Category Archives: Family

Buttermilk Pancakes

I grew up eating bisquick pancakes.  You know, the pre-measured mixes where you just add milk, eggs and oil.  They always did the trick and were easy enough to make, so I never thought about going out and finding a pancake recipe that was made from scratch.

Well, that all changed a couple months ago when I discovered my Grandma’s Buttermilk Pancake recipe.  I whipped up a batch of these homemade pancakes and quickly realized that taking a little extra time to measure out my own ingredients, and add a few extra special ones, made a world of difference.  These pancakes were light, airy and sweet.  I may never go back to the box!

Buttermilk Pancakes

2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 Tbsp sugar
2 cups buttermilk
1/4 cup melted butter or oil
2 eggs

Mix the dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Add the remaining buttermilk, butter or oil and eggs and beat well until combined. Fry in a well oiled pan.

This recipe works well cut in half for a smaller group.

Haute Homemake Tip: If you don’t have buttermilk on hand, don’t worry!  Simply take one cup of regular milk and add 1 tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon juice.  Let stand 5 minutes and use as much as the recipe calls for.

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Filed under Cook, Family, Quick & Easy

Apricot Jalapeno Pulled Pork {4 ways}

I am a true believer in quick weeknight meals, which can be very difficult for a foodie. But I would much rather spend time with my husband and daughter on a Tuesday night then spend an hour in the kitchen which means I needed to figure out some shortcuts to help me whip up quick and delicious meals without sacrificing flavor and nutrition.

I find preparing foods on the weekends, when I tend to have more time,
and freezing them for later can save me a lot of time during the week.
The trick is knowing what will freeze well and how to use it up. A
couple weeks ago I made one of my favorite recipes, Apricot and
Jalapeno Pulled Pork
. I used up some of the pork that night and froze
the rest in 3 individual portions to use later in the month. As
promised, here are all the meals I made with this delicious pulled
pork!


Pulled Pork Tacos
First I made pulled pork tacos and served the Apricot Jalapeno Pork on warm flour tortillas with fresh cilantro and a lime wedge.

Spicy Quesadillas
A week later, I thawed out some pork and make quesadillas complete with black beans, fresh corn and pepper jack cheese.

Pulled Pork Nachos
The next week we unexpectedly had friends over for the Packers/Vikings game (oh, Brett Favre). I needed a meal that would please a crowd and it needed to be made quickly. I thawed the frozen pork in the microwave and then simmered it in a mixture of bbq sauce and broth. Next,  I layered chips, shredded cheese, green peppers and the pork on an oven safe tray and baked them for about 10 minutes at 350 degrees.

BBQ Pork Pizza
Finally, we used the last bit of pulled pork on a bbq pizza. I used my favorite whole wheat pizza crust and topped it with with bbq sauce, cheese, thawed pulled pork and green pepper rings then baked at 400 degrees for 12 minutes.

A little bit of planning led me to 4 easy weeknight meals that I was
able to throw together each in under 20 minutes!

Tips for freezing food:

Invest in some good tupperware or ziplock freezer storage bags, both work great to store food.

Always be sure to properly label the contents of the bag, including the date it was made.

I make it a rule to eat anything I freeze within a month to ensure it will still taste great and will be safe to eat.

Move the food from the freezer to the refrigerator the night before
you intend to use it or thaw the food in the microwave immediately
before cooking with it. Never leave food out on the counter to thaw.

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Filed under Cook, Family, Quick & Easy

The Dirty Dozen {Buying Organic}

According to the USDA, organic food is food that is“produced without using most conventional pesticides; synthetic fertilizers; bioengineering; or ionizing radiation.” Essentially, organic foods are minimally processed foods that don’t contain much else other than the food itself.   Sounds like something I want to feed my family.

Ideally, I would love to purchase mostly organic food, especially produce. However when you look at the price difference between organic and non organic, it is clear that the average households simply cannot afford to buy 100% organic.

organic-choice-lg

Thankfully I have come across this list produced by Environmental Working Group called the Dirty Dozen. It is  a list of the top 12 foods that have the most pesticide contamination. Essentially, if you are going to buy some food organic, be sure to pick the produce on this list because it tends to have the highest pesticide content.

The fruits and vegetables on the Dirty Dozen list are:

Peaches                    Cherries
Apples                       Kale
Bell peppers            Lettuce
Celery                        Grapes
Nectarines               Carrots
Strawberries           Pears

The EWG also produces a list called the Clean 15, highlighting fruits and vegetables that have the least amount of pesticide exposure. So, if you are going to purchase the foods below, no need to spend the extra and get organic. The foods that made the Clean 15 are:

Onion                    Asparagus          Papaya
Avocado              Sweet Peas         Watermelon
Sweet corn          Kiwi                      Broccoli
Pineapple            Cabbage              Tomato
Mango                  Eggplant              Sweet Potato

istock_photo_of_applesAlthough it will be hard to eliminate pesticides and other unwanted chemicals from our diets entirely, studies have shown that following the Dirty Dozen and Clean 15 produce lists can lower your pesticide exposure by 80%! That is a small change that can make a big difference…and won’t break the bank.

Read more about Organic food and how to reduce your risk at the Environmental Working Groups Shoppers Guide to Pesticides.

anne

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Filed under Cook, Family, Garden

Pinwheel Birthday Party

Our darling daughter, Isla, turned one last week and I knew I wanted to do something special for her first birthday party. Our neighbor has pinwheels in his yard and she loves to watch them spin around, so I decided a pinwheel themed birthday party would be perfect for our little girl!

first

The birthday girl wore a onesie created by sticheroos and a pinwheel headband from Kylala Boutique who also made her adorable birthday hat.

isla

I found these simply stated and adorable invitations from Jack and Izzy which set the tone of the party

pinwheel

As party gifts, guest received small pink bags filled with candy. The bags were adorned with a small “thank you” tag created by fellow HAP blogger, Katie, and fastened with a mini clothes pin.

Guests were greeted by a Happy Birthday banner when they entered the house. Pinwheels were also put on the front door and scattered throughout the house in glass vases filled with orange Jelly Bellies. The banner and pinwheels were created by the amazing shana from crossroads cottage.

sign

For lunch we snacked on sun dried tomato pasta salad, spinach salad with strawberries, blueberries and walnuts, sliced apples with homemade caramel dip, tea sandwiches, hot dogs and brats. The food was labeled with lovely orange name tags and pink handmade pinwheels.

food

Guests sipped peach slush, pink lemonade and soda from pink cups decorated with a pink pinwheel sticker from Jack and Izzy.

For dessert we had a 2 tiered pink cake that was created by Aly from Sweetness by Alice. It not only looked amazing, but tasted out of this world! The bottom layer was vanilla cake with cookies and cream filling and the top layer was lemon cake with lemon and raspberry filling. Isla also had her very own cake to dig into!

cake

All in all, Isla’s first birthday party was a success! She played, opened lots of wonderful gifts, ate tons of cake and then took a long nap!

balloonsHappy birthday baby girl!

anne

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Filed under Birthday, Entertain, Family