Sour Cream Pancakes

2 eggs, separated
1 1/2 cups buttermilk (should you not have buttermilk in the fridge - although if you like to bake at all, you really should - you can sour some regular milk with a Tbsp of vinegar.)
1/2 cup sour cream. We've also used plain yogurt in a pinch, and it worked fine.
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

In a large bowl, mix together the yolks, milk and sour cream until well blended. Add the butter and just stir until it's combined.
In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda and salt. Add it to the yolk/milk mixture and beat until smooth.
Beat the egg whites until they're stiff but still moist. Gently fold the yolks into the batter.

Get your griddle moderately hot and give it a light coating of non-stick spray. We make our pancakes rather small, but you can make them however big you like. Flip them over when little bubbles appear on the top, and when the bottom is a nice golden brown. It will only need to cook briefly on the other side.

Now go get your maple syrup and eat some pancakes.

A solid way to cook vegetables

These are great - they're flavourful, but not in a child-repelling sort of way. And you get to use a wok (if you have one), which is always fun.

Heat up - on high heat - 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil in a wok or a big skillet.
Add:
1 bunch of broccoli, all chopped up. (do you eat the stems? Just peel the stems a bit and chop them - my kids actually like the stems raw, cut into long sticks!)
1 onion, diced
1 tablespoon minced ginger root
Stir-fry for a minute.
Now add:
3 baby bok choy, or 2 stems of the bigger kind, chopped up.
4 ounces snow peas
3 celery stalks, sliced really thin
5 green onions, all chopped up
And pour
3/4 cup chicken stock on it. You could use vegetable broth, if you'd rather.
Toss vegetables until everything is coated. Bring to a boil, cover and cook for 2 to 3 minutes or until the vegetables are slightly tender but still crisp.

Serves about six.

Broccoli Salad

I sort of feel like the bacon - which is totally optional - and the mayonnaise - which is totally mandatory - negate any health-giving properties this salad may possibly have. But it's handy because most kids - and big sucky adults - will eat it, and then later on you can say "but you ate the broccoli SALAD" when you want them to eat just plain ol' broccoli. Also, it is good.

You will need:
1 bunch broccoli, just the florets, chopped up attractively.

And some of the following things:
- 1 cup raisins or craisins - this is totally optional, especially if you have kids who are going to shriek "EWWWW! SHE PUT RAISINS IN THE SAAAALAD!". Not to name any names, GIRL.
- 1 cup sunflower seeds. Again, optional. The raisins are there for sweet and the sunflower seeds are there for crunch, but neither of these are going to make or break the salad.
- some crispy, crumbled bacon strips. My recipe calls for ten. TEN! We generally use about two. You don't need to use any.
- cubed (or grated) cheddar cheese. I'm going to guess and say 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup, but however much looks good for you. Again, skip it if you wanna.
- 1/4 cup diced red onion. Totally skippable.

Here's the dressing, once you have your salad bowl brimming over or not:
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon vinegar
3 tablespoons sugar. So healthy!
Mix the salad dressing together in a bowl, then toss all the ingredients together. You're going to want the salad to sit in the fridge for at LEAST two hours before you eat it.
Serves six, more or less.

Slightly Fancy Asparagus

Steam your asparagus (about enough for four people). Now drain it.
Toss the drained asparagus with two tablespoons of vinegar - balsamic, apple cider (hi, mom!), or whatever you want. Throw in a tablespoon of butter, a bit of salt and pepper and a clove of minced garlic. Serve with modest pride.

Roasted Asparagus

Preheat your oven to 450.
Get your asparagus ready - trim the ends, peel if they're fat - and lay them on a roasting pan. Drizzle them with some extra-virgin olive oil and sprinkle a bit of salt on top. Now roast them for 10 to 15 minutes.
Serve with lemon wedges.

Steamed Asparagus

Take your asparagus and trim the gnarly ends off (not the tip!). If your asparagus is thick, they'll be better if you peel the stalks, too. Find a frying pan that can hold the amount of asparagus that you want to cook without crushing them together. Cover them with water and add a pinch of salt. Now cook them on high until they're JUST fork tender - you don't want them mushy and you don't want them crispy.

Now drain them and toss them with some butter and eat.

This week's recipes

Sunday -
Texas Chicken Salad
Veggie Tray
Sweet Cherry Pie

Monday
Honey Soy Grilled Pork Chops
Japanese Noodle Salad
Snow Peas

Tuesday
Chipolte Chicken Fajitas

Wedneday
Tunsian Vegetable Stew
Sharp Cheddar Biscuits

Thursday
Tuna Cheese Melts
Coleslaw

Friday
Spinach Feta Pizza