A Fifth.

in

Five recipes you need to know how to make.  By heart.

Buttermilk Pancakes (trust me - they will be your go to recipe for the rest of your adult life.)

  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • 1 egg
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla (optional)
  • 1 cup flour
  • 1/8 cup sugar (or less depending on how sweet you like your cakes)
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda

Mix the buttermilk, egg, vegetable oil and vanilla in medium bowl and set aside.  Mix flour, sugar, baking powder and soda in a large bowl.   Add wet ingredients to dry, mix together (but not too much - there will be clumps).  Heat up your griddle, use a 1/8 measuring cup to ladle out the batter onto the griddle.  

Don't lose this recipe.  It will be a life saver.  Add cinnamon if you want to change it up.  Cinnamon buttermilk pancakes made my husband fall more in love with me.

Pot Roast. It's real easy.  

  •  1 frozen beef roast
  • 3 carrots, chopped
  • 4 potatoes, quartered
  • garlic, salt and pepper to taste (I won't tell you how you should season it.  I don't like to be bossed either.)

Put in all in the crock pot in the morning, set on low.  Walk away until supper time. You can't go wrong.

Pasta.  Here's my signature dish.

Sauce:

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon herbs de provence
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 1 cup parmesan cheese or 6 cheese blend
  • 4 slices of prosciutto, chopped

Drizzle olive oil in a pan, over medium heat.  Sprinkle in herbs de provence, sauté until oil is just hot.  Whisk in 1 cup of cream, whisk until cream is hot (but not quite boiling).  Stir in cheese, add prosciutto.

Poor over your favorite pasta.  I won't boss you on what to use, but we prefer tortellini or fettucine.  

French Toast.  Never under estimate good bread, cream, eggs and sugar.  Never.

  • good loaf of french bread
  • 2 cups of heavy cream
  • 6 eggs
  • 1 tsp. vanilla
  • 1 tsp. maple syrup
  • 1 tsp cinnamon

Mix the cream, eggs, vanilla, maple syrup and cinnamon in a large bowl.  Slice the french bread, lay it in a rectangular dish, pour the french toast custard over the bread.  Some will tell you to soak it over night, I never do.  Let it soak for 5-10 minutes.  

On a griddle, over medium low heat (make sure you've buttered the griddle), place the french toast and cook on both sides, until each side is golden brown.

Don't skip the buttering the griddle part - it's what makes the outside of the french toast delicious. 

Pizza dough.   Because the possibilities are endless. 

This recipe -- memorize it.  Thank me later.