Rugelach
When I heard this week’s Tuesdays with Dorie pick by Piggy of Piggy’s Cooking Journal was rugelach, well, I was a bit skeptical. I’ve never even heard of rugelach, never mind actually ever having some. So you can understand why I might be a wee bit nervous about making a brand new sweet, especially when I still have baked goods from previous weeks laying around.
See the gooey jam and chocolate oozing out?
Oh man, were my worries unfounded. Although I was reminded of something I had made before by the way they were rolled, the rugelach were so much better. Seriously. I ate four as soon as they were cool enough to touch. It’s possible that there won’t be any left tomorrow.
Just look at that… yummy, sweet, gooey…
Rather than using the exact fillings that Dorie lists, I used her suggestions more as guidelines. For the jam, I used my favorite jam in the whole wide world – my grandmother’s strawberry jam. Seriously, I’m spoiled. I won’t eat any other jam. (Remind me to get that recipe from her someday… I must learn to make it!) I used just a sprinkling of pecans for the nuts (I’m not a huge nut fan), and a ton of chocolate. What? I like chocolate. Although a lot of the jam melted all over the pan rather than staying in the rugelach, it still turned out wonderfully. And very addictive. I have a feeling these (along with the biscotti) may be making another appearance during the holidays…
Mmmmm… strawberry jam…
The Most Fantabulastic Pancakes
For many, many years, my family was a Bisquik family. Pancakes and waffles were always made from Bisquik mix. That is, until my sister came home with a pancake recipe from one of her friends, and insisted on using that recipe instead of our old stand-by. That was the day our pancake breakfasts changed forever.
The great thing about these pancakes is that they are open for interpretation. Want strawberry pancakes? Just press strawberries into the pancake after you pour the batter onto the griddle. Want chocolate chip pancakes? Mix chocolate chips into the batter. Want pumpkin pie pancakes (which I really recommend, they were delicious!)? Mix half a can of pumpkin puree into the batter, sprinkle a little nutmeg, ginger, and a bunch of cinnamon in, and enjoy!
Yummy, yummy pancakes
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 3 tbsp sugar
- 1 3/4 tbsp baking powder
- 2 eggs
- 3 tbsp melted butter
- 1 1/4 cup milk
Cooking Directions
- Mix all ingredients together until just blended, but do not over-mix – it’s okay if the batter is a little lumpy.
- Heat a griddle or pan over medium heat.
- Spread melted butter around the griddle, or spray with cooking spray.
- Pour 1/4 to 1/3 cup batter onto the griddle, depending on how large you want your pancakes.
- When the bubbles begin to set on the pancake, check the underside for doneness (if it’s burning, the heat is too high). If it is at your preferred doneness, flip the pancake.
- When you can easily slide a spatula under the flipped pancake (about 20-30 seconds after flipping it), remove the pancake from the griddle, onto a waiting platter.
- Enjoy with butter and syrup, or jam, or peanut butter, or even whipped cream!
Ready to dig in!
