Sourdough biscuits

Easy homemade biscuits made with sourdough discard are a perfect side dish to soups, chili, and more. They are a great way to make something from pantry staples.

Homemade biscuits warm from the oven are the perfect accompaniment to so many dishes. We love them with soup, chili, and on the side of other meals. I've been incorporating sourdough into my baking as much as possible these days and these biscuits have been making an appearance almost weekly on our menu.

These biscuits are made with unfed sourdough/discard. The starter gives the biscuits that sourdough tang, but are actually a quick recipe made with baking soda and baking powder. They are a way to use up some of your starter that may otherwise be wasted. Plus they are light, flaky, and buttery. 

Recipes like this are great to have in your repertoire to whip up from pantry staples. These are perfect for topping with butter and honey or your favorite jam. They are also an easy baking project to involve kids. You can also serve them with breakfast with eggs or topped with sausage gravy.

I hope everyone is doing well out there during these uncertain times. I'll be baking even more as long as we have the ingredients now that we are stuck home most of the time. 

Maple cream pie

Creamy maple syrup pudding is topped with a maple syrup infused whipped cream for a luscious and delicious maple cream pie all made with real maple syrup.

Happy Pi(e) Day! Today I'm celebrating all things pie with some fellow food bloggers. My readers know that pie baking is one of my favorite things. Pie is the dessert of choice in our family. Since it's also maple season here in western New York, I'm sharing this recipe for a maple cream pie. This pie is quickly becoming one of my favorites and that says a lot.

I like to use an all-butter pie crust made with vodka. I've been working on perfecting pie crust for years now and this is my favorite. It's buttery, light, flaky, and easy to make in a food processor. You can find instructions for the crust in this post. Of course, you can always use a store bought crust if you prefer.

For this pie you need to use real maple syrup, not pancake syrup. You want the darkest syrup you can find for the strongest maple flavor. You want the maple flavor to shine through (and this pie actually tastes best after chilling overnight so the flavors can really deepen and permeate through). I adapted this pie recipe from this recipe here making a few changes.

Easy slow cooker butter chicken

This popular and flavorful classic Indian restaurant dish can be made easily at home using your slow cooker. Spicy and creamy tomato sauce coat this chicken that is best served with some rice and Naan bread for dipping in the sauce.

Butter chicken has always been one of my favorite dishes to order or grab at the buffet when we go out for Indian food. We used to live very closely to several Indian restaurants, but now there are not any close to our house. I wanted to make this dish at home with ease and also wanted to keep it mild for our kids. This recipe covers both of those requirements!

As you may know, we have two three year olds in our house. Since we follow The Division of Responsibility in Feeding, all of our meals are family meals. I want to encourage my kids to try all foods we eat. Sometimes that's easier said than done with little ones. However, one way I make food approachable for them is to make sure it's not too hot and spicy. This recipe falls into a mild flavor profile for my husband and I. The flavors and spices are all still there, just not as hot as I'd make it before kids. You can definitely adjust that and increase the amounts of curry powder and ginger in the recipe by 1/2 to 1 teaspoon. Also, you can add a bit of cayenne pepper if you really want a kick!

Both the kids ate this dish and one especially enjoyed it a lot! The other mostly loved the Naan and the sauce and that's okay. It's all about exposure and keeping meals no pressure. If you want more recipes and ideas, please join my Facebook group - Feeding our Families & Raising Adventurous Eaters. Even with some adjustments, my husband and I thoroughly enjoyed this satisfying and flavorful dish! Plus, making it in the slow cooker is perfect for us busy moms.

Old-fashioned cornmeal griddle cakes

Old-fashioned cornmeal griddle cakes are pancakes made with cornmeal and topped with real maple syrup. The cornmeal gives these pancakes have a hearty texture and give yummy corn flavor.

Today is National Pancake Day and you know that's a day we have to celebrate here on the blog! I have posted so many pancake recipes over the years as well as this round-up of 25 pancake recipes. This recipe is based on one of the recipes from an old Pennsylvania Dutch cookbook I have. I shared many other Pennsylvania Dutch recipes here in the past including these Old-fashioned flannel cakes, German egg pancakes, Pennsylvania Dutch ham, potatoes, & green beans, ham, bean, & rivel soup, and more. My mother's family is from Pennsylvania and some of these dishes are ones we grew up eating.

Pancakes are a huge hit in our house for breakfast. I like these ones because I love cornbread and corn muffins. These pancakes are not very sweet and they are a little dense since they are an old recipe. The real maple syrup on top is what provides the sweetness needed. You can top them with honey as well and any fresh fruit you'd like.

Visit the bottom of this post for more pancake recipes!

Blueberry oatmeal crisp bars

Blueberry bars made with oatmeal and cinnamon make a delightful and easy dessert. The oatmeal crisp topping also doubles as the crust and frozen blueberries make this a treat to whip up all year round.

Our freezer is still stocked with summer blueberries from our annual blueberry picking day. We love to use them all year round and bring a taste of summer during the winter months. I have made these bars using our frozen blueberries a couple of times now and they are so good! They are so easy to whip up. You don't even need to thaw the blueberries. The hardest part of this dessert is waiting for it to cool before slicing and eating. We love all sorts of fruit crisps and crumbles, and this one is a favorite of my blueberry loving kids.

I have modified the below recipe from this one here. I first made these as a dessert for our twins' half-birthday and they gobbled them up. I am going to try them again with other berries like raspberries and blackberries and I think they will be equally delicious. These bars are not overly sweet, so they could even pass for a breakfast if you wanted.

So the next time you need a quick and easy dessert, give these a try. You may even already have everything you need at home.