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Buttermilk Pancakes
Makes 8 pancakes
Made with both white and
whole wheat flour, these buttermilk pancakes are a healthy choice for
breakfast. Store them in zip loc bags in the freezer and pop them one-at-a-time
in the microwave for less than a minute. Feel free to get creative and add
fresh blueberries or even chocolate chips. If making them in a large amount,
double or triple the recipe.
½ cup all purpose white
flour
½ cup finely ground whole
wheat flour
1 tablespoon sugar
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 egg
½ cup low fat buttermilk
½ cup low fat milk
2 tablespoons melted butter (optional)
Pre-heat a well-greased
griddle or pan to a medium heat. Mix together all the above ingredients. If the
mixture is too thick, add a bit more milk until you've reached your desired
consistency. Pour batter onto the griddle and cook on one side for about 2- 3
minutes until golden. Flip and cook another minute or two. Remove from griddle
and cool.
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Vanilla French Toast
Makes 14 Pieces
French
Toast is a classic breakfast staple. Make large batches for your freezer and
simply toast in the oven for a quick and delicious breakfast.
8 eggs
¼ cup low fat milk
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
14 pieces of white bread
1 teaspoon of butter for
greasing griddleGrease
a griddle or pan with butter and pre-heat to a medium heat. In a wide, shallow
bowl about 3 inches deep, whisk together eggs, milk, sugar and vanilla. Using a
fork, dip each piece of bread into the egg mixture, making sure to coat both
sides, and place on the griddle. Working in batches, cook for a few minutes on
each side until golden. Remove to cool. Once the toasts have cooled, you can
place in freezer bags with pieces of parchment paper between the pieces. |
Golden Chicken Tenders
Makes 48 chicken tenders
It's the simplicity of this recipe that
makes it so enticing. They freeze and reheat well, making them a sure bet for
kids' weekday meals and a healthy alternative to fast food.
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (more if
needed)
6 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup olive oil (or enough to generously coat the
bottom of a large skillet)
Kosher salt
Prepare your workspace:
place plastic wrap over the counters near the stove (this helps make cleanup
easier), and line a plate with paper towels. Place a chicken breast on your
work surface. Hold your hand flat on top of the breast and, using a sharp
knife, slice horizontally through the middle of the breast to make two thin
cutlets. Slice the cutlets crosswise into thirds. (You should get 6 strips per
chicken breast).
Set two shallow bowls next
to the stovetop. In the one closest to the stove, add the flour and in the
other, whisk together the eggs.
Heat the oil in the skillet over medium-high
heat. Coat a few pieces of chicken with flour, tapping off the excess, then dip
in the egg to coat, and then dredge through the flour, tapping off the extra.
When the oil is hot, add the chicken pieces (enough to comfortably fit in the
pan without overcrowding and cooling the oil) and cook until browned and crisp,
5 to 7 minutes. Sprinkle with salt and turn the chicken pieces over, cooking
the other side until browned and crisp, another 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer to
paper towels and repeat with the remaining chicken tenders. (Add more paper
towels if the first layer gets too soaked with oil). To freeze, lay chicken
tenders on a baking sheet and place uncovered in the freezer until tenders
harden, from 30-60 minutes. Transfer to gallon sized freezer bags.
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Dear Friends,
We're
getting close to the unofficial end of summer, a time when kids dress in
back-to-school wardrobes and scurry back to class. It's a bittersweet time for
us to say farewell to the freedom of summer, while also welcoming the structure
that lies ahead. This issue focuses on how Cooking With Friends will
help to make this transition as easy and smooth as possible -- complete with
back to school recipes and tips. Enjoy your last few days of summer and join us
in welcoming September.
Please e-mail us at info@cookingwithfriendsclub.com and check out our web site, featuring our blogs and lots of great tips at www.cookingwithfriendsclub.com.
Alison and Shannon
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Cooking With Friends for
Breakfast
You may have the best
intentions when thinking about breakfast for the family, but with
back-to-school routines also come time pressures that can make serving a simple
bowl of cereal a challenge. So, pull out your griddles, grab a few friends and
get a breakfast assembly line going. By stocking your freezer with homemade
pancakes and French toast, a varied breakfast becomes a delicious and healthy
possibility.
Five Reasons to Make
Your Own Frozen Breakfast Foods
Chuck those boxes of pre-made
pancake mix and frozen waffles. Here are five great reasons to make your own
frozen breakfast foods.
It's Healthier - What you see is what you get. The only stuff
going in is what you're putting in. No added preservatives, no artificial
flavors or colors.
It's Economical - It costs less and makes more.
It's Social - It's a great excuse to get together with
friends.
It's Easy - Our culture is so used to frozen and boxed foods
that making something as easy as pancakes from scratch seems so daunting. It's actually
really simple to mix together your own flour, baking soda and baking powder!
It Tastes Better - Your food will taste better than what's packaged
and frozen.
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Short on Time?
If time is an issue, get together with a friend to make homemade pancake mix. Simply mix together all of the dry ingredients, store in airtight containers and all you'll have to do is add the egg, milk and buttermilk for instant homemade pancakes! |
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What's for Dinner?
If there's ever a reason
to get together and cook with friends, it's to make life easier during the
weekday dinner feeding frenzy. By stocking your freezer full of homemade fresh
foods, you'll think less often about that nagging question -- "what's for
dinner?" We suggest getting together with a friend at the beginning of the
week, sharing your expenses and ingredients, and cooking in bulk. Foods such as
chicken tenders, lasagnas and tomato sauces are a few of our favorites.
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Member Tip: |
| This month's tip is from Suzy in Montclair, N.J. In order to save food prep time, she pre-marinates food in zip-loc bags and then freezes the food - marinade and all! At dinner time, all she has to do is remember to defrost the food to grill or bake a quick and flavorful meal. | |
Get Organized
As with everything else in
life, it pays to be organized when Cooking With Friends. Here are two
suggestions.
Invest
in a Tote Bag
Since there's some packing up and carrying when
cooking at a friend's house, we suggest investing in a large tote bag. Our
organizational friend and expert, Kathe Roberts from Top to Bottom Organization
likes the Organizer Tote made by LL Bean, which retails for $44.00. It has lots
of pockets on the outside for easy access to store your favorite cooking tools,
spices and recipes and there's tons of space inside for bulkier items like
canned goods, an extra cutting board or skillet.
Schedule
Your Cooking Dates
As with any other activity or social event in
your life, you'll need to plan your cooking dates. Whether it's a weekly
cooking date or a monthly one, writing it down on your calendar and making it
official means it's more likely to happen.
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Tool-of-the-month
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There's
no need to spend hundreds of dollars on an expensive vacuum sealer. There's a
new product on the market developed by Reynolds. It's a Handi-Vac Vacuum Sealer
that simply and easily removes and locks the air out of freezer bags, reducing
the chances for freezer burn. It's found at your local grocery store and costs
only $10.00 for the starter kit. |
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Alison Bermack and Shannon Henry
Visit our web site at www.cookingwithfriendsclub.com.
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