Classic Crepes

Homemade Pancakes is my go to quick easy weekend breakfast for my kids.  I've been wanting to try to make crepes for awhile now so I finally gave it a shot.  What a huge hit these were.  I love how you can serve them so many different ways.  The kids can choose to spread on some Nutella or jam or eat them plain (which is my favorite way) They are sooo good they really don't need also on top.  I love it with fresh berries and a little powdered sugar!

Ingredients:

2 eggs

1 cup milk

1 cup flour

1 tablespoon melted butter

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon sugar

1 pinch of salt

Preparation:

Mix all ingredients in a blender until batter is well combined and smooth.  Heat a 10" non-stick skillet or a crepe pan if you have one.  Melt a teaspoon of butter in the bottom of the pan and pour a 1/4 cup of the crepe mixture in the bottom of the pan swirling it around so it reaches the edges of the pan evenly.  Let sit for about 30-45 second before loosening the edges with a spatula and then using your finger tips or the spatula flip the crepe over to cook for another 30 seconds on the other side.  No need to add anymore butter to the pan.  Keep going with more crepes stacking them on top of each other until the batter is finished.   I serve these simply by folding them in quarters, sprinkling with powdered sugar and adding fresh berries.  You can also add jam, hazelnut spread, syrup of whatever you would like! 

Spring Time Rainbow Cookies

Rainbow Cookies have always been a favorite of my family.  I wanted to make them with a Spring Twist so here are my version of Rainbow Cookies in pretty Spring colors!  Really anything goes!  For Valentine's Day it would look so pretty in shades of Pink and Red, 4th of July - Red, White and Blue!  Here for Springtime I choose, Pink, Teal and Lime Green.  This recipe is a little labor intensive but I promise you, it's worth it!  It' a crowd pleaser!

Ingredients:

8 ounces almond paste
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1 cup sugar
4 large eggs, separated
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup seedless raspberry jam
1/4 cup apricot preserves
3/4 Cup chocolate chips

1 teaspoon coconut oil

Preparation:

Preheat the over to 350 degrees F.   Spray three 13" x 9" x 2"  pans with cooking spray. Line each pan with parchment paper and coat the paper with cooking spray.

In a large bowl add almond paste. Use a fork to break it up into small crumbs.  Using a hand mixer  combine almond paste, butter and sugar and mix until fluffy.  Next, add the egg yokes and beat until incorporated.  Now add the flour and use a wooden spoon to stir until well combined. 

In separate bowl beat the egg whites on high speed until stiff peaks form. Fold the egg whites into the almond batter until thoroughly blended.

Separate the cookie batter into 3 small bowls and a different food color to each bowl and mix until desired color is achieved. 

Add each of the three colored batters into one of the prepared pans, using the spatula to spread the batter to the edges. Bake at 350 degree F and rotate pans halfway through the bake time so that they bake evenly. until the edges are golden, about 12 to 14 minutes. Let cool in the pans for about 5 minutes, then invert onto cooling racks and allow to cool completely.

To Assemble:

Place one layer on a large cutting board or a large inverted baking sheet lined with parchment or wax paper. Spread the raspberry jam evenly over the top. Place the 2nd layer on top and spread with the apricot preserves. . Top with the last cake layer. Cover with plastic wrap and place a heavy cutting board on top to weight it down. If you don't have a large heavy cutting board you can put another sheet pan on top an weight down with cans. Refrigerate overnight.

The next day, melt the chocolate chips and coconut oil together in a microwaveable bowl. Spread the chocolate on top of the cooled cake and let it dry slightly. Trim the rim of the cake with a serrated knife to make clean edges. Cut the cake into strips and then cut each strip into squares. 

Quick and Easy Fig Preserves

 

I absolutely love fig jam and preserves served with cheese, so delicious.   So when I picked a few more figs this morning this was the first thing I wanted to make.  Not sure if this technically classifies as jam or preserves because there is no pectin in this recipe but it's sweet and thick and perfect to spread on toast so in my book it's close enough :)  It definitely won't have the shelf life of the preserves that you buy in the store so make it just a day or so ahead of the time you want to use it.

 

Ingredients:

 

1 cup fresh figs, diced

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup water

1 teaspoon pure vanilla

Juice from 1/2 a lemon

 

Preparation:

 

In a small saucepan combine all ingredients.  Cook over medium heat until thickened, about 10 minutes.  Use an immersion blender directly in hot pan to puree the fig mixture into a smoother (but not completely smooth) consistency.  Pour into a small bowl and refrigerate until completely cool.