ELVIS PANCAKES

happy weekend! treat yourself by making the ELVIS pancakes, the king of pancakes. what is an elvis pancake you may ask. does it make you walk around the kitchen saying 'uh huh huh' after every flip & bite? maybe.. but it's actually just a simple combination of peanut butter & bananas. elvis wasn't a basic peanut butter & jelly man, his favourite was a fried peanut butter & banana sandwich. these pancakes are a little spin on the classic. the pancake itself is peanut butter flavoured, stacked with banana slices & loaded with maple syrup. now let me go scarf down my saturday pancakes before i go start this weekends non-food related project. today's game plan is to strip & restain a vintage desk chair i found in the garbage. if the chair turns out i will post a photo! if it doesn't, we never speak of it again. wish me luck;)

ingredients

• 1 1/4 cup flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• pinch of salt
• 1 1/2 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons oil
• 2 tablespoons peanut butter
• 1 banana sliced

directions

• in a mixing bowl using a wooden spoon stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, sugar and cinnamon.
• create a well in the center and add the milk, egg, vanilla, oil and peanut butter. mix until combined.
• in a lightly oiled frying pan over medium heat scoop 1/4 cup of batter (for each pancake) into the pan. brown on both sides until pancake is cooked through.
• layer with sliced bananas (& maple syrup if desired) and serve!
• you are now a king.

GNOCCHI

last weekend my mom came up to the city to visit my sister's & i. i saw this as the perfect opportunity to put her to work & make some gnocchi for the blog! all she ever wants to do is make homemade pasta. fettuccini, cannellini, gnocchi.. it never ends (ask my dad). for mother's day i bought her the pictured book "mastering pasta", not that she already hasn't. it is a beautifully photographed book filled with just about every type of Italian pasta dish. while my mom was a little bit impatient with all the photo taking (must be all the espresso consumed prior), i think the pictures & the gnocchi turned out perfect! my sister’s & i can’t stop laughing at how tanned my mom’s hands have become this summer, but we all agree the gnocchi looks THAT much more legit with her dark italian hands. since many of you were asking what the lined paddle is called, it is a "gnocchi board". the old school way of making gnocchi by hand, dumpling by dumpling. these are potato based gnocchi, something my family prefers over the ricotta based ones. serve it with my classic marinara sauce & you will have one impressive italian dish, nonna approved.

ingredients

• 2 pounds white potatoes
• 1.5 pounds all purpose flour (my mom uses a special italian blend of semolina)
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1 teaspoon salt

directions

• boil the potatoes until fully cooked and mash them while they are still hot. let cool.
• on a floured surface make a well with the cooled potatoes and flour. crack the egg in the middle.
• begin to mix. sprinkle with cheese & salt.
• continue to mix well until you have formed a firm ball of dough. if the dough seems soft add more flour (take the flour measurements loosely here, it all depends on the potatoes).
• wrap in cling wrap & let rest for an hour.
• once dough has rested break off a piece and roll into a 1/2 inch thick strip. cut into 1 inch size pieces long.
• roll the dough down the gnocchi board (or the back of a fork if you do not have the board) to create the lines.
• continue to sprinkle with flour as you go so the finished gnocchi do not stick together.
• once all your gnocchi is complete, boil them in salted water until they begin to float.
• service with butter & cheese or your favourite marinara sauce.

note: if you are not serving them immediately, freeze them on a cookie sheet until they are solid and place in a ziplock bag. the gnocchi will stay fresh in the freezer for months.

DOUBLE CHOCOLATE CAKE

happy fourth of july! i may not be american but i can still celebrate by eating this double chocolate cake. i feel like growing up on the border of niagara falls, canada & niagara falls, new york entitles me to celebrate both canadian & american holiday's. this cake is the first thing i made in my brand new pistachio kitchen aid. i think she did well! i also just learned that my original kitchen aid that has just been replaced was purchased in 1986.. wait a minute, that's older then i am. anyways, i hope your independence day is filled with family, friends & most importantly delicious food. let's get baking!

ingredients

for the cake

• 2 cups raw sugar
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup dutch dark cocoa powder
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup almond milk (sub 1 cup greek yogurt)
• 2 cups flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup boiling water

for the frosting

• 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/2 cup dutch dark cocoa powder
• 3 cups icing sugar, or to taste
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

directions

• preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• in a mixing bowl add raw sugar, oil, vanilla, eggs and almond milk. mix until well combined.
• sift in cocoa powder, flour, salt and baking soda until just blended.
• gradually pour in boiling water with the mixer at low speed and mix until the batter becomes silky smooth.
• evenly separate batter into two greased & floured 9-inch round cake pans.
• bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes.
• once the cake has completely cooled, make frosting.
• beat butter, cocoa powder, icing sugar and vanilla until light and fluffy. about 10 minutes.
• frost cake as desired & enjoy!