Hint: Keeping Baking Powder Dry

Kitchens are humid, hot environments at times. This is a bad place to store baking powder because moisture in the air quickly kills its leavening power. A simple fix that greatly extends the lifespan of a can of baking powder is to store it along with an open box of baking soda, tightly sealed together in a zip top heavy plastic bag. Excess moisture is absorbed by the baking soda, sparing the baking powder from loss of action. Moisture has no effect on the baking soda, which remains a useful leavening (and alkalizing) agent when combined with the acids in foods such as buttermilk.

Quick and Easy Filling for Cheese Blintzes

Blintzes are thin pancakes or crêpes filled with a savory or sweet mixture, folded, and then slowly fried in butter or another fat. Cheese mixtures are popular, but often call for a dry, fresh cheese called 'farmer cheese' that is often unavailable in local stores. This recipe, which takes only a few minutes to make, relies instead on the widely available product, large-curd cottage cheese.

3-1/2 oz (100 g) large-curd cottage cheese (cream style)
1/4 t salt
1/8 t pepper
1 t sugar

Place a small, wire-mesh strainer over a small bowl. Add the cottage cheese, and with the back of a spoon, press the cheese through the strainer, stopping to scrape the cheese from the backside of the strainer into the bowl. Continue to press the cheese through until not much remains. Add this remainder and the seasonings to the bowl and stir until smoothly combined. Fills two pancakes. Variation: Top each serving with fresh berry sauce.

Nutty Fruity Pancake Stacks

A pair almost ready to flip

about 1-1/2 c buttermilk pancake batter
1/4 c fresh or frozen blueberries
1 oz slivered toasted pecans
3 oz almond butter, softened briefly in the microwave

berry sauce

Heat a griddle to about 325 degrees F. Water drops should bounce and sizzle. Oil lightly. For 2 servings, make 6 pancakes, the largest about 4 inches across, the others somewhat smaller. Add a few berries and nuts to each pancake as it bakes. When batter on top becomes dull, flip to finish. Remove to a plate until all the cakes have been prepared. On a serving plate, place a large cake. Spoon on a tablespoon or two of almond butter, place a smaller cake on top, add a second dollop almond butter. Finish with the smallest cake, and top with a big spoonful of black cherry (or other berry) sauce. Dust with powdered sugar if desired.

Cinnamon-Sugar Topping

This yields a 1 to 8 mixture (about 11% by volume). Good for topping toast — French or otherwise, fruits — both raw and cooked, pancakes, et cetera.

1 T ground cinnamon
1/2 c granulated sugar

Mix well. Store in a covered shaker jar.

Berry Sauce

Recorded October 14, 2009. This sauce makes an excellent topping for yogurt, ice cream, pancakes, French toast or fresh fruits such as melon, pear, or banana.

6 oz (175 g) fresh or frozen berries
1 to 2 T (15 to 30 ml) sugar (based on the fruit sweetness)
1 to 2 T (15 to 30 ml) water
1 t tapioca starch or corn starch
pinch of salt

Combine ingredients in a tall microwave-proof container. A 2-cup (500 ml) measuring cup works well. Bring to a boil in the microwave cautiously, taking care it doesn't overflow. Stir, and bring to a boil again. Pour while hot into a small clean glass mason jar sanitized with boiling water. Tighten band while it cools. Store refrigerated. Lasts about one month after opening.  Note: Blueberries, strawberries, blackberries, raspberries  or sweet black cherries can be used. Black cherry sauce is outstanding. Pineapple is not recommended.