Pumpkin Buttermilk Pancakes and Buttermilk Syrup

I have been out of pumpkin and waiting, not so patiently, to go grocery shopping.   I want to make so many pumpkin things I can't think straight.  Saturday, min dreams came true and I finally got some pumpkin!!!  And I decided I am going to make it a goal to add pumpkin to something each day.  I started off this morning doing just that with our regular pancake recipe.  We changed it a bit to accommodate the pumpkin and it was quite a hit.  Such a hit, in fact, that I tried for a second pumpkin experiment later today (just in case I was on a roll).

Almost Cafe Rio Sweet Pork Burritos

I don't think I can call this actual Cafe Rio burritos since I didn't get the recipe from the restaurant itself. When I first got this recipe (from a friend at church), I didn't even know what Cafe Rio was.  I was sheltered.  I made it anyway because it seemed to be a big deal and I have been making it regularly ever since.  I have changed it a bit and I think I have it about how I like it. So if you like Cafe Rio (or Surfin' Tacos for my Hawaii friends), then you might like this.  The original recipe makes a ton and calls for a 5 lb pork roast.  I have scaled it back to be a bit more realistic.  Today when I made it, I only used a 1 lb pork roast and it was still plenty for our family of 4, leftovers included.

Homemade Flour Tortillas

Is there really a reason to make homemade tortillas?  Especially when they sell the uncooked variety in the store now?  I really don't know if there is, unless you are an idiot like me or you live in a place where you can't find the stinking uncooked tortillas in the store (Hawaii).  Now that I am back on the mainland, I walk up, look at them and think to myself, "Do I really want to spend the 3 dollars on tortillas when I have everything I need to make them at home?"  Sometimes the answer is, "Yes! I really want to just buy them!"  But sometimes I decide I have time to make them.  They really aren't that hard to make, the question is mainly about time. I have made them a few times and this last time they were my best result so far.  I think I figured out a few tricks and tips that are worth sharing.

Doughnuts

Is there anything to say here really?  This is my favorite doughnut recipe so far, they are so tasty and light.

The original recipe is insanely huge.  I really don't recommend making that much unless you are planning on opening a drive up window, it mkes 4 DOZEN DOUGHNUTS!!  I halved the recipe (of course) and I still ended up sticking a cookie sheet of dough in the freezer because it was still too much for us to eat.  And we weren't dainty about it (not that we ever are).  I think next time I will try cutting the recipe down to 1/3.   I used bread flour this last time instead of all purpose and I think it made them a little easier to work with when it came to frying them.   It's easiest if you have a fryer, but I have done it before in just a pan and some oil and thermometer.  I really don't recommend frying anything without a thermometer to make sure you are around the right temperature.  Just try to get it at the right temp and keep it there, it might take some adjusting.   I have included a recipe for the glazed (our favorite) and cinnamon sugar. 

Teriyaki Chicken

This might be one of the easiest recipes I make and it might also be Tyler's favorite.  When I first started making Teriyaki Chicken, there were quite a few ingredients that went into the teriaki sauce.  I have since realized that it's so much more simple than I was making it and we like it better.  For 2 1/2 years my son was on a gluten free diet and it's hard to find gluten free teriyaki sauce (sometimes it's also hard to find gluten free soy sauce).  This was a recipe we could all eat and we all like it.

Sour Cream Muffins

 

Our water was going to be off for a while today and we didn't have our regular breakfast items.  I didn't want to dirty a ton of dishes cooking and eating.  I was trying to come up with a solution, but I was also feeling like I wanted something different.  I was going to make biscuits and started flipping through a cookbook, looking for biscuit recipes.  Then I saw these muffins.  Even though we are getting low on some staples, I happen to have everything to make them and I don't make a lot of muffins so it fit all my criteria.  I had every thing I needed, and it was something new.  I added mini chocolate chips but the recipe talks about mint chips being delicious, I might try that next time.  Not that we had any complaints at all the way we ate them.  And boy did they go fast.  I was a little worried when I tasted the batter that the sour cream would be too much for my kids, but it's wasn't so.  My kids had each eaten 3 in no time (and I might have eaten a few too).  I thought I'd share since they were super easy and super good.  You know something is easy when you don't even have to dirty the bowl for your mixer!

Healthier Chicken and Dumplings

{Photos updated 3/10/2013}

I originally saw a version of this recipe on America's Test Kitchen and then got on the Internet to find it.  I made it the original way a few times and it certainly was delicious.  It just seemed like a little too much.  Too much time, too much fat.  The original recipe calls for bone in, skin on, chicken thighs.  Okay, that is something I never have on hand.  I really like to keep recipes down to things I would normally buy and use, so I didn't love having to buy skin-on thighs for this.  You brown the skin on the chicken in batches and then wait for them to cool, remove the skin and then cook them in the stew for an hour and then take them out and get all the meat off the bone, and on and on.  Don't get me wrong, I am totally willing to spend my life in the kitchen if it's necessary.  In this case, I just wasn't sure it was.  I decided I still liked the taste of the dish and the idea of it; I just wanted it to be a bit more streamlined and healthy. (That way I can have dessert too.Ü)  I still recommend the full version because it is really good, but this is the version we make most often.  It can be on the table in about 30 minutes and is much easier to execute.

Mashed Potatoes

 {Photo updated 3/10/2013}

I love mashed potatoes.  If you ask Hadlee, I love everything and I always say everything is delicious (Hence, the blog name!).  But that's not really true, I just usually don't make things I don't like.  Every now and then, it's kind of nice to be the adult.  And as the adult, I pair mashed potatoes with everything I possibly can.  Luckily, my family likes them as much as I do. :)  I really don't peel potatoes because I spent a childhood being a potato slave, but feel free.  Sometimes I use regular russet potatoes but red are my favorite.