Pumpkin Pancakes

I had an amazing weekend with my BFF. She came in from Maryville so we could all go to the City Museum. For those non-St. Louis people, it's hard to describe exactly what this is. But it's a great date place (or not...) and just a wonder of amazement on crawling through things, around things, enjoying a 10-story slide, and a roof-top ferris wheel!! Wear jeans/pants and tennis shoes. And leave your fancy phone in the car. :)

Anyway, all things aside.. I love making breakfast on the weekend!! And this weekend was pumpkin pancakes. Easy peasy. Especially with Bisquick. :)

Pumpkin Pancakes

• 3 cups of Bisquick
• 3 eggs
• 1.5 cups Milk
• 1 cup of pumpkin (about half a 15-oz can, not pumpkin pie filling, pure pumpkin)
• Cinnamon & All-Spice to flavor, or Pumpkin Pie Spice to taste

Blend well and make pancakes like normal. They are a little browner because of the pumpkin cooking. It makes around 15 pancakes. They are super yummy, and go amazingly well with Pumpkin Butter.

Pumpkin Butter

• 3 1/2 cups pumpkin puree, or 1 (29 ounce) can (not pumpkin pie filling)
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup apple cider or juice
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 2-3 cinnamon sticks
• 1-2 tsp Cinnamon & All-Spice to flavor OR pumpkin pie spice (to taste)

Combine pureed pumpkin, vanilla, apple juice, spices, cinnamon sticks and sugar in a large saucepan; stir well. Bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer for 30 - 40 minutes or until thickened. Stir frequently. Adjust spices to your taste.

This will keep for about 3 days in the fridge. It's not recommend for canning, but you can freeze it (obviously not in the jar.)

You can use it on pancakes or to make iced pumpkin lattes (coming soon!) or pumpkin smoothies. Or enjoy it on toast, or make more pancakes! :)

Use What You Have

I think it's too easy to let food go bad and or not remember to use certain leftovers for whatever. The Food Co-op gives me so much food that I have to work harder to use it all. It's not like making a grocery list and buying what you need (especially portion wise.) I'm given random things like Mangos or Cauliflower or Fresh Green Beans.

Its also easy to wind up with a lot of extra veggies from salads or pizza making. I recommend making a "Garbage Omelet".

I mixed 4 eggs with a little milk, added all the goodies, and then 3 more eggs on top of that. My goal was a frittata like item, but it wasn't working. I had to flip it in half to get it fully cooked. The garbage omelet made four servings, and used up a lot of leftover random things.

Also on the menu this week was roasted red potatoes & roasted cauliflower. I did this tonight with the steaks Jason grilled. I looked up on the food network recommendations for making these.

Roasted Red Potatoes:

Dice Potatoes

Tossed with Olive Oil, placed on Foil Lined Baking Sheet

Sprinkle with Garlic & Italian Seasoning

Bake 35 minutes at 500 degrees.

Roasted Cauliflower:

Break up cauliflower, cut in half. Large pieces are better.

Toss with Olive Oil & juice from 1-2 freshly squeezed lemons.

Sprinkle with Garlic.

Bake 15 minutes at 500 degrees.

Sprinkle with Feta Cheese once plated.