Lemon Pancakes with Berry Compote

I always try to think of something special to make my mom on Mother’s Day, and this is one of the recipes I came up with in the process. My mom really likes things that are lemon flavored, so I figured some fluffy, lemon flavored pancakes would be perfect! And accompanying the pancakes with a berry compote and fresh fruit provides a sweetness and tartness that contrast perfectly with the lemon flavor of the pancakes! My family loves these pancakes! In fact, the lemon pancakes taste great on their own, or with other food items like scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, or whatever you want. This lemon pancake recipe is a great option for making a special meal because it isn’t too difficult to make but the flavors are simply amazing! So have fun trying this recipe and enjoy! 

Lemon Pancakes with Berry Compote Recipe

INGREDIENTS:

For Lemon Pancakes:

• 1  ½ cup of all-purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons of baking powder
• ½ tsp of baking soda
• 4 tbsp of white sugar
• ½ cup of milk
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 3 tbsp of unsalted butter, melted
• 2 lemons, zested
• ½ cup fresh lemon juice
• Butter or margarine for cooking
• Fresh berries to add on top of the pancakes (optional)

For Berry Compote:

• ¼ cup of blackberries
• ½ cup of raspberries
• 1 ¼ cups of strawberries
• 1 ½ cups of blueberries
• 2 tsp of brown sugar (or white sugar)
• ¼ cup of water

          (Note: you can use fresh or frozen berries to make the compote)

TOOLS NEEDED:

• A medium-sized bowl
• A small pot
• A flat griddle pan
• A knife, cutting board, large spoon, and measuring utensils
• A ladle
• A spatula

VIDEO DEMONSTRATION / INSTRUCTIONS

BRIEF DIRECTIONS (See the video demonstration for detailed instructions):

1. Collect the ingredients. Zest and juice the lemons. Thoroughly whisk the egg until it looks frothy.
2. Put the flour in a medium-sized bowl and whisk to loosen the flour. Add the baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and lemon zest to the flour and mix to evenly distribute the ingredients.
3. Now add the eggs, melted butter, milk, and lemon juice to the flour mixture. Then stir and fold the ingredients until you don’t see any streaks of flour (Note: don’t over mix the batter or the pancakes will end up flat). Then let the pancake mixture sit for 15 minutes.  In the meantime, make the berry compote.
4. First, coarsely chop the strawberries. In a medium-sized pot, add the blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, strawberries, brown sugar, and water. Then place the pot on the stove, give it a good stir, and bring to a simmer on high heat with the pot covered.
5. Once the pot is simmering, stir the pot, reduce the heat to medium-high, and let cook for 15 to 20 minutes with the pot uncovered, but make sure you stir the pot occasionally. You can start making the pancakes while the compote is cooking.
6. Take a griddle pan and heat on medium-high heat. Then take the unmelted butter (or margarine) and coat the spots on the pan where you are going to put the pancake batter. Next, use a ladle to pour the batter onto the pan, and let cook for about 2 minutes or until you see bubbles forming across the batter of the pancake (see video demonstration for a visual). Flip the pancakes over and let cook for about 20 seconds. Then remove them from the pan. Repeat the process for the rest of the pancake batter.
7. By this point, the compote should be almost finished, and the berries will be soft. Take two spoons and smash the berries between the spoons to beak them down a bit. Then take a large spoon and squash the berries against the bottom of the pot until there are no large chunks of berries. The mixture should have thickened but still be a little bit runny. If the compote is too thick just add 1 or 2 tablespoons of water and mix. Then the compote is done.
8. Serve the pancakes with the warm compote, and some fresh fruit on the top or side of the pancakes!

Cuban-Style Shrimp

I am a big fan of seafood. I really love it, and one of my all-time favorite seafood dishes is the Cuban-style shrimp made by my mother and Abuela. Not only are the shrimp cooked to perfection, but the sauce is heavenly! There is nothing like eating a plate of Cuban-style shrimp with a side of white rice to mix with the sauce or dunking a piece of bread in the sauce. You can even serve it with pasta or use it to make a shrimp pizza (YUM!). It is just amazing! What makes it even better is how simple the recipe is and how quick it is to make. Yet, it has a bold flavor that will make people think it took hours and a lot of work to make! This recipe is one of the gems I learned from my mother and Abuela, so have fun trying this recipe and enjoy!  

Cuban-Style Shrimp Recipe

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 lbs of shrimp (use fresh or frozen raw shrimp)
•  ¾ of a large red pepper
• 1 large onion
• 32 oz of tomato sauce
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 2 teaspoons of garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• 1 packet of sazón con asafran or ½ tablespoon saffron

TOOLS NEEDED:

• A large pot
• A knife, cutting board, large spoon, and measuring utensils
• A food processor (optional)

VIDEO DEMONSTRATION / INSTRUCTIONS

BRIEF DIRECTIONS (See the video demonstration for detailed instructions):

1. Collect the ingredients. Finely chop the onions in a food processor or by hand. Slice the red pepper into long strips about ½ inches wide. Clean the shrimp by removing the shells and deveining the shrimp.
2. In a large pot, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and heat on high heat.
3. Now add the shrimp, onion, red pepper, salt and garlic powder to the pot and sauté until the shrimp begin to turn pink.
4. Next, add the saffron and tomato sauce to the pot and mix thoroughly.  Then reduce the heat to medium and let cook for 25 to 30 minutes, but stir the pot occasionally throughout the cooking process.
5. Once the shrimp and red peppers are fork tender, the shrimps are done and can be served.

Roasted Pork

 

The holidays always bring about thoughts of the traditional dishes my Cuban family eats for our get-togethers. I’ve already posted a great recipe for black beans (see recipe here), which are the perfect side dish for roasted pork. There is nothing like having a roasted pork accompanied by black beans, yucca, white rice, fufu (mashed plantains), and shrimp served during my family’s Christmas Eve meal. Roasted pork actually makes a great meal at any time of the year, not just special occasions. It also is not too difficult to make. Most of the time is spent in the cooking process, which allows you time to make other side dishes, or complete other tasks/recreation while waiting for the pork to cook. However, the amazing flavor produced by the mixture of cooking wine, garlic, onion, cumin, oregano, salt and lime combined with the tenderness of the pork make this recipe worth trying!  

Roasted Pork Recipe 

INGREDIENTS:

• Pork shoulder about 3 lbs
• 1 large onion, sliced
• 4 tablespoons of fresh garlic, finely chopped
• ¾ tsp of garlic powder
• 1 cup of white wine
• ½ teaspoon of ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon of whole oregano
• ½ tablespoon of salt
• Juice of one lime

TOOLS NEEDED:

• Knife, cutting board, a medium bowl, cooking tray, aluminum tray, and aluminum foil.

VIDEO DEMONSTRATION / INSTRUCTIONS                       
                       

BRIEF DIRECTIONS (See the video demonstration for detailed instructions):

1. Collect and prepare a few of the ingredients. Slice the onion 1/8 inch thick. Juice the lime. Finely chop the garlic with a knife or use a garlic press. Then in a large bowl put the cooking wine, lime juice, oregano, cumin, garlic powder, chopped garlic, and onion slices.
2. Next, take the meat and use a knife to poke holes in the meat. Make sure the holes are deep enough to go across the meat. Now score the skin with a sharp knife in a cross-hatch pattern and place the port in a cooking tray (I used a glass Pyrex tray). Then put some of the cooking wine-onion-garlic-seasoning mixture into the holes you cut and spoon the remaining mixture onto the meat and around the bottom of the tray (See video demonstration for a visual; you can also use an injector to do this step). Lastly, pat the skin of the pork dry with a paper towel, and rub a ½ tablespoon of salt over the skin and the meat (See the video for a visual).
3. Now, cover the tray with the pork with aluminum foil or an aluminum tray. Place the tray in the middle of a preheated oven 365° F and cook for 1 hour.
4. After 1 hour uncover the meat, leaving the skin exposed and cover the pork meat with aluminum foil. Remove some of the condiments on the bottom of the tray and save for later in the cooking process. Then put back in the oven, and let cook for another hour.
5. Next, take the pork out of the oven and carefully cut the skin from the pork meat and cut the meat off the bone in slices or chunks. Then place the cut pork back in the tray, spoon the saved cooking wine-onion mixture over the meat, and then lay the skin on top, so it is covering the meat. Raise the oven temperature to 375° F and cook for 30 minutes.
6. By this point, the pork meat will be done and will be ready to serve. Remove the tray from the oven and place the skin on a separate tray so it can be put back into the oven for 30 minutes or until the fat has rendered and the skin is crispy. Then the skin can be served. 

Black Beans (Frijoles Negros)

With the holidays approaching, it conjures thoughts of all the traditional dishes my Cuban family eats during our Christmas Eve meal. One main side dish that is served is frijoles negros (black beans), which goes really well with the roasted pork, yucca, white rice, fufu (mashed plantains), and shrimp served for the holiday meal.  However, black beans are an amazing recipe that makes for a simple, hardy, and healthy meal for any day of the year, not just holidays! This also happens to be a great vegan- and vegetarian-friendly recipe. It’s also gluten and dairy free! Black beans are simple, inexpensive to make, healthy, and delicious! So have fun giving this recipe a try and enjoy!   

Black Beans (Frijoles Negros) Recipe 

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 lb (16 oz bag) of dry black beans
• 1 medium-sized green pepper
• 1 large onion
• 2 teaspoons of cumin
• 2 tablespoons of garlic powder
• ½ tablespoon of salt
• 5 cups of water plus 2 cups of water to add later as needed

TOOLS NEEDED:

• A large pot
• A knife, cutting board, large spoon, and measuring utensils

VIDEO DEMONSTRATION / INSTRUCTIONS

                                                                  

BRIEF DIRECTIONS (See the video demonstration for detailed instructions):

1. Collect the ingredients. First, put the dry black beans in a pot. Then rinse the beans three times with water, draining the water each time. Next fill the pot halfway, with about 5 cups of water, and let the beans soak for at least 2 hours or just let them soak overnight.   
2. Now finely chop the onion and green pepper in a food processor.
3. Once the beans finish soaking, add the chopped onion, chopped green pepper, garlic powder, salt, and cumin to the pot with the beans and water. Place the pot covered on the stove and bring to a boil on high heat. Then lower to medium-high heat and let boil for 5 minutes with the lid slightly uncovered. 
4. Next, lower the heat to medium-low and cook for 40 minutes (Note: The timing could be different based on the brand of beans used and how long you soaked the beans).
5. By this point, the fluid should have reduced. Add 2 cups of water and continue to cook for 20 minutes.
6. Now take a large stirring spoon and squash some of the beans against the side of the pot to thicken the soup/liquid part of the beans (Note: Squash the beans until you get a thickness you like; watch the video demonstration for a visual/more details). Then reduce the heat to low and let cook for 15 minutes.  After that, the beans are ready to serve! 
   

Turkey Hand Pies

The best part about Thanksgiving is it gives us the opportunity to come together with our family and/or friends and enjoy great food with great company. Making Thanksgiving dinner also produces a lot of leftovers. Over the years, I’ve come up with many ways to use the leftovers. My favorite has to be making turkey hand pies because they can be premade and frozen. This gives the opportunity to eat the pies at a later time, so you don’t have to eat turkey day after day after day….you get my point. That can get boring. The hand pies can be frozen for a month or 2 and are very easy to cook in the oven. The fact that they can just be put on a tray and placed in the oven to cook makes them very convenient.  So give this recipe a try, have fun, and enjoy!    

Turkey Hand Pies Recipe 

(Makes 6 large hand pies)

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 batch of pie dough (See Recipe HERE)
• 10 oz of turkey (other meat or vegetarian/vegan alternative)
• 2 1/2 cups of stuffing
• 2 ½ cups of mushroom gravy (See Recipe Here)
• 1 ½ cups of mashed potato
• ½ cup of corn (or other vegetables)
• 1 egg white plus ¼ cup of water

NOTE: the ingredients are adjustable based on whatever you had leftover. Some type of gravy is important as it helps maintain the moisture of the other ingredients during the baking process.

TOOLS NEEDED:

• A cutting board
• Baking sheet(s)
• Rolling pin, spoon, fork, knife, and spatula

VIDEO DEMONSTRATION / INSTRUCTIONS

Pie Dough Recipe Video:

Turkey Hand Pies Recipe Video:

BRIEF DIRECTIONS (See the video demonstration for detailed instructions):

1. Take the pie dough and cut into 6 equal portions (or more if you want smaller pies). Then take each portion and roll it into a ball. Next, leave one portion out to work with and cover the remaining dough portions with plastic wrap so they aren’t exposed to the air or they will dry out.
2. Now on a lightly floured surface, take one of the dough portions, press it down to flatten it, and use the rolling pin to roll out the dough to 7 ½ inches across and ¹/₈ inch thick. Use your fingers and hands to round off the sides.
3. Next start filling the pie by adding 2 tablespoons of mashed potato mixed with corn and spread out evenly leaving an inch of space empty on the outer edge of the pie dough. Then add 2 tablespoons of stuffing, some mushrooms from the gravy, and a drizzle of gravy (about 1 or 2 tablespoons). Lastly, add turkey slices to the top and put 1 or 2 tablespoons of gravy on the turkey (Note: Don’t put too much gravy as it will make it difficult or impossible to seal the pies when the dough is folded over).
4. Now carefully fold over the pie dough and use a fork to press in the filling so you can keep the outer inch of the dough empty. Then use your fingers to pinch the outer edges of the dough together to seal the pie. Next, take a fork and press down on the outer edge to create the crimping pattern and to fully seal the edges of the pies. Take a knife and cut 3 slits on top of the pies to allow steam to ventilate when the pies are cooking. Then place the pie on a lightly greased baking sheet. Repeat the process for all of the pies.
5. When all of the pies are set up, you can either cover them with plastic wrap and place in the freezer for a later time, or you can cook them. To cook the pies, place them in a 375°F oven for 40 to 45 minute. After 20 minutes of cooking, take the pies out of the oven and brush them with an egg wash consisting of one egg white and a ¼ cup of water. Then place the pies back in the oven for another 20 minutes or until golden brown.
6. When finished cooking, take the pies out of the oven and let sit for 2 or 3 minutes before serving.