Buttermilk Ranch

Lately I have been making my own dressings.  This has been my go-to recipe for ranch dressing - it is delicious!  I found that I like this dressing better with a small garlic clove instead of a large one.  The smaller clove gives just the right amount of garlic without being overpowering. 

Buttermilk Ranch

3/4 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 tsp parsley flakes
1/2 tsp dried minced onion
1/2 tsp salt
dash of freshly ground pepper
1 clove garlic, crushed


Mix all ingredients. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours to blend flavors. Leftovers will last about a week in the fridge.

Buttermilk Waffles

I love making waffles and pancakes from scratch. I especially love any recipe with the word "buttermilk" in it. Mmmm. This recipe comes from my go-to site for great recipes: http://sisterscafe.blogspot.com.

Buttermilk Waffles

1 stick butter, melted

2 cups flour

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt

3 large eggs

2 cups buttermilk

1 tsp vanilla

Preheat waffle iron. Beat eggs until fluffy. Beat in everything else just until smooth.

Update 8/15/12:  I have a new go-to buttermilk waffle recipe.  I've never tried the cheese though.

Classic Buttermilk Waffles

INGREDIENTS:
2 large eggs
1 3/4 cups (14 ounces buttermilk)
1/2 cup butter, melted and cooled to room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups (7 1/4 ounces) all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt

DIRECTIONS:
In a medium-sized bowl, beat together the eggs, buttermilk, melted butter, and vanilla. In another bowl whisk together the dry ingredients; combine the wet and dry ingredients just until smooth.
 

For an 8-inch round waffle iron, use about 1/3 cup batter (adjust according to waffle iron size). Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until the iron stops steaming. If making cheese waffles, pour 1/3 cup batter on waffle iron and sprinkle 2-3 tablespoons shredded cheddar cheese over batter before closing iron.

Aunt Katie's Oatmeal Pancakes

I love breakfast foods but most mornings it is cold cereal or oatmeal for us. The other morning, however, I decided to get fancy and made these oatmeal pancakes for the boys. They loved them and I loved that they loved them! I served them with Nauvoo syrup - yum! (See recipe for Nauvoo syrup posted with recipe for Oven French Toast Sticks.) This pancake recipe comes from http://sisterscafe.blogspot.com.

Aunt Katie's Oatmeal Pancakes

2 cups quick oats (I used regular old fashioned oats and ground them up a bit in my blender.)
1/2 cup flour
3 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 1/2 cups buttermilk
2 large eggs (slightly beaten)
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 tsp vanilla
cinnamon (optional)

Combine dry ingredients. Add wet ingredients and let sit for 20-30 minutes, covered. Cook slowly on a griddle at 325 degrees or lower. Spray griddle before each batch.

Deliciously Flaky Buttermilk Biscuits

This may have been the first time I have ever made biscuits....I really can't remember. Anyway, Ben is not a big eater of baked goods but he couldn't stop talking about how good these were - that's really saying something coming from him! The great thing about these is you can make them on short notice. They tasted great with a little butter and honey. Another great recipe from http://sisterscafe.blogspot.com.


Deliciously Flaky Buttermilk Biscuits


2 cups all-purpose flour (9 ounces)
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons chilled butter, cut into small pieces
3/4 cup fat-free buttermilk
3 tablespoons honey


1. Preheat oven to 400°.

2. Weigh or lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl; cut in butter with a pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture resembles coarse meal. Chill 10 minutes.

3. Combine buttermilk and honey, stirring with a whisk until well blended. Add buttermilk mixture to flour mixture; stir just until moist.

4. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface; knead lightly 4 times. Roll dough into a (1/2-inch-thick) 9 x 5–inch rectangle; dust top of dough with flour. Fold dough crosswise into thirds (as if folding a piece of paper to fit into an envelope). Reroll dough into a (1/2-inch-thick) 9 x 5–inch rectangle; dust top of dough with flour. Fold dough crosswise into thirds; gently roll or pat to a 3/4-inch thickness. Cut dough with a 1 3/4-inch biscuit cutter to form 14 dough rounds. Place dough rounds, 1 inch apart, on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake at 400° for 12 minutes or until golden. Remove from pan; cool 2 minutes on wire racks. Serve warm.

Oven French Toast Sticks

This is a great breakfast (or breakfast-for-dinner) recipe that I got from my friend Sheia. I love that the batter calls for orange juice. It adds a great flavor to the french toast sticks. These taste great dipped in buttermilk syrup (see recipe below).

Oven French Toast Sticks

8 pieces Texas Toast
1/4 cup melted margarine (I use butter)
4 eggs
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
2/3 cup orange juice (drinking strength)

Using pizza cutter, cut each slice of bread into thirds to make "sticks." In a bowl, mix butter, eggs, sugar, cinnamon and orange juice. Dip bread sticks into mix. Place on greased cookie sheet. Pour any remaining dip over French toast. Bake 25 minutes at 350. Turn sticks once half way through baking time. I like to broil the stick for a couple of minutes after baking to make them a little crispy around the edges.

Nauvoo Syrup / Buttermilk Syrup

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 cube margarine (I use butter) :)
1 tsp. light corn syrup
1/2 tsp. vanilla

Mix all ingredients together (except vanilla) in a LARGE saucepan. Boil for 5 minutes stirring occasionally. (Syrup will rise quite a bit so don't make the mistake I made the first time I made this and use too small of a pan.) Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.