Whole Wheat Pancakes

The old adage “the whiter the bread, the sooner you’re dead” might be a bit extreme, but we all know that whole grains are better for us than the processed white stuff. I actually prefer wheat or multigrain bread to white in most cases (can’t say I’m too crazy about whole wheat pizza crust or whole wheat English muffins, though), and I am absolutely over the moon for whole wheat pancakes. To me they seem to have so much more flavor and depth than their plain white counterparts. And there is something about cooking them that makes me feel like I’m on Little House on the Prairie. I’m weird, I know.

I made these for dinner last night and my white bread junkie of a husband actually liked them. We ate ours with some pure maple syrup (in my case) or strawberry jam (Mike’s preference). I’m sure they would be delicious topped with some fresh fruit or a chunky fruit syrup as well. I think I’m going to try adding some blueberries to the batter as soon as they are in season again.

I found this recipe in my beloved Ivory Favorites cookbook. If you don’t have one, get your hiney down to Make-A-Wish foundation and buy one. I have yet to cook something out of this book that I didn’t completely love, and that’s no exaggeration.

Whole Wheat Pancakes

1 cup whole wheat flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 cup milk
1 egg
1 Tbsp. sugar
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
½ tsp. salt

1) Combine all ingredients and beat with a wisk until combined (careful not to overmix, though. A few lumps are okay).
2) Heat a nonstick griddle or pan on medium heat (350-375 degrees on an electric griddle).
3) When the pan is hot, drop the desired amount of batter onto it and cook until edges look done and the middle is no longer bubbling (about a minute for a ¼ cup of batter).
4) Flip the pancake and cook for a minute or two longer, or until the pancake is no longer doughy in the middle.

Stuffed Mushrooms

I’ve found mushrooms to be a polarizing food. People either love them or hate them enough to insist on calling them a fungus every chance they get (hi, husband!). I bet you can guess which camp I fall into. If not, let me just tell you that I drooled all over my keyboard when I found this recipe.

Some folks prefer their mushroom caps stuffed with fancy ingredients like crab or sausage, but I have found that I like them best when they are filled with, well, more mushrooms. The recipe listed below is a very basic filling of chopped mushrooms bound together with a savory cheese mixture. Simple, festive, and delicious. Make them for your next fancy dinner (just make sure you’re not entertaining mushroom haters).

Stuffed Mushrooms

16 oz. whole white button mushrooms
4 oz. cream cheese, softened
½ teaspoon oregano powder
½ clove garlic, finely minced
¼ cup grated parmesan (the stuff in the green can)
2 ½ tablespoons milk

1) Wipe any visible dirt from mushrooms with a towel (or if you are a clean freak you can rinse them with cold water- just be sure to dry them afterwards).
2) Separate stems from mushroom caps
3) Chop stems into small pieces
4) Combine cream cheese, oregano powder, garlic, parmesan, and milk until you have a smooth, homogenous mixture.
5) Stir in mushroom stem pieces
6) Using a teaspoon, spoon filling into each mushroom cap.
7) Sprinkle with a little more parmesan, and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. These suckers need to be eaten while they are still warm, so either serve them straight out of the oven or keep in a heated dish.