Lemon Ricotta Pancakes with Berries

I love lemon! We went away for a little anniversary getaway about a month ago and stayed at a fabulous bed and breakfast in Virginia Beach called Beach Spa B&B.  We enjoyed our getaway immensely, and I loved to see what they were going to serve up for breakfast.  One day they served lemon ricotta pancakes.  While theirs were delicious, the lemon was an afterthought in the light pancake.  It was a hint of lemon and I wanted more.
So, here is my version.  No question they are lemon, but not too overpowering.  While my 7 year old loved these, the other kids ate them with a little less gusto, but still ate them well.  My husband and I loved them.  So, I would say they are more of a grown up pancake.  The buttermilk just makes them that much lighter and tangy. Very light and wonderful topped with berries!

LEMON RICOTTA PANCAKES
adapted from Williams Sonoma

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup ricotta cheese (part skim) 
• 1 cup buttermilk (or milk)
• 3 eggs, serparated
• 1/4 cup sugar
• zest and juice of one lemon
• 1/2 tsp. lemon extract
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1 TBSP baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt, divided

DIRECTIONS:

In a medium sized bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and 1/8 tsp salt.
In a large bowl break up ricotta cheese.  Add milk, lemon extract, egg yolks, sugar, lemon juice and zest and juice and whisk until smooth (use spatula if needed to further break up ricotta). 
Add flour mixture to ricotta mixture and mix until just combined. Batter will be thick but don't over mix!
Using an electric mixer or a balloon whisk ( I used my new double whisk which I was excited about!)  mix egg white until foamy.  Add 1/8 tsp salt and whisk until holds a soft peak.  Gently fold in 1/3 of egg whites into batter.  Then gently fold in the rest.  Here is a link to show you how to fold if you don't know.  
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vP4vbktd-PM&feature=related
Preheat griddle to medium low and grease griddle lightly before cooking.  Ladle batter onto griddle.  Cook until bubbles form on top and flip.  Cook until golden.  Serve topped with fresh berries (sweetened if you like) and warm syrup.  Makes 12-14 pancakes.

Perfect Peach Cobbler

When I first wanted to try to make peach cobbler many years ago, I pictured more of a peach crisp.  I grew up with apple crisp, so of course peach cobbler was just that but with peaches, right?  Wrong.  Peach cobbler has a gooey cake like topping that is almost spongy and just wonderful.  It is truly best warm with some vanilla ice cream and whipped cream.  Yes, both.
IT may seem strange to put the peach on top of the batter, but the batter rises up over it.  This is one of our favorite summer desserts and with peaches being so in season right now, it is the perfect time to make it!  Very easy and delicious!

PERFECT PEACH COBBLER

FILLING INGREDIENTS:

• 4 cups sliced fresh peaches (6-8)
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 TBSP fresh lemon juice (juice from 1/2 lemon)

BATTER INGREDIENTS:

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 1/4 cups AP flour
• 2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup milk
• 1 tsp vanilla

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350.

Peel and slice peaches and put in a bowl. Mix with sugar, cinnamon and lemon juice.  Set aside to let juices come out of peaches.

Put butter in 9x13 dish and put in preheated oven to melt.  Meanwhile, whisk together flour baking soda, salt and sugar.  Add milk and whisk. When butter is melted, remove pan and pour the flour mixture to butter.  whisk a little to incorporate butter.  Pour peaches evenly over the batter.  Return to oven and bake for 45 minutes.

Chocolate Banana Cupcakes with PB Brown Sugar Buttercream

This cupcake is from Joy of Baking and is an delicious cupcake.  Perfect texture and just very tasty.  I completely screwed up the original recipe for the icing by adding too much peanut butter, so I had to fix it, so I can not tell you how the icing is.  While mine is still a bit too peanut buttery, it is very good.  I am sure the original recipe is excellent.  Sorry.
The combo of peanut butter frosting with this cupcake is very good though.  I could easily eat it with chocolate icing or no icing at all which is strange for me because I am an icing kind of girl.  But this is just an excellent cupcake.  Original recipe came from:
http://tidymom.net/2011/banana-buster-brown-cupcakes/

BANANA CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES 

by Joy of Baking

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup granulated white sugar
• 1 scant cup all-purpose flour
• 3/8 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (little more than 1/3 cup)
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup mashed ripe bananas (about 1 medium sized banana)
• 1/2 cup warm water
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/4 cup canola or corn oil
• 3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350° and line muffin pan with 12 cupcake liners.  Using a large bowl, whisk together dry ingredients: sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set asideIn another large bowl, whisk remaining ingredients until combined: egg, banana, water, milk, oil, vanilla.Combine wet and dry ingredients and stir until combined.Scoop batter into cupcake liners 3/4 full.Bake for 20 minuets or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.Remove from oven. Cool completely before frosting.

Peanut Butter Brown Sugar Buttercream

Ingredients

• 2 large egg whites
• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup peanut butter
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened

Instructions

In a heat proof bowl, whisk together egg whites, sugar and salt. Place over (not in) a pan of simmering water. Cook, whisking continuously until sugar is dissolved and warm to the touch.  Pour mixture into bowl of electric mixer. Beat on medium speed until fluffy, approximately 15 minutes.  Raise speed to high, and mix until stiff peaks form (this took about 7 minutes).  Reduce speed to medium-low and add peanut butter a little at a time, then butter, 1 tablespoon as a time until fully mixed.  Pipe onto cupcakes.

Pesto Cheese Stuffed Burgers

These were great burgers.  Full of flavor and just plain good.  Make' em up for a little twist on the normal burger for the holiday!

PESTO CHEESE STUFFED BURGERS

yield: 4 good size burgers

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 lb. ground beef or turkey
• 3 heaping TBSP prepared pesto
• 3 heaping TBSP diced roasted red peppers
• 4 slices provolone or mozzarella
• fresh basil leaves
• pesto mayo (mayo mixed with some pesto)

DIRECTIONS:

Mix ground meat, pesto and diced roasted red peppers.  Tear cheese into 2" pieces.  Make a very thin patty.  Place cheese on patty, layering if needed and top with another thin patty closing the edges around the cheese.  Continue and grill them up!  Put on toasted roll, with some pesto mayo, a slice of tomato and a few basil leaves.  YUM!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Cups

I had icing left from decorating Isaac's birthday cake just waiting to be used.  And I have been itching to bake.  So, I combined Alton Brown's "The Chewy" and my icing and I got "Mom, this is the best thing you ever made!"  from my daughter.

The cookie is a very good chocolate chip cookie (CCC). I will continue in the quest of the perfect one for me, but this was very good.  Cooked in mini muffin tin and topped with icing and sprinkles= YUM!  Perfect treat for the holiday!

THE CHEWY
by: Alton Brown

INGREDIENTS:

• 8 ounces unsalted butter
• 2 1/4 cups bread flour
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 1/4 cups light brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 large egg yolk
• 2 TBSP whole milk
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 375.  Melt the butter. Set aside to cool slightly.

Sift together the flour, salt and baking soda onto a paper plate.

Pour the butter into your stand mixer's work bowl. Add the sugar and brown sugar and beat with the paddle attachment on medium speed for 2 minutes.  

Meanwhile, whisk together the whole egg, the egg yolk, milk and vanilla extract in a measuring cup. Reduce the mixer speed and slowly add the egg mixture. Mix until thoroughly combined, about 30 seconds.

Using the paper plate as a slide, gradually integrate the dry ingredients, stopping a couple of times to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Once the flour is worked in, drop the speed to "stir" and add the chocolate chips. Chill the dough for 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and place racks in the top third and bottom third of the oven.

Scoop the dough into 1 1/2-ounce portions onto parchment-lined half sheet pans, 6 cookies per sheet. Bake 2 sheets at a time for 10-13 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through. Remove from the oven, slide the parchment with the cookies onto a cooling rack and wait at least 5 minutes before devouring.

Cookie cups take small cookie scoop of cookie dough and cook about the same time.  Until edges begin to brown.

The frosting is: 
http://delectabledelightswithrebecca.blogspot.com/2011/06/buttercream-icing-best-ever.html

and
http://delectabledelightswithrebecca.blogspot.com/2011/02/grammas-chocolate-frosting.html

Banana Waffles

These are like banana bread in waffle form.  They were excellent waffles and I will definitely be making them again.  My 6 year old was  saying "MMMM!" with each bite and all my kids ate more than one waffle.  Very easy to make.
If you prefer a crisp waffle on the outside, maybe up the oil by a couple of TBSP.  But to me, they were great as they were.  Also, I added chocolate chip to a bunch and was kinda sorry I did.  It overwhelmed the wonderful banana flavor in them too much for me.  But my kids loved them both ways.  It is almost one o'clock and my house still smells like baking banana bread.  YUM!

This would be out of this world with a homemade brown sugar syrup with chopped pecans or walnuts in it. There is always next time!

 
BANANA WAFFLES

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 cups flour (I did one whole wheat)
• 3 TBSP sugar
• 1 TBSP baking powder
• 3/4 tsp. salt
• 2 mashed bananas
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 4 TBSP canola oil
• 3/4 cup chocolate chips (opt.)

DIRECTIONS: 

In a smal bowl whisk together flour, salt and baking powder.  In a medium bowl, mash bananas.  Add eggs and vanilla and whisk.  Add oil and sugar and whisk.  Add milk and whisk.  Add dry ingredients to wet and whisk.  Add kitchen sink.  j/k  Add chocolate chips if desired.
Preheat waffle iron and let batter sit for a few minutes.  Stir and cook 'em up!  Made about 16 waffles.

Roasted Vegetable Pasta Primavera

This is the best pasta primavera I have ever had.  It is packed with flavor and sweet tender veggies. I had 3rds...  yes, I am a glutton and disgusting.  But I could not help myself.  The pasta is an afterthought.  I could make a meal out of just the roasted veggies.  It was light and a wonderful summer meal!
I had so many fresh veggies that I had to use up.  I was not inspired, so I went on the Pioneer Woman's website and got inspired by a risotto primavera.  Seeing how I just did risotto, I knew that wasn't right.  But a pasta primavera, now that would work.  Normally you steam veggies for primavera and you get flavorless veggies with some flavorless pasta.  This is a spin-off of Giada's from the food network and it is so good.  Go, buy a boatload of veggies and do it up. If you don't like one of the veggies I did, change it up!  Asparagus, green onions and even cauliflower or yellow summer squash would be great in this!  Just roast them with the other veggies.

ROASTED VEGETABLE PASTA PRIMAVERA
adapted from Giada De Laurentiis

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 head garlic, roasted
• 1 onion, thinly sliced
• 1 red pepper, thinly sliced
• 5 med carrots, cut in long thin strips
• 1-2 zucchini squash cut into strips
• 1.5 cup broccoli florets, bite size
• 2 tsp. Italian seasoning or herbes de Provence
• 1 pint (about a cup) grape tomatoes, halved
• zest of one lemon (opt.)
• 1 lb pasta, coked in salted water
• 3-4  TBSP extra virgin olive oil
• balsamic glaze* to drizzle
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 450.  Cut top of garlic bulb to expose the garlic cloves.  Place on small piece of foil and drizzle with a little olive oil and season with salt and pepper.  Wrap foil around it and place in oven to roast for 45 min to an hour.
Meanwhile, cut and prepare all veggies except tomatoes.  Place veggies in a bowl and drizzle with EVOO to coat veggies.  Season with dried herbs and seasoning salt and toss to coat veggies evenly.  Place on cookie sheet (I used 2) in a single layer.  Place in oven to roast.  Put water on for pasta.

Veggies all ready to go in and get yummy!

 
After 10-15 minutes, remove from oven and carefully turn veggies.  (I condensed to one cookie sheet at this point)  Return to oven to bake another 10 minutes.  Cook your pasta to al dente.  Reserve 1 cup pasta water.
Cut grape tomatoes in half and toss with a little salt, pepper and olive oil.  Remove veggies from oven and put tomatoes on sheet with them and return to oven for 5 more minutes. (total about 25-30 minutes)  Remove from oven and sprinkle with zest of lemon.  This brightens the flavors.  Squeeze garlic cloves into pasta.
Toss veggies with pasta.  Add some pasta water and toss until pasta is moist again (can use more evoo here is desired, but trying to keep it figure friendly here)  Add parm cheese and toss again.  Serve with a drizzle of balsamic glaze and more cheese on top.

*Balsamic glaze is sold in a lot of stores now.  You can make your own by buying balsamic vinegar and letting it simmer for about 20 minutes on the stove until it gets a bit syrupy and is about half it's original volume. It will thicken more as it cools.  I used to do this when I could not buy it, but it is stinky to make, so I just buy it.