Stay At Home Mom

I feel very much like the mouse in “If You Give a Mouse a Cookie” series just that mine would be “If You Buy A Pint Of Buttermilk”. Probably because I didn’t see a smaller carton of buttermilk, I had quite a bit of it leftover from my buttermilk pancake recipe. I think, there’s nothing more motivating than leftover ingredients taking up space in the fridge.  With the single minded purpose of using up the buttermilk, the aroma in the kitchen was definitely that of baked fresh yummy food this week. Well now I know that a pint of buttermilk can yield banana muffins, buttermilk pancakes and choc-chip buttermilk scones. I’m declaring this week as my buttermilk week. And I don’t think I’ll be looking for a smaller carton of buttermilk the next time I need to get some.

Ingredients: Original recipe from here.

2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter - cut into 1 inch cubes
1/3 cup + 2 tbsp buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla essence
1/2 cup semi-sweet choc chip
1 egg + 1 tbsp milk
brown sugar

Method:

1. Heat oven to 400F and line a baking tray with parchment paper.
2. Combine flour, sugar, salt, baking soda and baking powder. Whisk to combine.



3. Mix buttermilk and vanilla in a separate bowl.



4. Cut the cold butter and mix into the flour.

Look carefully and you’ll see the big chunks are actually smaller cubes stuck to each other.



5. Using the rubbing-in method mix the butter into the flour until it resembles cornmeal. Do not overmix.



6. Add the choc chips and stir to combine with a fork.



7. Make a well n the flour and pour the buttermilk mixture into the flour. Mix with a fork until it starts to clump together.



8. Use your hands and bring the clumps together into a ball of dough. Knead a few times.



Place the ball of dough on a lightly floured surface.

I wrapped my board with cling wrap and didn’t need to flour it.

9. Pat it into a disc about 1 1/2 inches thick.



10. Cut the disc into 8 wedges.



11. Transfer the wedges onto the parchment paper.



12. In a small bowl, combine the lightly beaten egg with the milk and mix.



13. Brush the egg glaze on the surface of the wedges.



14. Sprinkle with brown sugar.



15. Bake for 15-20min or until golden brown and a skewer inserted comes out clean.



16. Serve hot with fresh fruits, whipped butter and honey.

I had been surfing the net looking for buttermilk pancake recipes the night before and finally settled on this one. The morning just gave me the much needed shove in the right direction to actually start on the buttermilk pancake project for breakfast. While all the rest of Seattle seems to be faced with snow woes, today started off beautifully with the glorious sun shining brightly and for a moment I thought spring had arrived early. There is just something about the sun that gives me the lift I need to start the day. With my hair tied back, an apron on and the feel of promise in the air (or at least I imagined it to be so), what more could make the morning better if not for buttermilk pancakes. Unfortunately, I made the mistake of leisurely brewing myself a cup of berry tea to make the breakfast complete. By the time I got to the table to enjoy what should have been a couple of pancakes with whipped butter, syrup some raspberries and my berry tea, I noticed that there were only 3 pancakes left. My family had thoughtfully kept one of each kind of pancake for me. Considering the speed at which they disappeared, I’d say I was lucky I had one of each. (N.B. to self- make a double batch the next time.)

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups of self-rising flour
1/4 cup powdered sugar (icing sugar)
2 eggs yolks - beaten lightly
1 tsp vanilla essence
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
2 egg whites - beaten to soft peaks
3 tbsp butter - melted

Method:

1. Combine flour and sugar.



2. Mix beaten eggs



with buttermilk
 



3. Add the vanilla essence and melted butter to the buttermilk mixture and mix.



4. Combine the liquid mixture to the flour.



Stir to just combine

It should be lumpy as you see below. They make for fluffy pancakes



5. Beat the egg whites



till soft peaks appear.



6. Fold the whites into the mixture



until well combined



7. Heat the griddle. When it is hot enough, pour spoonfuls of batter.



8. Leave it plain or drop dollops of cream cheese



or sprinkle with chocolate chips



 

9. When you see bubbles appear on the surface, flip it over.



10. Give it a few minutes and then lift it off and serve.



 

Remember the Cranberry Swirl Cheesecake? Well, I still have another cup or two of fresh cranberries in the fridge. It’s the last batch and the situation has just turned critical. A few more days of neglect and they’ll be turning their red faces black. It is definitely time to look for another winner recipe to finish them off before they finish me off.  So *wiggle* *wiggle* my magic surfing fingers and…TA-DA! A Cranberry Buckle recipe! There was just something about the Buckle and the Crumble in the name of the recipe that made me feel like it was worth trying. Of course seeing the final product on  Wives With Knives and Tastespace had little to do with me deciding on the spot that it was a recipe worth trying. Yeah, right!

In case you don’t know what a Buckle is, then worry not, neither do I. But I did take the liberty to check up on it. Never a wrong time to learn a new word right? Apparently, the Online Merriam-Webster Dictionary doesn’t have this in its list of “Buckle” definitions. Fortunately, I found it here and it says…

Buckle or Crumble - Is a type of cake made in a single layer with berries added to the batter. It is usually made with blueberries. The topping is similar to a streusel, which gives it a buckled or crumpled appearance.

But it was one of those day, when the baking experience became a little more adventurous and challenging  which inevitably required some changes to the recipe. So if you want the unabridged version of this recipe, you’ll find it in “Rustic Fruit Desserts” by Cory Schreiber and Julie Richardson or here.

Ingredients for Vanilla Crumble:

1 cup all purpose flour
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup cold butter
1 tbsp vanilla

Ingredients for Buckle:

3/4 cup all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 tbsp vanilla
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup cold evaporated milk + 4 drops lemon juice
1 1/4 cup fresh cranberries (washed, drained and patted dry)

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease a 9inch square pan.
2. My blushing beauties - washed, drained and patted dry.



3. Prepare the vanilla crumble first.

   Combine flour, both sugars and salt. Whisk to mix.

   Cut the cold butter into small pieces and coat with the flour.

   

   continue cutting the butter until they reach this size.
   

4. Then start using the rubbing-in method.

   Combine the butter into the flour until in resembles fine breadcrumbs. Do not overmix.

   

5. Drizzle the vanilla all over the flour mixture.



6. Use a fork to mix well. Set aside.



7. For the Buckle.

   Combine the flour, baking powder, salt in a bowl. Whisk to combine.

   The original recipe requires a lot more flour but this is all I had to spare. It turned out pretty good!

   

8. Cream butter and sugar in a separate bowl.

Add the softened butter into the sugar


Cream till light yellow and fluffy….Yum!


9. Add egg one at a time and beat till smooth.



Scrape the sides down


and beat a little more.


10. Stir in the vanilla.



11. Beat the evaporated milk until creamy and frothy.

I didn’t have enough sour cream and used this as a substitute



12. Add the sour cream to the evaporated milk and beat till smooth.

Use only 3/4 cup of this mixture.


13. Add the flour mixture in 3 parts into the butter mixture. Alternate with the sour cream - evaporated milk mixture in 2 parts.

I used to get so confused at this step….Duh! But it’s really easy. Follow the beat…


FLOUR


MILK


FLOUR


MILK


FLOUR


TA-DA!!! thick but not stiff


14. Fold in 1 cup of cranberries.

    

Look at them all cosy in there



15. Pour it in the pan.



16. Sprinkle the rest of the cranberries on top.



17. Sprinkle the vanilla crumble over the cranberries to completely cover them.



18. Bake for 40 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.



19. Enjoy with a cup of coffee….

    

Fish and Chips is an all time favorite with my kids. It’s not a dish that I consider as having a ‘wow’ factor. Think about what it constitutes - fried fish, some salad and lots of french fries - get what I mean? There’s really nothing outstandingly fantastic, unique or saliva-inducing about this dish. But it’s a quick and easy meal which kids love. So I’m not about to complain that my cooking skills are not challenged enough. Sometimes, I’m more than happy that it’s so easy to please. Although it’s a simple dish, it’s not so simple when we eat out and the kids want the fish and chips on the menu. For Muslims who have to abstain from alcohol, beer battered fish and chips just don’t make the deal. Just like alcoholic punch, and chocolate desserts with rum, tiramisu and ice cream. So in case you want a simple, innocent, mouth watering, crispy on the outside and flaky on the inside no-beer-battered fish and chips recipe, here it is. Original recipe taken wholesale from here. And if you do try it, please let me know if this comes anywhere close to the beer battered option. Simply curious.

Ingredients:

6 slices of fish fillet each about 6 - 8in long
2/3 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tbsp vinegar
2/3 cups water

Method:

1. Wash and pat dry the fish slices.



2. In a bowl, combine the flour and salt. Mix well.



3. In a small bowl, combine baking soda and vinegar.

Enjoy the bubbly reaction with your kids…



4. Pour water into the baking soda mixture.



5. Pour the water and baking soda mixture into the flour.



6. Use a whisk and stir the batter until smooth.

The batter will be slightly thick. See the imprint of the whisk. It won’t hold the shape for very long but it gives you an idea of how thick it should be.



7. Heat oil in a pan.
8. Dip the fish slices into the batter.



9. Shake off the excess and deep fry.



10. When one side is golden brown, flip it over and fry till the other side is golden brown.



11. Drain on kitchen paper.



12. Serve hot with fries or rice.

Cranberries. I think berries are such great finger fruits. Wash and pop ‘em in your mouth. But cranberries are different. I got my first eye popping taste of the tart-ish sour-ish bitter-ish tasting fresh cranberries when hubby bought a bag of them. We were discussing the benefits of cranberries for women - especially women - the night before. So with this in mind, it was no surprise that he bought a bag when he came across it while picking up some groceries. Unless I wanted the berries to rot in the bag, I had to find something I could use them for. A quick search of the web and Cookie Pie had the answer to my quest although I made a few tweaks of my own.

Ingredients:

Cranberry Sauce
6oz fresh cranberry - washed
1cup water
1/6 cup sugar

Crust
9 graham crackers - pulsed in a blender to resemble fine breadcrumbs
1 tbsp sugar
5 tbsp unsalted butter - melted

Cheesecake
12 oz Philadelphia Cream Cheese - at room temperature
2/3 cup sugar
1 large egg + 1 yolk- at room temperature
6 tbsp sour cream- at room temperature
1 tsp vanilla essence

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Combine ingredients for crust

   

   then mix with a fork until well blended.

   

3. Bake for 6-8 minutes. Cool before using.
4. In a pan, combine cranberry and water. When the cranberry makes popping sounds and the water starts to reduce, remove from heat and stir in the sugar.



5. Pour the mixture into a blender and puree. Sieve the puree in a coarse sieve. Set aside the sauce.



6. Beat the cream cheese until smooth.
   



7. Add the sugar and continue beating until fluffy.



8. Add the eggs, one at a time, until well incorporated.



9. Add the sour cream and vanilla.
   



10. Beat to combine. Scrape the sides and beat for 1 more minute.



11. Wrap the bottom half of the springform pan with cling wrap. Over the cling wrap, use aluminium foil to cover the outside of the pan.
    



12. Pour half of the cream cheese filling onto the crust.
13. Place 1/2 tbsp dollops of the cranberry sauce in 5 spots. Use a spatula to make swirling patterns with the cranberry sauce into the cream cheese filling. Try to spread out the sauce as much as you can without touching the edges. Be careful not to scrape the crust.



14. Pour the remaining half of the cream cheese filling. Repeat the cranberry dollops and swirls. Keep the swirls simple and pretty.
    



15. Place the springform pan into a rimmed baking tray.



16. Pour hot water into the baking tray. There should be enough water to reach slightly less than half of the height of the springform pan.
17. Place in the oven - medium rack and bake for 30 minutes. The sides should have set but the middle should still be slightly wobbly.



18. Leave it to cool. When cool, cover loosely and place in the refrigerator overnight.
19. Serve with cranberries and remaining cranberry sauce. Or by its heavenly self.