Buttermilk and Lemon Scented Pancakes with Warm Blueberry Syrup

My son Cameron wanted me to make this for his birthday breakfast.  He is 12 and completely, without a doubt, my son.  He will sit and watch cooking shows with me into the wee hours of the night, or in the middle of a Saturday.   He has his own list of favorites he likes to Tivo.  Like me, he loves the presentation of his food, (he likes to call it "professional").  It always needs to look professional. ;)  Now, my husband has someone else in the house to roll his eyes at when we want to stick some garnish on a plate.  

I love these pancakes, they are pretty simple and easy to make.  The syrup is even easier, with only two ingredients.  I usually leave the blueberries whole the day I make them.  Whatever is left over I will puree and put through a strainer and keep in the refrigerator.  The flavor is actually better pureed.  

2 cups fresh blueberries

2 cups light corn syrup

1 cup all~purpose flour

2 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

pinch of salt

1 cup buttermilk

1 large egg

2 tablespoons butter, melted

2 tablespoons lemon zest

confectioners' sugar

In a saucepan, over medium heat, combine the blueberries and corn syrup.  Bring to a boil and cook for a couple of minutes.  Remove from heat and with a potato masher, mash the berries.  Keep warm.  

In a small mixing bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk the buttermilk, egg, and butter until fully incorporated.  Add the sifted ingredients to the milk mixture and whisk until it is slightly smooth, but still has some lumps.  Fold in the lemon zest and allow the batter to rest for a couple minutes. 

Lightly grease a griddle over medium heat.  Cooking in batches, pour 1/4 cup of the batter onto the hot griddle for each pancake.  Cook for about 2~3 minutes or until the batter bubbles and is golden brown, flip and continue to cook until golden brown.  Remove and stack on serving plates.  Place a pat of butter between each pancake.  Drizzle the pancakes with the syrup and garnish with the confectioners' sugar.  

With the remaining syrup, I puree it and put it through a strainer.  My kids like it better this way.  

Baja "Charred" Salsa

One of my favorite places to eat for lunch, is Baja Fresh or anything similar to it.  I'm not really a sandwich shop kinda girl.  Give me a simple chicken taco with some great salsa and I'm happy.  I could eat at a place like this for lunch just about every day. The food is simple, clean and flavorful.  Don't get me wrong, I also love complex and heavy.  Just not every day.

One of reasons I keep coming back is the Salsa Baja, it's my favorite.  I love so many things charred, blackened or broiled.  For me, the completely charred tomatoes and jalapeno in this recipe are perfect.  It's what makes it special.  You may feel like you are ruining the tomatoes, and you've got a burnt mess.  Stick with it!  I've added pictures of the black tomatoes so you can see how it could seem bad.  But, bad never tasted so good!  Recipe adapted from Todd Wilbur.

9 firm medium tomatoes, *chilled~ this will help them stay intact during grilling
1 jalapeno, stem removed
1 clove garlic
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/2 cups water
1 1/2 limes, juiced
1/4 cup white onion, diced
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

Preheat barbecue grill to high heat.

Place 7 of the chilled tomatoes, stem~side down (remove stems), directly on the grill.  Allow the tomatoes to roast over the flame for 20~30 minutes until most of the surface of each tomato is black.  (I roasted my tomatoes at about 550~600 degrees for 25 minutes).  Add the jalapeno to the grill and turn over the tomatoes and roast another 20~30 minutes.  Turn the jalapeno once during cooking so the pepper blackens evenly.

Take the tomatoes and jalapeno off the grill and put them on a plate to cool for 10~15 minutes.  Dump the tomatoes, jalapeno and any liquid into a blender.  Add the garlic and salt and blend on high speed until the mixture is pureed.  Add the water and lime juice and blend again on high speed for about 30 seconds.

Pour the mixture into a bowl.  Dice the remaining tomato and add it to the salsa.  Add the onion and cilantro, then cool the salsa in the refrigerator.

Makes about 4 cups.

Mascarpone Chocolate Toffee Bars

I can't think of a better way to dress up store bought cookie dough than with chocolate, toffee, nuts and mascarpone cheese.  I love the chocolate/cheese layer in these cookies.  They are easy to make and you might just forget you used store bought cookie dough.  They are also pretty, I cut my squares into triangles for something different.  

This recipe comes from Giada De Laurentiis.  

Vegetable cooking spray

1 pound refrigerated sugar cookie dough 

2 (1.4 ounces) chocolate~toffee candy bars, coarsely chopped, divided 

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1 teaspoon vegetable oil

1 cup mascarpone cheese, at room temperature

1/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted

Position an oven rack in the middle of the oven.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Spray a 7x10 3/4-inch nonstick baking pan with vegetable cooking spray.  Lay a 6x18-inch piece of parchment paper in the pan, allowing the excess paper to overhang the sides.  Spray the parchment paper lightly with cooking spray.

In a medium bowl, combine the cookie dough, 1/2 of the chopped chocolate~toffee candy pieces and vanilla extract.  Using damp fingers, gently press the dough into the prepared pan.  Using the tines of a fork, prick the dough all over.  Bake for 12 to 14 minutes until the crust is lightly browned.  Cool for 15 minutes.

Place the chocolate chips and vegetable oil in a medium bowl.  Place the bowl over a pan of simmering water and stir until the chocolate has melted.  Cool the chocolate mixture for 10 minutes.  Whisk in the mascarpone cheese until the mixture is smooth.  Using a spatula, spread the chocolate mixture over the cooled crust.  Sprinkle the remaining chocolate~toffee candy pieces and sliced almonds over the chocolate mixture.  Refrigerate for at least 2 hours until the chocolate layer is firm.

Peel off the parchment paper and cut into 2-inch bars.  Serve at room temperature.

*To toast almonds, arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake in a preheated 350 degrees oven for 8 to 10 minutes until lightly browned.

Japanese Onion Soup

So, if you're going to make the Benihana wannabe Ginger Salad Dressing (pictured, and previously posted), you've got to make the Onion Soup right?  They totally go together, I can't have one without the other.  This soup is a great addition to a meal.  It would not be great on it's own.  You'd probably still be hungry, I know I would anyway.  My husband was out of town when I tried this recipe, along with the salad dressing.  I brought it to my friend Camille who thought the same.  Addition to dinner...but not dinner on it's own.
Recipe adapted from Todd Wilbur.

4 cups canned chicken broth
2 cups water
1 white onion
1 carrot, coarsely chopped
1 stalk celery, coarsely chopped
1 clove garlic, sliced
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup vegetable oil
1 cup milk
1 cup all~purpose flour
6 medium mushrooms, thinly sliced
4 green onions, sliced


Combine chicken broth and water in a large saucepan over high heat.  Slice the white onion in half, and coarsely chop one half (save the other half for later).  Add coarsely chopped onion, carrot, celery, garlic and salt to saucepan and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes, or until the onion starts to become translucent.

As the broth simmers, heat up the vegetable oil in a small saucepan over medium heat.  slice the remaining white onion into very thin slices.  Separate the slices, dip into the milk, then the flour seasoned with a pinch of salt.  Fry the breaded onion, a handful at a time in the oil until golden brown.  Drain on a paper towel.  ** You could skip this step and use the canned French's French Fried Onions if you'd prefer.  One small can would be enough for this recipe.

When the soup has simmered 10 minutes, strain the vegetables out of the broth and discard.  Pour the broth back into the pan and  keep it hot over low heat.

To serve soup, ladle about 1 cup of broth into a bowl.  Drop a few pieces of fried onion into the soup, followed by some of the mushroom and green onions.  Serve.

Ginger Salad Dressing

I grew up going to Benihana's Japanese Steakhouse every year for my birthday.  It was our families traditional birthday lunch with my mom and brothers.  Sometimes my cute Grandma's or Dad would come along, but it was my Mom's thing.  We got to get out of school (total bonus) and go to the "Valley."  Yup, I am like totally a Valley Girl.  You can hear it right?  It is pretty embarrassing I used to talk like that.  Like, Gag me with a spoon!!  We would always go to the Ventura Blvd. location, which I later in life had an apartment across the street from.  Hmm...I wonder why I picked that place?  Now when I go there with my husband, I probably embarrass him.  I always order extra dressing on the side and I basically have soup.  I do one of those, "Do you want some?" He's smart enough to know I don't really want to share.

My mom had a friend that worked there, who gave her the salad dressing recipe.  It was in bulk, like a gallon of this, a ton of that.  I'm not sure if she ever converted the quantities.  Maybe I should see if I can get my hands on it.

Like... Totally...this is not the original dressing recipe!  It's a knock off that's like pretty close.  OK, I'm done talking like a fool.  ;)

I've tried many dressings similar to this and this is probably the closest I've found.  The recipe is adapted from Todd Wilbur.  It's not the real thing, but it's still really good.

1/2 cup minced onion
1/2 cup peanut oil
1/3 cup rice vinegar
2 tablespoons water
2 1/2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
2 tablespoons minced celery
2 1/2 tablespoons ketchup
4 teaspoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Combine all ingredients in a blender.  Blend on high speed for about 30 seconds or until all the ginger is pureed.  Chill.  

Makes 1 3/4 cups.

Guy Fieri's Chicken Avocado Egg Rolls

Guy Fieri is a kick back, fun chef to watch.  He made these egg rolls that my kids really wanted to try.  I've made egg rolls a time or two and have never made them eat them.  I thought they might not love them, but we gave them a shot.  Guess what?  They liked them. Way to go Guy, making egg rolls "cool" for my picky eaters.  I love it!  I love avocado, so these were right up my alley.


These would be great with Cilantro Sour Cream found under Dips or Mexican tabs.


A great appetizer or a fun side.  This recipe makes 12 egg rolls.


2 tablespoons canola oil
1/2 cup finely minced red onion
1/4 cup finely minced red bell pepper
2 tablespoons minced ginger
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1/4 cup sliced bamboo shoots
1/4 cup finely chopped celery
2 cups cooked chicken breast
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 cup julienned green cabbage
1/2 cup shredded carrots
4 cups rice bran oil or canola oil
12 egg roll wrappers
2 avocados, sliced into 24 pieces
1 egg mixed with 1 tablespoon milk
sweet chili sauce, for dipping


In a saute pan over high heat, add canola oil. Saute red onions and bell peppers until translucent. Add ginger, garlic, bamboo shoots, celery, chicken, and cook for 5 minutes over medium heat. De~glaze pan with soy sauce. Cool mixture.

In large bowl combine cabbage, carrots and chicken mixture.

In medium saucepan, heat rice bran oil to 350 degrees F. Oil needs to be deep enough to keep egg roll from touching bottom of pan. Add more oil, if needed.

To roll egg rolls, layout egg roll skin with corner facing you, place approximately 1/12th of mixture on roll and place 2 pieces of avocado on top of mixture. Fold corner over mixture, and then fold outside corners over the mixture, making a roll, 4 to 5-inches wide. Roll firmly, being careful not to tear wrapper, and seal the final edge with egg wash.

Dredge the egg roll in egg wash, allow excess to drain off and submerge egg roll in oil. Fry until golden brown, about 3 to 4 minutes. Drain on sheet tray lined with a cooling rack.

Mixed Fruit Smoothie

We are such a smoothie house.  My kid's friends come over and ask me what kind of smoothie I'm going to make.  Sometimes we use a recipe, but most of the time we just make them up!

My husband bought me a Vita~Mix blender a few years ago.  This was the first recipe we tried from cookbook that came with it.  The kids love it and it's really easy.  I usually have all the ingredients on hand, so we make it pretty often.  I have no problem making this for them whenever they want.  Cameron actually makes it most of the time.  The girls love it because it's pink!

1 cup frozen strawberries
2 bananas
1 orange
1/2 cup frozen peaches
1 cup vanilla or plain yogurt
1/2 cup ice cubes

Place all ingredients in blender and blend until smooth, about 1 minute.  Serve immediately.

*You can add a little honey or sugar if you would like it a little sweeter.  I used to...now I just leave it out.