Happy 2nd Birthday, Dani Dishes!

It's hard to believe it's been a year since Dani Dishes's first birthday.  Last year, I was drinking bubbles in the little Cooper Street kitchen in Charleston, surrounded by my girlfriends.  This year, I found myself at my parents' house in NC for a much quieter, but nonetheless enjoyable celebration.

I know I've gotten off track with the blog this past year. I've been trying to get through culinary school, working all the time, and honestly just haven't felt like writing. 

But, I've spent a lot of time trying to get my head straight, and I've decided that it's time for a change. As much as Charleston has meant to me, I'm looking forward to seeing some new places and making some new memories. So, next week, I'll be packing my car and moving to Denver, CO! It's a little daunting, and I know it's gonna be a cold winter for this Carolina girl, but I'm ready to do this thing.

 

I've got a couple posts up my sleeve, so stay tuned. Cheers to another year, Dani Dishes!

Homemade Blueberry Pancakes

And a special thanks to Jen Yu from the beautiful blog Use Real Butter for the lovely scarf I recently received! A little while back, I won one of her featured giveaways, and the prize was a scarf made personally by her from Manos del Uruguay wool.  I even got to choose my own color (agate multi)!  Thanks again, Jen :)

I'm wearing it right now :)

Okay, on to pancakes.  I'm getting down to the nitty gritty, grocery-wise (pay day is tomorrow), but I did have this container of  nice blueberries sitting in my fridge, begging to be used up.  So, I decided to make pancakes from scratch.  I know it doesn't seem like much, but I've pretty much always been a Bisquick girl when it comes to pancakes (or biscuits, for that matter), so this was kind of a big decison for me.  So, of course, I consulted good ol' Joy of Cooking, and was surprised at how easy they were!

Blueberry Pancakes

from Joy of Cooking

*I halved this recipe*

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3 tablespoons sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons butter, melted

1 1/2 cups milk

2 large eggs

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

(blueberries)

Whisk dry ingredients in a large bowl.  Whisk wet ingredients in a smaller bowl.

dry & wet

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and whisk until just combined.  Some lumps are okay- you don't want to overmix.

Add wet to dry.

Add blueberries!

Blueberries

Make sure your griddle or skillet is very hot before you start to pour the batter.  To test it, sprinkle a bit of water on the hot surface.  If it hisses and sputters, it's ready.  Drop batter by 1/4 cupfuls onto the griddle.

They're ready to flip when you see bubbles forming.

Cross-section

Serve with butter and syrup!

Culinary School Update: Sour Cream Blueberry Muffins & My First Week!

 

Check out the sour cream blueberry muffins I made today in baking class!  They actually turned out really well - muffins aren't usually my thing, but these were so light and fluffy!  I had mine with a tall glass of milk :)

This semester, I have Principles of Food Production on Mondays, and Bakeshop Production on Wednesdays.  Monday we didn't do too much- it was your typical first day introduction and orientation stuff.  Today we still had a bunch of housekeeping things to go over, but we did at least have time to make these muffins.  Everyone else put chocolate chips in theirs, but I was a little hungover, er, under-the-weather, so chocolate wasn't really working for me. I was going to just leave mine plain sour cream, but the chef asked if I would prefer to use blueberries. Which, I do, always, or at least when it comes to muffins.

I brought my camera to class, but the battery died as soon as I turned it on. At least Chef Vagasky let us take some muffins home so I could snap this shot.  I'm going to try to keep up with the things I'm doing in class so I can show it to you guys.  I can't promise I won't fall behind, but the goal at least is to post the pictures of what I make in class on a regular basis.  We'll see how it goes!

Don't forget to log on tomorrow to check out my second Daring Cooks challenge!

Hearty Breakfast Oatmeal

So, I'm still sick. And my tooth is still kind of bothering me, so I've been brainstorming on hearty, easy to eat, feel-better foods to make myself.  When I thought of oatmeal! Not the cinnamon & brown sugar variety that comes in a packet (which does have a place in my heart), but the real stuff, the kind that takes a little patience to make.  

I went as far as to go to the store just to get said real stuff, along with some blueberries and cream (antioxidants!).  As far as anyone in the Craig family is concerned, there is only one brand to get.

While Mom typically does most of the cooking, Dad always seems to make the oatmeal.  And he only buys this kind.  Its a little more expensive, but I was okay with a splurge.

Looks a bit like hamster food

So, its pretty easy to make, but like good grits, it takes a little time.  Stir one cup oatmeal into four cups briskly boiling water.  Stir well.

 

Be patient...

When the oatmeal begins to thicken, reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.  

That's more like it

About 10 minutes before the oatmeal is finished cooking, I like to add a touch of heavy cream and a pat of butter.  Stir well, and add water if you feel like its getting too thick.

That's about it! Everyone likes to eat theirs differently. First, I added some honey.
 

Brown sugar is nice too

Then, lots of blueberries and a little cream floated on top!

And there you have it! Brandon was gearing up to watch his Gamecocks play, so he ate his like a true Irishman, with a dark porter in hand. I kid you not.  As for me, hot tea is all I'm drinking these days. Sigh.