Dill Pickle Pasta Salad

 

I guess Dill Pickle Pasta Salad is a hit on TikTok. I don't know anything about TikTok. But I now DO know about Dill Pickle Pasta Salad. It was on the potluck table at our church recently, courtesy of Lauren - one of my former Joyful Noise Children's Choir members. Now she's a mama herself and bringing tasty dishes to church potlucks. (Am I old, or what?!)

I like pasta salads in general. When I saw it on the buffet, I figured it would just be a tasty pasta salad. But this was not your usual pasta salad. The dill pickles packed a powerful puckery punch. After discovering who brought the salad, I asked for the recipe and then promptly tried it myself.

The recipe Lauren shared was from the Together As Family blog. I also did a little Googling, and there are lots of versions of recipes for Dill Pickle Pasta Salad. For my version, I used extra sharp Cheddar cheese. Together as Family suggested Colby Jack, but I think the stronger flavor of extra sharp Cheddar holds up better against the powerful pickle taste. I only had enough of the dill pickles for 1 cup (without a trip to the grocery store), so I used bread and butter pickles for the remainder. (That was a suggestion from another recipe.) You can use the combination that best suits your taste buds. We liked the touch of sweetness that the bread and butter pickles provided. 

The recipe said dill pickle slices or baby dill pickles could be used. I like the chopped whole baby dill pickles for more flavor and more crunch.  

If you try it, let me know what you think! 

Dill Pickle Pasta Salad

Adapted from Together As Family blog 

For salad

1 box (16 oz) rotini pasta 

1/3 cup dill pickle juice (from pickle jar)

2 cups chopped baby dill pickles 

1 block (8 oz) cubed extra sharp Cheddar cheese

1 small onion, finely chopped (opt.)

 

Creamy Dill Dressing

1 cup mayonnaise

1/2 cup sour cream

1/3 cup dill pickle juice 

2 tbsp. chopped fresh dill (or 1 tbsp. dried dill)

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper 

 

Cook pasta in salted water according to package directions.  When pasta is done cooking, drain pasta and rinse with cold water. Move rinsed pasta to a mixing bowl and pour 1/3 cup pickle juice over it. Stir to combine. Let sit while you prepare the rest.

 

Chop the dill pickles and cut cheese into small cubes. Finely chop the white onion, if desired. (You can use green onion for a milder onion taste.)

 

In a small bowl, combine all the dressing ingredients, mixing well.

 

Drain the pasta again that was sitting in the pickle juice. Add the pasta back to the mixing bowl. Add in the pickles, cheese and white onion. Stir to combine.  

 

Pour dressing over pasta salad; stir well. Salad can be eaten right away or, if you prefer a colder salad, refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours. 

 

Store leftovers in the refrigerator. However, after sitting, the pasta absorbs the dressing, making it less creamy.  

 

Crock Pot Chicken & Noodles

 

 

Chicken and noodles always makes me think of my Grandma Neelly. We didn't go to her house every Sunday after church, but we did on occasion. We'd walk in the house and there would be noodles drying on the kitchen table. Soon, she'd add those noodles to the chicken broth for a little "swim." And then one of my favorite meals in the world would be served at her dining room table.

I cook and bake. A lot. But I've never made homemade noodles. I never saw a recipe for her noodles. After years and years of making them, perhaps she no longer needed one. I can relate on several of my own tried-and-true recipes. 

But chicken and noodles remains one of my favorite comfort meals, especially when served over homemade mashed potatoes, with canned green beans on the side. (I have never claimed to be gourmand. Grandma had home canned green beans, but that's not happening. I also didn't get my grandmother's green thumb.)

 

I had my first cataract and glaucoma stent surgery on May 19. And I was looking for a little comfort, so chicken and noodles it was! I put some in the freezer so I'd have some for after my second surgery, which is on the docket tomorrow (July 9). 

 

Unfortunately, Randy is not nearly as big a fan of Chicken and Noodles. He will eat them, but they aren't his favorite. When I saw a recipe for a crockpot version on Facebook, I had to try them - whether it's his favorite or not. The recipe makes a LOT. Both times I've made them, I've halved the recipe, and we still have oodles and gobs left. 

Reames frozen noodles were the noodles of my childhood at home. The frozen noodles are high quality and tasty. That's what I use these days, too.

 

Servers - Pastor Benjamin Simba, Adrienne Minnis, Betty Byer, Randy Fritzemeier and Kim Fritzemeier (not pictured)

 

I modified the recipe and filled a roaster for the June 26 Core meal. Core is an organization that gives individuals and families help with budgeting and connection in an effort to better their lives. Different organizations provide a meal before the lessons each week, and our church was on the calendar that night. People seemed to enjoy it.  

 

For Core, we served the chicken and noodles with green beans, tossed salad and cookies (not pictured).

Crock Pot Chicken & Noodles

From Spend with Pennies

3 large uncooked chicken breasts (about 1 1/2 pounds)

1 small onion, diced

2 cans condensed cream of chicken soup

6 cups low-sodium chicken broth

1/2 tsp. black pepper

1/2 tsp. dried thyme leaves

2 cups frozen mixed vegetables

24 oz. frozen egg noodles (like Reames)

2 tbsp. fresh parsley

Season chicken with salt and pepper to taste. Place onion and chicken in large slow cooker. Combine broth, cream of chicken soup and seasonings. Pour over seasoned chicken breasts. Cook on High for 3 hours or until onions are tender and the chicken is cooked through.

Remove chicken breasts from the slow cooker and shred with two forks or chop. Put back in the liquid, along with the mixed vegetables and frozen noodles. Cook an additional 60 to 90 minutes until the noodles are cooked through, stirring every 30 minutes. Don't overcook. Stir in parsley and serve.

Notes:

• I like to serve over mashed potatoes. 
• With just Randy and I at home, I half this recipe, and we still have plenty of leftovers for additional meals. This time, I put part of the chicken and noodles in the freezer so I'd have instant comfort food after the second eye surgery.
  
• To get the noodles as tender as we prefer, I usually cook for the additional 90 minutes. In the roaster, I added the noodles 2 hours before serving.
• If you have people who wouldn't like the addition of the mixed vegetables, just leave them out.
  

Summer Heat: Crock Pot Cool

May is the official Beef Month for Kansas. But it's beef month every month of the year at our house. I'm getting low on a lot of meat cuts as we wait for beef to be ready for harvest and processing.  But I've still got a few roasts at the bottom of the chest freezer.

Beef is Kansas’ top contributor in output to the state’s economy at $11.7 billion, according to the Kansas Department of Agriculture. Additionally, the sector supports the most jobs—direct, indirect and induced—in the state at more than 38,600. 

         

Kansas ranks third in the nation in three commodity groupings: all cattle and calves, cattle on feed and commercial red meat production. Kansas produces more than 5.8 billion pounds of commercial red meat production, or 10.7% of the U.S. total.

 

Even though we've retired from active farming, we still own our cow herd, managed by the Millers. 

As we approach the hot days of summer, the slow cooker is my friend.

Actually, I love using my slow cooker all year. Like the old cookbook says, "Fix It and Forget It." When I saw a recipe for Slow Cooker Shredded Beef Tacos on one of the blogs I read, Six Sisters' Stuff, I printed it off. And this time, I actually tried it ... rather than it just getting added to the pile of "to-try recipes" that seems to find its way onto my kitchen counter.

I served the meat as the protein for soft tacos with all the usual Mexican-meal suspects - Mexican rice, beans, queso and chips. I stuffed the tacos with meat, lots of shredded lettuce, tomatoes, grated cheese, salsa and a little sour cream. 

We had enough meat for several meals. The meat can also be used in enchiladas, in protein bowls or on top of tostados. Since it wasn't too spicy hot, I also made some into BBQ beef for supper sandwiches.  For people who like things spicier than we do, you could add additional peppers or a favorite hot sauce. 

I just love planned overs that end up looking brand new. Don't you?

If you're looking to add some of that good Kansas beef to your table, give this versatile recipe a try!

  

Slow Cooker Shredded Beef Tacos

From Six Sisters Stuff Blog

2 1/2 pounds beef chuck roast

1 oz. taco seasoning

1 cup salsa verde

15 ounces corn, drained

1/2 cup beef broth

Soft taco shells

Taco toppings (shredded cheese, sour cream, tomato, shredded cheese, salsa, chopped onions, etc.)

 

Place roast in the slow cooker and cover with taco seasoning. Pour salsa verde over top. Add one can of drained corn and 1/2 cup beef broth. (You can make broth using water and bouillon, if desired.) 

 

Cook on high for 3 to 4 hours or low for 6 to 8. When it is finished cooking, pull from the slow cooker and shred, removing excess fat and bone. Place it back in the slow cooker when finished. Mix the shredded beef with the corn and liquid. Serve with your favorite taco toppings. 

Note: I like to use the Crock Pot liners to make clean up easier.

Chicken Chipulos

 

Most of us don't need Cinco de Mayo to add Mexican flavors to our dinner table. And I know there's nothing at all authentic about this Mexican-adjacent recipe. But, if you're looking to celebrate Cinco de Mayo on May 5, this new-to-us recipe was tasty. 

I volunteered to make a casserole dish for a PEO fundraiser. When the committee forwarded the recipe for Chicken Chipulos, I must admit I had to Google "chipulos." It's basically a chicken taco casserole prepared in layers. 

No matter what it's called, it even got a "thumbs up" from my beef-loving husband. So, I decided I'd make it for my next time cooking for the Stafford Core group. Core is an organization that helps individuals and families overcome poverty. Each week, they meet for educational sessions. Just as important, they connect with a community of other people who are there to listen and support them. Each week, community organizations provide a meal for those gathered. I organize the efforts for my church's turn at a meal, usually about once a quarter. Both at home and at Core, I served it with Spanish rice, lettuce salad, sour cream, chips and salsa. For even more Mexican flair, you could also add refried beans, chili con queso and guacamole - or a combination thereof!

While the original recipe used canned chicken breast, I purchased chicken tenderloins that were on sale at my local grocery store. I had seen a recipe for preparing chicken in a slow cooker to use for chicken tacos, so I gave that method a try. I combined two large packages of the chicken tenderloins with one packet of taco seasoning, one packet of ranch dressing mix and 2 cups chicken broth and let the slow cooker do the work. After it was cooked, I refrigerated the meat until the next day, then used a method Jill had told me about to shred the chicken. Doing a little at a time, I put the cooked, cooled chicken in my Kitchenaid mixer with paddle attachment. I let the mixer do the shredding for me, rather than pulling it to shred or chopping it in bite-sized pieces. It worked great, and I will definitely use that method again. 

If you try it, let me know how you like it. It was a hit at Core, too.

Chicken Chipulos

1 can condensed cream of chicken soup 

1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup

1 can (4 oz.) diced green chilies

3 cups shredded, cooked chicken

1 onion, finely diced

8 oz. sour cream

2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

8 10-inch flour tortillas 

To prepare: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine soups, chicken, green chilies, cooked onion and sour cream in a medium-sized bowl. Set aside. 

Rip tortillas into bite-sized pieces and layer 1/3 onto the bottom of a prepared 9x13 inch baking dish. Layer 1/3 chicken mixture on top, then a layer of cheddar cheese. Repeat two additional times, making sure to end with cheese on the top layer. Bake in preheated oven for about an hour and serve. 

 

Notes: 

• The recipe I got from my PEO sisters used 2 cans - 12.5-ounce each - of chicken breast meat. I bought chicken on sale at my local grocery store and threw it in my slow cooker with 1 packet of taco seasoning, 1 packet of ranch seasoning and 2 cups chicken broth. After it cooled, I shredded it, using the paddle attachment of my Kitchenaid mixer. Jill had recommended that method for shredding chicken after cooking, and it worked great!
  
• The original recipe didn't call for cooking the onion ahead of time. However, I wanted to make sure that the onion was cooked through. I combined my diced onion with a little splash of water and covered with plastic wrap, then microwaved until it was tender.  
• The recipe said to rip tortillas. I used clean kitchen shears. 
• While the recipe didn't say to do this, I put a very thin layer of the chicken and soup mixture on the bottom of the pan before adding my first layer of tortillas. My rationale was to prevent burning the tortillas or making them too hard. That worked well. (I still used the bulk of the first third of soup mixture on TOP of the first layer of tortillas.)
  

 

 

Forget Taco Tuesday Today

It's Tuesday. Some clever marketing guru has made "Tuesday" and "Taco Tuesday" synonymous. But I've got another option for you today on Shrove Tuesday. It's International Pancake Day, so why not trade tacos for pancakes?

For Liberal, Kansas, Shrove Tuesday really is International Pancake Day. Pancake Day is a moveable feast with the date is determined by Easter. It's celebrated exactly 47 days before Easter Sunday (April 20 this year).

For 76 years, the women of two communities - Liberal, Kansas, and Olney, England - have raced down the streets of their respective communities, flipping pancakes and running against the clock and each other. The race is always on Shrove Tuesday, the day before Ash Wednesday. It's the only race of its kind in the world.

"Shrove" is not a thing, but a verb. "Shrive" (shrove, shriven) comes from the Old English verb scrfan, "to decree, decree after judgment, impose a penance upon, hear the confession of," according to the dictionary. Shrove Tuesday is a day to reflect, to seek penance and get ready for Lent.

In Olney, the Pancake Race tradition dates back to 1445. Legend has it that a woman was busy making pancakes and using up cooking fats, which were forbidden during Lent at that time. Hearing the church bells ring to announce the Shrove Tuesday service, she grabbed her head scarf and ran to the church, with pancake-filled skillet in hand. In following years, neighbors joined the race to the church. The first to arrive collected a Kiss of Peace from the bell ringer.

Photo from the International Pancake Day Facebook page: Liberal's Billie Warden crosses the finish line in 1950. Billie won the local race with a time of 1:18 but lost to Olney's Florence Callow, who finished in 1:10.4.

 

 

The international race with Liberal began in 1950, when Liberal Jaycee President R.J. Leete saw a photo of the English race in Time magazine and then contacted Olney, challenging their women to race against the women of Liberal.

Racers must still wear a head scarf and apron. Each runner flips her pancake at the starting signal and again as she crosses the finish line to prove she still has her pancake after running the 415-yard course.

Photo from the International Pancake Day Race Facebook page

According to the book, America Celebrates! A Patchwork of Weird & Wonderful Holiday Lore, some superstitions have evolved among Liberal racers:

• It is considered good luck to carry a past winner's skillet in the race or wear a past winner's apron.
• One year, the stack of concrete pancakes marking the starting point of the race was stolen. This was considered a bad omen, but the stack was later returned.
• Although the women practice running 415 yards, it is considered bad luck to run the official race course during the practice sessions.

If you're looking for your own International Pancake Day treat, these Apple Pancakes with Apple Topping are good for breakfast ... or for a breakfast-themed lunch or supper. I combined recipes from two different websites to come up with the cinnamon-infused pancakes topped with a fresh-made apple topping. 

I am not a maple syrup fan. I know that's practically sacrilege to say. But I'm always looking for different options to top pancakes or waffles. The apple topping echoes the cinnamon of the pancakes and teams it with sugar and butter, cooking down the chopped apples and offering a yummy alternative. 

Around here, we are more likely to have pancakes for lunch or supper than we are for breakfast. (However, Randy was glad to gobble up these leftovers for breakfast the next day). 

Tuesday doesn't always have to be Taco Tuesday. Today, why not make Shrove Tuesday a breakfast-for-supper kind of day? You can also use the search engine on the blog to find other tried-and-true pancake recipes from Kim's County Line.

Apple Pancakes

Recipe from Preppy Kitchen

1⅓ cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup milk
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 tablespoons butter, melted
1 medium apple, grated (1 cup)

In a large mixing bowl, whisk to combine the flour, baking powder, sugar, salt and cinnamon. In a liquid measuring cup or bowl, whisk to combine the milk, egg and vanilla. Make a well in the flour mixture and add the milk mixture. Add the melted butter. Stir gently to combine (it’s ok if the batter is lumpy and a few streaks of flour remain. Don't overmix.) Gently fold in the grated apple.

 

Heat a griddle or large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Grease with nonstick cooking spray or brush evenly with more melted butter.Using a ¼ cup measure, drop the pancake batter onto the griddle or skillet, leaving about 1 inch of space in between each pancake. Reduce the heat to medium.

 

Cook for about 3 minutes, or until golden brown and little bubbles appear all over the top side of the pancake. Flip the pancakes and cook for about 2 more minutes, until golden brown and the centers are cooked through. Repeat with the remaining batter.

 

Serve topped with apple topping (below), maple syrup and/or butter.

 

Apple Topping

From Budget Bytes

2 large apples 

2 tbsp. butter
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
2 tbsp. brown sugar
1 tbsp. water

Peel, remove the core, and dice the apples. Melt butter in a small pot over medium-low heat. Add the diced apples, cinnamon, brown sugar and water to the pot. Stir together and allow the apples to come up to a simmer. Cook the apples for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they are tender. Remove the pot from the heat and cover with a lid to keep warm. While the apples are cooking, start on the pancakes. Store leftovers in the refrigerator.

 

 

Marry Me Chicken Soup

  

Maybe you haven't heard about the “Marry Me Chicken” trend. I hadn't. But, evidently, Marry Me Chicken is a dish that's soooo irresistibly good that the person you make it for will want to marry you. 

Well, I can guarantee that my beef-loving husband would not board the "trend train" for that one. He will eat chicken dishes. But he much prefers beef-focused meals. 

But, when Jill sent the recipe for Marry Me Chicken Soup and I had some leftover chicken from preparing a Core meal, it was like a sign that this would be one of those occasional times when I add chicken to the meal rotation. Brooke was her family's biggest fan of this soup. And if it's good enough for Brooke ... well, I guess it's good enough for Grandpa, too.

We had plenty of soup for leftovers. Bonus! As with any recipe that includes pasta, you'll have to add a little water, chicken stock, milk or cream to thin it out when reheating. As pasta sits and gets cold, it absorbs the liquid. 

Ironically, after the soup leftovers were gone, I had a recipe for Marry Me Chicken from Taste of Home show up in the email inbox. The writers of that article and recipe claimed Tiktok was behind the recent spread of the Marry Me Chicken trend with its sun-dried tomatoes and Parmesan cream sauce. Hmmmm - Tiktok. No wonder I didn't know anything about it.

If these cold days of winter have you chilled to the bone, I'll recommend Marry Me Chicken Soup. My beef eater liked it, too. (Probably not as much as me, but that's life. And the cook's prerogative, right?)

 

 Marry Me Chicken Soup

Adapted from https://realfoodwholelife.com 

based on recommendation from Jill

 

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, small diced
¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 ½ teaspoon salt, divided
1 teaspoon granulated garlic powder
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 6-oz can tomato paste
1 quart chicken stock
2 cups water
1 teaspoon sugar
⅓ cup sundried tomatoes in oil, chopped
3 cups diced or shredded cooked chicken
2 cups small-shape pasta (uncooked) such as orecchiette, ditalini, farfalle (I used ditalini)

To Add at the End

½ cup heavy cream
⅓ cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 cups baby spinach
1 teaspoon red wine vinegar

Heat a large heavy bottom pot or Dutch oven over medium high heat. Add the olive oil, onion, and ¼ teaspoon salt and black pepper. Cook until the onion begins to soften, about 3-5 minutes, stirring frequently. Sprinkle the onion with the garlic powder and thyme, then cook until fragrant, about 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add the tomato paste and cook for 30 seconds, stirring constantly.

Add the chicken stock and 2 cups of water, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Add 2 teaspoons salt, the sugar, sun dried tomatoes, and chicken, stirring to combine. Cover, and bring to a rolling boil.

Add the pasta, stirring to ensure the pasta doesn’t stick. Cover, reduce to a strong simmer, and cook until the pasta is just cooked through, about 8-15 minutes, depending on the pasta shape. Uncover and stir occasionally to prevent the pasta from sticking together or anything sticking to the bottom of the pan.

Turn the heat off, uncover, and add the cream, Parmesan cheese, vinegar, and spinach, stirring to combine. Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary.

Lasagna Soup

We don't go to Topeka so that Jill can feed us. But, come to think of it, it is a bonus. On our most recent trip for basketball and tennis, Jill served us a Lasagna Soup. Both Randy and I thought it was delicious. Turns out, it was a recipe from one of her favorite cooking sites, Carlsbad Cravings. 

It was a frigidly cold weekend. We watched Brooke play three basketball games during a tournament. 

That evening, we took Kinley and watched her compete in tennis match play at an indoor tennis facility. I'm sure she wasn't cold, but even indoors, Randy and I were chilly and half hoped that leftover lasagna soup would be on the table when we got her back home.  (It wasn't, and Jill served an equally tasty evening meal that night.)

A birthday shopping trip to Kansas City for a recent 13-year-old was also on the weekend agenda. If Jill is going to KC, she usually takes a cooler so she can take a side trip to Trader Joe's. I always enjoy tagging along with either Jill or Susan because it's so different from what I'm used to. 

On this trip, I kept my eyes out for items that might survive the long trip back to south central Kansas. Because the lasagna soup was so fresh on our minds, both Jill and I thought Trader Joe's gigli pasta would be a great substitute instead of breaking apart lasagna noodles that was suggested in the original Carlsbad Cravings recipe. (Jill had used wagon wheel pasta, which was great, too, but we thought the gigli pasta even resembled miniature lasagna noodles.) 

So I bought a bag of that, plus the Trader Joe brand of spaghetti sauce to use. I also bought a loaf of tasty-looking focaccia bread. (I can make my own - and have - but this looked too good to pass up. Click HERE for the recipe I've used in the past.)

I was only home a day or so before I made the recipe myself. Even though it MAY have tasted better when someone else made it, it was delicious yet again, and I know it will be a go-to recipe during soup season. The leftovers were just as tasty.

Easy Lasagna Soup

From Carlsbad Cravings via Jill

 

1 pound lean ground beef or half Italian sausage (I used hamburger)
1 yellow onion, diced
4-5 garlic cloves, minced
¼ – 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (opt. - I didn't use)
1 24-oz. jar good quality tomato-based pasta sauce
8-10 cups low sodium chicken broth, divided
1 14 oz. can crushed tomatoes
2 tablespoons tomato paste

2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons granulated sugar
1 tablespoon dried basil
1 tsp EACH dried parsley, dried oregano, salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 whole bay leaf 

10 uncooked lasagna noodles, broken into approx. 1-2 inch pieces*
1/2 cup heavy cream, optional

 

Cheese Garnish (optional)

Shredded or shaved mozzarella cheese

Freshly finely grated or shaved Parmesan cheese 

Ricotta cheese

 

** NOTE:

You may use 2 1/2 cups of smaller shaped pasta instead of broken lasagna sheets. I used gigli noodles that had the look and curve of lasagna sheets without having to break apart noodles. If gigli noodles aren't readily available - like they aren't here - any pasta shape will work.

To make soup: Heat large Dutch oven/large soup pot over medium high heat. Add beef and onion and cook, stirring occasionally until beef is browned and onions tender. Add garlic and red pepper flakes and saute for 30 seconds. Drain off any excess fat.

 

Add spaghetti sauce, 6 cups chicken broth, crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, balsamic vinegar, sugar, spices, bay leaf and lasagna noodles. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer until lasagna noodles are tender, stirring occasionally (approximately 20-30 minutes). 

Discard bay leaf and stir in heavy cream (optional) and 2-4 cups chicken broth to reach desired consistency. Garnish individual servings with desired amount of cheeses. Note: I did use the cream.

 

To reheat, you may have to add a little more chicken broth - or even a splash of water. Pasta in soup tends to soak up the moisture after sitting.

 

 

 

Brown Butter Snickerdoodles

 

There are any number of Food Network chefs who tout their love of butter. They definitely aren't wrong. But brown butter takes butter to a whole new level. These Brown Butter Snickerdoodles did not disappoint.

When Kinley and Brooke were in line for foods judging at the Shawnee County Fair, Jill watched a judge take a bite of a cookie and immediately say, "Oh my! Those are good!" Jill happened to know the first-year 4-H baker and his mom. Later, when she saw the champion ribbon on Cooper's Brown Butter Snickerdoodles, she asked his mom for the recipe. I had to have it, too.

It was a week of daily temperatures in the 100s. It really wasn't the week to bake. I kept looking at the recipe. On a day when I was heating up the oven for our noon meal anyway, I timed the baking of the Brown Butter Snickerdoodles to take advantage of an already-hot oven.

They didn't disappoint. I love Snickerdoodles anyway. But brown butter's nutty flavor takes them to a whole other level. It gives a wonderful depth of flavor. With that traditional cinnamon-sugar coating giving the exterior that trademark crunch, both Randy and I thought it was a tasty treat. It definitely won't be the last time I make them. I'll take some to my parents as we celebrate their 70th wedding anniversary this weekend! (Isn't that amazing?!)

If you try the cookies, let me know what you think!

 

Brown Butter Snickerdoodles

From Sally's Cookie Addiction cookbook (Sally's Baking Addiction blog)

Champion winner in Beginning Foods at the Shawnee County Fair

 

1 cup butter

3/4 cup light brown sugar

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1 egg, room temperature

1 tbsp. milk

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp. cream of tartar

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

 

**

2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 cup granulated sugar

 

Brown the butter by placing it in a skillet over medium heat. Whisking constantly, melt the butter. The butter will begin to foam. After 5-8 minutes, the butter will begin browning. You'll see light brown specks starting to form at the bottom of the pan, and there will be a nutty aroma. Once browned, immediately remove from heat to stop the browning process. Pour into a heatproof bowl. Allow the butter to cool for 5 minutes. (True confessions: I waited longer than that, and it turned out just fine.)

 

Combine browned butter, brown sugar and 3/4 cup granulated sugar in a stand mixer, creaming well. Add egg, milk and vanilla; combining well. Combine the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt together in a medium bowl and mix together. Add flour mixture to the creamed mixture, beating together on low speed, slowly working up to high speed until everything is combined. 

In a separate bowl, combine 1/2 cup granulated sugar and the cinnamon. Roll balls of dough, about 1 tablespoon per cookie, then roll each in the cinnamon sugar mixture. (I used a cookie scoop.) Place the dough balls on a lined baking sheet. Loosely cover the dough balls with plastic wrap and place in refrigerator to chill for 30 minutes. 

 

When you're ready to bake: 

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place chilled balls onto baking sheets, about 3 inches apart. Sprinkle each with any extra cinnamon sugar. Bake for 11 minutes or until lightly browned on the sides. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Makes about 36-40 cookies. (My cookie scoop was a little bigger than a tablespoon, so I didn't get quite that many.)

 

 

Amazing Grace - Amazing Race!

 

 It seems there is a "special" day for just about everything. There are days delighting in doughnuts. There are days for savoring sandwiches and hallowing hamburgers. Pie even gets more than one day.

At our house, it's always a good day to flip for pancakes. But if you need an excuse, International Pancake Day is today - Tuesday, February 21.  These Apple Spice Pancakes could be the choice today - for breakfast, lunch or supper.

Pancake Day is a moveable feast whose date is determined by Easter. It's celebrated exactly 47 days before Easter Sunday (April 9 this year). 

Down the road in Liberal, Kansas, the 74th International Pancake Day will pit pancake flippers from Kansas vs. women from Olney, England. It's been a tradition for 74 years to have women race down the streets of their respective communities, flipping pancakes and running against the clock and each other. The race is always on Shrove Tuesday, the day before Ash Wednesday. It's the only race of its kind in the world.

"Shrove" is not a thing, but a verb. "Shrive" (shrove, shriven) comes from the Old English verb scrfan, "to decree, decree after judgment, impose a penance upon, hear the confession of," according to the dictionary. Shrove Tuesday is a day to reflect, to seek penance and get ready for Lent.

In Olney, the Pancake Race tradition dates back to 1445. Legend has it that a woman was busy making pancakes and using up cooking fats, which were forbidden during Lent at that time. Hearing the church bells ring to announce the Shrove Tuesday service, she grabbed her head scarf and ran to the church, with pancake-filled skillet in hand. In following years, neighbors joined the race to the church. The first to arrive collected a Kiss of Peace from the bell ringer.

A TIME magazine picture of the Olney women racing each other to the church caught the eye of Liberal Jaycee’s President, R.J. Leete. He contacted the Rev. Ronald Collins, Vicar of St. Peter and St. Paul's church in Olney, challenging their women to race against women of Liberal.  With that, the two communities were off to the races - so to speak - back in 1950. 

 

Photo from the International Pancake Day Facebook page: Liberal's Billie Warden crosses the finish line in 1950. Billie won the local race with a time of 1:18 but lost to Olney's Florence Callow, who finished in 1:10.4.

 

 

 

This 74th year of racing also marks the 250th anniversary of the writing of the familiar hymn “Amazing Grace”. The words to this hymn were first spoken during a service on January 1, 1773, by John Newton, curate of Olney’s St Peter and St Paul’s Church, the very church where the Pancake Day Race was born, according to Liberal's International Pancake Coordinator, Kara Howery, in a press release.

 

 This year's Liberal winner gets a special gift from Olney to commemorate the Amazing Grace anniversary - a plate and a hymnal. Photo from the International National Pancake race website.

 

 On both sides of the Atlantic the race still culminates with Shriving Services that feature the singing of “Amazing Grace” as an integral part of the service. That will again be the case on this 250th year of the hymn's writing.

Racers must still wear a head scarf and apron. Each runner flips her pancake at the starting signal and again as she crosses the finish line to prove she still has her pancake after running the 415-yard course.

Photo from the International Pancake Day Race Facebook page

According to the book, America Celebrates! A Patchwork of Weird & Wonderful Holiday Lore, some superstitions have evolved among Liberal racers:

• It is considered good luck to carry a past winner's skillet in the race or wear a past winner's apron.
• One year, the stack of concrete pancakes marking the starting point of the race was stolen. This was considered a bad omen, but the stack was later returned.
• Although the women practice running 415 yards, it is considered bad luck to run the official race course during the practice sessions.

If you're looking for your own International Pancake Day treat, Apple Spice Pancakes are good for breakfast ... or for a breakfast-themed lunch or supper. They are packed with grated apples, pecans and spices. 

I served them with Cinnamon Cream Syrup. Jill lived in Nashville, Tennessee, while she was completing her dietetics degrees. The Cinnamon Cream Syrup is a copycat for the syrup served at the Pancake Pantry there, a favorite stop when we visited Nashville. Since it echos the pancake spices, it was the perfect topper, especially for someone like me who isn't a real fan of maple syrup.

 Apple Spice Pancakes

2 cups flour

2 tbsp. baking powder

1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 tsp. ground ginger

1/2 tsp salt

2 eggs

1 1/2 cups milk

1 tbsp. maple syrup

2 Gala apples (or similar), cored and grated

1/2 cup chopped pecans, toasted

Cinnamon Cream Syrup (recipe below)

In a large bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, salt and spices. In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs, milk and maple syrup. Pour egg mixture into flour mixture and stir to combine (don't overmix). Stir in grated apples and pecans.

Heat a skillet to 350 degrees. Lightly coat with cooking spray. Using a 1/4-cup measuring cup, scoop batter onto hot skillet, a few pancakes at a time. When pancakes start to bubble on top, flip and cook until pancakes are cooked through all the way. Makes about 20 pancakes. 

Serve pancakes with Cinnamon Cream Syrup (or other favorite syrup).

 Cinnamon Cream Syrup

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/4 cup water
3/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 5-oz. can evaporated milk

In a saucepan, combine sugar, corn syrup, water and cinnamon. Bring to a boil over medium heat; boil and stir for 2 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes. Stir in milk.

Serve over pancakes, waffles or French toast.