Recipe: Blueberry and Cheddar Pancakes

I have to be honest and say that this recipe isn't mine. I stole it from Aleta Meadowlark (which might just be the coolest name EVER), who runs the blog Omnomicon. She stole it from The Joy of Cooking. I took it and made it fit for the lazy person in your life. The original recipe involves making the pancakes from scratch. This is not difficult by any means, but I always use Bisquick for my pancakes. Bisquick is always what my father used, and I always thought that his pancakes (made with Bisquick) were much better than my mother's pancakes (made from scratch.)
Anyway, to view the original recipe, go check out Omnomicon. For my lazy version, read on.

Ingredients:
Bisquick (2 C)
2 eggs
1 C milk
1 tsp Vanilla
1/2 C frozen blueberries
1/2 C shredded cheddar cheese

You are going to make two batches of pancakes-a cheddar batch, and a blueberry batch. This way you can eat the cooked pancakes together, for maximum delicious. Get out two medium sized bowls, and put 1 C Bisquick, 1 egg, 1/2 C milk, and 1/2 tsp vanilla in each.
Mix the ingredients together half way. Alton Brown (my idol) says that Americans have a tendency to beat batter into oblivion, and that we should all chill out and leave well enough alone. I'm paraphrasing, of course, but he has a point. So resist the urge.Measure out 1/2 C of the frozen blueberries and choose a batter bowl to add them to. I chose the red bowl. You are supposed to thaw and drain them, but I didn't bother. This didn't seem to affect the pancakes in any way, but you can feel free to take the extra step if you like.
Shred 1/2 C of cheddar cheese, and add it to the other bowl.
Mix both bowls again so that the additional ingredients are distributed. Purple pancakes? Awesome!Heat a non-stick frying pan over medium-low heat, and add about 1/2 tsp of veggie or canola oil. Once the pan is hot, drop about 1/4 C of batter per cake. Flip when the tops get bubbly. Repeat as needed.
Forthcoming-Pancake Porn.

Mmmmmm.Oh yeah.

Serve stacked on top of each other.
I LOVE the way they look like this, all colorful, stripey and fun! I think this will be my new desktop image. I admit, seeing them stacked on top of each other is part of the reason I decided to make them to begin with. That, and cheddar cheese in pancakes sounded way too good to pass up.
Can you imagine serving these for breakfast? MAJOR points, people. Major points.

<3 Stef

Recipe: Poached Eggs with Dijon Dill Sauce

I've been really lazy lately--not posting anything, and I haven't taken any pictures in awhile, either. I'm going to try to start posting a new recipe every Friday, but I can't promise I'll have a bunch of pictures to match. I try; but it is really difficult to cook and photograph at the same time!

Poached Eggs with Dijon Dill Sauce, for 2

This is something I invented myself last Saturday morning while I was trying to figure out what to make for breakfast.

Ingredients:
2 slices of toasted Ciabatta bread, 1.5-2" thick.
2 slices of honey ham
1/2 C. shredded, steamed chard
2 eggs, poached

For sauce:
1/2 TB of butter
1/4 tsp of flour
1/3 C of half and half
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp honey dijon mustard
A bit of dill, around 1/8 tsp, just a few gentle shakes of the spice jar
Salt and pepper

Directions:
Toast the bread, top with the ham, and put in a 250 degree oven to keep warm. Prepare the chard by removing the stems and center vein and slicing into ribbons. To steam, put in a pot with 1/2" of water and cook until the chard is bright green, around 5 minutes. Put aside.
Poach the eggs. Fill a pot with water, enough so that the cracked eggs will be completely submerged. Add 1 TB of white vinegar to the water. Bring to a boil. While you are waiting for the water to boil, make the sauce (recipe below). Crack the eggs into the boiling water. Reduce the heat to medium and cover. Cook for 2-5 minutes, depending on how well done you like your eggs. I usually cook mine for about 3 minutes, and I like them slightly runny.

Sauce:
Melt the butter in a small saucepan. Once melted, add the flour and stir to combine. Add the half and half and stir again until slightly reduced. Add the garlic powder, dill, and a little bit of pepper. Turn off the heat and add the mustard, stirring until completely combined. Taste and add salt if needed.

To assemble:
Take the bread and ham out of the oven and plate. Divide the chard evenly onto both slices, top with the poached eggs and the sauce, and enjoy!