Reminds Me of Mine: Timetravel + Crepe Recipe

This is a photo of not-my oldest son.  Anonymous child in the aisle (2 years old) reminds me of him.  Same tow-headed blond haircut. (Grandma Sandy said he looks like her tow-headed blond baby, too!) He played with John's shoe, laughed a silly giggle, did everything he could to stay awake during the Church meeting..

Here are the other two real sons last Sunday, playing Italian "Shoot"  (thank you again, Emma+Dean!).  They all started out life with that white-blond hair and have darkened with age.

Tai Chi paintings are back on way to Pittsburgh and I have David's Boxers back in dinning room.

(John cooking salmon for dinner, smothering it in buttermilk...)

Lu asked for my current crepe recipe (yes, they change over time):  I apologize for the lack of exactness.  I cook by feel/taste/texture/smell.

(no sugar in batter, that makes them brown too quickly).  Disclaimer:  I like an egg-tasting crepe.  More eggs than milk.  And real butter makes a huge difference, but NO OIL in batter. I think the whisk helps make them a little frothy, lighter, maybe, but I would need a test kitchen to try with or without whisk, see if that makes the difference?  This made a huge batch for 2 families, a breakfast meal plus leftovers. 

big metal bowl + whisk
crack in 2 dozen eggs and whisk
add one can evaporated milk (NOT Condensed)
fill empty milk can with cold water and add, whisk
sprinkle in 1/2 tsp kosher salt
2 shakes of Kirkland (Costco brand) vanilla (maybe a tablespoon?)

add cups of flour, whisking well.  Really well.  Try to keep count of how many cups of flour.  Stop when thick enough for crepe batter.  I counted in 8 and then lost track.  Sorry, should have written it down.  It is a consistency thing, you will know it when too thick or too runny...

cook one crepe in real BUTTER in pan.  If too runny, add more flour.  If too thick, add more regular milk (if you have more cans of evaporated milk, you can use that, but the flavor changes.  I use at least one can, but regular milk cheaper, and water is free!).  I usually go back and forth a few times with too much flour, too much milk until just right.  Keep whisking. 

Half way through cooking you may need to add more water/milk because the batter will thicken as it stands.
Pouring just under 1/2 cup batter in my big pan for each crepe, ease pan around in circle to fill pan with batter, flip as soon as can so it doesn't overcook.  I like them barely golden, still soft.  Stack to keep heat in them.  Keep re-buttering pan every 3-4 crepes for flavor.  Cooking heat is between 9-8 on dial on my stove, (6:00 is as hot as will go, 12 straight up is off.  If that helps.)

Our family likes 2 pkgs (8 oz) cream cheese softened mixed with 1 cup brown sugar and 1 cup whipping cream, a shake of vanilla, mixed in mixer for perfect spread.  And Nutella, of course

The last time I made a crepe batch for just my family I used 1 can milk and 12 eggs and no extra milk...
(smaller batches I use blender, and always start with eggs first blended, then milk, then salt, vanilla, then flour.)

PS.  When I was adding labels, discovered recipe post in July 2010 where I used to use sugar in batter and used less eggs, but exact same cream cheese spread!  Here's to the evolution of a recipe, change for the better!

Wednesday Without Make Up

This is us, looking on as Roxie opened presents Monday night. Same pose from yesterday. Didn't have time to do my hair or face before guests arrived.

John was impressed that she asked for crepes for her birthday dinner. I had to struggle with the time-consuming labor of it, reminiscent of labor 9 years ago? Shouldn't mom's have the day off on their children's birth celebrations?

Stewart took over flipping crepes after I was cooking for 2 hours. We had plenty of crepes, with left-overs! I made 3 big batches of batter. My EASY-very forgiving recipe:

break 3-7 eggs into an osterizer. (Throw in yolks from white cake you made earlier)

open one can of food storage milk, evaporated, the one for pies, not the make-fudge

pour in above milk and fill milk can with tap water and hold ready

start machine, low, then slowly higher with LID OFF so you can add...

add half a cup of sugar, powdered or granulated, your choice (this is the place to add cocoa powder mixed with sugar, if desired. Equal parts sugar/cocoa.)

add flour until osterizer can no longer absorb it

add can of milky water until continues to move blades of osterizer

add a little more flour, more water until reach top of osterizer

Cook batter in hot pan with a tiny bit of oil and a touch of butter for flavor. Pour in batter and lift pan and rotate/tilt pan around so batter spreads over entire bottom of pan. If batter is too thick, add more water. Crepes are NOT pancakes, you want a thin batter that coats the bottom of the pan and cooks paper-thin. Do not leave un-attended. Cooks very quickly. Cook just until you can flip it, and barely 30 seconds on the second side. Layer crepes on a plate. It is okay if they get cold. Cook until you have a huge pile!

Soften cream cheese, beat in mixer and slowly add cup of sugar, vanilla, and heavy whipping cream for the perfect filling spread.

Blueberry sauce: 4 pints of fresh and washed blueberries (Aldi's, for $1 a pint!) and 1 cup of sugar. Cook until boiling and then add 1/2 cup corn starch mixed with juice from one can of chunk pineapple. Thickens nicely as it boils and is a perfect blueberry sauce for crepes!