"M" Go Pancakes

This is my go to pancake recipe. It is from the "The Black Dog - Summer on the Vineyard" Cookbook. This is a wonderful cookbook, especially if you have ever visited the Black Dog Bakery on Martha's Vineyard. I made two different variations today - one with chocolate chips and one with blueberries.

Ingredients:

• Dry Ingredients
  • 3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
  • 2 tablespoons cornmeal (optional)
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 tablespoon salt
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
• Wet Ingredients
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 tablespoons melted butter or vegetable oil
    
  • 1 to 1 1/2 cups of skim
  • 1 cup fresh blueberries
  • 1 thinly sliced banana

Directions:

Mix the dry ingredients together in a medium size bowl.

In a seperate bowl beat the eggs with one cup of milk and the melted butter.

Add this wet mixture to your dry ingredients until you have a basic pancake batter. Add the additional 1/2 cup of milk if the mixture is too thick, but don't stir too much or pancakes will be tough.

When the batter is ready gently fold in the blueberries.

Heat a griddle, adding a little clarified butter or oil. Ladle a five inch circle of batter onto the griddle. Drop a few slices of banana into each circle. Cook pancakes until the tops are covered with tiny bubbles, then flip them over and finish cooking.

Serve hot with butter and pure maple syrup.

Favorite Variation:

Rasputin's Revenge (named after one of The Black Dog's best dishwashers)

To the basic batter add:

• 1/2 cup sliced strawberries and
• 1/4 cup chocolate chips

Serving Size: Makes 4 Servings

Mini Orange Chocolate Chip Muffins

I made these today as a healthier alternative for the kids' class parties tomorrow. The recipe does not call for large amounts of sugar and you can substitute white whole wheat flour for 1/2 the all purpose flour. They make a great snack for kids (and parents). Enjoy!

2 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1/3 cup sugar
3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup mini chocolate chips
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
1 teaspoon grated orange peel
additional sugar, for sprinkling on top (I use pure cane sugar for a really crunchy top)

In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and chocolate chips. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the milk, vegetable oil, egg and orange peel till light. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir gently for 20 seconds, or only until all of the ingredients are moistened. If you see lumps in the batter, that's OK; don't try to stir them out, or your muffins will be heavy instead of tender!

Lightly grease the cups of a 12-cup muffin pan, and fill each two-thirds full with batter. Sprinkle sugar over each for a crunchy, sugary crust.

Bake the muffins in a preheated 400°F oven for 18 to 20 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove the muffins from the oven, let them cool in the pan for about 5 minutes (or until they've set enough to be handled), and transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely. Yield: 12 muffins or 36 mini muffins.

**For mini muffins - bake at 350 degrees for 12-13 minutes.

Adapted from the King Arthur Flour website.

Chicken and Pasta with Broccoli and Sun-Dried Tomatoes

I made this dish over the weekend for my brother and sister-in law. They are new parents and I wanted them to have something tasty and easy to warm up for dinner. This meal exceeded my expectations. It was super simple to make and tasted fabulous!

ENJOY!!!

Chicken and Pasta with Broccoli and Sun-Dried Tomatoes

Serves 4-6
4 Tablespoons unsalted butter
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast -- cut into 1/4 inch slices
1 small onion -- finely chopped
6 cloves garlic -- minced
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
1/2 pound penne pasta
2 ounces grated asiago cheese
1 cup dry white wine
2 cups low sodium chicken broth
1 1/2 pounds broccoli floret -- 1 inch pieces
8 ounces sun-dried tomatoes, oil-packed -- cut into 1/4 inch strips
1 Tablespoon fresh parsley -- minced
ground black pepper
2 Tablespoons flour

Bring 4 quarts of water to a rolling boil in a large stockpot.

Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon butter in 12-inch nonstick skillet over high heat until just beginning to brown, about 1 minute. Add chicken in single layer; cook for 1 minute without stirring, then stir chicken and continue to cook until most, but not all, of pink color has disappeared and chicken is lightly browned around the edges, about 2 minutes longer. Transfer chicken to clean bowl; set aside.

Return skillet to high heat and add 1 tablespoon butter; add onion and ¼ teaspoon salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned about edges, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in garlic, red pepper flakes, thyme, and flour; cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add wine and chicken broth; bring to simmer, then reduce heat to medium and continue to simmer, stirring occasionally, until sauce has thickened slightly and reduced to 1¼ cups, about 15 minutes.

While sauce simmers, add 1 tablespoon salt and broccoli to boiling water; cook until broccoli is tender but still crisp at center, about 2 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer broccoli to large paper towel-lined plate.

Return water to boil; stir in pasta and cook until al dente. Drain, reserving ½ cup pasta cooking water; return pasta to pot.

Stir remaining 2 tablespoons butter, Asiago, sun-dried tomatoes, parsley, and chicken into sauce in skillet; cook until chicken is hot and cooked through, about 1 minute. Off heat, season to taste with pepper.

Pour chicken/sauce mixture over pasta and add broccoli; toss gently to combine, adding pasta cooking water as needed to adjust sauce consistency. Serve immediately, passing additional Asiago and the lemon wedges (if using) separately.