"weekend" news and stories

I know it's still early in the week, but it's never too early to start thinking about what you want to cook this weekend. Tuesday afternoon is the perfect time to start planning your lazy Sunday morning meal! If you maintain your own sourdough starter, this recipe is a sure winner. If you don't, why not start one!

If you have your own starter, sourdough waffles are a great way to use up some of the excess that you might normally throw away. This recipe comes courtesy of Bakers' Banter, and you can find great images to walk you through the whole recipe.

I think sourdough waffles are an excellent idea. I'm definitely trying them this weekend, even though I don't keep my own starter. Mixing one half cup each of flour and water with the tiniest pinch of yeast about 3-6 hours before you need to use it should supply the amount of starter needed. The waffles won't taste exactly the same, but it should be pretty close.

Another weekend has rolled around, and we all want to eat fun, weekend-y food. Though I'll eat a veggie dog every now and then, I'm not a big fan of regular hot dogs. If hot dogs are on your weekend menu, though, this is for you.

Al Dente has put together a list of five hot dogs that'll kill you, literally...you know, if you ate one everyday for a long period of time. Anyway, all the hot dogs look like a good occasional indulgence (and I stress occasional). Maybe if you deserve a treat this weekend, you could try one of the kinds of hot dog covered. Except the hamdog. I don't think I could recommend that one in good conscience, ever. Perhaps you should also avoid a lard dog, but I'll leave that up to you.

[Via Neatorama]

I don't know about you, but I'm always looking for great weekend breakfast ideas. I want something that maybe takes a little more time than you have during the week, but won't take all day to make either. It also has to be something that tastes great and is suitably impressive.

I think I've found a new one to try for this weekend. A few days ago, while perusing the baking blogs, I came across this post from Bakers' Banter. While it starts out talking about whole grain pancakes, the post goes on to give a step by step, pictorial recipe for German pancakes. I seem to recall having seen them in a cookbook before I really got into cooking, but since I didn't cook I promptly forgot about them.

After reading this article, and seeing how good these pancakes look, I am definitely making them this weekend. What about you? If you try this recipe out, I'd love to hear about it!

I grew up eating crustless quiche. My mother, always looking for a way to save on the calories and fat content in a recipe gave up making crusts for her quiches long before I was born. In recent years, she stopped making them all together, in an attempt to reign in her cholesterol. This is why I was fairly surprised when she called me the other day to tell me that she had discovered the easiest quiche recipe ever. However, when I asked if she had used a crust, she responded with shock in her voice, "Of course not!"

So folks, in anticipation of the weekend, when one of you might want to whip up a simple Saturday or Sunday brunch dish, I offer you my mom's new, very easy quiche recipe. You don't have to make it crustless, but if you do, you can indulge a little more in a scone or muffin.

After watching the pancake video a few too many times, I couldn't resist mixing up a batch of my favorite pancakes. Buttermilk pancakes are light, fluffy and perfect for add-ins. You can stir in almost anything to make your pancakes a little more interesting. In the summer, blueberries (pictured) are a natural choice, as are any other fresh berries. Diced bananas and shredded coconut are also popular picks. The kid in you may want to relieve childhood memories by adding chocolate chips to the batter, though by using chopped bittersweet chocolate, expensive chocolate, you can make them a little more grown up.

Speaking of kids, making pancakes in the morning is a great way to bond with your children and get them interested in cooking. Just set out little bowls with plenty of good things to add in to the pancake batter and let them make their own selections while you supervise the griddle. Banana chocolate chip? Raspberry coconut? Orange cinnamon?

Sounds good to me.