Fluffins - a new breakfast revolution

The other morning I was making some of my Banana Oatmeal muffins, which my son LOVES! The batter makes quite a bit. So, I filled both muffin pans and I still had some batter leftover. I didn't have the patience to cook a whole other batch after the first, so I decided to try frying the batter like a pancake. I got a large skillet and poured the rest of the batter in, to make ONE large "pancake."

Yum! It was thick and hearty like a muffin, but flat like a pancake. We broke pieces off and poured syrup over it and it was absolutely DELICIOUS. I wished I had done that with all the batter instead of baking muffins. 

Then I kept thinking about what I could name this new-found breakfast tradition. I was telling my wonderfully, talented cousin about my name dilemma. And I have to give her credit for coming up with the cutest name of "Fluffins," which is a FLAT MUFFIN. Cute right?

Now, I'm not sure how this will go with other muffin recipes yet, but I'm excited to try it out! Let me know if you venture out to make fluffins! This really is a breakfast revolution! Enjoy!

{BANANA OATMEAL FLUFFINS}

click here for a printable version of this recipe

1 c. rolled oats

1 c. boiling water

3 ripe bananas, mashed

2 eggs, beaten

1 c. sugar

1/2 c. vegetable oil

1 c. milk

3 c. flour

2 1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. cinnamon

Place oats in a medium bowl and poor the boiling water over all. Set aside. Meanwhile, in a separate bowl, mix eggs, sugar, oil, milk and bananas. Stir in oats. Combine flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Add to banana mixture. In a large skillet pour enough batter to form one large pancake. Cook a few minute until bubbles start coming through the batter. Flip and cook on the other side. Serve with maple syrup.

Mediterranean Pita Pockets

I think I've mentioned before that my husband lived in Bulgaria for a little while. He actually took me on a trip there last May to see where he used to live. It was such an amazing trip! His favorite thing to eat were these "duners." And I have to say I agree! They were SO yummy. As we sat and ate them, I kept thinking, I could make this.

So, 8 months later, I finally did! They were absolutely delicious. We put them in these pita pockets, but you can always put them in a wrap too and they'd be equally delicious!

It's very Mediterranean or Greek tasting. Hence, the reason I change the name of the recipe. "Bulgarian" just doesn't sound as appetizing for some reason. You would be saying, "Huh? Bulg...wha? Where's that?"

As far as prep time, it really isn't too difficult. I decided to make the fries from real potatoes and deep fried them myself, but obviously you could also do a short cut on that as well.

But whatever you do, just don't spill the cucumber sauce as you're putting it in the fridge. Oh my word, I was QUITE annoyed at myself. We managed to save enough for our duners though, don't worry.

So, next time you're wanting to try something new, you HAVE to try these. This is definitely going into our regular meal rotations. You're going to love these, I promise! Enjoy!

{MEDITERRANEAN PITA POCKETS}
click here for a printable version of this recipe

 THE MEAT:

4 boneless pork chops

4 T. olive oil

4 T. lemon juice

1 T. prepared mustard

2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. oregano

Place pork chops in crock-pot. Combine olive oil, lemon juice, mustard, garlic, and oregano. Pour over pork chops. Cook on low for 6 hours. 

THE TOPPINGS:

Pita Pockets (recipe here)

Iceberg lettuce, finely shredded

Red Onion, sliced thinly

Fries (our homemade fries were divine!)

THE CUCUMBER YOGURT SAUCE:

1 c. plain yogurt (NOT vanilla)

1 c. cucumber, peeled & chopped

1/2 tsp. garlic, crushed

1/2 tsp. dill weed

Stir sauce ingredients together and store in refrigerator. 

Remove pork from crock-pot and slice into small, bite-size pieces. Halve pita pockets and open gently. Fill with pork, lettuce, onion, and fries. Top with cucumber yogurt sauce. Enjoy!

Personalized Fortune Cookies for your Valentine

I wanted to post these with enough time for you to plan for your loved ones! I made these personalized fortune cookies last year for my sweet Valentine, my parents, and my in-laws. On each "fortune" I wrote a reason why I love them. It was so fun for them to open the messages, PLUS these taste so yummy. Much different than the ones you get at Chinese Fast Food places. 

Get creative with how you decorate. You can buy different colors of dipping chocolates. Or you can put food coloring in the cookie batter! You could even go back with piping icing and write their name. Send me pictures of what you end up doing: somekindofdelicious {at} gmail.com

I was teaching some friends how to make these a while back and one told me the FUNNIEST fortune. She said her husband always says the same line when he opens a fortune cookie. He says, "Help! I'm trapped in a fortune cookie factory and I can't get out." ha! I love it. 

Enjoy!

{FORTUNE COOKIES}
click here for a printable version of this recipe.

2 large egg whites 

1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. almond extract
3 T. vegetable oil
3 tsp. water
½ c. flour
1 1/2 tsp. cornstarch
1/4 tsp. salt
½ c. granulated sugar
Optional: food coloring, dipping chocolate
Cooking Spray

Preparation:

Write or print fortunes on pieces of paper, make sure they are no more than 3 1/2 inches long and  ½"  wide. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Spray two or three 9x13 baking sheets. 

In a mixing bowl, on medium speed beat the egg white, extracts, water and vegetable oil until frothy, but not stiff. In a separate bowl, sift the flour, cornstarch, salt and sugar. Add the flour into the egg white mixture and stir until you have a smooth batter. The batter should be thin enough so that it pours off of a spoon, but not too thick that it won't spread easily with the back of the spoon. 

{Optional: if you want to color the cookies, add the food coloring at this point.}
 

Place level tablespoons of batter onto the cookie sheet (make sure you sprayed the pan well), spacing them at least 3 inches apart. Use the back of a round Tablespoon to spread it out a bit. Bake about 14-15 minutes. You want to watch for the outer 1/2-inch of each cookie to turn golden brown and they are easy to remove from the baking sheet with a spatula.

Working very quickly, remove the cookie with a spatula and flip it over in your hand (yes, it will be kinda hot). Place a fortune flat in the middle of a cookie. 

To form the fortune cookie shape, fold the cookie in half, like a taco {yes, this is a picture of a paper towel. I didn't think to take pictures of the process until after. So, please hold your mocking!} Hold the two edges together, but keep the bottom fold rounded.

Then gently place the rounded fold on the edge of a bowl or a muffin pan and fold together the opposite way to form a fortune cookie shape. {remind me never to attempt to enter the world of hand-modeling}

Place the finished cookie in the cup of a muffin tin so that it keeps its shape. Continue with the rest of the cookies. 

I cook only 2 cookies per pan, because you have to fold quickly. If you wait too long the cookies will crack because they harden FAST!

To speed up the whole process, I use 2 baking sheets  and alternate putting them in the oven. I set two different timers to keep the two sides of the oven straight. 

After they're all cooked and cooled, melt your dipping chocolates and dip one side of the cookie, if you choose. Then decorate with sprinkles. Adorable.