Three recipes!

[nanerbear]

So I made a few things today because I was in the mood, and thought I'd share the recipes/pics with you all. They were yummy :3

Chocolate Chip Buttermilk Pancakes



Adapted from here.
Makes 4 fluffy pancakes

* 3/4 cup milk
* 2 tbsp white vinegar
* 1 cup all-purpose flour
* 2 tbsp sugar
* 1 tsp baking powder
* 1/2 tsp baking soda
* 1/2 tsp salt
* 1 egg
* 2 tbsp butter, melted
* extra butter for coating the bottom of skillet
* Your favorite chocolate chips

Combine milk with vinegar in a medium bowl and set aside for 5 minutes.

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Whisk egg and butter into "soured" milk. Pour the flour mixture into the wet ingredients and whisk until incorporated - do not overmix.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat, and coat with butter. Pour 1/2 cupfuls of batter onto the skillet, then sprinkle chocolate chips on top.. be sure to let the chips sink into the batter before flipping.

Cook until bubbles appear on the surface. Flip with a spatula, and cook until browned on the other side.

Baked Potato Soup



Adapted from here.
Makes 4 servings

* 4 bacon strips, diced
* 1 small onion, chopped
* 2 cloves garlic, minced
* 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
* 1/2 teaspoon pepper
* 3 cups chicken broth
* 2 large potatoes, peeled and cubed
* 1 cup half-and-half cream
* 1/2 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
* Shredded Cheddar cheese

Place potatoes in a pot of boiling water - boil 10-15 minutes until tender. Strain and set aside.

In a large saucepan, cook bacon until crisp. Remove bacon and set aside - keep drippings.

Over medium heat, saute onion and garlic in the drippings until tender (about 3 min). Stir in flour, salt, basil, and pepper; mix well.. let cook for about 2 minutes.

Gradually add broth, whisking it into the flour mixture until well incorporated. Bring to boil; boil and stir for 2 minutes.

Add the potatoes, cream and hot pepper sauce; heat through but do not boil. Add bacon, and garnish with cheese.

You can use a potato masher to further mash the potatoes in the soup for a thicker, less chunky consistency.

Serve with crusty bread!

NY Cheesecake





The exact recipe is here: Chantal's NY Cheesecake

I followed that recipe exactly, except I used a different crust recipe. The crust was just perfect. I also added a strawberry topping to mine.

Cheesecake Crust:
* 1/2 cup finely chopped pecans
* 1/2 cup finely chopped almonds
* 1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts
* 1 1/2 cup crushed vanilla wafers
* 4 tablespoons melted butter

Mix all nuts and vanilla wafer crumbs with melted butter and press into a 9 inch buttered springform pan, trying to go up the sides of the pan to about 1/2".

Strawberry Topping:
* 2 cups fresh strawberries, rinsed and hulled
* 1/2 cup sugar

Puree half the strawberries and the sugar in a food processor. Remove to a bowl.

Add the remaining sliced strawberries, stir and let sit for 30 minutes.

Spoon over cheesecake slices before serving.

A few things that are vital to a good cheesecake:
- do not overmix your batter! I usually do it all by hand just to prevent overmixing
- if you don't want cracks, use a water bath for baking cheesecake - also be sure to butter your entire pan, as this also helps prevent cracking

I ate pretty well today :3