Joanne Weir and Me

Photo by Andrea Boje


Joanne and myself at the wrap of filming her new cooking show series. She is such an amazing mentor, Chef, friend. I am so grateful for all I learn and experience with her everyday that I am afforded the opportunity. You should check out her books shows and all things Joanne; you won't be disappointed!

Okay, NOW back to the kitchen.

Give Peace A Chance

Photo Copyright by Getty Images

I now believe anything is possible!
Back to the kitchen....

Homemade Buttermilk Pancakes

Tip: You can help everyone eat pancakes together by creating a warming drawer of sorts, with your regular oven. Just put a heat-safe platter in the center of the oven, and set the thermometer to about 185 degrees- when that temperature is reached, turn off the oven and start cooking the pancakes, placing them on the platter in the oven as you prepare them. They will all be fluffy and warm come time to eat!

1 cup milk
1 T white vinegar
1 egg
3/4 cup unbleached AP flour
1/4 cup oat flour
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
2T butter, melted

Make buttermilk:
In a measuring cup, combine milk and vinegar, stir and set aside for five minutes.

Prepare pancakes:
In a medium mixing bowl, whisk egg and add buttermilk.

In another small bowl, combine flours, salt, and baking soda. Add to the buttermilk mixture and whisk until smooth, then whisk in the butter as well.

Heat nonstick skillet of choice on medium low heat, and pour desired amount of batter (2 oz. is a nice 3" pancake) onto surface. About 2 minutes later, or when a few bubbles pop and hold their shape on top of the pancake, flip and continue to cook until steam is no longer is present, about 30 seconds to 1 minute.

Fudgy Mini Muffins - Gluten Free, Dairy Free

If you take this same recipe and bake it in different vessels, you will yield different results. In a madeline pan, a gooey molten cake consistency is achieved, with a little crisp around the edges creating a nice texture variance. In regular sized muffin tins lined with paper, they end up also moist but not gooey. In the mini muffin tin, a perfectly sized cake-like treat. However you bake them, they are gluten free with the added benefit of being made with whole grain oat flour and unsweetened applesauce - these little bits of heaven are both wholesome and devilish, and I dare you to try to eat just .... six!

1/2 cup turbinado sugar
3/4 cup oat flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/8 tsp. cinnamon
2 oz. mini chocolate chips, vegan chips or chopped chocolate pieces
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium mixing bowl, combine sugar through chocolate. Fold in applesauce and vanilla, just until flour is moist and incorporated. Using small ice cream scoop, fill non-stivk mini muffin tins evenly (about 20 tins will be almost full). Bake in center of oven for 20 minutes, rotating once. Allow to cool ten minutes then remove from tins and allow to finish cooling on a wire rack. Store in airtight containers.

Onion Sprouts!

Oh onion sprouts, I would write you an ode or a sonnet of I could do such things!

Onion sprouts are little nutritional powerhouses, adding amazing flavor and texture as well as nutrients and surprisingly enough, protein!

A bad-but-oh-so-good comfort food favorite of mine is pasta tossed with butter, parmesan, lots of pepper (black or red or both!) and flake salt. It's a pantry staple that I can't eat often but when I do it's lots o fun for my tastebuds - and today was an even luckier day for them than usual! Onion sprouts, added to the top of my bowl of decadence added a fresh element to an obviously heavy ensemble of ingredients, and the sprouts' flavor was even more pronounced with the ambient heat of the pasta, rendering them rich in flavor and faintly crisp in texture . Added to sandwiches and wraps, just as yummy! I will be pestering my grocer for more of these, that's for sure.