COCONUT & CINNAMON PANCAKES WITH STRAW BERRIES SYRUP

COCONUT & CINNAMON PANCAKES WITH STRAW BERRIES SYRUP

INGREDIENTS: 

2 Cups of unbleached flour.
1 Teaspoons of Baking Powder
1 Teaspoon of Baking Soda
1 Teaspoon sugar
1 Tablespoon of cinnamon and 2 teaspoons.
1 Cup of Coconut milk in a can.
1/2 cup milk as needed.
2 eggs. Any size

METHOD OF PREPARATION:
Have your pan preheated on low or medium low.  If it's too hot turn it down to low.  
1. If you are using a spray, it is ok to let the pan warm.
2. If you are using butter, Do not warm pan, but rather when your done mixing the batter then turn on the stove, this way you will not burn the butter.  So for this time put the batter in the gently warmed pan, and by the time it is done, the pan will be warm enough

FIRST:   WHISK WHISK WHISK
Note: If the eggs are small or med, you can add a extra egg if you want.  
Mix Baking Powder and cinnamon into flour really good and then in another bowl mix the eggs into the milk.  Then proceed to add the flour, but not all at once.  Gradually add the flour in big scoops and mix each batch in really good.
 The consistency of the batter:
1. If it holds on to the spoon when you lift the spoon too thick.
2. If you hold up the spoon and it fall of in large globs. Still to thick.
3. If it falls off faster, but is not very runny. Nope
4. Now if you hold a spoon full of batter up and the batter is not overly runny and falls off the spoon in a nice stream this is good.

NOTE: If the batter is too thick add more milk a tablespoon at a time. If the batter is too runny add in flour a table spoon at a time.   

SECOND:   COOKING
Note: The first pancake always turns out lighter, this is totally ok.
Have your skillet or pan either heated or ready to go with the butter.
Use a tablespoon or a large soup spoon to ladle the batter into the middle of the pan and very gently using the back of the spoon shape the batter in to a circle.
As the pancake cooks watch for bubble to start to appear. as soon as you see a lot of bubbles use a    metal spatula flip the pancake over to cook on the other side.   Be sure to very gently press down on the pancake with the spatula.
As it cooks you will see it rise up.  When both side are golden brown it is done.
The remaining pancake should have a more even golden color, because the pan is at temperature.


THIRD: STRAWBERRIE SYRUP  (This is a easy and light syrup)
 2 Cup Strawberries
 1/2 Cup water
 2 Table spoons sugar.

Two cups of fresh strawberries, or frozen.  Cut off stems and clean. Then slice the berries evenly and add to a small pan.  Add a 1/2 a cup water to the cut berries and add the sugar.  Turn the stove top to medium.  Stir the berries occationally.  When the sugar is melted and the strawberries are warmed it is done.  

FOURTH:  FREEZING
If you have a cookie wrack for cooling this is prefect, but make sure the air reaches the underside.  When they are cooled wrap each one in wax paper then foil, so they're separately wrapped and not touching each other, that way they won't stick to each other when you get them out to use them.
Put all into a large freezer bag or if you have a container that works too.

FIFTH: THAWING 
Take out as many as you want and unwrap.
1st method:  Heat up pan on low to medium low and rewarm them that way.  Until the middle is no longer frozen.
2nd method:  A Toaster oven or oven work great.  Put the pancakes in the oven or toaster oven. The oven you can turn to 300 and watch the pancakes till their heated though.  All they have to be is warmed not cooked.  The toaster oven same thing.  Now just to clarify the toaster oven that you
 open up like a regular oven.

And their you go real 100% homemade frozen pancakes and you know exactly what is in them.
And I have a recipe for Blackberry syrup that on here too. mmmmmm

ENJOY!

ORZO SALMON SALAD WITH TOASTED WATERMELON SEEDS & EDAMAME

ORZO SALMON SALAD WITH TOASTED WATERMELON SEEDS & EDAMAME

This simple little salad is really healthy.  I am lucky enough to have a step father who is a sport salmon fisher on the Oregon Coast.  So we always have salmon coming out of our ears, that is not a bad thing. It's a yummy thing.    Here is one of my favorites, great after a hard ride on the bikes.

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup of ORZO pasta any brand.
2 celery sticks diced
1 Red bell pepper diced
1 quarter of a white onion finely chopped.
1 cup of Edamame beans podded and cleaned.
1 Good size salmon steak, about the length of your hand from palm to a little bit over the finger tips. Roughly.
1 or 2 Tablespoons Mayonnaise.
About 3 Tablespoon of Toasted Watermelon seeds for sprinkling, on top of finished salad.
1 Tablespoon of Capers optional.

METHOD OF PREPARATION:

NOTE: While the salmon is cooking on low you can clean and pod the edamame and get a pan out for the pasta.

FIRST: COOKING THE SALMON
Put the Salmon steak skin down in the pan.  Turn the pan to low and cover with a lid that fits.  Keep your eye on the color of the salmon. At first it will be bright reddish pink, and as it cooks it will turn into a lighter pink.  Also watch for white drops of fat to appear on the out side of the salmon as it cooks.
Next: Now if your looking at your salmon that is cooking and it appears to be done on the out side, it may not be done on the inside. Turn off the burner and take off the lid. Take two forks and very carefully pull the salmon apart and look in.  Try to pull it apart by the grain.  If you see dark red inside, it still need to cook more. Put in back on the burner on low to finish cooking.
 If it is done, then when you take the forks and pull the salmon apart gently it will flake apart really easily, and it should all be the same even light pink, no dark pink.
When the salmon is all the way done take a metal spatula and scoop the whole salmon up off the skin that will be stuck to the pan.   Put the salmon on a plate and let cool a bit then remove all the bones and then flake apart.

SECOND:  COOKING THE PASTA AND COOLING IT.

NOTE: You will need a larger pot with more ice than water in it for a ice bath.  You will not dump the pasta into the water, but rather set the pan or bowl on the ice and stir the pasta to cool it down faster.

a pot with water. Turn stove top to high. As soon as you see little bubbles starting to form add the cup of ORZO.  Stir the ORZO to prevent from sticking together.  If need be turn down the burner to Med-High  the noodles will still cook.  Leaving the water on high the entire time will only make the water boil up and over.  The noodles will cook at Med-High, Medium, and even Medium Low.  Carefully test the pasta along the way.  When you see white foam on top of the water, that is when their close to being done.  That is the starch coming out.
1. If  it's chewy, it's not done.   
2. If it's a little less chewy, but still not soft, this is called Al dente. 
3. If  it is soft, but not mushy, it's done.  
Now you need to cool the pasta.  Remove the ORZO either by draining off the hot water into another larger pot or scoop out the pasta with a wide slotted spoon. After all the water is drained put the pasta back into small container and cool as mention above.

THIRD: DICE, SLICE & MIX.

Now dice up the celery, red bell pepper, and onion add to the cooled pasta and mix in. Next flake the salmon and discard bones add to salad and mix.   Add Capers and Mayonnaies and mix in well.

Next when you dish up add a light sprinkle of Toasted Watermelon seeds.

DIG IN AND ENJOY!  

DRAIN OFF THE GREASE.

GREASE 
There was a total of 8 cans of grease in my freezer, two escaped the camera shot. Why am I showing you grease that is frozen.  8 can = about 16 ounces.   16 x 8 cans = 128 ounces of grease.  This is one month worth of grease that I drain off from meat and other meals.   I am a advocate for draining off grease,  because other wise this goes into your system.  YUCK.    4g of grease of any kind = 38 calories.  
So 16 x 6 teaspoons = 96 teaspoons.  96 teaspoons x 38 calories = a whopping 3648 calories. And that's just in one month.  In a full year 
43,786 and this does not include your daily intake of 2000 calories.   YEEOWCH!   I freeze them because their easier to throw away.  

I've always hated grease, my mom use to let the meat swim in it and as a child I hated that.   So after I cook my meal I tilt the pan push back the meat and drain it all off.  One pound of meat will  yield around two cups of grease.  But it also depends on the brand.  Another thing I do to extract more grease is to add one or a half of cup of water or soup broth to the meat. This in no way effects the flavor or cooking of the meat.  

Side note:  If I were to extract all the grease to show you them side ways, you would see it's grease all the way down.