Lake Lure Cottage Kitchen

My basic pancake recipe was one from Martha Stewart, but there was something missing.  My pancakes never turned out fat and fluffy.  But my blogging buddy Sam of My Carolina Kitchen came to the rescue.  She posted her favorite pancake recipe here and I compared it to the Martha Stewart recipe.  The major difference was in the amount of baking powder.  Sam’s recipe used twice as much.  I tried her recipe and the pancakes were fantastic.  Plus she tells you how to make your own pancake mix and has a dynamite recipe for blueberry sauce.

With pumpkin and cinnamon on my mind, I adapted her basic ingredients into delicious pumpkin pancakes.  They were great.

Pumpkin Pancakes

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
pinch of cloves and nutmeg

1 cup milk
1/3 cup canned pumpkin
1 egg beaten
2 tablespoons melted butter

Combine dry ingredients and mix well.  Beat together the milk, pumpkin and beaten egg.  Add melted butter.  Add wet ingredients to flour mixture and stir until well combined.  Do not worry about lumps.  Add a little more milk if batter is too thick.  Grease skillet and when it is hot add scoops of batter to skillet.  Cook until bubbly on one side and flip pancakes.  Cook until underside is browned.

My next post will be from sunny Florida.  We could not resist having a fire in the kitchen fireplace before we left.  I will miss my kitchen.

Just toss chopped apples and cranberries together in a deep dish pie plate.  Add sugar and flour and then a topping of oatmeal, brown sugar, flour, nuts and butter and bake it until the top is crispy and the fruit is bubbling.  It couldn’t be simpler.

To digress a moment – It would have been easier to present these Thanksgiving recipes in order; ie, Appetizers, Soup, Entree, Vegetables, Salad and Desserts but there is a reason for my haphazard postings.  We are leaving for Florida in less than a week and I am trying to use up what I have in the pantry and fridge.  I used part of a bag of cranberries for the previous recipe and needed to finish it up, plus I had apples and oatmeal that were just enough for this crisp.  As another aside, are you ever surprised by the number of condiments that you collect in the door shelves of your refrigerator?   I sometimes buy things like tahini or anchovy paste and then forget all about them.  Note to self:  Keep better track of what you have.

Cold weather has descended on us and we have had the gas logs burning in the living room.  This weekend we will build a fire in the kitchen fireplace and enjoy warm bowls of this comfy crisp.

CRANBERRY-APPLE CRISP

3 cups apples, peeled and cut into bite size pieces (About 2 large)
2 cups whole fresh cranberries, rinsed and picked over
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons flour
1/1/2 cups oatmeal
1/2 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1/3 cup flour
1/2 cup walnut pieces
1 stick butter, melted

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.  In a large bowl place apples, cranberries, sugar and 2 tablespoons flour and mix together well.  Place in a deep dish 9″ pie plate.  In a medium bowl mix brown sugar, oats, flour, walnuts and melted butter.  Mix to combine.  Put topping on top of apple mixture.  Bake uncovered until bubbly and lightly browned, about 1 hour.  Serve warm with ice cream.  8 to 10 servings.

TURKEY PAUPIETTES WITH APPLES, ONIONS, AND CRANBERRIES  ( adapted from Gourmet Magazine)

For the Stuffing:
6 slices of whole-wheat bread, cut inot 1/2 inch pieces
2 tablespoons melted unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram, crumbled
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme, crumbled
1 rib of celery, chopped fine
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 Golden Delicious apple, peeled and chopped fine
1 small onion, chopped fine
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup canned chicken broth

Three 1/2 pound turkey breast tenderloins (“cutlets”) halved horizontally, pounded 1/4 inch thick between dampened sheets of wax paper, and seasoned with salt and pepper
2 tablespoon unsalted butter
12 small white onions, blanced in boiling water for 2 minutes and peeled
2 cups apple cider
1 cup canned chicken broth
2 tablespoons cornstarch dissolved in 1/4 cup cold water
3/4 Golden Delicious apple, sliced thin and kept in a bowl of 1 cup water acidulated with 1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/4 cup cranberries, picked over
1 tablespoon minced fresh flat-leafed parsley leaves

Make the stuffing:  On a sheet pan toss the bread with the melted butter, the marjoram, the thyme, and salt and pepper to taste and bake the mixture in a preheated 350 F. oven for 15 minutes, or until the bread is toasted lightly.  In a large heavy skillet cook the celery, the garlic, the apple and the onion in the butter over moderately low heat, stirring, until the vegetables are softened, add the broth, and bring the liquid to a boil.  Stir in the bread mixture and stir the stuffing until it is combined well.

Divide the stuffing among the tenderloins, mounding it in the center, and starting with the short ends roll up the tenderloins to enclose the stuffing.  Secure each end with a wooden pick and pinch the edges together to seal in the stuffing.  In a large heavy skillet heat the butter over moderately high heat until the foam subsides and in it saute the paupiettes and the white onions, turning them, for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the paupiettes are browned.  Add the cider, bring the liquid to a boil, and simmer the mixture, covered, for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the turkey is tender.  Transfer the paupiettes with a slotted spatula to a platter, removing the wooden picks, and keep them warm covered loosely.  Add the broth to the skillet and bring the liquid to a boil.  Stir the cornstarch mixture, stir it into the cider mixture, and cook the sauce, stirring, unti it boils and thickens.  Stir in the apple slices, drained well, and the cranberries, cook the mixture, stirring, for 3 to 5 minutes, or until the fruit is heated through, and stir in the minced parsley and salt and pepper to taste.  Spoon the mixture around the paupiettes and garnish the dish with the parsley sprigs.  Serves 6.

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