Pancakes done 2 ways and some good news from Bayfest

I've gotten my routine down now that I'm staying home full time. My life is less stressful and I'm more happy then I ever thought I would be. My hubby isn't eating a cereal bar for breakfast anymore and I fix him something more filling to start his day off with. He wanted some pancakes this week so I thought I would do them 2 ways. His favorite is chocolate chip, but I made a second version to get him to try something new, plus I had a banana to use up so it worked out great.

Oh and before I forget I want to share some good news with you! Last weekend I went down to Corpus Christi to attend the Bayfest. I submitted 3 photos into the contest and all 3 where chosen to be on display. I was so excited. 2 of the 3 photos got ribbons and I won $150!

Here's the photo I named "Seen Better Days" which won 2nd place.

This photo I named "Round Top Texas Church Reborn" and got honorable mention.

Chocolate Chip and Banana Nut Pancakes
makes 14 pancakes total

2 cups Bisquick

2 tablespoons sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup milk
2 eggs
desired amount of chocolate chips

For Banana Nut Pancakes add:
1 banana, mashed
1/2 cup toasted pecans, chopped

Stir ingredients until blended, except chocolate chips. Pour 1/4 cup spoonfuls onto hot greased griddle.

Top with chocolate chips and cook until edges are dry. Turn, cook until golden.

For banana nut pancakes, follow same instructions and omit chocolate chips unless you would like them.

Pork chops made easy

I have a confession to make.....I've never made pork chops in my life! I don't know why but they scare me to death. I think maybe it's because every time my hubby tries them when we go out to dinner they're super dry and way over cooked. While I love our Sunday steak nights, I decided to man up and give the pork chops a try. Another confession is I don't usually work the grill and I really hated to make my hubby fire up the grill for a meal I wasn't so sure how it was gonna turn out so instead I got the idea of using my Panini press. I figure the shows on TV use an indoor grilling pan and since I don't have one how could a Panini press be any different. Besides I can cook both sides at the same time and assure even cooking, how can it get any easier then that?!?!?

The end result was fantastic! You can substitute any herbs you would like. I did buy a thicker cut of meat only because I didn't want a thin cut that I would dry out in the first minute of cooking. If we wouldn't have gobbled it up so quickly I would have taken a picture of the inside to show you how juicy they stayed. I didn't put measurements because it depends on your taste, and size of pork chops, so just sprinkle enough to coat the meat.

Pork Chop

2 pork chops

olive oil

dried sage

rosemary

salt

pepper

red pepper flakes, if desired

Drizzle olive oil on pork chops. Sprinkle remaining herbs and seasoning.

Add pork chops to a hot panini press and close the lid. Cook for 4 minutes then turn chops, close the lid and cook for an additional 3-4 minutes.

Meanwhile my hubby cooked up some onions on the stove top using butter, Tony's, garlic salt, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper.

DaSpot Chicken Sandwhich

This is a simple meal to make ahead of time up until the coating part. I really like that it used pre-cooked meat so I'm for sure going to save this to use leftover turkey at Thanksgiving time. I left off the Tabbouleh salad because I couldn't find it in the store and the recipes online I found made such large amounts I decided to leave it off and just use lettuce. Overall the patties where full of flavor and tasted really good.

DaSpot Chicken Sandwich
(Adapted from Big Daddy's House)

Canola oil, for frying
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 (3 to 4-pound) store-bought rotisserie chicken
1/4 cup diced red pepper
1/4 cup diced green pepper
1/2 cup diced onion
1 jalapeno seeded and diced
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon granulated chicken bouillon
Pinch cayenne
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 egg
3 tablespoons panko bread crumbs
Chipotle Mayo, recipe follows
1 pint store-bought tabbouleh salad (I left this off)
4 to 6 Portuguese rolls, split

Breading:
1 cup all-purpose flour
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 eggs, beaten
2 cups panko bread crumbs, in shallow dish
Chipotle Mayo, recipe follows

Preheat a deep-fryer with canola oil to 350 degrees F.

Pick the chicken from the bones and add to a large bowl. Set aside.

In a medium saute pan over medium-high heat, add the 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the peppers, onions, jalapenos, and garlic and cook until slightly caramelized. Stir in the bouillon and cayenne and season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Place pepper and onion mixture, picked chicken, egg and bread crumbs into a food processor and pulse until well incorporated and slightly chunky.

Form chicken mixture into burger-size patties.

Put the flour into a shallow dish and season with salt and pepper. Put the eggs and bread crumbs into separate shallow dishes.

Bread the patties by dredging into the seasoned flour, then the eggs and finally through the bread crumbs. Transfer to a platter.

Fry the patties until crispy and golden, 1 to 2 minutes.

Spread Chipotle Mayo on both sides of the Portuguese rolls. Add the chicken patties to the bottom of the rolls and top with a good spoonful of tabbouleh. Cover with the roll tops and serve.

Chipotle Mayo:
1 cup mayonnaise
1 lemon, juiced
1 teaspoon minced garlic
2 chipotle peppers, minced
Pinch kosher salt
Pinch cracked black pepper
1 teaspoon chopped garlic

In a small bowl, mix all the ingredients until well incorporated. Cover and put in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Tomato Basil Soup

I'm so sorry I've been lacking on post lately. Things around my house have been a little hectic. I decided to make a soup that's one of my hubby's favorites since he's on the mend from a really bad ear infection. An added bonus is I think I heard today is the official first day of fall and we're getting a cold front today to bring the temps down to the 70's, so it's good timing for a good soup.

I decided to wing it since I couldn't find my original recipe I always used. This actually came out to be the best one I've made since and it's a super easy recipe to toss together and have on the table in 30 minutes.

Rich and Creamy Tomato Basil Soup

1 (26 oz) can plus 2 (10.75 oz) cans condensed tomato soup
2 cups whipping cream
1 cup milk
1 tablespoon dried basil
dash of red pepper flakes
salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients and simmer for 20 minutes or until desired thickness.

Meatballs

It's so good to be back in my own bed, vacation is always nice, but it's bitter sweet being away. So much has happened since I last logged on! I won Britney Spears tickets (oh yeah I know you're jealous!) from the radio. As crazy as she is I hear she puts on a really good show so I'm really looking forward to it next week. I won an autographed copy of Loco A Funny Crime Mystery which was given away by Jersey Girl Cooks. AND I received an email that the 3 photos I submitted to the Corpus Christi Bayfest where all chosen to move on to the final judging round and open for sale to the public, so now I'm rushing getting my prints enlarged and framed. I'll share my pictures with you guys at the end of the month when I attend the festival. My husband says I need to play the lotto, but it seems like my good luck comes in waves, which all of the good news eases my frustration with myself for not getting a lot of recipes entered in contest.

Now on to dinner, nothing like being away from home then returning and whipping up some comfort food to get settled back in. We have lots of ground venison meat in our freezer and one thing we like to make with it is meatballs. This is an easy recipe my parents make and they work great for a party or over pasta. Rolling them in the Worcestershire sauce is the key to the flavor. You don't want too much, just enough to coat it a little to give the extra zip. I like to make a big batch of these and then freeze them before adding the Worcestershire sauce. Once they're defrosted then I'll heat them up on the stove top and add some Worcestershire sauce.

This recipe can be a little spicy so feel free to cut back on some of the seasoning if need be or just eliminate the red pepper flakes. The hubby LOVES fennel and has me roll the meatballs in them before I bake them. I'm not as big of fan so I do some with out. So don't freak out if you see a ton of fennel in the pictures. :)

Meatballs

2 pounds ground meat
5 tablespoons breadcrumbs
1 tablespoon Mrs. Dash
1 1/2 tablespoons Tony Chacheres Creole Seasoning
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
1 tablespoon fennel seeds
1 1/2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon red pepper flakes

Mix all ingredients very well and let rest in refrigerator for 15 minutes.

Using a cookie scoop, scoop out meat and roll into balls. Place on a foil linned cookie sheet.

Bake at 350 degrees F. for 20-30 minutes or until the juices run clear. After baking, the balls can be frozen for later use or transfer a few at a time to a skillet and roll around in a tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce to glaze.