Keeping Buttermilk & Heavy Cream On-Hand

I have quite a few recipes that call for buttermilk, but who uses it often enough to always have it on-hand in the fridge?  Also, what about half & half, heavy cream or whipping cream?  These are always things I need, but I usually have to run out and buy them if a recipe calls for them.  After I started making my Oatmeal Buttermilk Pancakes regularly, I wanted to find a way to keep these items on hand, so I tried freezing them.  It worked beautifully.  I now purchase those little pint cartons of all these things and keep about 3-5 of each in my freezer.  I just defrost them in the microwave and add them to whatever I'm making.  It works great!  I'm sure they'd last in there a couple of month just fine, but I use mine up before then anyway!

Oatmeal Buttermilk Pancakes

My kids never liked pancakes.  In fact, I haven't been a huge fan recently either.  One morning, I was in the mood to cook so I decided to make them from scratch rather than adding water to the Krusteaz mix.  Wow, what a difference!  Since then, I have tried many recipes and combined them until I think I have found the perfect concoction.  Now we all love them!  These are so delicious.  Just mix all these things together and store in your pantry, then just scoop out what you need for breakfast.  Enjoy!

2 Cups All-Purpose Flour
1 1/4 Cups Whole Wheat Flour
2 Cups Rolled Quick Oats (I process mine in the blender dry before adding them to the mix because I don't love having the texture of the oats in my pancakes, but this is optional)
2 Tbs. Sugar
2 Tbs. Baking Powder
3/4 Tbs. Baking Soda
3/4 tsp. Salt
1/2 cup vegetable or canola oil

When you want to make pancakes in the morning,  mix together the following:

1 1/2 Cups Mix
1 Cup Buttermilk (I always have this on hand.  Click here to read how)
1 Egg

Cook on griddle or skillet and serve.  This is the right amount to feed my family of 4, with a little leftover.

Crumble Topping

This recipe was given to me a long time ago by a girl that used to live in my neighborhood.  I made it and LOVED it.  Unfortunately, I lost the recipe and she moved out of the state (this happened before the days of facebook).  Well, a few years later I was telling some friends about this delicious recipe and we were discussing how I might be able to get my hands on it again.  I'd tried plenty of recipes online and none of them were the same as what I remembered.  I couldn't even remember her name, so I didn't know how I could reach her.  Well, one of my friends knew who I was talking about and somehow got this awesome recipe for me!  I made it again and it tasted just as good as I remembered.  So as not to lose this recipe ever again, I'm posting it here.  Luckily, you all get to enjoy it as well! 

1 Cup Flour
1/2 Cup Oats
1/2 Cup Brown Sugar
1/4 tsp. Baking Soda
1/2 tsp. Baking Powder
1/8 tsp. Salt
1/2 Cup Butter, softened

1.  Mix all dry ingredients.
2.  Add dry ingredients to softened butter and mix until crumbly.
3.  Pour into baking dish over desired fruit mixture (see below).
4.  Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Serve with vanilla ice cream.
 
For the fruit mixture, you can use anything you want.  When I ate it originally, it was made with apples.  Since then, I've also made it with berries and apples together.  Peaches would also be delicious.

Cut up whatever fruit you like and sprinkle some granulated sugar, a little flour, lemon juice and salt (tiny bit) over it.  Stir it all together.  Put that in a baking dish and put the crumble mixture over it before baking.

Oh. My. Gosh.  It's amazing!  Enjoy!

Figgy Pudding

I got this recipe from my boss after he brought it to a Christmas party for work.  It is DELICIOUS and the three times I've made it since then, it's gotten rave reviews and the bowl is wiped clean.  I made a couple of slight changes.  I put in less sugar (it was a little too sweet for me) and added figs (what?!  No figs in figgy pudding?  Ya, madness!  I had to add them in).  What a fun, festive Christmas treat!  This will certainly be a Christmas tradition at my house.  Sorry, I didn't take a picture.  I will post one when I make it again (it will surely be sooner than next Christmas).

Batter Mix:

3/4 Cup sugar
1 Cup flour
1/2 Cup milk
1/8 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 Cup chopped dates
1/2 Cup chopped figs
1 Cup chopped walnuts or pecans

Mix together and spread evenly in a deep baking dish.

Meanwhile, boil for three minutes:

2 Cups water
3/4 Cup brown sugar
1Tablespoon butter

Pour over batter and bake for 30 minutes @ 375 degrees.

Top with ice cream or whip cream

Serve and enjoy!  It's best when served warm.

Festive Cranberry Cheese Dip

A friend introduced me to this recipe a couple years ago and I like it so much, I'm looking forward to eating it around the holidays!  I'm making this recipe next week, so I'll add the exact measurements to this post, but for now, here's the general idea in case you feel so inclined to make it for an upcoming event.

You add a 12 oz. bag of cranberries and one store-bought pint of pico de gallo to a blender or food processor.  Add sugar to taste (I'm thinking maybe 1/2 cup?) and a handful of cilantro.  Add a few drops of red food coloring to beautify it.  Then pour it over an 8 oz. brick of cream cheese.  Garnish with cilantro and serve it with rice crackers.  Yum-O!

Energy Bars

I love these! They're such a treat, but you can sneak anything into them! These are jam packed with all kinds of good stuff! I got the idea for the recipe from the "Cool Cooking" cookbook series by Lisa Wagner, but I modified it a bit to make them even more healthy.

1 Cup Chocolate Chips
1 1/2 Cups Rolled Oats
2 Cups Crisp Rice Cereal
1/2 Cup Flaked Coconut
1/4 Cup Sesame Seeds
1/2 Cup Flax Seeds
1/4 Cup Sunflower Seeds
1/2 Cup Walnuts, Almonds or Peanuts
3/4 Cup Peanut Butter
3/4 Cup Brown Sugar
1/2 Cup Honey
1/2 Cup Maple Syrup

1. Put the chocolate chips, oats, cereal, coconut, seeds and nuts in a large mixing bowl and mix them together.

2. Mix the peanut butter, brown sugar, and maple syrup in a saucepan over medium heat stirring until everything is blended and the brown sugar has dissolved.

3. Pour the hot mixture over the dry ingredients and stir until everything is completely blended.

4. Pour the mixture in to the prepared baking pan. Use your hands to pat the mixture into the pan.

Then you are supposed to refrigerate for 3 hours, but that is totally not going to happen at my house!

Corn & Black Bean Salsa

A coworker shared this recipe with me and I love it! Unfortunately, I ate it before I remembered to take a picture of it.

1-2 Tomatoes (medium to large)
3 Avocados
1 Can White Shoepeg Corn, drained
1 Can Kidney Beans, drained
1 Can Black Beans, drained
1/2 Bottle Italian Dressing
Lime or Lemon Juice

1. Dice the tomatoes and avocados, place in a bowl and sprinkle a little lime/lemon juice over the avocado to keep it from turning brown.
2. Add the corn and beans.
3. Pour italian dressing over the top and stir together!

Serve with chips. If you chill it in the fridge for about an hour before serving, the flavors blend together better.