Starting A Cook Book

I will have to start this one with a story. A when-I-was-young kind of story. My mom used to spend all day making peanut butter and oatmeal cookies from scratch. I loved to help and I loved the aromas that filled the house. In these memories, I always credited my mom with the recipes. So, during my junior year in college when my sorority planned an event requiring an excellent cookie recipe, I called my mom immediately. That's when I wish I had never asked. She told me to go to the store, buy Quaker Oats and the recipe was on the lid. I suddenly knew exactly how Phoebe felt on the Friends episode where she finds out the chocolate chip cookie recipe was from the Nestle Tollhouse package. 


In light of the experience, I became determined to collect family recipes. I wanted my grandmother's banana nut bread recipe and my boyfriend's grandmother's handmade tortilla and tamale recipes. That finally evolved into the idea to create recipes of my own. What I came to realize however, is that you have to master cooking first. You have to become familiar with all the spices, measurements, techniques and secrets. The only way to do that is to cook a lot. To cook new foods and old familiar ones until you are comfortable changing them and making them your own. So, that is exactly what I am going to do and hopefully my own recipes will follow. 


For my first step towards becoming master of the kitchen, I made these delightful lemon poppy seed pancakes (courtesy of pickycook.com @ http://www.pickycook.com/breakfastandbrunch/lemonpoppyseedpancakes.aspx).

I know what you're thinking. Lemon and pancakes? Not exactly the first two food items you would think to put together, but I promise you they are delicious. If you want to try them this is what you will need...

2 cups unbleached all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/3 cup sugar

pinch of salt

1/3 cup poppy seeds

2 cups buttermild

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

2 tablespoons butter, melted

zest of four lemons (grate the peel of four lemons)

Then you combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. In another bowl combine the buttermilk, eggs, butter, lemon zest and poppy seeds. Add the wet to the dry. Mix just enough to combine the ingredients and don't worry if the batter is a little lumpy. Don't overmix.

Coat the pan with butter, turn the heat on medium-low and add 1/3 cup batter. You will without a doubt have more pancake craftsmanship than me, because it is impossible for me to make a perfect circle pancake.

This is Sammy, one of my roommates, and he's into making awesome food and keeping the house clean as much as I am. Oh and he loves coffee too. He works at Starbucks, so that means I get awesome fresh coffee every single morning. On Sundays he brings me my current obsession - chai tea latte. 

Here's all my boys getting breakfast. Jeff proceeded to say the following about my pancakes: "Megan, I don't eat anyone else's pancakes except for my dad's and these are some really freaking good pancakes." That's right they are that good.

I hope you all have a wonderful week and I will back again this weekend to cross another item off of my bucket list. Until then, GO AGGIES!