Savory Pancakes

“Pardon me, is that brie?” ~Carolyn

inspiration
Saw an episode of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives where the Colossal Cafe makes pancakes topped with Brie and sautéed apples. My husband and I decided to build it bigger. You are invited to design your own…but the key ingredients are Brie and sautéed fruit. But you should really include the arugula or spinach. And don’t forget the nuts. But it’s really all about the Brie.

our comments
Yum! (We are making this tomorrow night so I’ll have the picture later…wanted to get it up for those making pancakes this Shrove Tuesday 2015.)

ingredients
your Favorite Pancake Mix (boxed or homemade)
Ras el Hanout (Moroccan spice blend) or Garam Masala (Indian spice blend)
arugula or spinach
Brie
sweet onion
mushrooms
apples or peaches and/or blueberries (or whatever fruit is in season)
butter
brown sugar
nuts (peanuts or walnuts or whatever)

directions
Mix pancake ingredients to make 2 pancakes per person using your favorite pancake mix…adding several sprinkles or so of Ras el Hanout or Garam Masala. (About 1/2 tsp for 10 to 15 pancakes.) Make pancakes according to directions. Store in warm oven until ready to assemble.

Using butter and/or oil, sauté onion and mushrooms, about a small handful per person. Season with salt and pepper.

Sauté your sliced fruit with butter and brown sugar–it should look like pie-filling–using about 1 apple or peach per person. (Or you can make homemade applesauce with dried cherries following the same sauté practice in a small saucepan.)

Slice brie in long thin strips, about 4 or 5 strips per pancake.

Chop nuts, toasting if needed.

Assembly Directions from the bottom to top
In the center of a big round dinner plate,
place small pile of arugula or spinach.
Top arugula with two pancakes. (I put them side by side.)
Top each pancake with several strips of brie.
Top brie with sautéed onions and mushrooms.
Cover with sautéed fruit.
Sprinkle chopped nuts all over everything.

Sugar Muffins

“Is it sugar muffin season?”
says everybody who has every had them.
“Yes,” says Jill. “It’s always sugar muffin season.”

inspiration
Jill from What We Can Leave Out

dry ingredients
3 cups all purpose flour
1 cup sugar
3 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt

wet ingredients
2 beaten eggs
1 cup milk
2/3 cup melted butter

topping ingredients
1/2 cup melted butter
1/2 cup cinnamon sugar mix

directions
Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl. Create a well in the dry mix.

Mix wet ingredients together in measuring cup. Pour into well in dry mix. Gently fold/stir together.

Lightly grease muffin cups or line with paper bake cups. Fill muffin cups 2/3 full.

Bake at 350° oven for 20-25 minutes until golden.

While baking, melt 1/2 cup butter and place in bowl. Place 1/2 cup cinnamon/sugar in a bowl.

When muffins are golden, immediately dip tops of muffins in melted butter, then roll tops in cinnamon sugar. Serve warm.

Makes 24 muffins.

our comments
No holiday is complete–from Thanksgiving to Woodruffest–without Jill’s famous sugar muffins.

Roasted Cauliflower with Lemon Parsley

“Cauliflower is the new kale.”
-Me

our inspiration
Epicurious

our comments
The first time Bill fixed this, I told him he could serve it every night. Every. Night. The lemon gives it a bright flavor that makes it fit with everything. Every. Thing. It was perfect with the standing rib roast we enjoyed with bestest NC friends on the day after Thanksgiving 2014.

ingredients
1 two-pound head of cauliflower cut into florets
4 tbsp olive oil
salt/pepper
1 cup flat-leaf parsley
1/2 tsp lemon zest
2 tbsp lemon juice

directions
Preheat oven to 425°.

On a rimmed baking sheet, toss cauliflower with 2 tbsp olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Roast, stirring occasionally, until tender and brown. About 30 minutes.

While roasting, chop parsley by hand or with food processor/hand blender. Add lemon juice and remaining 2 tbsp olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.

When cauliflower is roasted to perfection, toss with lemon-parsley and top with lemon zest.