Cousin Kimmy's Caramel Syrup and Food Truck Coconut Syrup

This recipe makes my in-laws like me better and my whole family loves it a double billion times better than the cheapy imitation maple from the grocery store.

Cousin Kimmy's Caramel Syrup

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar (I've used all brown before. Same diff.)

1/2 cup water

1 cube butter

Stirring frequently, bring all ingredients to boil and remove from heat. It will boil up and over fast so keep an eye on it.
Then add:

1 tsp vanilla

Incredibly unhealthy and delicious on German Pancakes and French Toast!!!!

Recipe from my cousin Kimmy. Maker of all things sweet and delicious.

And now for a BONUS SYRUP RECIPE!!!

So there was this lady I met while standing in line at the Waffle Love Food Truck in Utah many summers ago who told me about an amazing recipe for homemade Coconut Syrup that she had somehow stolen from the neighboring French Toast Food Truck. I told her I had to have it.

This is that recipe:

Food Truck Lady's Coconut Syrup
1/2 Cup (1 cube) butter
3/4 C. Buttermilk (or milk with a little lemon squeezed in.)
1 Cup Sugar
1/2 tsp. baking soda (I use a little less because I don't want to taste it.)
1 tsp. coconut extract

Place butter, buttermilk and sugar in medium saucepan. Stir over medium heat until butter melts and sugar dissolves. Bring to a boil and boil one minute. Remove from heat and add baking soda and extract, stirring constantly. It will bubble up, so if your pot is small, hold it over the sink to avoid spillage. Continue to stir syrup and let is rest for a few minutes before serving. Serve over almost any breakfast food.

Post Script: After typing that recipe,  I think next time I will make it with Coconut milk instead of Buttermilk and leave out the baking soda. I don't need the excitement of a science fair volcano early in the morning--I just need to eat. Once I try it, I'll let you know how it turns out.

Crepes

When I was little (maybe 10 or 11?) My neighbor Janeen Nelson taught me to make these. She used a recipe from our Ward Cookbook. Since I happen to have my own personal copy of said cookbook, I still use the same recipe she used. In our book it's called "Swedish Pancakes". And it recommends topping with powdered sugar and that's it! Talk about BORING!!! Anyway, this is my most requested recipe because these are so darn easy and good. And because everyone loves eating breakfast for dessert...and vice versa.

So, have a Crêpe party and be sure to send me fan mail when you suddenly have tons more friends. (Don't blame me if they're just using you for your edibles.) Here goes...

Crêpes
Combine in a batter bowl in this order: (if you add flour first you will have lumps)
2 cups milk
2 cups flour
1 tsp. salt
Stir until perfectly smooth. (Some people like to do this step in the blender, but I find adding the milk to the bowl first and using a hand mixer works just fine.)
Next add:
4 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
Beat thoroughly. Pour about 1/4 to 1/3 cup batter into pre-heated pan. (I usually have the stove on Medium. Make sure the pan is non-stick or have "Pam" on hand if you need it.) Tilt pan so it spreads out thin and forms a circle to the edge of the pan. Cook until edges start to look rubbery. Loosen edges. Turn.

It will be pretty well cooked, so it only needs to stay on the second side a little longer. I usually turn the oven on "warm" and pile them on a plate in there until we're ready to eat. No need to separate with parchment. They come apart easily.

Friends over for Dinner Recipe

6 cups milk

6 cups flour

3 tsp salt

12 eggs

¾ cup sugar

Feed an Army Recipe
8 cups milk
8 cups flour
Heaping tbsp salt
16 eggs
1 cup sugar

Serve Sweet:

Nutella, Peanut Butter, Strawberries, Strawberry Jam, Bananas, Lemon Curd, Applesauce, Berries, Whipped Cream or Spray Whip, Ice Cream, Powdered Sugar, Sugar and Lemon Juice, Whipped Cream Cheese, and if you really want to go all out: Ice Cream and Hot Fudge.

Or Savory: (Une Crêpe savory or Galette)

Eggs, Bacon, Ham, Cheese, Skillet Potatoes, Avocado, Roasted Squash, Mushrooms, Hollandaise Sauce

French Toast

My sister-in-law Lisa called from Hawaii asking for this recipe for her daughter's birthday breakfast. That means it MUST be good.

French Toast
for Challah or Sandwich Bread
From America's Test Kitchen/Cook's Illustrated

Though thick-sliced challah is best for French toast, you can substitute high-quality, presliced sandwich bread. Flipping challah is easiest with tongs, but a spatula works best with sandwich bread…To vary the flavor of the batter, add ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon or ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg with the dry ingredients, or substitute almond extract for the vanilla.

2 large eggs
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 1/2 cup milk
4 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 tablespoons sugar
2/3 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
8-10 slices day-old challah, ¾ inch thick,
or 12-16 slices day-old high-quality sandwich bread
Unsalted butter for frying
(1 tablespoon per batch.)

Heat a 10 or 12 inch skillet over medium heat for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, beat the eggs lightly in a shallow pan or pie plate; whisk in the melted butter, then the milk and vanilla, and finally the sugar, flour and salt, continuing to whisk until smooth. Soak the bread without over saturating, about 40 seconds per side for challah or 30 seconds per side for sandwich bread. Pick up the bread and allow the excess batter to drip off; repeat with the remaining slices.

Swirl 1 tablespoon butter in the hot skillet. Transfer the prepared bread to the skillet in a single layer; cook until golden brown, about 1 minute 45 seconds on the first side and 1 minute on the second. Serve the French toast immediately. Continue, adding 1 tablespoon butter to the skillet for each new batch.

***My SIL makes this in the blender and says it's much easier!***

German Pancakes

I have heard these called Hootenannies (my husbands family), Dinosaur Pancakes (Chappel family I babysat for as a kid) and Dutch Babies (The Pancake House down the street). I know them for what they really are...German Pancakes. I even had a German roommate in college (Peace Ursula!) who signed off on their authenticity. So I'm assuming my preferred name is the correct one. Family lore says my sister Laura brought this recipe home from her 8th Grade 'Cooks and Chefs' class at Butler Middle School. They were always a family favorite except the handful of times when Faezer tried to jazz things up by adding grated cheese. I love my mother dearly, but what a weirdo.

German Pancakes

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Put 3 Tablespoons butter or margarine in a 9x13 or split into two 8-9" pans and stick in pre-heating oven. (The butter will burn if you don't watch it. Don't put it in too early. Margarine won't burn if you want to use that. I prefer butter forever and always.)

In a large mixing bowl (I like my glass 8 cup batter bowl with handle and spout) combine:
1 cup milk
1 cup flour
6 eggs
dash of salt (You can add a lid full of vanilla too if you want.)

Beat together with electric mixer until smooth.
By now, hopefully your oven is completely pre-heated and the butter has melted and is bubbly and just starting to brown. Pull the oven rack out a bit and dump in your batter. Try to be quick so you don't let all the heat out. Also try not to burn your forearms.

Cook for 20 minutes. (Turn the oven light on so your kids can watch.)

Serve immediately with your favorite pancake toppings. 
(I prefer applesauce, Cousin Kimmy's Caramel syrup, and spray whip...but that's just me.)

(If we're being honest, this tastes almost exactly like the Yorkshire Pudding I've eaten in England so if you want to go totally crazy, throw some pot roast and gravy on top and go wild. Or, ya know, just some grated cheese...)

ENJOY!