Puff the Magic Pancake

Fresh berries. Crepe like texture. Orange sweet glaze. Mmmmm...

This morning I tackled making a puff pancake for the first time ever. Knowing that they deflate so quickly, I had my camera ready. Unfortunately, by the time I put the berries on top, it deflated 40%. You can still get the idea though. TRY THIS RECIPE! Don't be discouraged when it deflates- it still tastes phenomenal!

Ok here is the recipe for a super easy puff pancake. And I mean EASY.

Ingredients:
Berry-Topped Puff Pancake Re

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup milk (1 or 2 %)
  
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
  Topping:
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1/2 cup + 2 teaspoons orange juice or orange pineapple juice
  
• 1 cup sliced fresh strawberries
• 1 cup fresh blueberries
• 1 cup fresh raspberries
• Confectioners' sugar

How-To:

• First, wash and get your berries set out in bowls. Do this first so when the pancake comes out, you can top it quickly.

• Place butter in a 9-in. pie plate. Place in a 425° oven for 4-5 minutes or until melted. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk eggs and milk. In another bowl, combine the flour, sugar and salt. Whisk into egg mixture until blended. Pour into prepared pie plate. Bake for 14 minutes or until sides are crisp and golden brown. It may still look a little "raw" in the middle but as long as the edges are brown, that is OK.
  

• Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, combine sugar and cornstarch. Gradually stir in orange juice. I used orange-pineapple juice. It was delicious. You could also choose to use a little orange liquor if you have some in your house. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Cook and stir 1-2 minutes longer or until thickened. (This step may take the whole time the pancake is baking). Remove from the heat.

• Spoon berries over pancake and drizzle with sauce. Dust with confectioners' sugar.

Makes 4 servings.

Lemon Muffins Lightened

While we all love a Starbucks treat....
Did you know that most muffins there will make you muffin top over your jeans?
Did you know that the banana nut bread is just about 500 calories?!

For a breakfast treat I made lemon streusel muffins...only 226 cals per muffin with LOTS of lemon flavor. They are lighter than most muffins because they have low-fat lemon yogurt in them (as opposed to sour cream and what not) and they have more egg whites than egg yolks. Now, I will say that these are a bit time consuming to make and the best thing is to gather all the materials BEFORE you start and immediately set out three bowls to work with.
Makeover Lemon Streusel MuffinIngredients:

• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 egg yolks
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
• 1 cup cake flour
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 cup lemon juice
• 1/2 cup lemon yogurt
• 4 egg whites

STREUSEL:

• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 tablespoon cold butter
• 1/4 cup chopped walnuts

How-To:

• In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar until crumbly. Beat in egg yolks and lemon peel. Combine the flours, baking powder, salt and baking soda; add to the butter mixture alternately with lemon juice and yogurt.

• In a small bowl with clean beaters, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. (Takes about 2-3 minutes on high) It will look like a cloud. Fold into batter gently. The more you mix it the less tender they become.
  
• Coat muffin cups with cooking spray or use paper liners; fill two-thirds full with batter. I found it made about 16 muffins. Just put a tiny bit of water in the bottoms of cups you don't use.

• For streusel, combine the flour, brown sugar and nutmeg -you can mix this in the bowl you mixed your flours in to save on dishes; cut in butter until crumbly. Stir in walnuts. Sprinkle over muffins. Bake at 375° for 15 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack.

And even though I bashed Starbucks for unhealthy treats, I still love them and will make a nice plug for them with the coffee mug. ENJOY!!