Apricot Amaretto Stuffed Cornish Hens

Today, March 21st, our family honors the memory of my father on his birth date. He passed away at the age of 92, 18 years ago. Although my father lost his sight to macular degeneration, he carried on in his life with much courage and dignity. I have great admiration and appreciation of the special man he was.

Having been raised on a farm, chicken was a very common meal. I think my mother probably prepared chicken every possible way there is to cook them. At that time I had never heard of a Cornish game hen let alone eaten one.

By the 1950’s, the Cornish Game Hen was fabulously popular. The usual weight is about 500-700 grams, which makes it ample for an individual serving. I remember in the 1970’s, Cornish game hens were considered to be a very upscale or exotic dinner and quite expensive.

According to legend, the Cornish game hen was actually ‘invented’. The original breeder was a woman by the name of  ‘Tea’ Makowsky.  At the age of 15, she moved to Paris, France finding work at both a milliner’s shop and a cheese shop. It was here she met her husband and they married in 1933. Fleeing from the Nazis, they settled in the USA. After fire destroyed their farm in 1949. the Makowskis, began experimenting and came up with a cross breed of Cornish game cocks and Plymouth Rock hens. The result was a plump little bird that matured quickly with all-white meat. In less than 5 weeks, the chicken was ready to be sold.

I’m sure had my Dad tasted this stuffed version he would have probably enjoyed it so I thought it was fitting for todays blog recipe.

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Apricot Amaretto Stuffed Cornish Hens
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Instructions
Stuffing
  1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
  2. In a small saucepan, combine dried apricots, apple juice & amaretto; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium, cover & simmer 5 minutes. In a large bowl, combine muffin pieces, almonds, melted butter, cinnamon & apricot mixture. Mix well.
Herb Butter
  1. In a small dish, combine all ingredients. Rinse hens & pat dry. Sprinkle 1/4 tsp salt inside each hen cavity. Stuff each hen with muffin mixture. Skewer opening together. Place hens' breast side up on a rack in a shallow roasting pan. Spread herb butter over each one then place a bacon slice on each breast. Cover with foil. Bake for 1 1/2 hours.
  2. In a saucepan over low heat, melt plum jam, stirring frequently.
  3. After 1 1/2 hours of roasting, remove bacon & continue roasting hens, uncovered for 15 more minutes, basting with plum jam every 5 minutes. Use a meat thermometer to ensure hens are cooked through. Remove skewers . Serve immediately.
  4. * To toast almonds, spread on a cookie sheet, bake at 375 F. for 5-6 minutes or until light golden brown, stirring occasionally.

Garlic Butter Turkey/Pork Meatballs w/ Zucchini Noodles

Everyone has their own idea of the ideal meatball. For me, it’s a plump, juicy ball of well-seasoned meat that’s so tender a spoon can pass right through it with almost no resistance.

Too often turkey meatballs are dry because ground turkey is leaner than more traditionally used beef or pork. Perhaps you had never considered it but working both ground turkey and pork into your meatballs improves the texture and flavor.

Instead of buying pork sausage meat, we always buy just plain ground pork. I can make my own sausage easily enough with the ground meat, and this gives me more options of how I use it. It’s the perfect complement, in both flavor and fat content, to the turkey. Together, they make a wonderful meatball.

Some years ago, I had posted a blog making zucchini noodles. We found it was a good alternative to pasta for something different. Turkey/pork meatballs compliment zucchini noodles nicely.

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Garlic Butter Turkey/Pork Meatballs w/ Zucchini Noodles
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Meatballs
Sauce / Zucchini Noodles
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Meatballs
Sauce / Zucchini Noodles
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Instructions
Meatballs
  1. In a large bowl, combine ground turkey and ground pork, cheese, grated garlic, Italian seasoning, bouillon cube, red chili pepper flakes, chopped cilantro, & black pepper. Mix well with your hands or fork & form medium turkey meatballs. Arrange the turkey meatballs on a plate & set them aside.
  2. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Cook the turkey meatballs for 8 – 10 minutes on all sides, until browned and cooked through. While cooking, baste the turkey meatballs with a mix of butter & juices. Remove to a clean plate & set aside.
Sauce/Zucchini Noodles
  1. In the same skillet melt the remaining tablespoon of butter; then add lemon juice, hot sauce, minced garlic, & red pepper flakes (if you wish). Add the zucchini noodles & cook for 3 or 4 minutes, stirring regularly, until zucchini noodles are done but still crisp and juices have reduced a bit. Adjust seasoning with salt & pepper & garnish with more cilantro or parsley if you like.
  2. Push zucchini noodles on one side of the skillet add the turkey meatballs back to the pan and reheat for a minute or two. Serve the garlic butter turkey meatballs with lemon zucchini noodles immediately.

Zesty Broccoli & Smoked Cheddar Pizza

HAPPY ST. PATRICK’S DAY!

St. Patrick’s Day is a funny thing here in Canada. It’s the one time each year that people seek out green food and drinks, everything from shamrock shakes, a green bagel, or green beer are part of our version of this holiday.

And what’s funnier, is that this holiday is a very different experience in Ireland. At least that is what I have been told by people who live there. They don’t do all the ‘crazy green stuff’ like we do, if they celebrate it at all.

Green food has been getting more and more ‘creative’ on this particular holiday. Clean eating, green foods like spinach, avocado and broccoli for example. A walk through the grocery store produce section will provide a variety of examples of just how many green foods are available to use in meals and snacks. 

In the spirit of St. Patrick’s Day, I wanted to incorporate some green food in our supper meal. What better excuse could I have to make some broccoli pizzas!

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Zesty Broccoli & Smoked Cheddar Pizza
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Instructions
Herb Sauce
  1. In a saucepan, combine butter, cream cheese, milk, garlic & onion powder, basil, oregano, salt & pepper. Heat & stir over medium heat until cream cheese is melted & sauce becomes thick & creamy.
Toppings
  1. Slice grape tomatoes in half lengthwise & marinate in zesty Italian dressing.
  2. Prepare broccoli florets. Steam in microwave dish for about 2 minutes. Drizzle with zesty Italian dressing.
  3. Shred cooked chicken & grate cheese.
  4. Preheat oven to 375 F.
  5. Spread herb sauce over Naan breads & top with shredded chicken. Divide cheese evenly between the 4 Naan breads.
  6. In the center of each pizza lay 6 marinated tomato halves. Place the florets in a circle surrounding them sprinkling veggies with black pepper.
  7. Bake pizzas for 10-15 minutes or until veggies are nicely roasted & edges are crispy. Remove from oven & serve.

Mango Cream Tarts

Mango purée takes very little effort to make and can be used in a variety of ways. Probably the most obvious use for it is in drinks but this bright purée is endlessly versatile. You can use it on pancakes, waffles, or oatmeal, in desserts like parfaits. Or simply use it as an alternative to applesauce, which is very often used in quick breads and muffins.

Mangoes have long been a favorite fruit of mine. The fact that we can readily buy them year-round, make them a nice winter dessert ingredient. This mango cream filling is made very few ingredients. The fresh mango purée adds such a great taste.

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Mango Cream Tarts
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Course dessert
Cuisine American
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Shortbread Tart Shells
Mango Cream Filling
Course dessert
Cuisine American
Servings
Ingredients
Shortbread Tart Shells
Mango Cream Filling
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Instructions
Tart Shells
  1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
  2. In a bowl, combine butter & sugar, beat until light & fluffy. Mix in flour & baking powder; blend well. Press spoonful's into 12 individual tart pans. Prick shells with a fork. Bake until golden, about 10-12 minutes. Remove from oven & cool.
Mango Cream Filling
  1. In a small food processor, add mango chunks, ginger & water. Blend on high until smooth; set aside.
  2. In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar & extract until well blended & smooth. Fold in mango puree. Chill about 30 minutes.
  3. Divide mango cream filling evenly among 10 baked pastry shells. Cover the tarts with plastic wrap & keep chilled until ready to serve. Decorate each with mango slices, a blueberry & mint leaves if desired.

Pork Medallions w/ Blackberry Bacon Sauce

It seems there has been a bacon explosion in North America, in more ways than one. Novelty bacon dishes and other bacon-related items have been popularized rapidly via the internet. Fast-food chains boast about double bacon burgers, and upscale restaurants are wrapping steaks in bacon — even adding it to chic desserts. It’s the old sweet and savory marriage of flavors that seems to work so well.

Bacon mania has made bacon the star ingredient. The movement has been traced to the late 1990s when high-protein foods became a more prominent diet focus due in part to the Atkins diet.

The huge popularity of bacon has also encouraged product introductions such as bacon salt, maple bacon donuts, baconnaise, bacon-infused vodka, bacon ice cream, bacon jerky and chocolate covered bacon just to name a few. Condiments are the unsung heroes of the culinary world. A finishing sauce can be an important part of every meal. Whether you’re serving pork tenderloin, pork chops, pork loin, or pork roast, a flavor-filled sauce will guarantee to take the meal from good to great. We found this blackberry bacon sauce to do exactly that.

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Pork Medallions w/ Blackberry Bacon Sauce
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Instructions
Sauce
  1. In a saucepan, cook bacon until almost crisp, remove to a paper towel.
  2. To the bacon drippings, add sliced mushrooms & garlic, sauté until cooked. Remove to a plate, set aside.
  3. To the saucepan, add remaining sauce ingredients & bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to simmer & allow to simmer for about 30 minutes.
  4. Remove from heat & allow to cool slightly then place in a food processor & pulse a few times.
  5. Pour sauce through a wire sieve & press to get everything but the seeds for your sauce.
  6. Add bacon & mushroom/garlic mixture. Combine well & set aside.
Tenderloin
  1. Preheat the oven to 425 F.
  2. Slice the tenderloin into even, 1 1/2 inch thick, medallions, sprinkle with garlic & onion powder & the salt & pepper.
  3. Then, heat the olive oil and butter in a large heavy skillet, cast iron if you have one. Braise the pork tenderloin medallions, you may have to work in 2 batches. Cook for 2 - 3 minutes on each side, remove from the skillet and cook the remaining pork. Using 2 wooden skewers, thread meat first with one & then with the other. It should resemble the unsliced tenderloin but do leave a tiny bit of space between each piece.
  4. Place on a baking sheet & roast for 30-35 minutes.
  5. To serve, plate the tenderloins and spoon (reheated) sauce over them. Garnish with a few whole blackberries & serve any remaining sauce on the side.

Apricot Raisin Five-Spice Oatmeal Cookies

I’ve always been a huge fan of Chinese 5-spice. The aroma and flavor are just pure magic. This peppery-sweet mixture provides endless options for its use. 

Perhaps the most amazing thing about this spice blend is how well it compliments both sweet and savory dishes.

In this recipe, the apricots offer a subtle sweetness to these cookies, while the Chinese 5- spice adds a spicy perspective and chopped pepitas add a nutty crunch. Blend that all together with oatmeal & raisins and you get a nice range of flavors.

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Apricot Raisin Five-Spice Oatmeal Cookies
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Instructions
  1. Cream butter & sugars together well. Add egg & vanilla; beat until light & fluffy.
  2. Sift together flour, five-spice powder, nutmeg, salt & baking soda.
  3. Fold the dry ingredients into the creamed mixture. When the dry ingredients are almost incorporated, add the oatmeal, raisins, apricots & seeds.
  4. Chill the dough for about an hour before baking for best results.
  5. Preheat oven to 375 F.
  6. Scoop onto parchment lined cookie sheet about 2 1/2 inches apart. Bake for about 10 minutes. Do not over bake or the cookies will lose their chewy texture.
  7. Yield: 28 cookies

Garlic Chicken over Creamy Artichoke & Lemon Ravioli

Canadians embrace food – we value family traditions, global trends, and local ingredients.  Like our food, families across Canada are evolving.  Blended, single-parent and multi-ethnic families have become part of our modern mosaic which echoes our growing tastes and preferences.  But what has stayed the same is our love of pasta.

Almost nine in ten households have pasta in their pantries or freezers. What’s more, it’s a good, simple food in an industry striving to meet the demands of today’s health-minded families. Along with being healthy, consumers have become more concerned with the origins of their food products, larger processors are typically viewed as not being local, due to the volume of ingredients they require to keep up with demand. But that’s not always the case.

My inspiration for this meal came from some special ravioli Brion & I had picked up at our favorite Italian Store. I wanted to showcase it in an herb garlic chicken meal but I was real interested to learn that the producer of this pasta was from right here in our province of Alberta. Here is just a bit of info I learned from the ‘Let’s Pasta’ website.

Situated in Lethbridge’s industrial area, Let’s Pasta has been producing the freshest and finest pastas for the last 24 years, using exclusively Southern Alberta Durum Semolina wheat. This wheat is grown on two local farms and processed at P&H Milling, mere minutes from the pasta facility.  In fact, those wheat farmers have an actual dedicated bin at P&H Milling, so there is always a steady supply available for Let’s Pasta.  All their pastas, which include tortellini, ravioli, and gnocchi, are also made using local cage-free eggs. This connection to their local agricultural community is at the root of all their operations, driven by the firm belief of growing with their farmers while supporting sustainable agriculture for future generations to enjoy.

Let’s Pasta uses only whole, real foods in their fillings, no preservatives, no additives, no flakes, or by-products. Just good, old fashioned ingredients like potatoes, butternut squash, pork, and spinach.  Now obviously the lobster and crab they use isn’t coming from Alberta, but they are from the Canadian Atlantic, and the Pacific region.  All their fillings are made by hand in their test kitchen, where they also try out new recipes all the time to add to their lineup.

The two farms that provide the Durum Semolina Wheat for Let’s Pasta, Saunders Farms (near Taber) and Neveridle Farms (near Lethbridge), grow for a program called Shepherd’s Grain, a collective that promotes no-till, direct-seed farming so they can renew and preserve the land for generations to come – theirs and yours. Each grower is certified by Food Alliance™ for sustainability and complies with their strict standards for land improvement. They even have a traceability program that reinforces their commitment to renew the relationship between consumers and the farmers who grow their food.

From the facility, Let’s Pasta’s products make their way into retailers throughout Alberta, and across Canada.  Not only are they available at select major retailers like Safeway, Sobeys, Federated and Calgary Co-Ops in Alberta, but you can also find their products at specialty shops like The Italian Centre Shop in Edmonton and Calgary, The Italian Store (also in Calgary) and Italian Bakery’s Mercato in St Albert. 

Having lived in Lethbridge years ago, I found this all quite interesting not to mention what great ravioli it is!

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Garlic Chicken over Creamy Artichoke & Lemon Ravioli
Instructions
  1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Halve and peel shallot, then thinly slice lengthwise. Halve tomatoes. Zest 1 TBSP zest from lemon, then halve. Grate mozzarella on large holes of a grater. Finely chop chives.
  2. Put panko & a large drizzle of olive oil in a large pan. Place over medium-high heat. Toast, stirring, until deep golden, 3-5 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl. Wipe out pan. Heat another large drizzle of oil in same pan over medium-high heat. Pat chicken dry with a paper towel; season with salt and pepper.
  3. Add chicken to the pan and cook until done, 5-8 minutes per side. Remove from pan & let rest on a plate. Set pan aside. Place shallot and 2 Tbsp garlic herb butter in another pan. Heat over medium-high heat. Cook until softened, 2-3 minutes. Pour in milk & add 1 chicken bouillon cube . Bring to a simmer.
  4. Whisk Italian and mozzarella cheeses into pan with milk. Stir in juice from half of the lemon. Season with salt and pepper. Adjust heat to low. Meanwhile, add ravioli to pot of water, lower heat, and reduce to a simmer. Cook until al dente, 2-4 minutes. Reserve 1½ cups cooking water, then drain. Stir ravioli, tomatoes, peas, and ¾ cup cooking water into sauce in pan. Simmer until just thickened, 1-2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
  5. Add more cooking water as needed to loosen pasta sauce. Set aside. Place thyme sprigs, ½ cup water, and remaining chicken bouillon cube in pan used for chicken and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Pour in any juices released by chicken. Let reduce slightly, 1-2 minutes. Reduce heat to low and stir in remaining garlic herb butter & juice from lemon half (if you wish). Season with salt and pepper. Discard thyme sprigs.
  6. Arrange pasta mixture on a platter and sprinkle with panko, Parmesan, lemon zest, chives, & chili flakes to taste. Thinly slice chicken on a slight diagonal and arrange over pasta. Spoon pan sauce over chicken; sprinkle with remaining chives.
Recipe Notes
  • Garlic Herb Butter:
  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter
  • 1 tsp minced garlic
  • 1/4 tsp fine sea salt
  • dash of black pepper
  • 1 -1 1/2 Tbsp freshly chopped herbs (such as rosemary, thyme, chives, parsley or sage)

Shrimp Stuffed Whitefish w/ Hashbrown Crust

When you stuff fish, you expand the flavor profiles available with fish. It’s such a great way to make your fish dinner more interesting and flavorful. You can stuff a whole fish or wrap thin fillets around the stuffing and then bake or grill the fish as usual. 

Whitefish is a freshwater fish that is commonly called Atlantic Cod, Halibut or Flounder. Whitefish, when cooked, are dry and compared to other fishes, the flesh of the whitefish is completely white.

Whitefish can be classified into different, unique species that can easily be identified according to their appearance and where they live.

These flaky white fish fillets are stuffed with a creamy shrimp filling and flavored with onion, garlic and spices. For something different I gave them a spicy hashbrown crust. This seafood dinner is just as tasty as it is eye appealing and definitely not dry.

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Shrimp Stuffed Whitefish w/ Hashbrown Crust
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Instructions
Spicy Hashbrowns
  1. Thaw shredded hashbrowns on a paper towel. In a bowl, place the flour, cheese, onion, garlic, coriander, smoked paprika, salt & pepper & egg. Add 'dried' shredded hashbrowns. Using a fork, mix everything until combined being careful not to break up the hashbrowns. Set aside until stuffed fish is ready to be coated with the mixture.
Stuffed Fish
  1. In a saucepan, add olive oil & heat . Add onions until they begin to soften & caramelize a bit then add garlic. Add shrimp pieces, cream cheese, seasonings & chives; stir until well incorporated. Remove mixture from heat & allow to cool.
  2. Lay out whitefish, remove all bones, skin & wash & dry thoroughly. Place fillets between two pieces of plastic wrap & pound gently to flatten a bit for easier rolling. Lay on work surface & divide shrimp mixture between the two fillets & spread until it is even.
  3. Preheat oven to 375 F.
  4. Roll up each fillet with the seam side down in a greased baking dish. Spoon hashbrown mixture over stuffed fillets. Press down coating to ensures it adheres well to top & sides of each stuffed fillet.
  5. Bake for about 45 minutes or until fish flakes easily. Cut each fillet in half to make four servings. Nice to serve with a few roasted cherry tomatoes & a side of guacamole.

Avocado Lemon Cakes

Avocados are a gift of Mother Nature! It’s no secret we love avocados, I’ve lost count of how many ways I have found to use avocados over the years. I’m always surprised how versatile avocados are for cooking and baking.

If you want to reduce the amount of fat used in baking, there is no better product substitute than the avocado fruit. Avocados can replace butter and eggs but be aware that the dough will be slightly green in color even after baking. The texture of avocado is soft and creamy like butter and can simply be substituted cup for cup with butter. Unlike butter, avocados won’t melt so it might be beneficial to slightly increase some of the liquids being used. As an egg substitute, use up to ⅓ cup of avocado pulp for each egg. If you find that your cake is browning too quickly, just reduce the heat and increase the baking time.

These avocado lemon cakes serve as the perfect base for numerous different combinations such as blueberries, or maybe some chopped nuts, or a handful of toasted coconut.

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Avocado Lemon Cakes
Instructions
Cakes
  1. Preheat oven to 325 F. Spray a 6-cup mini Bundt pan with baking spray.
  2. Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda & salt in a bowl.
  3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the pureed avocado & butter with the sugar until completely combined. Beat in egg. With the mixer on low speed, beat in lemon juice/milk mixture until just combined.
  4. Add flour mixture in 3 additions, mixing each addition until just combined. Once the flour mixture is incorporated, increase speed to medium & beat for 20 seconds longer. Be careful to not overmix. Divide batter between the 6 mini cups.
  5. Bake until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Cool cakes in pan on a rack for 10 minutes before inverting to cool completely.
Lemon Glaze
  1. In a small bowl, combine enough fresh lemon juice with powdered sugar to make a glaze consistency. Drizzle over cooled cakes. Garnish with pepita seeds or pistachios & lemon zest.

Chicken Pancakes w/ Mushroom Sauce

ENJOYING SHROVE TUESDAY!

Shrove Tuesday is a ‘holiday’ with a movable date, due to its relationship to Easter. The final day before Lent, it has many meanings, both spiritual and practical. The spiritual purpose of Shrove Tuesday is to take stock of the year and determine what things one must bear in mind during repentance.

Practically speaking, Shrove Tuesday is the last day before the great ‘fast’ of Lent. As a result, many would take it as an opportunity to have a final feast and party. Because this holiday marked the last day to use up one’s stocks of fats and eggs, a British tradition was born: Pancake Tuesday. Pancakes make use of ingredients that were banned during Lent and would spoil before its end.

Although many traditions of the past have gone by the wayside, whether you know its history or not, Pancake Tuesday seems to still be a ‘thing’. Brion & I don’t eat pancakes a lot but certainly enjoy them when we do. As always, I can’t resist a new idea, so today we are having some chicken pancakes w/ mushroom sauce. Yum!

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Chicken Pancakes w/ Mushroom Sauce
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Instructions
Mushroom Sauce
  1. In a skillet, heat oil & add mushrooms & onions. Sauté for about 5-8 minutes until moisture releases & evaporates. Whish in flour & allow to cook for about 1-2 minutes.
  2. Add garlic, thyme, salt & pepper; cook an additional 30 seconds. Add milk, whisking constantly until cooked & thickened. Remove from heat & set aside.
Pancakes / Chicken
  1. In a skillet, heat oil & add ground chicken, herbs & spices. Scramble-fry until chicken is no longer pink. Remove to a dish & set aside.
  2. In a bowl, combine flours & baking powder; add cooked chicken & grated cheese.
  3. In a small container, whisk together eggs, milk & oil. Add the wet ingredients to the dry & mix until everything is thoroughly incorporated. Be careful to not over mix the batter. Let mixture stand for about 3 minutes before cooking.
  4. Heat griddle to about 250 -300 F. Place a small amount of butter on the griddle to coat the surface.
  5. Cook pancakes on one side until golden brown then flip to the other side & cook until golden as well. I made 4 large pancakes with this amount of batter.
To Serve
  1. Place one large pancake on each serving plate, top with 1/4 of the mushroom sauce, another pancake & another 1/4 of the sauce. We found this to be a very filling meal!