Strawberry Ricotta Pancakes

Our family is fixing to switch gears in a few weeks. My husband's work schedule is changing, so he will be home for breakfast!

I've never cared for cereal personally and I have my doubts about its nutritional value (any food you have to "enrich" is suspect), but I'd fallen into the habit of allowing the kids to eat cereal as I rushed around getting my morning chores done. Now that breakfast is going to include a man who loves family meals, it's time to get excited about breakfast foods.

No more cereal!

I am currently trying out recipes. My plan is to preview enough recipes for about two weeks worth of relatively easy and delicious options that everyone likes. I'm hoping that when it comes time to switch the routine, I will have the recipes already on "automatic," so that I can think less about cooking while dealing with the chaos that ensues with any change in family routine.

What is working out for me right now is to whip up the breakfast in the quiet between the children's bedtimes and mine, then pop it into the fridge, so that all that I need to do in the morning is the actual baking or grilling. So far so good.

I'd appreciate any tips from breakfast aficionados for making this transition smooth for us!

Meanwhile, I simply had to share this recipe. My kids were asked for input on the recipe choices after my husband and I had each picked out 10 to 15 likely options. (If you haven't guessed, food is a serious matter in our family.) My oldest son, John, on hearing a description of the recipe we were going to base our recipe upon suggested adding strawberries into the mix. I don't even like pancakes, but these were awesome! We topped ours with honey, but next time I'm going to try a homemade strawberry syrup.

I made my lemon ricotta while I waited for my coffee to brew (cutting the recipe down to 1 quart of milk and 2 to 4 Tablespoons of lemon juice), but you can purchase ricotta or make it the night before. Prepping as much as possible the night before, including mixing and refrigerating the batter, saves you from adding a hefty cleanup to the morning routine.

John's Strawberry Ricotta Pancakes

3 large eggs

1 cup ricotta cheese

1 handful frozen or fresh strawberries

2 tablespoons oil

2 tablespoons sugar

1/4 cup flour

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

Place all ingredients into a blender and mix until smooth. Pour the batter onto a lightly greased, preheated griddle in 4 inch circles. Do not walk away! The bottoms will brown quickly, so keep an eye out. Flip when the bottoms are a golden brown.

For a gluten free version, I simply made a batch of Pamela's Products baking mix pancakes according to directions, substituting goat milk for the water and adding the strawberries and 2 Tbs of sugar. Be sure to make your gluten free version of a dish first if you are making both types. This will save you from having to meticulously wash your blender halfway through your prep!

Texas Lasagne

One of the things I can not cook is traditional lasagne. Everyone seems to have a "fool proof" recipe to share, and I prove to be the fool every time. So, here's a recipe I've developed out of self-defence. It's gluten-free, too, so I can salvage my dignity. *sniff*

Texas Lasagne

1 chub of sausage (or 1 pound ground beef)
1 pound (about 2 cups) of ricotta cheese
2 eggs
1 small onion diced (optional)
1/2 bell pepper diced (optional)
1 1-ounce package taco seasoning mix
1 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes, do not drain
1 15 ounce can tomato sauce
1 4 ounce can chopped green chiles
7 corn tortillas cut into 1 inch strips
4 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese

In a large skillet, brown the meat. Add the onions and diced bell peppers when about halfway done and continue browning. In a small bowl, beat the eggs and then add the ricotta cheese. Drain the excess fat from the meat, add the taco seasoning, tomatoes, tomato sauce and chilies. Mix well. Simmer, uncovered for 15 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 13x9x2 inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Layer half of the meat sauce, half of the tortilla strips, half of the ricotta cheese mixture, and half of the shredded cheese. Repeat layers. Cook uncovered at 350 degrees for 40 minutes or until bubbly. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Cook Ahead Hint
Since you are messing up the kitchen anyway, go ahead and get out another 13x9x2 inch baking dish and double the recipe. Bake one and eat it tonight. Freeze the other uncooked. Cover it with heavy duty aluminum foil, write "Texas Lasagna" on the foil in big letters and the date you prepped it, and tah-dah! You've just planned ahead and made some future moment easier on yourself with minimal effort today. Then you get to do a little dance in your smarty pants. Whoot!