Clockwise from top right: Chocolate Chip Cookie Energy Bars / Honey Lavender Ice Cream / Sour Cream Pound Cake / Bacon & Brussel Sprout Salad / New York Cheesecake (I can’t find the original source of this pic, but this is where I got it from.)
Abigail
I don’t have the best memory. Sometimes it worries me…
I walk into a room to get something and then forget why I’m there.
I specifically go to a website to look up a recipe and then get so lost in browsing through the new posts, I close the tab and go on with my day… only to remember that I still didn’t have the recipe.
Halfway through making a recipe, I forget that I’m supposed to be halving it.
Just this morning, I forgot that I deliberately bought granola at the store last night and made pancakes instead. But, I’m not too upset about that brain fart, because they were darn good. If only all my forgetfulness led to food!
Honestly, you could just make your favorite pancake recipe and swirl in some of your favorite jam, jelly, or preserves, and you’d get the gist… but I’ll share the recipe anyway!
Strawberry Swirled Pancakes
Makes 6
1 cup GF flour mix (I’m trying to use up stuff in the pantry so I used Cup4Cup)
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon sugar
pinch of salt
1 egg
3 Tablespoons butter, melted and cooled
3/4 – 1 cup milk (the GF flour that I used likes to thicken up as the batter sits so I always keep extra liquid on hand for when I need to thin the batter back to pancake consistency)
strawberry preserves of choice
In a bowl, combine all ingredients except for the preserves. Stir until most lumps are gone.
Heat a pat of butter or some canola oil in a skillet. Have your preserves with a teaspoon ready. Scoop about 1/4 cup of batter into the heated pan and, if needed, smooth it out. Drop a spoon of jam on top of the batter and, using a spoon, swirl the jam into the batter. Scoop about 1 Tablespoon of batter on top of the jam and spread it out. If you don’t add this extra batter, the jam will cook and burn before the pancake is cooked all the way through. At this point, you’re just gonna finish them up like you would any other pancake. You can tell when they are all done (after flipping them) when the jam begins to seep out and sizzle in the pan.
Serve with more jam, maple syrup, butter, or anything else that strikes your fancy!
Enjoy,
Abigail
clockwise from top right: Lavender Sangria / Mexican Corn Cakes with Pulled Pork / Almond & Blackberry Cake with a Hint of Chocolate / King’s Cake (I can’t find a direct source for this, only that it’s from Katie Quinn Davies Photography) / Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies
Abigail
It’s been a few weeks since the first Always Learning, but there’s no better time than now to key you in on a few things I’ve been learning. (Don’t you love that view of the Austin skyline?)
I’ve been working a lot lately – between the bakery, caterings, and my own personal side jobs, I always seem to be doing something – and in each of my jobs, I try to soak up as much as I can. So, today’s lessons and learning are from experiences… not pretty food pictures.
#1 Sometimes all you can do is apologize and laugh it off. Did you give someone the wrong drink? Or spill a drink on a coworker? Don’t worry… take note and move on! When things are moving as fast as they do at a restaurant or in a kitchen, there’s no time for wallowing or harboring any anger. So, take a deep breath, take note, and move on. Later you can just laugh about it or forget it even happened.
#2 Always listen… even if you already know the answer. Sometimes, the way someone explains something to you can open up all new doors of understanding. When an idea is explained to you in a new way, that fresh perspective can open up floodgates of thought or turn on a light bulb. So listen and be open to old ideas.
#3 Your future is always changing… be open to it. I have no idea what my future holds. Jobs that I thought were secured, have fallen through and passions I was so ready to pursue have wavered; in the same vein, jobs have come out of nowhere and new passions have blossomed. While this transience used to freak me out, I have learned to sit back and take it as it comes. I can rest in the truth that God is in control and I have absolutely nothing to fear.
Now, I’m off to work. Wonder what I’ll learn today…
Abigail
In the past months since I adopted a mostly gluten-free lifestyle, I kind of just gave up bread. I stopped buying it and stopped binging on it every time the bread basket came out at a restaurant. Unless I knew the bread was going to be very very delicious, it just wasn’t worth it for me. And for the most part I’ve been fine not having a loaf of bread around the house.
Lately, though I’ve been having awful cravings for toast with jam on it. Which is crazy because I hated jam when I was growing up. I must be making up for all those jam-less days by putting it in everything these days (remember this recipe: PB&J Thumbprint Cookies? And just wait… there’s another jam-y recipe coming up soon).
So what’s a girl to do? Clearly, buy frozen GF bread. Yep. I finally gave in and bought a loaf of frozen GF bread. I have to say, I’m surprised by how delicious it was. I chose Canyon Bakehouse’s 7 Grain Bread after two people recommended it to me. While it doesn’t taste like a good soft piece of white bread, it worked perfectly as a piece of toast slathered with strawberry preserves…. A fabulous breakfast for sure.
Thanks for reading my ramblings. ‘preciate it!
Abigail
