Whole Wheat Pancakes

Since we were having a 5:00 dinner on Sunday and didn't go to our church's Easter breakfast, I decided to whip up these pancakes. In all honesty, I just wanted to make plain pancakes using Bisquik and toss in a few chocolate chips but since we were all out of Bisquik and chocolate, I looked for a pancake recipe. In the Society of Farm Women of Pennsylvania cookbook, I found a whole wheat pancake recipe and I had whole wheat flour so I was set! These cakes topped with butter, powdered sugar ans syrup, with a side of turkey bacon, held us over until dinner.

1 1/2 cups buttermilk

1/4 cup vegetable oil

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

2 Tablespoons sugar

2 eggs

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

Mix all together. Pour desired amount onto a hot, buttered griddle. Cook on both sides til browned to your liking.

Here by bother is giving them a thumb up... but that was before he tried them. He thought they were bland. So maybe you could add a little more sugar and a touch of vanilla extract. Also, Adam and I don't like syrup so we just use butter and sugar... I am sure smothering them in syrup - like the other breakfasters did - would make them quite flavorful!

The Savvy Grouse

Today the new PA Tourism Blog, The Savvy Grouse, is up and running!

Check out my post here about The Cellar in Camp Hill!

Easter Dinner

In an effort to mix things up, we did not have a traditional ham dinner yesterday, but instead grilled steak and veggies! It was a nice summer meal and now I'm so excited for the weather to warm up!

I marinaded some NY Strip steaks in Lawry's Signature Steakhouse marinade for about 5 hours. I skewered up whole button mushrooms, halved brussel sprouts, cubed orange pepper and sliced yellow squash. I added plenty of olive oil, salt and pepper before grilling.

In addition, I made scalloped potato gratin by Tyler Florence. This was so yummy and everyone enjoyed it:

1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 sprig fresh thyme (used 3 or 4 sprigs)
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Butter (used Pam)
2 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/8-inch thick slices
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup grated Parmesan, plus more for broiling (I think I used more like 1 cup - I love cheese!)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
In a saucepan, heat up the cream with a sprig of thyme, chopped garlic and nutmeg.
While cream is heating up, butter a casserole dish. Place a layer of potato in an overlapping pattern and season with salt and pepper. Remove cream from heat, then pour a little over the potatoes. Top with some grated Parmesan. Make 2 more layers. Bake, uncovered, for 45 minutes (baked it for about 55 minutes because my potato slices were on the thick side). Sprinkle some more Parmesan and broil until cheese browns, about 3 minutes.

I didn't get a solo shot of the gratin but here it is in the center of the photo (that's Greg's plate with a gigantic steak!). To the right of the potatoes is the tabbouleh.

For a salad, I made tabbouleh. I have had this a few times at restaurants but never ventured to make it myself. I also made it as a test because it's on Arielle's graduation party food list. It passed the test with flying colors so I'll be making it again (a huge batch) in June for the party. The recipe is from Barefoot Contessa Parties! :

1 cup bulgur wheat (I found some organic bulgar at my local health food store)

1 1/2 cups boiling water
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons)
1/4 cup good olive oil
3 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 cup minced scallions, white and green parts (1 bunch)
1 cup chopped fresh mint leaves (1 bunch)
1 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley (1 bunch)
1 hothouse cucumber, unpeeled, seeded, and medium-diced
2 cups cherry tomatoes, cut in half
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Place the bulgur in a large bowl, pour in the boiling water, and add the lemon juice, olive oil, and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt. Stir, then allow to stand at room temperature for about 1 hour.
Add the scallions, mint, parsley, cucumber, tomatoes, 2 teaspoons salt, and the pepper; mix well. Season, to taste, and serve or cover and refrigerate. The flavor will improve if the tabbouleh sits for a few hours.

I didn't use a cup of each parsley and mint - it seemed excessive.
Finally, I made white wine sangria. A bottle of cheap chardonnay, a frozen melange of tropical fruit and a liter of ginger ale made a refreshing treat to go with dinner. I put the wine in a pitcher, added the fruit and refrigerated it for about 4 hours. Then I added the ginger ale and refrigerated it for another hour. Sparkling refreshment!
Additional Easter Day pictures:

Arielle, Adam, Greg & Hope after we found our Easter baskets.

My dad surprised my grandparents and my mom with this light post in town that is dedicated to Parents Bob & Pat Swenson and Merle & Ruth Adams.

In the photo from left: my dad, grandpa, grandma, me, Adam, Arielle, my mom and Chester in the front. And Greg behind the camera.

Greg and I in downtown New Bloomfield looking like we just rolled out of bed!

NOTE: I am going to be investing in a new camera soon so my pictures will get better...

Deviled Eggs

Knowing Greg loves deviled eggs, I decided to make a batch for Easter. I, however, do not like them, so this was my first time attempting the popular snack. While cooking, I do not pay much attention to detail (which I learned how much I really don't after working with Tim the Chef who enjoys perfectly uniform meatballs and precisely square mango chunks) so it was difficult to neatly get the yolk out of the egg while keeping the whites intact. I think I pulled it off ok though. Below is a recipe from Alton Brown, which is doubled from his original recipe.

12 hard boiled eggs, cooled and peeled
2 teaspoons whole pink peppercorns, divided
1 teaspoon whole white peppercorns
1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
1 teaspoon whole green peppercorns
1 teaspoon caper liquid
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
pinch sugar

Slice eggs from top to bottom. Scoop out yolks unto a medium mixing bowl and lay whites aside. Place all of the peppercorns except 1 teaspoon of the pink pepeprcorns, into a spice grounder and process until ground well. **NOTE: I use a mixture of these four peppercorns in my pepper mill so I just used the pepper from my mill. However I only used 3 teaspoons instead of the 4 it calls for because I felt like it was a lof of pepper.**
Add the ground peppers, caper liquid, mayo, mustard, salt and sugar to the egg yolks and using a fork (I used a wire whisk to get it extra smooth), stir to thoroughly combine. Place the mixture into a zip-lock plastic bag and cut a small hole at one of the corner. Pipe mixture into each of the white halves (I did not use a plastic bag, but a teaspoon. However I can see how this method would be less messy!). Coarsely grind the remaining 1 teaspoon of pink peppercorns and use to garnish top of each egg (I did not do this. I sprinkled them with paprika - the traditional garnish).
Chill for at least one hour before serving.

Greg was carrying around the plate of devil eggs while looking for his Easter basket.

UPDATE: Testing our Green Thumbs

Here is the tray of seeds we planted. They are 7 days old!! All seeds sprouted except for the basil. I have to do a little research on what's wrong or if they just take longer. We still have seeds left so maybe I will try to plant the basil elsewhere.

The tallest so far are the yellow squash and cucumber. It's so amazing to watch them grow... you can see how they came out of the seed because the seed is still stuck on top of the little leaves.


You can see the sad, empty coirs that have the basil seeds in them.

Testing our Green Thumbs

On Sunday, my mom and I planted some seeds in hopes of beginning our vegetable garden. For the past few years we've done some container gardens on our patio and we hope to continue this year.

In these 72 little seedling coir disks, we planted Roma tomatoes, cucumbers, green peppers, yellow squash and basil. We are keeping the tray in the dining room in front of the bay window (not in it because the directions say to keep the trays out of direct light). Once we see little sprouts - hopefully by mid week next week, we can remove the clear plastic top.

Here we planted some cherry tomato seeds in a hanging basket, hoping one day soon we will have a cascading plant, providing us with lots of juicy little tomatoes!

We may plant a few pepper and Roma tomato plants in the ground but we hope to plant most in containers.

I'll keep you up to date on the progress of our little seedlings!

My Easy Easter Eggs

Well I didn't go all out on Easter egg dying this year. I simply used the Marble Swirl Kit I found on sale at AC Moore Crafts (but I saw the same kit at Rite Aid last night so you can still get a kit before Sunday). I did these eggs all by myself. I don't know why I really feel the urge to still dye eggs at Easter... maybe to hang on to my childhood tradition when it was a huge event for the entire family.

I bought some free range brown eggs and my mom but them in the egg cooker first, never thinking they wouldn't take color. The color didn't really show up but made them shimmery - just like a golden egg from Charlie & the Chocolate Factory, only smaller!

The white eggs held the color really well - the technique here is to put on a plastic glove, put a few drops of color on the egg and then roll them around in your hand until the color is distributed through the egg to your liking, adding more drops or another color for a more intense result.

For the next few days, I will have my fill of hard boiled eggs!

These 6 are my favorites because I mixed the colors together.

Here you will see I tried to make a polka dot egg by putting round stickers on the egg, dying it and then removing the stickers. It worked ok but I had trouble removing the stickers. Above the polka dotted egg is a brown egg with blue dye on it and to the right a brown egg with purple dye.

Spicy 'N Sweet Pickles

Yesterday, my mom and I spent some time in the kitchen making some snacks for the upcoming week. My mom was in the mood for spicy pickles, so we used my Aunt Donna's recipe. She says they taste just like the 14 day pickles her mom - my grandma - used to make (a recipe similar to this).

Because you make these from jarred dill pickles and not from a fresh cucumber, they're ready to enjoy shortly after making! And I do love pickles, especially sweet ones like these!

1 quart dill pickles

2 cups sugar

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

1 tablespoon pickling spices

Drain pickles and slice in to thick, bite-sized chunks. Return to the jar.

In a small saucepan, mix together sugar, vinegar and spices. Place over medium-high heat and stir until the mix begins to boil and the sugar disolves. Pour over pickle chunks in the jar. Seal with lid. Let cool and then refrigerate.

New Lunch Spot in Harrisburg

My newest post is up on the PAadventure blog.

Somethings I submitted but were cut from the post:

~~Their menu boasts specialty sandwiches – my favorites include the Caitlin (corned beef & coleslaw on rye) and the Mr. T (BBQ pork on a roll), salads, wraps and homemade soups (daily soup specials in addition to chili which is always available). I recently had some chicken noodle soup that was delicious.

~~I’ve tried the Oreo cake and the peanut butter cake – both perfectly sweet and decadent.

I already wrote about the 3rd Street Deli on this blog but wanted to share it with the readers of the PAadventure blog as well.

On Monday, the PAadventure blog will be replaced with The Savvy Grouse Blog! I'll remind everyone to take a look at the new layout on Monday.

In the Kitchen with Tim - Part 2

Last evening, The Winter Group hosted a fundraiser for a Dauphin County judge candidate, and Tim catered the event. Natalie and I helped him prep the food (also see previous post). Below are more prepping pictures, along with the food display at the event.

The smoked salmon on cucumber chips and the Prosciutto-wrapped asparagus with a balsamic reduction

Grilled Fruit Kabobs of fresh pineapple, mango & peaches - grilling the fruit makes the fructose extra sweet.

The shrimp was marinated in the Spanish paprika olive oil and then par-grilled on Sunday. On Tuesday, Tim finished them in the oven.

Here is the shrimp with the Mango & Roasted Red Pepper Coulis for dipping.

Here Natalie and Tim add and mix the meatball ingredients: ground beef, loose Italian sausage, ground lamb, chopped red onion, eggs, salt and pepper. Later Tim made a Spanish sauce out of Goya sofrito sauce and recaito sauce, and then added roasted almond slices.

Natalie did an excellent job of rolling a sea of meatballs (like 200)! She quickly overcame her dislike of handling raw meat!
Here are the meatballs at the event.

There was also a spinach and artichoke dip served with sliced foccacia bread.

Everyone, including me, raved about the food! It was delicious!