~* Recipe of the Week *~

~* Pancakes from Scratch! *~

Our son helped my husband make pancakes for breakfast yesterday. My husband doesn't share in the household cooking tasks very often, but when he has a day off and is in the mood to make breakfast, I gladly hand over the kitchen!  Besides, it was great to see some father-son bonding time!!

Here's how my husband makes his yummy pancakes:

Preparation and Cooking Time: 15-20 minutes

Ingredients:
~ 1 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
~ 3 and 1/2 tsp baking powder
~ 1 tsp salt
~ 1 tbsp white sugar
~ 1 and 1/4 cups milk
~ 1 egg
~ 3 tbsp butter (melted)
** Special ingredient my husband likes to add: ~1 tsp vanilla extract

Preparation:
1.) In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar.
2.) Make a "well" in the center of dry ingredients and pour in the milk, egg, melted butter and vanilla.
3.) Mix until a smooth batter is created.

Cooking:

1.) Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium to high heat.
2.) Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using about 1/4 cup of batter for each pancake.
3.) Brown pancake on both sides.

Serve with some yummy warmed syrup, jam, or butter and ENJOY!!  I know our son does!!

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~* Recipe of the Week *~

~* Chicken Corn Soup *~

Want a soup that's light, a great source of protein, and is ideal for storing in the freezer for another day? Then you'll love this easy Chicken Corn Soup recipe!! 

My mother-in-law and I made some a month ago, and I'm still enjoying the leftovers I have stored in my freezer!!  Here's the recipe:

Total Preparation and Cook Time: 2-3 hours (depending on type of ingredients used)

Ingredients:
~ 1 whole, small chicken (or any amount of chicken you desire -- example: boneless chicken pieces, leg quarters, etc.)
~ 6 potatoes
~ 8 medium- or large-sized hard boiled eggs

~ 2 and 1/2 lbs of corn (we used the 1 lb bags of frozen corn for convenience sake)

~ 2 chicken boullion cubes
~ Salt, crushed black pepper, and chopped parsley to taste

** You may need to adjust the amount of ingredients depending on what size soup pot you use and how much soup you would like to make.

Preparation:

1) Fill a large soup pot with water, and bring the water to a boil.
2) Boil small chicken in pot of water until chicken is cooked thoroughly and the meat is tender and "falling off" the bone. (SAVE the water to use as the broth!!)
3) If you did not boil the eggs ahead of time, you can cook them while the chicken is boiling.
4) While chicken and eggs are boiling, peel and dice potatoes. Potato pieces should end up being the size of a cube of sugar.
5) Put potatoe cubes in a bowl and heat in microwave on high for about 3-5 minutes to soften the potatoe pieces a bit.
6) Peel hard boiled eggs and cut into quarters. Then cut each egg quarter in half.

Cooking:
1) When chicken is done boiling and is cooked thoroughly, remove it from the pot and separate the meat from the bones, skin, and fat.
2) Cut the pieces of chicken into desired sizes (I just use my fingers and tear the chicken into 1-2 inch strips while pealing chicken away from the bones, etc.)
3) While prepping the chicken pieces, add 2 boullion cubes to broth left in pot. Add more water if desired.
4) Add egg pieces, potatoes, corn and chicken to broth.
5) Bring soup to a boil. Then cook soup on medium to low heat and cover with lid.
5) Cook together until potatoes and corn are tender. Stir occasionally.
6) Add salt, pepper, and parsley to taste, if desired.

Serve with a few slices of bread and butter or some crackers as an appetizer, or as a quick meal. I was able to fill 15 two-cup Ziploc storage containers using the amount of ingredients listed in this recipe.  

~* If you try this soup recipe, leave a comment so we can  hear how it turned out!  Enjoy!! *~