Lemon Ricotta Pancakes

Hi all,

I thank J for encouraging me to continue on posting recipes. I hit a bit of a dry spot with trying new recipes and recently I've gotten more organized and tried a bunch of new recipes! So, this recipe is perfect if you make the stuffed eggplant. You'll end up with a half a carton of ricotta. Sometimes I'll use the ricotta up, but sometimes I find it going bad in the back of the fridge. Not a good thing. But, here's the solution! I made just half a recipe to use up the ricotta, but you can make a whole recipe if you have a full carton of ricotta. The pancakes are great for a quick breakfast. They heat up quicky, just pop them in a toaster.

Mixed the following together in a large bowl.

1 1/2 cup flour (You can use gluten free flour for this recipe)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar


In a small bowl mix the following ingredients and stir until smooth.

2 cups whole-milk ricotta cheese
4 eggs
1 1/3 cups whole milk
grated rind and juice of 2 lemons

Add ricotta mixture to flour mixture and stir until just smooth.

In a large skillet melt the butter over medium-high heat.

1 tablespoon butter (You will add more butter with subsequent batches.)

After the butter melts, pour about 1/4 cup of batter onto the hot skillet for each pancake. Cook for about 2 minutes, until the bottom is brown. Flip. Cook the other side for about a minute more. You want to be sure that the skillet is hot enough, but if it's too hot, the pancake will cook too fast on one side and it won't be easy to flip.

When you finish the first batch add more butter and repeat. You can keep the pancakes hot while you make the next batch. These are great with some maple syrup and berries.

I hope you'll like these as much as we did. They have a wonderful light and fluffy texture. Yum!

Love,
Mom  :  )

Homemade Granola

Hi All,

I have been taking an online course and my posting recipe rate has dropped down to zero per week. So much for keeping multiple plates spinning at the same time? This is a great granola recipe. It is much less expensive than granola you can buy, plus you can put in all your favorite kinds of nuts and dried fruit. I like to add sesame seeds, it adds a nice flavor. If you can get it at an asian store in a large bag, it's much cheaper than buying those little bottles at the grocery store. This recipe makes quite a bit, but it keeps well in a tightly sealed container.

42 ounces of old fashioned rolled oats (the large "can" of oats at the grocery store
7 ounces (one small bag) sweetened coconut
1 cup sesame seeds
10 ounces sliced almonds
8-16 ounces walnuts
(1/2 cup dried milk optional)

Mixed the ingredients above in a large pot or bowl. You can  mix up the kinds and amounts of nuts to suit your taste and pocketbook. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

1 cup vegetable oil (I used to use canola oil, but now would probably use coconut oil)
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup honey

Put the above ingredients together and heat over medium heat in a small pot until the sugar melts and the mixture just starts to simmer. Remove from heat.

1 Tablespoon vanilla extract

Add the vanilla to the liquid mixture. Mix well. Pour onto the oat and nut mixture. Mix well. Pour mixture onto two large rimmed baking sheets. Place in oven stir every 15 minutes until desired toastedness. I usually like the granola light to medium toasted and the total time is about 45 minutes. Remove from oven.

8 ounces sweetened dried cranberries (I have also used dried pineapple or raisins)

Stir in cranberries, cool, store in airtight containers.

If you don't think you'll eat the whole recipe, it makes great gifts sealed in a plastic bag with a ribbon. Or you can make just half a recipe too.

Hope your granola taste great!

Hugs,
Mameekosan