from scratch pancakes

My friend Brittney makes the best pancakes! Every time we sleep over, we wake up to the smell and taste of pancakes with homemade maple syrup. Mmm. So yummy! Her pancakes are always so fluffy and perfect. I finally asked her for the recipe, and she told me it was basically a dairy-free rendition of one found in the classic Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook. This is the easy and amazingly delicious recipe.



RECIPE: From Scratch Pancakes

Yield: 10 pancakes
Calories: 100 each

Ingredients:
1 3/4 c flour
2 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 egg
1 1/2 c vanilla almond/coconut milk**
** soy or cow milk would also work

Directions:
Whisk together all ingredients until combined. Cook pancakes (use about 1/4-1/3 c batter for each) on a skillet over medium (to medium high) heat, flipping half way, until golden and cooked through. Serve with butter (opt) and homemade maple syrup! Eat up!

tom ka gai (coconut lemongrass chicken soup)

I had this soup recently and for my first time at our local Thai restaurant, and I loved it! It was such a pleasant and unexpected combination of flavors, and it was beautiful. Mmm... I thought maybe I could duplicate it {I mean, how hard could it be? I'm cocky.} and decided to give it a try. I had planned on following a recipe but was unable to find some of the ingredients, so I tried another recipe... and again, couldn't find some of the ingredients. So I combined a few ideas and made my own {dangerous when attempting a meal you hardly know}. Luckily, it turned out super duper delicious!! I was so happy with it, and I fully intend to make it again. With that being said, here it is. So I remember.

If you try it as well, let me know how it went! Enjoy.

RECIPE: Tom Ka Gai

Ingredients:

1 deli-roasted (rotisserie) chicken, de-boned, skin removed and shredded {we only used about 3/4 of it... or about 1 1/2 lbs. of chicken}

2 c. water

3 med carrots, peeled and sliced thinly on the diagonal

1 package Shiitake mushrooms {I would probably do regular button mushrooms next time; I didn't love the texture of these}, halved

juice from 2 limes (about 1/4 c.)

1/4 tsp Cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp turmeric

1/2 tsp dried lemongrass

2 Tbsp fish sauce

1-2 in. fresh ginger-root, grated/minced

2 cans (15 oz.-ish) unsweetened coconut milk

2 stalks green onion, sliced thinly

cilantro (opt)

Directions:

Put the (already-cooked) chicken in a hot pot and let it sizzle for a minute. Add the remaining ingredients (all but the coconut milk, green onions, and cilantro) and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and let simmer until carrots are crisp-tender and all is heated through. Add the coconut milk, stir well. At this point, do NOT boil; just warm. Toss in the green onion pieces. Stir. Heat on low heat until ready to serve. Top with cilantro if desired, and serve warm.

Serves: 8

Calories: 203