My love of pancakes runs deep. If you’ve followed my other posts you know I love breakfast food, and apparently pancakes of all nationalities. I’ll just keep adding to the total.

Since they’re delicious, nothing to complain about here. This post contains affiliate links to items I use and love. If you purchase from one of my links I get a small percentage that goes to supporting This Homemade Home – at no additional cost to you. Win win.

Ebelskiver Recipes

The recipe for Ebelskivers traditionally comes in two ways, those made with baking powder and those made with yeast.I’ve used a variety of recipes. Recently I tried this recipe a baking powder version from seriouseats.Com. I loved their whole site from recipes to techniques to the best cooking products to use. I’m not even being paid to say that . But check it out, I think you’ll like what you see.The yeast Ebelskivers recipe is a little harder to set the batter, but you get a slightly higher rise in your pancake.

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Ebelskivers Pronunciation

The Dutch pronounce æbleskiver as [ˈɛːpləˌskiːwɐ], the English language spelling is usually aebleskiver or ebelskiver (ee ble skeever). My daughter pronounces it evil skier – just because .

The word æbleskiver literally means Apple slice, though there are no apples in Ebelskivers. I’m guessing it’s because it’s round like an apple. There’s my two cents.

Aebleskiver History

A fun little pancake, æbleskiver are solid like a pancake but light and fluffy like a popover.They are served often rolled in powdered sugar, with whipped topping, butter, maple syrup or fruit preserves. Usually as a set of three. Which I totally didn’t do, I filled that bowl right up!

As the story goes, a band vikings had gone to battle. After being hard hit and needing to regain their strength they retreated to eat and rest. Not having proper cooking wear they turned their hammered helmets upside down and cooked batter over a fire.

So the story goes.

They’re often served during the holidays as a special treat and for good reason, they are a bit time consuming, but delicious. To learn more, visit aebleskiver.com and Wikipedia.

The Best Aebleskiver Pan

Or ebelskivers pan (as the English would say). The best pan? Hands down cast iron. It’s heavy and distributes the heat evenly for a perfect crisp outside. The cast iron also provides a natural stick-resistant surface.

The first Ebelskiver pans going back 300 years ago, were made out of hammered copper. They didn’t cook as evenly, but are probably beautiful. So if you see one snatch it up because it’s rare and old.

The next best and more common, is the aluminum with non stick coating. I still have to coat quickly with a stick of butter for my Ebelskivers to turn easily.

As you can see this pan works well with gas stove tops. The key is to keep it cooking on medium – low. Otherwise it cooks too quickly to be able to turn and get a nice round, ball shaped pancake.

How to Cook Ebelskivers

One of my favorite experiences was to have the opportunity to watch my friend’s Danish grandma turning these little pancakes.There are a few tricks to the trade (which I am still perfecting), but this is seriously so fun I don’t mind.

First you need the ebelskiver pan, which has a set of 7 half spheres set in a circle.

I’ve found that my cookie dough scoop is the perfect size to fill each space. Almost to the top, but not overflowing.

A bamboo skewer or stick of some sort with a sharp end is the best for turning. My son helped take a few of these pictures where it required two hands for cooking – some are a bit blurry so I apologize.

You want to begin turning immediately after pouring the batter. The idea is to use the skewer to pull the cooked batter half way up to let the liquid batter run down into the pan.

Continue to pull the cooked portion up and let the liquid batter run down. Moving and turning the pancake until you finally turn it completely over and ends with a ball shaped pancake.

They aren’t all spherical, but I’m getting there. I don’t make these as an every day food, but they are fun to make and the kids get excited when I suggest them.

Non-Traditional Ebelskiver Toppings

I do like traditional Ebelskivers, but sometimes it’s fun to mix it up. My children love Nutella on top. I love Greek yogurt and honey. It also taste good with peanut butter and jam.

For more breakfast pancake ideas (because apparently that’s one of my favorite things to eat) also check out my healthy-kids-love-it Blueberry Blender Pancakes and

Southern style Hootenanny.

Thank you for stopping by. If you loved (or semi-liked) what you found. Feel free to subscribe, follow me on social media. And comment below.

Take care,

Natalie

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The post Ebelskiver the Danish Pancake appeared first on This Homemade Home.

I was a grown woman before I heard the term Hootenanny. My husband with his southern roots had grown up eating it. Once I discovered it, hootenanny quickly became a favorite.

What is Hootenanny?

The Googled meaning of the word is different than what I expected. I fully expecting it to say ‘a southern pancake.’ But this is the official definition.
noun

Hootenanny bakes in a large casserole dish – at least mine does – I’ve adjusted the recipe (details below) to make enough for a family of 6.

It gets all these beautiful, golden hills and valleys from the large amount of eggs. They’re is actually more egg than there is flower so making this sugar free, makes it a really great source of protein.

Sometimes I even add chia and flax seeds which are a great source of fiber, iron, calcium, fatty acids and antioxidants.

Without further adieu

Sugar Free Hootenanny

This will make two 8×11″ size casserole dish sizes. It is quite light and fluffy, my family of 6 leaves no left overs.

Hootenanny Ingredients for two 8×11″ Casseroles

2 Tbl butter

9 eggs

1 1/2 cups flour

1 1/2 cups milk (you can use almonds milk, but it doesn’t rise as high)

1/2 tsp salt

Heat oven to 400 °

Butter the entire bottom of each casserole dish. Leave one TBS of butter in each dish and let melt in the oven while you mix the other ingredients.

Mix the rest of the ingredients with a hand held mixer until smooth.

Pull the hot casserole dishes out of the oven. Pour half the batter into the furst hot dish and the other half batter in the second dish.

Bake for 25 minutes or until puffy and golden brown.

Top hootenanny with your choice of

Syrup, powdered sugar, whipped topping, plain Greek yogurt, honey, fresh or frozen fruit, chia and/or flax seeds

Eat and enjoy

You may also enjoy Blueberry Blender Pancakes

And Apple Cheddar Muffins.

I hope you enjoy this breakfast recipe. If you like what you see please subscribe.

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And have a terrific day!

The post Hootenanny–Sugar Free & Still Delicious appeared first on This Homemade Home.

Grilled cheese is an amazing food. Definitely in the top 10 of my favorite foods. The best part, they never have to get boring.

The classic combination of grilled cheese and tomatoe soup – is perfect, never gets old. Grilled cheese buzzfeed sites pump the internet full of ideas to make sure you have seen every single style known to man.

But the internet hasn’t seen anything like this… Yet! and it’s amazing. These grilled cheese sandwich recipes are to die for.

Double Grilled Cheese and Ranch

Sprinkle cheese and dry ranch mix (about a 1/4 tsp) on top.

Here is another shot with the same idea I just used regular bread and Greek Yogurt Dips Ranch Mix. The thick slices of cheese will give you more of a cheesy sandwich. The shredded cheese will melt up faster.

To get the double grilled cheese you can either put the cheese right on top while cooking, let it melt a bit then flip it.

Oorrr, put the cheese right on the grill and flip your sandwich onto the cheese immediately. Let it grill until the cheese inside is melted and the cheese outside is perfectly crisp.

Voila! You’ve got double grilled cheese and ranch perfection. The cheese outside hits your tongue immediately and adds an extra layer of crisp right before the soft cheesy center.

The dry ranch mix gives a subtle flavor upgrade that the 5 year old to 40 year old equally loved.

I’m counting this as a home run!

Gourmet Grilled Cheese Add-Ons

When it comes to comfort foods, grilled cheese is right up there. Here are a few more gourmet ideas to make your taste buds happy. If you are looking to change things up a bit, try this selection of creative grilled cheese recipes.

Grilled Cheese and Avocado

Avocados are an amazing super food. A great source of healthy fat and full of vitamins.

Avocados are packed with vitamins C, E, K, and B-6, as well as riboflavin, niacin, folate, pantothenic acid, magnesium, and potassium. They also provide the fats you need such as lutein, beta-carotene, and omega-3 fatty acids. Not only that, avocados are full of healthy, beneficial fats that help keep you full and satiated.

That must be why I love avocados so much – it makes me feel satisfied after eating and stops craving. When you give your body what it needs the cravings subside.

Grilled Cheese with Bacon

Bacon is the ultimate food right? Is there anything bacon can’t do? There is bacon ice cream, bacon sprinkled on donuts, chocolate covered bacon – check out my easy recipe, trust me you’ll love it.

And while you’re at it, you might as well try grilled cheese with bacon and avocado together. These two were meant to be…in a sandwich together.

Grilled Cheese with Apricot Jam

I know what you are thinking, ‘she’s crazy!’ I thought it was too when I first heard about it. If you like to try new things, then you have to try this, it like nothing you’ve had before – unless you’ve had this exact sandwich before. Then I’ve got nothing new for ya.

Many years ago, my amazing big brother married into a family that all ate cheese sandwiches with apricot jam in the middle. I resisted for years, until one day I thought, “Here’s this whole group of people who think it taste good, there’s got to be something to it.”

…. It was good!

Apricot Jam cheese sandwiches taste nothing like grilled cheese, it’s a whole new experience. Go in with that mind set and you’ll like it.

Grill the sandwich first, then open it up and put some jam in the middle.

Which Cheeses are the Best for Grilled Cheese?

These were Google‘s top pick when asked, cheeses for the best grilled cheese sandwich. So if you’re wanting to up it a notch for a fancy grilled cheese sandwich style, you may want to try one of these. Feta, goat cheese, havarti, Swiss, Cheddar, Muenster, Provolone and American – all this according to Thrillest.com.

I was a bit surprised to find that my favorite cheese upgrade was not listed – Pepper Jack. If you like a bit of spice you will love this cheese grilled with a few slices of crispy bacon.

I usually just go with plain old Cheddar, because you can’t go wrong there. If I’m not cooking for kids and I have Pepper Jack, it’s the go to. Which isn’t often because my super power, among other things, is to raise little humans into adults and they always need to eat…and they like Cheddar.

I hope you enjoy these grilled cheese sandwich twists, especially grilled cheese and ranch – I think you’ll love it.

Let me know how it goes. Please comment and subscribe for more awesome how – to.

Later

Natalie

The post Gourmet Grilled Cheese Sandwichs appeared first on This Homemade Home.

A quick and easy dinner that kids and parents will love, with a fresh salad so tasty it’s sure to get your pickiest eaters eating leafy greens.

My daughter’s eyes lit up when she came in the kitchen and saw what was for dinner. That’s always a nice feeling.

Prep the Bread for Pizza

To make the pizza boats, line a cookie sheet with tin foil. Place French bread sliced length wise on top.

Spread with butter and then sprinkle with garlic salt and pepper. I wanted to simmer the spice and flavor into the spaghetti sauce, but I was too busy making farm house benches and had to get dinner on the table quick.

Adding the spices to the butter worked great! The butter also helps add flavor and keeps the bread from absorbing too much liquid and getting soggy.

I know you can’t see it in this picture, but it has butter… and spices… Great picture huh?

Special Pizza Boat Sauce

Then add the sauce. Yes I used spaghetti sauce from a can, because I was in a hurry and it still tasted great. My Kids begged for more – if that isn’t a testiment to my cooking choices I don’t know what is.

Add Cheese to Pizza Boats

Sprinkle generously with mozzarella cheese. I used about two cups for both boats.

Decorate Boats with Pepperoni

Dot with pepperoni and cook in the oven for 10-15 minutes, until cheese is melted. You can cook it till it gets bubbly and slightly browned edges, but I didn’t want the French bread to get hard.

This way the bread was perfect and the cheese was melted enough to stay on the bread.

Pepperoni tip:

to keep your pepperoni longer place in the freezer. You can add it to pizzas still frozen. To separate bend the slices gently back and forth until they loosen.

Pair Pizza Boats with the Perfect Side

I paired it with a salad made with lettuce, tomatoes, chopped green onions, toasted tortilla chips and crumbled Queso Oaxaca and a homemade dressing that my husband loves.

Queso Oaxaca is a Mexican cheese that tastes great as a highlight to dishes when it’s crumbled up. It was my first time using it and I was a bit nervous my family wouldn’t eat it, but they actually loved it and ate it even more! So yay for Queso!

Green onion tip :

after you use your green onions from the store, simply place the bulbs in fresh water in the window sill. Replace the water with fresh water every few days.

The onions will grow 3-4 more times giving you fresh onions and saving you a run to the store.

Add chicken to this salad and you’ve got a great meal. I found that my family still really loves it, even when I don’t have time to cook the chicken, which helps when I’m in a pinch.

It needs together quick and everyone loves it. Yay for easy dinner night. Now back to painting

Pizza Boat Recipe

Loaf of French bread – sliced length wise

• 2 TBS butter
• 1 tsp garlic salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1 cup spaghetti sauce
• 2 cups Mozzarella cheese
• 22 pepperoni slices

Tortilla Salad Recipe

Dressing

• 1/4 conola or olive oil
• 2 Tbsp vinegar
• 1 TBS Sugar
• 2 tsps Accent or Salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper

Salad

• 1 head Romain lettuce chopped
• 3-4 toasted tortillas (400° 3 min on each side) break up in bite size pieces
• 1 Chicken breast- cooked and chopped
• 1 bunch Green onions chopped
• Optional (pretty much I throw in whatever I want )
• Cherry tomatoes – sliced
• Queso Oaxaca – crumbled
• Even the chicken can be optional.

This is a great travel salad when going to a function. I keep the tortillas crispy, broken up in a separate bag and the dressing is in a lidded container. Then mix it all together right before people eat.

This salad can be as in depth or easy as you want, if you have the crispy tortilla bites people almost don’t notice the chicken missing.

I hope you like it!

Until next time,

Natalie

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This is probably the easiest mermaid cake around, though the frosting tip makes it look difficult. I kind of felt like I had cheated when I was done. But it really was pretty simple.

This article contains affiliate links, which means no additional cost for you, but I get a small commission. These links are provided for your convenience.

How to Make Teal Frostine

I made teal frosting by mixing Wilton Royal blue and Kelly green food coloring. They cost a bit more than liquid coloring, but you get a richer color and they last forever if you take care of them.

I made a Buttercream Frosting recipe from Two Sisters Crafting. It tasted great and was easy to make. I also got compliments on the taste so it’s a winner.

To get the color add a bit of one color then the next until you get the hue you are looking for.

Food coloring tip: use a toothpick to get the color and use a fresh toothpick every time. This helps avoid getting any frosting in the container. If food of any kind gets in the container it makes the food coloring go rancid.

How to Make Frosting Look Like a Mermaid Lagoon

For the rose shaped seaweed, use a Wilton 1M tip as seen above. Then at the top edge make an “S” shape. Do that around the entire cake.

Come back and fill in any gaps with a little dab of frosting from the 1M tip. It will look like a 3D star.

How to Make Candy Corral and Plants

Using Haribo Sour Streamers cut into plant shapes. You can see how I trimmed the blue strips off center that way I had two sizes that I alternated around the cake. For the bottom of the plant trim to a point or make a tree limb look. Then from the top cut and remove triangle like shapes. Twist the branches for a plant like look.

For the orange corral I cut it into the thirds rolled out into a column and held it in place with frosting. I didn’t feel like making white frosting and hadn’t thought to reserve some. I hid the dark frosting by putting it against the cake and then you couldn’t tell.

How to make Ombre Frosting

The cake has kind of an ombre effect. I did that by having a lighter teal and adding a half cup to the bag then mixing in more color adding another half cup, until all the frosting was in the bag.

How to Make Berry Layered Cake

The party was so exciting I didn’t get a very good shot of the inside of the cake. It was layered Berry cake with vanilla cake.

To do this

Cut the batter in half. Cook your vanilla layers first. These layers will be much thinner. Cook for around 11-15 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

With the remaining batter add

1 cup blended berry mixture,

1/4 cup flour (fold in gently to keep batter soft)

Divide into 2 sections and bake for 11 – 15 minutes, depending on your oven at 350°.

Finishing Touch

Add the mermaids of your choice. This is also why I felt like I cheated, it was Sooo easy and yet the little 5 year olds were going nuts over it.

There you go. I hope this was helpful. See you next time

Natalie

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The post Mermaid Birthday Cake appeared first on This Homemade Home.

Tasty, quick to the table and full of good-for-you vegetables. Bistro Chicken makes a long day taste delicious.

I discovered this recipe years ago in a Kraft foods magazine. It quickly became a favorite and is so easy to make it became part of the permanent dinner rotation.

Specialty Ingredients

This recipe does require a few things I don’t always have on hand like bacon and fresh mushrooms. Everything else I usually have in the house. It is easy to make, but I usually have to plan ahead.

Easy Bistro Chicken

2 tsp. vegetable oil

3 cups sliced fresh mushrooms

1 med. Onion, chopped

1 can (15 Oz) stewed tomatoes, undrained

1/4 cup Italian dressing

3 Tbsp. tomatoe paste

4 small boneless skinless chicken breast halves (1 lb)

1 cup mozzarella cheese

2 slices bacon, crumbled

Heat oil in large skillet on med – high heat. Add mushrooms and onions; cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in tomatoes (with liquid), dressing and tomato paste.

Add chicken; cover. Reduce heat to med-low. Simmer 12 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. I’ve found it tastes best simmering longer, as long as the heat is low, the chicken becomes even more tender.

Sprinkle with cheese and bacon; simmer, uncovered, 5 minutes or until cheese is melted. Serve over rice if desired.

Makes 4 servings – I usually double it because the leftovers are also amazing – amazing that I don’t have to cook the next day. (and they’re also amazing).

I served the Bistro Chicken with a side of sautéed summer squash and zucchini, (recipe found here) and a fresh loaf of bread.

Tips to make this meal even faster

Bread Tip: buy frozen bread and set it out to rise in the pan in the morning. Then put it into bake when you start the entrée. Your family will love you.

Chicken Tip: set chicken in a bowl in the fridge to defrost the same time you set out the bread to rise. You’ll be eating a half hour after getting home.

Bacon Tip: cook the whole package of bacon when you buy it. Put it in the freezer and pull out just the amount you need when cooking.

Tomatoe Paste Tip: most recipes don’t call for a whole can of tomatoe paste. Place the rest in a zip lock bag, flattened out. With the blunt edge of a butter knife section into roughly 1 Tbsp sections then put in the freezer for next time.

Saving tip for leftover tomatoe paste

Mmmmm.

Sautéing the mushrooms and onions is the secret to a great dish.

For the most tender chicken it’s important to cover and reduce the heat to med – low as it cooks.

Mozzarella and bacon are the final touch.

Searve over rice with a side of sautéed summer squash and fresh bread.

What is your go to meal, easy and tastes delicious?

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Hands down the best way to eat summer squash and zucchini. Full of flavor with a sizzling, crisp taste. Done in minutes.

I used to steam my zucchini and summer squash – no one would really eat it, but my husband and I. Once I started to sauté the kids began to like it. I found that I liked it better too, now it’s the only way I cook them.

Sautéed Summer Squash

2-4 Summer Squash and Zucchini, cut into 1/4 inch slices.

1-2 Tbsp butter

Garlic salt, fresh ground black pepper and parmesan cheese to taste.

Heat skillet to med-high, melt 1 Tbsp of butter, cover the skillet with a layer of squash.

Cook for 1-2 minutes or until a crisp light brown sear forms on the bottom.

Turn and cook squash another 1-2 minutes, sprinkle with seasonings – garlic salt, pepper and parmesan cheese.

Plated and gone very quickly after this photo was taken .

Enjoy

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A few years ago I created a Bouquet Dinner for my family on Valentine’s. It was an immediate hit. Our kids now look forward to it as soon as they see the Valentine’s decorations go up in the stores (which is like right after Christmas ).

The thing I love about Valentine’s Day is we don’t have to spend huge amounts of money to show others how important they are to us.

Of course businesses are often trying to convince us that a diamond bracelet or luxury cruise is the only way to show your love. We all know better. While those things are nice, real love is expressed in less complex ways.

When I feel truly loved it is because someone remembered me. My husband gives me a music mix of the very best songs from the previous year. I love it because whenever I listen to it I think of him. The CD also introduces me to the latest hits which I have to admit is needed. I quickly get behind on what’s up and coming.

Children are natural Valentine masters. They are so incredibly loving and forgiving and their cards and presents are truly from the heart.

A few of the homemade Valentine’s I’ve gotten over the years.

Last year my son was struggling with keeping his cool. His teacher used a little post it note to track expected and unexpected behavior and send it to me at the end of the day. This is probably the most beautiful way he could show his love for me at the time. All smiles and no frowns .

It seemed only natural for me to make a fun, creative dinner to show my affection for my family. I make notes and everything, but this way I can feed their bellies and souls. They also never forget this tradition, their eyes light up when they see Valentine’s Dinner.

It’s exciting to “pick” what you want to eat. With such a unique way of serving dinner the whole room is jumping with excitement.

A few needed items

• Flower vases to hold your bouquets
• Cooking skewers
• Your choice of meat, fruit /Vegitables and bread

Our Bouquet Versions

Each year we try something a little different. One year we had meatballs, smokies and bacon alternating on a skewer. Another year I tried my hand at bacon roses which I thought would be an especially tasty way to my husband’s heart.

Chocolate Covered Bacon

You could also try chocolate covered bacon – which is actually amazing. Here is the recipe and how-to here. Or make bacon roses and then dip in chocolate! I will likely be trying that this year.

Inside-out Chocolate Strawberries

If you look closely, you’ll see these chocolate strawberries have the chocolate on the inside. I found that chocolate covered strawberries were a little messy to eat. The chocolate shell would break and fall off before you could eat it with the strawberry. You’re using two hands, one to eat and one to catch the chocolate falling off.

This version you simply pour the chocolate inside the strawberry. There is often a hole inside so it makes it easy. It’s perfect to eat for little ones and I actually like it better with a chocolate core.

Pigs-in-a-Blanket

Pigs-in-a-blanket are easy to do on a stick as well. To mix it up a little, try one of these versions Cheesy Ranch or a puff pastry crust.

I also just discovered this completely easy to make Soft Pretzel recipe, which I’ll probably do this year for the Bouquet as well.

I was surprised that the Oreo’s on a stick were not a hit. I think the kids had already had so much sugar from school Valentine’s that they were ready for real food by dinner.

My amazing Valentine. He makes it easy to want to make Valentine’s Day special.

There are endless ideas to create a Bouquet meal. What would you put in an edible bouquet?

P. S.

You may be wondering if we get alone time – for an actual romantic dinner? The answer is yes, we will be going out just the two of us on the weekend.

Happy baking, until next time – which will likely be a home DIY!

Natalie

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With the holidays over and sugar rushing through our veins you may be looking for a few healthier options.

The Blended Blueberry Pancakes were created for this exact reason. With all the ‘Superfood’ ingredients you’ll be amazed at how good they are for you. Even better – my kids beg for them. They taste amazing straight from the skillet or later from the freezer for an easy snack. (my kids actually love them frozen – don’t judge ’til you’ve tried it ).

We use a Blendtec Home blender. It gets ingredients very smooth and comes with like a great warranty. In fact at the very end of the warranty the ball bearings began to stick and they shipped out a new container. It’s still going strong, I think we’ve had it 9 years now. Check out their company if you want (not a sponsored post, just an avid fan).

These pancakes are awesome. They taste great and are packed with nutrients, protein and antioxidants. Follow the links below for health benefits.

Wet ingredients to blend, milk, oil, eggs, blueberries, spinach. I forgot to put the flax and chia seeds in the picture. Oops

Blueberries and Spinach

My kids never liked whole blueberries in their pancakes, but blended up it becomes a treat.

The blueberry juice also hides other super foods like spinach – no one will ever know it’s there. The berries and leafy greens turn the pancakes a nice deep blue color which makes it all the more enticing.

Blueberries are packed with antioxidants and phytoflavinoids – that act as an anti-inflammatory and help fight heart disease and cancer.

Fun fact here, by heating spinach it unlocks even more of the superfood nutrients, making it easier for your body to absorb – pancakes are a tasty way to cook spinach and still have it look and taste delicious.

Flax Seeds

I also add flax seed for omega-3 fatty acids and fiber which help with digestion and lowers blood pressure and bad cholesterol. These need to be blended up to access the nutrients inside the seed, so adding them to blended pancakes and smoothies is great.

Chia Seeds

Chia Seeds are a good source of omega-3 fatty acids, fiber, antioxidants, iron, and calcium. A 28 gram serving contains 5.6 grams of protein. It’s a super power food wrapped in a tiny seed. These are best served in some sort of liquid so pancakes fit the bill.

Vitamins

I also add a few chewable vitamins. I bought this huge bottle because it was a great deal on Amazon and then my kids hated them. I just started throwing a few into smoothies and blended pancakes. They still love the pancakes and little do they know – all the vitamins too…

Whole Ground Wheat

Wheat has quite a bit of nutrients, if you grind it yourself you are able to eat it before the flour loses the nutrients. I grind mine about 10 cups at a time and store it in the fridge. I like my Blentec wheat grinder because it easily stores out of the way. I also like hard white wheat because it is lighter and still full of whole wheat fiber.

Some recipes blend all the ingredients together. I like to blend just the wet ingredients and fold into the dry.

There is more fruit and vegetables than flour so it makes a wetter batter. To cook it evenly inside, spread out into thinner cakes. I am ok with thinner cakes because I want more fruit and veggies going in my kids.

If you want fluffy pancakes you can easily add 1/2 cup to 1 cup more flour, till the batter is a thickness you like.

Blueberry Blender Pancakes

Mix in a large bowl

3 cups flour

2 TBS sugar

4 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

Combine in blender

2 eggs

2 cups milk or almond milk

4 TBS oil

1 1/2 cups frozen berries

1 cup fresh or frozen spinach

1 TBS flax seed (optional)

1 TBS chia seed (optional)

Pour wet ingredients from the blender into the bowl with dry ingredients and gently fold in until just combined.

Cook on a medium high skillet until light brown on both sides. I like to make mine small, 3″ in diameter, and use as an after school snack.

Freeze leftovers for up to 3 months. The flavors crystallize and taste great as a frozen snack.

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Making gingerbread houses is a well loved tradition in many homes. Originating in Germany in the 16th century, Gingerbread Houses eventually made their way into being a Christmas activity.

The original houses were adorned with foil and gold leaf – and probably much more ornate than what we do.

Since our family was looking for Christmas activities for children, we tweaked and streamlined until gingerbread decorating was as fun and stress free as possible.

Graham Cracker Structure

It’s a common practice to use graham crackers for your gingerbread house structure. Did you know the better tasting Honeymaid brand is more brittle, making it harder to build with?

Save those expensive crackers for eating and buy a few boxes of the cheapest brand, we had best luck with the Kroger Store brand. It was a little more forgiving.

When making the roof, attach the two pieces together and let harden off of the house first. Once it’s good and firm place it on top with more frosting to hold it in place

When Preschoolers are involved you may want to build a simple structure ahead of time so they can just glue on candy. It makes the gingerbread house tradition much easier.

This year my daughter built her own, with just a little help from me, she was ecstatic.

I let my kids use as much autonomy as possible to increase creativity and problem solving skills.

The Secret to Acquiring All that Candy

There is so much sugar in our society, too much really. I started using candy from trick-or-treating in gingerbread house making to reduce the amount we are buying and eating. Read here to see how I make it acceptable for our children.

Decorate with candy on hand.

Tricks for Cutting Edges

This little trick will make it easier to define the edges of your crackers. Beware, it does not cut straight through a cracker, a serated knife will help with that.

If you just want a smooth edge, or an angle, use scissors to trim Graham crackers for your gingerbread houses.

Using scissors to trim, cuts down on unwanted cracks and breaks.

Building base

I used to stress (a bit ) about cutting out carboard, wrapping it in tinfoil… This year I just said, “hey everyone if you want a tinfoil base come make it.” Then I pulled out paper plates for everyone else. So much easier and one less thing for me to do, I love it.

When you want something quick and easy, use a paper plate, turned upside down and a flat roof.

My son made gingerbread kids having a snowball fight, while being yelled at by the preacher. He is very committed to his chapel theme.

The Best Glue Frosting

My favorite gingerbread house frosting by far. You know it’s good frosting glue if it can dry quickly and hold pieces together.

There are several different recipes out there with varying levels of egg white, cream of tartar and powdered sugar.

Less is more with this recipe, kind of like super glue, if you put too much on it takes longer to dry.

Gingerbread House Frosting

3 Egg Whites

1 lb Powdered Sugar

1 tsp Vanilla

1/2 tsp Cream of Tartar

Beat the egg whites till frothy. Fold in powered sugar, vanilla and cream of tartar.

Place in a zip lock bags and also rubberband the top closed. Then trim a very small hole off one corner . You can always cut a larger hole later if it’s too small, but start on the small end.

And you’re good to go.

What other Gingerbread House Hacks have you tried? Share below.

What do you wish there was a hack for?

Take care and happy building.

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