DIY Kodiak Flapjack Mix

July 28, 2013August 9, 2013 ~ Crystle ~ 7 Comments

The beginning of this story is set on the baking aisle of a chain grocery store. My search for a healthy pancake mix brought me there, and there I stood, comparing labels and looking over long lists of ingredients. When I picked up a box of Kodiak Flapjacks my search was over. Made from whole ingredients, and balanced to keep you from enduring the harsh crash that comes after indulging in an overly-sweet breakfast, these pancakes blew every competitor out of the water.

Fast forward to the second part of my journey where I’m at my fourth or fifth grocery store, searching high and low for the best price on Kodiak Flapjacks. Prices range from $6-$8 a box here around South Puget Sound. Our upcoming move to Alaska, and its promise of higher prices for everything, has me worried about the totals at the cash register on my weekly shopping trips. At each grocery store, I reactively pulled at my collar, which seemed to tighten every time I saw the price tag of my favorite pancakes. They’re definitely worth the price, but my small family needs to save money. That’s why we went with the Ninja instead of the Vitamix blender recently, and why I just can’t justify an $8 box of pancake mix. There had to be another way, I thought to myself. Then I found that other way.

Make my own pancake mix! Why didn’t I think of it sooner?!

I searched high and low, much like I did for a reasonably priced box of Kodiak Flapjack Mix, to find a recipe for pancake mix that was comparable to my beloved Kodiaks. After two rounds of pancakes from this batch of Pancake Mix, my husband and I are convinced this recipe fits the bill.

Whole Wheat & Oat Pancake Mix Recipe:

Ingredients:

MIX

4 cups whole wheat pastry flour

1 cup all-purpose flour

3 1/2 cups old-fashioned or rolled oats

3 tablespoons baking powder

3 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon salt

1 tablespoon baking soda

1 cup vegetable oil

PANCAKES

1 cup homemade mix

1/2 cup milk

1/3 cup greek vanilla yogurt (or plain, for a savory version of these pancakes)

1 large egg

Instructions:

MIX

1. Grind the oats in a food processor until they’re chopped finely, but don’t go as far as turning them into powder.

2. Put the flour, oats and all other dry ingredients into a mixer with the paddle attachment. Mix on slow speed and very slowly drizzle the vegetable oil into the bowl while the mixer is running on low.

3. Store mix in an airtight container in fridge or freezer. This will keep indefinitely.

PANCAKES

1. Whisk one cup of pancake mix with 1/2 cup of milk, 1/2 cup of greek yogurt, and one large egg.

2. Allow batter mixture to sit for 20 minutes at room temperature, this allows the ground oats to soak up the excess liquid. The mixture may seem runny before this time has lapsed.

3. Using an ice cream scoop, or 1/4 cup measuring cup, spoon out the mixture onto a warm griddle (350F) or pan. I have an electric stove, and I find that pre-heating my enamel cast iron pan on medium helps tremendously.

4. When pancakes are bubbly around the edges, flip. Cook until golden brown.

Notes:

-Yields 5-8 pancakes per cup of mix.

-Adapted from King Arthur Flour – Homemade Whole Wheat Pancake Mix Recipe.

-The oats photographed are whole oats, they have not yet been processed. When yours have been through the food processor, they should be roughly 1/4 their original size. I hope that helps.

-Your pancake mix will end up crumbly with some smaller than pea-sized chunks.

Four Months Later

July 22, 2013July 22, 2013 ~ Crystle ~ 8 Comments

Here we are, four months after bringing Margot into the world, and we’re still adjusting to the new family dynamic. As soon as we find our groove, Margot changes…and off the balance is thrown.

She’s learning how to crawl.

She brings her knees to her belly, then face-plants onto her quilt on the floor, unable to push her chest up and forward at the same time. She screams in frustration, then rolls over in exhaustion. This carries on until the frustration escalates into a tantrum, or she distracts herself with toys. Right now it’s the former. Don’t let the charming photos fool you, this sweet baby has regular meltdowns, too.

Lucky for us, she’s sleeping through the night, waking only once at around 5 am for a bottle and a diaper change before sleeping in until 8. It’s been a nice advancement in the baby game.

Her personality is beginning to shine through, too. Margot is effervescent in the mornings, clingy in the afternoons and playful in the evenings. Getting work done around the house isn’t always possible, but I’ve been told that’s to be expected.

While Margot attempts to crawl around — usually trying to chase after the dog, Isaac and I have been planning our move to Fairbanks. We’re still debating whether or not we want to buy a house or live on base.

It’s almost impossible to structure a plan around living in a land of such extremes. Many people we run into here in the Pacific Northwest have had some experience up there. Their opinions vary greatly, which muddies the water even further.

We’ll be leaving Washington in seven weeks, just before Margot turns 6 months old. Her first winter ever will be in Alaska. It should make for an interesting first Christmas, and at least an awesome Christmas card.

Until then, we’ll get used to our temporary routine and savor our last season in Olympia.

Jalapeño Egg Salad

July 11, 2013July 24, 2013 ~ Crystle ~ 3 Comments

Every Tuesday morning, before the sun rises, fresh eggs, butter and milk are delivered to an insulated box on my front step. I look forward to the arrival of these local farm fresh products and I don’t know what I’ll do without them this fall when we’re up in Alaska, predictably enduring the harshest winter of our lives.

I opened my fridge today, to contemplate dinner plans and I realized I had three dozen eggs from Smith Brothers Farms. Not wanting to wait for an evening frittata, I whipped up a new egg salad recipe.

This recipe is adapted from Pam Anderson’s Cook Without a Book: Meatless Meals. She provides a basic egg salad recipe, and you can plug in anything you like. I chose to make a southwestern style egg salad, mainly to accommodate what I had in my pantry.

It works! Jarred jalapeños, spicy red onion and salsa provide a unique twist on an otherwise ordinary side dish. I ate it for lunch with tortilla chips, but I highly recommend trying it in a whole wheat wrap. That’s what I’ll do next.

This recipe used up almost one carton of eggs, now I just need to make a couple of frittatas to use up the rest.

Jalapeño Egg Salad Recipe:

Ingredients:

6 eggs

1/4 cup light mayo

1/4 cup diced red onion

1/4 cup salsa – hot

1/4 cup diced jalapeños (fresh or jarred)

1 tablespoon fresh cilantro, chopped

Salt & Pepper to taste

Instructions:

Place eggs in one layer in a deep pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil. When water begins to boil, remove pot from heat and let sit for 10 minutes. Drain the hot water, and replace it with cold water and ice. Let cool until the pot has become cool itself.

Dice onions, jalapeños, cilantro and eggs. Combine all ingredients in medium mixing bowl and stir well. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Serve with tortilla chips, or in whole wheat wraps.

Notes:

I took the eggs from the pot and put them in a mixing bowl and ran cold water over them for a few minutes to get the process started. Then I let them soak in ice water. You can do this, or as noted in the instructions using the original pot to cool the eggs. It doesn’t seem to matter much. The point is cooling the eggs as quickly as possible, and keeping the eggs from sticking to the shell. Hint: run cool water over the eggs as you peel the shell, it keeps the shell together and separates the insides and the out rather neatly.