veronique

Hearty Turkey Barley Soup

Hearty Turkey Barley Soup

This a rustic meal-in-a-bowl and perfect on a chilly winter day. It’s an easy way to use up turkey leftovers also.

Ingredients:

  • 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
  • ½ medium turnip, diced
  • 1 large carrot, diced
  • 2 celery stalks, diced
  • 6 cups turkey stock, homemade ideally
  • 2 cups cooked turkey, cut into bite-sized pieces
  • 1 ¼ cups barley, rinsed and cooked to package directions
  • ½ tsp. each salt, pepper and dried thyme
  • 2 bay leaves

Directions:

  1. To a large skillet over medium heat, warm the oil. Add the turnip, carrot and celery and cook until softened, about 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Set aside.
  2. While the vegetables cook, bring the stock to a simmer in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the turkey, the cooked vegetables, the barley, the salt, pepper, thyme and bay leaves. Simmer over medium-low heat for 45 minutes. Discard the bay leaves and serve.

Yields 6-8 servings.

Warm Crab and Artichoke Dip

During the holidays, my mom hosted us and served a delicious hot crab and artichoke dip that was gooey, cheesy and indulgent. I’ve recreated the dip and served it during the Big Game last weekend and it was a hit!

This recipe is a breeze to prepare, basically in one bowl, and can sit in the fridge covered for a day until ready to bake (if refrigerating, take it out of the fridge 30 minutes before baking).  

Ingredients:

  • 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
  • ½ cup mayonnaise (we used low fat)
  • ½ cup sour cream (we used low fat)
  • 2 Tbsp. green onion, finely chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, finely minced
  • 1 Tbsp. lemon juice
  • 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tsp. hot sauce, we use Cholula
  • ¾ cup of grated Parmesan cheese, to go into the dip
  • ½ tsp. each salt and freshly cracked pepper
  • 1 8 ½-ounce can artichoke hearts, drained well
  • 6 ounces crab meat (ideally lump), picked over to ensure no shells are present
  • ½ cup of grated Parmesan cheese, to top the dip

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Coat in cooking spray or butter an oven-proof baking dish (I used a 9” pie plate).
  2. Add all the ingredients, stopping at the artichokes, to a medium bowl and stir to combine well. Add the artichokes and the crab and mix gently.
  3. Add the dip mixture to the baking dish and top with the ½ cup of Parmesan cheese.
  4. Bake for 18-20 minutes.

Serve with crusty bread or scoop-type tortilla chips.

Serves 8.

Copycat Hooters Chicken Wings

My guy and I like Buffalo chicken wings and his favorites are the ones from Hooters (it’s about the wings, really lol). I’ve perfected their buffalo shrimp recipe (you must try them) and I think we now have a pretty great handle on their chicken wings.

This recipe is for medium spicy Buffalo chicken wings but just decrease the hot sauce if you prefer mild wings.

Buffalo Sauce Ingredients:

  • ¼ pound butter (1 stick)
  • 1 cup hot sauce (I use Frank’s)
  • 1 tsp. garlic powder
  • 2 Tbsp. lemon juice
Wings Coating

Wings Coating Ingredients:

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • ¼ tsp. black pepper
  • ½ tsp. cayenne pepper
  • ½ tsp. paprika
  • ½ tsp. garlic powder
  • 12 chicken wings (we use flats and drummettes)
  • Peanut or vegetable oil for frying
  • Blue cheese dressing, carrot and celery sticks, optional

Buffalo Sauce Directions:

  1. Melt the butter in a small saucepan over high heat. Add the hot sauce, garlic powder and lemon juice – whisk to combine. Set aside on low heat until ready to use.
Tossing Wings in Sauce

Wings Directions:

  • In a shallow dish (I use a pie plate), combine the flour, salt, black pepper, cayenne, paprika and garlic powder. Coat the wings in the flour mixture, place the wings on a platter and refrigerate for one hour. Coat wings again with the flour mixture (may have leftover flour mixture).
  • Add oil to a deep fryer and bring temperature to 375 degrees (could use a deep saucepan also). Add 6 wings and fry for 13 minutes for medium-sized wings or 15 minutes for extra-large ones. Place cooked wings on a wire rack for a minute to drain excess oil.
  • Pour the hot buffalo sauce in a large heat-proof bowl and toss the wings in the sauce.
  • Repeat frying, draining and tossing in the sauce the remaining 6 wings.
  • Serve with blue cheese dressing, carrot and celery sticks if using.

Makes a dozen wings.

Let me know what you think once you try these!

Enjoy,

Veronique

Easy Grilled Lobster Tails

I grew up 20 miles from Maine in Quebec so lobster is something we ate a lot of when I was growing up. While I think a lobster boil is hard to beat, I sometime like grilled lobster tails to pair with a steak. Who doesn’t like a great surf and turf?

This recipe is a breeze and so fun do to for an outdoor party. Once you have the Lobster Butterfly Technique down, everything else comes together in minutes.

Ingredients:

  • 2 8-ounce lobster tails
  • ½ cup butter
  • 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
  • ½ tsp. paprika
  • Big pinch of salt and pepper
  • Grated zest of ½ lemon (I use a microplane for this)
Lemon Butter

Directions:

  1. Coat a few layers of paper towels with a neutral oil like vegetable or Canola. Grease the grates of a grill. Preheat the grill on medium-high for 10-15 minutes.
  2. Using the Lobster Butterfly Technique shown in the linked video, use kitchen shears to cut down the shell of the lobster tail from fleshy end to right before what I call the tail ‘feathers’. Gently pull the meat out of the shell leaving the meat attached to the tail feathers intact. Lay the meat over the shell.
  3. In a small saucepan over medium heat, place the butter, garlic, paprika, salt, pepper and lemon zest. Cook stirring occasionally until the butter starts to brown slightly, about 4 minutes. Take off the heat.
  4. Spoon half the butter mixture over the lobster meat. Carefully place the lobster tails on the grill, meat side up, cover and cook for 12 minutes, basting once during the cooking process.
  5. Rewarm the remaining butter and serve with the lobster tails for dipping.

Serves two.

Easy Maple Rice Pudding

Easy Maple Rice Pudding

This creamy rice pudding is flavored with maple syrup and is the perfect comfort food. Ideally, this recipe is made using Arborio rice (same rice used to make risotto), but other short grain white rice could also work.

Maple Rice PuddingIngredients:

  • ½ cup Arborio rice, uncooked
  • 4 cups whole milk
  • ½ cup maple syrup
  • 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
  • Pinch of cinnamon
  • ½ cup powdered milk

Directions:

  1. Place the rice in a sieve or colander and run cold water over it for 30 seconds while shaking the sieve/colander. This removes a bit of the outer starch which can cause your rice to clump while cooking. Shake to remove as much of the water as possible.
  2. In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, combine all the ingredients except the powered milk, stir well to combine. Bring to a simmer, then turn the heat down to medium-low and cook for 40 minutes, stirring frequently. After 35 minutes, if the rice mixture is VERY thick and the rice rains feel tender, turn off the heat. Depending on the rice you use and how hot your stove runs, 35 minutes might be enough.
  3. Remove the pan from the heat and add the powdered milk. Stir to fully combine.
  4. Allow to cool to lukewarm to serve.

Note: This pudding can also be served cold with a drizzle of maple syrup, granola and berries.

Yields six servings.

One Minute Brownie in a Cup

One Minute Brownie in a Cup

This is a perfect little one minute brownie recipe for when you have sugar cravings but don’t want to wait 45 minutes to satisfy your sweet tooth.

Ingredients:

  • 1 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
  • 2 Tbsp. powdered milk
  • 2 Tbsp. granulated sugar
  • 1 Tbsp. cocoa powder
  • 2 Tbsp. whole milk

Directions:

  1. In a small bowl, combine all the ingredients. Pour mixture in a microwaveable-safe mug and microwave for one minute.

Serves one.