Pancakes with Apple Nut Topping

Pancakes are a frequent meal at our house and I am always looking for different ways to top them. There has not been artificial maple syrup in our house for years. Some of our frequent toppings are:
-REAL maple syrup, in a separate container for dipping because it is pricey
-jam
-yogurt
-yogurt and jam
-apple nut topping

The apple nut is my new favorite and a very proud personal creation.

Apple Nut Topping
3-4 C. Granny smith apples, cored, peeled and sliced
1/2 C.raisins
1/2 C. slivered almonds or other favorite nut
3/4 tsp. nutmeg
3 Tbp. honey
3/4 tsp. cornstarch

Heat the apples in a medium saucepan until tender. Add the nuts, raisins, nutmeg, and honey and cook a few more minutes. In a small measuring cup, mix the cornstarch with enough water that it is dissolved and pourable. Slowly add it to the apple mixture.

Serve it over your favorite pancakes. I like to add it to the pancakes with yogurt on top. Yum! And for those who do not have a favorite pancake recipe, here is a really great basic one.

Pancakes
1 1/2 C. wheat flour
3 1/2 tsp. baking powder (bought fresh or DIY)
1 tsp. salt
1 Tbp. sugar
1 1/4 C milk (soy or almond can easily be substituted for lactose free)
1 egg
3 Tbp. oil

Mix the dry ingredients then add the wet ingredients. Drop the batter on a hot skillet 1/4 C at a time. When bubbles have risen to the top of the pacake you know it is time to flip them.

Go breakfast crazy! Everyone will love it.

Hashbrown Casserole

This is probably one of my most frequent go-to recipes. I loooove this recipe cause I will pretty much devour the entire casserole in just a few days. I end up eating it breakfast, lunch, or dinner, or just as a quick snack. Yumm! And, it's one of those dishes that actually tastes a little better (in my opinion) as a leftover, cause it thickens up a little once it's had a chance to sit in the fridge for a bit.

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 cans condensed cream of chicken (or cream of mushroom) soup- sometimes I'll even do one of each
• 1 1/2 cups (12 oz) sour cream
• 4 Tbsp butter (divided in half, and softened) - you will use 2 Tbsp here and 2 Tbsp there
• 1 (2lb) package frozen shredded hashbrowns, thawed
• 8 oz. sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
• 2 cups corn flakes cereal
• black pepper
• garlic salt
• onion powder

DIRECTIONS:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9x13 inch casserole dish.
• In a large bowl mix the soup, sour cream, 2 Tbsp butter, and hashbrowns. Sprinkle a pinch of black pepper, garlic salt, and onion powder to the mixture.
• Stir in 3/4 of the cheese. Pour the mixture into the dish and sprinkle the remaining cheese on top, as well as enough corn flakes to thinly cover the top. Then pour 2 Tbsp melted butter over the cornflakes.
• Bake for 45mins-1 hour until cheese is melted and bubbly. I have made this many many times, and sometimes it takes even longer than an hour to cook, but I have found that it's very hard to ruin this dish. Unless you forget about it for 2 hours, I'm pretty sure you can't over cook this. It may still be a little soupy when you remove it from the oven, but like I said, as it cools (either sitting out on the counter or in the fridge), it will thicken up.