Pancake Squares

As much as I love to cook and bake, I've never enjoyed making pancakes. I could blame it on the electric stove, which makes using any kind of griddle hit or miss. I could blame it on the fact that you either have to eat them as you make them or hold them in a warm oven, which never keeps the pancakes the same as those fresh off the grill. And while I don't mind standing at the frying pan with potato pancakes, somehow standing there flipping pancakes has never been as rewarding. Enter King Arthur. No, not the sword-wielding Knight of the Round Table, but the King Arthur Flour Blog, which has the most incredible recipes and ideas. It was there that I read about pancake squares. (Like probably everyone else who saw that post, I slapped myself up along the side of the head and said, "Now, why didn't I think of that?") So, while I'm late to the party, I decided to give the idea a try.

You could certainly use a pancake mix, but why bother when making them from scratch is just as easy and tastes better. This is enough batter for this recipe:

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
2 tbs sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/4 cup milk
2 eggs
3 tbs melted butter

Mix well. Pour into a very well greased 9 X 13 inch baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 22-25 minutes, until  a cake tester inserted in the middle comes out clean.  The batter will brown around the edges, but the top will not be golden brown. You could add berries or chips or other add in's before you bake. I chose to bake mine plain and top with blueberries and syrup warmed together. You could even make a simple confectioners' sugar glaze. Any way you top them, they are ready in under a half hour and you can sit and sip your coffee while they bake.

TASTE NOTES
In addition to the wonderful smell of pancakes that will waft through your home, if  you close your eyes while you eat these pancake squares, you won't even know they haven't been cooked on a griddle. An added bonus is leftovers can be frozen and reheated for a weekday breakfast. I seldom eat pancakes,but that may change.

Chicken and Beef Fajitas

These were so good that I never got a chance to take a photo. Making your own fajita seasoning is easy--you may want to make a big batch and keep it in a sealed container. This is simple enough for a weeknight dinner, but makes a great addition to a party or picnic as well.


Serves: 8-10 with side dishes

Ingredients
2 tbs chili powder
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp chipotle chili powder
1 cup Wishbone Italian dressing
4 skinned and boned chicken breast halves
2 lbs flank steak

2 green and 2 red bell peppers, seeded and cut into strips
2 large vidalia onions, sliced thinly
oil for frying

20 small flour tortillas, warmed

Toppings:  sour cream, guacamole, shredded lettuce, tomatoes

Preparation
Combine the first 7 ingredients with the dressing and stir well. Pour half of the marinade into a large, heavy-duty ziploc plastic bag and add the chicken and seal. Pour the other half into a second bag and add the beef and seal. Place both bags in a bowl and refrigerate 3 hours or overnight.

Fry the peppers and onions in a small amount of oil to desired doneness.

To Grill:
Remove meats from the marinade. Grill the chicken 15 minutes on each side until cooked through. Grill the beef to medium rare (about 6 minutes per side, then rest for 10 minutes).

To Serve:
Slice chicken and beef into strips. Serve with tortillas, peppers and onions, and toppings.
***********************************************
TASTE NOTES
Why buy a packaged fajita seasoning mix when you can make your own so inexpensively and easily, not to mention more flavorfully? I made these for a family BBQ since not everyone loves hot dogs and hamburgers. Most of the prep work can be done ahead of time and leftovers taste just as good the next day.