Cooking Creativity
Frying-Pan Meals, Part 2
By Ransom W.
THE DUTCH APPLE BABY PANCAKE
Maybe you call it a “Dutch Apple Pancake,” or a “Apple Baby”. This is just the name I’ve grown up with. (Though I’ve always been horrified at putting something with the word “baby” into the oven!) Whatever you choose to call it, you’ll for sure enjoy eating it. One could almost describe it as an inside-out pie, with the delicious, buttery, cinnamon-y apples in a layer on the bottom, and the fluffy (unless you prefer dense-like me!) pancake on top.
EQUIPMENT
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Oven-proof frying pan (Important!)
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A spatula or whatever.
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A stovetop and an oven (this really shouldn’t need to be mentioned, but some folks like their recipes to be thorough)
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A cutting board/surface and knife - both suitable for apples.
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Oven mitts/hot pads (again, not really a necessary instruction, as I’m sure you will all have the common sense not to burn yourselves)
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Oh, and I suppose you’ll want something to eat your food with (I’d suggest fingers-why else would God have given them to us?)
INGREDIENTS
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Apples. At least 1 per person!
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Your favorite pancake mix. 1-2 servings per person (or if you’re like me, do 3 or 4!)
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Butter (yummmm!!!). About 4 Tbsp.
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A tsp. or two of cinnamon.
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A few shakes each of:
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Nutmeg
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Cloves
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Ginger
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Any other spices you like with apples.
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TOPPINGS (optional)
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Whatever you put on your pancakes!
Toppings really aren’t necessary on this, because the apples give it plenty of flavor. However, if you want, here are some of my faves:
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Maple syrup
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Peanut Butter!
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Greek Yogurt (plain)
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Fresh fruit is the best!
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MORE BUTTER!!!
INSTRUCTIONS
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Slice the apples as thin as you possibly can.
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Saute them with the butter and spices on Med. heat.
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While they’re sauteing (that’s not how to spell it, is it?), mix up your pancake mix according to its special instructions that can probably be found on the box it was contained in before you took it out. Of course, there’s also the possibility it was in a bag, in which case you’ll probably find the special instructions on the bag. However, you might find yourself in the scenario of there not being any special instructions for your pancake mix. Do not despair! The solution is simple. You’ll probably just need to add an egg or two, a couple swigs of milk or something, and a couple Tbsp of oil of some sort, all until it seems like the mix is at the right consistency. Now, what you consider to be the “right consistency,” may vary, but I’m confident in your capability to figure things out.
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Once the apples are looking beautifully browned and caramelized, pour the pancake mix over the top. DO NOT MIX OR STIR!!!
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Continue to cook on the stovetop while preheating the oven to around 375ºF.
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Once it seems to be cooked on the bottom, transfer it to the oven.
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It’ll probably need about 15 minutes in the oven, but that’s not a perfected number, so check it often.
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Once the middle is cooked through, remove and enjoy!
Hope y’all like it!
~ Ransom W.
Frying-Pan Meals, Part 1
By Ransom W.
The Frittata
Do you want a great breakfast and/or dinner that’s easy to make, delicious, and combines what I consider to be the priorities of eating healthily - vegetables and meat/protein (though those aren’t the only important things, folks!)? Then choose the Frittata! If you’ve never seen one before, they’re pretty much a massive omelet that, instead of flipping halfway through, you stick it in the oven.
Equipment
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An oven-safe (extremely important) frying pan
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A spatula/mixer/flipper of whatever sort you prefer
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An oven
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A stovetop
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Eyes and hands so you can use the tools and see what you’re doing
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Some hot pads/oven mitts (or whatever you like to call them)
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A bowl (for mixing the eggs)
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Something to beat the eggs with (I think forks are superior in this regard)
Recipe
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Eggs. About 2 per person, though it depends on how hungry y’all are - I often do about 3. (this is the most important ingredient. everything else is essentially optional)
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Bell peppers. Frozen or fresh, and sliced into strips. About ½ pepper per person.
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Salt to taste.
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Garlic to taste.
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Black beans (Or Garbanzo) - one can for large Frittata, ½ can for small. Make sure to rinse and drain them!
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1 Small onion. Diced finely.
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1-2 Tbsp. Butter.
Optional:
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If you want extra protein and heartiness, you can chop up some sausage.
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Cheese. We often do Feta, but Cheddar’s quite tasty, too.
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Tomatoes. Diced.
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A small zucchini. Diced.
Directions
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Add butter, sausage, zucchini, and onion to the pan and sauté on medium heat.
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Once the sausage is cooked and the onions are nicely browned, add the salt, garlic, and beans.
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Beat the eggs (hard) and pour them over the mixture in the pan. DO NOT MIX.
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Sprinkle the cheese and tomato over the top.
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Let it cook for a couple minutes while you heat the oven to broil.
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Once it seems like the eggs have cooked some on the bottom (but not too much, you don’t want it to burn), put the whole pan into the middle of the oven.
It usually takes about 10-15 minutes in the oven, but since it varies greatly based on the amount of moisture, you should check it every couple of minutes to make sure it isn’t burning. (If it starts to burn too much, just switch the oven to bake - 400o)
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Once it’s cooked through, take it out and enjoy!
We often add toppings, like yogurt, or sauerkraut, or salsa, or kimchi.
*** It should be understood that this is by no means the only or the best way to make a Frittata, nor are these the only ingredients you can use. Be creative! Try new combinations! Customize this however you want! The worst you can do is burn the food!
-Ransom W.
Cassava Flour Banana Bread Muffins
Baked Goods Part 1
Bake time 20 min., makes 12 Muffins
INGREDIENTS
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1.5 cups Cassava flour.
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4 bananas. (most recipes seem to specify what size the bananas should be, but I think it should be obvious that when it comes to food, everything should be Large!)
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4 oz. Butter! (softened, melted, or squishy in some other way)
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3 eggs (Large again!)
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¼ cup Half and Half (or almond milk)
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½ tsp. Baking powder.
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½ tsp. Salt.
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1 tsp. Pumpkin Pie Spice (if you don’t have any, just mix cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves).
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Whatever you like to put in your banana bread; I like Walnuts/Pecans, Raisins, and Chocolate Chips. You’ll want ½-⅓ cup of each. (because of the numerous preferences in the family I ended up making 7 with just choc. chips, 1 with chips and nuts, 1 with chips and raisins, and 4 with everything!)
EQUIPMENT
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Bowl for mixing.
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Fork for mixing with.
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Muffin tray/tin/cups
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Measuring tools of choice.
DIRECTIONS/INSTRUCTIONS/WHAT TO DO
Preheat the oven to 365ºF.
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(peel the bananas)
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Smash up the bananas, butter, and all the wet stuff.
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Thoroughly mix in everything else (from the ingredient list, not the equipment).
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Divide the batter into the muffin receptacles and bake for 20 min.