My husband is a big fan of sweets so for Father’s Day brunch I knew we had to go in the direction of pancakes/waffles/french toast.  This being his first EVER Father’s Day I also knew we had to make something memorable, we meaning my baby girl and me.

We decided to make Cinnamon Roll Pancakes with a Cream Cheese glaze served with a side of bacon, iced coffee, and a little fruit salad (I had to incorporate something healthy!).  We made this for our Father’s Day celebration, but as always, this can be made for any breakfast/brunch menu!  And I am telling you, these pancakes are outrageously good!!!!!!!!!

Cinnamon Roll Pancakes
from recipegirl.com

Cinnamon Filling
4 Tbs (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, just melted (not boiling)
1/4 C + 2 Tbs packed light brown sugar
1/2 Tbs ground cinnamon

Cream Cheese Glaze

Pancakes
I took the easy route and used pancake mix.

Prepare the glaze: In a small pan, heat the butter over low heat until melted. Turn off the heat and whisk in the cream cheese until it is almost smooth. Sift the powdered sugar into the pan, stir and add in vanilla extract. Set the pan aside while you make the pancakes.

Prepare the pancake batter according to package instructions.

Cooking the pancakes: Heat a large, nonstick skillet over medium-heat and spray with nonstick spray. Use an ice cream scoop (or 1/3 cup measuring cup) to add the batter to the pan. Use the bottom of the scoop or cup to spread the batter into a circle (about 4-inches in diameter). Reduce the heat to medium low. Snip the corner of your baggie of cinnamon filling and squeeze the filling into the open corner. When your pancake begins to form bubbles, add the filling. Starting at the center of the pancake, squeeze the filling on top of the pancake batter in a swirl (just as you see in a regular cinnamon roll). Cook the pancake 2 to 3 minutes, or until the bubbles begin popping on top of the pancake and it’s golden brown on the bottom. Slide a thin, wide metal spatula underneath the pancake and gently but quickly flip it over. Cook an additional 2 to 3 minutes, until the other side is golden as well. When you flip the pancake onto a plate, you will see that the cinnamon filling has created a crater-swirl of cinnamon. Wipe out the pan with a paper towel, and repeat with the remaining pancake batter and cinnamon filling. Re-warm the glaze briefly, if needed. Serve pancakes topped with a drizzle of glaze.

Enjoy!

PS. Here was the little card we made for Father’s Day:

We had some extra arugula from our CSA last week and my husband and I are not fans of a straight up arugula salad so we researched for other ways to use it.  We found this great recipe from my friend Martha and it was, of course, delicious!

Chicken Roll-Ups with Goat Cheese and Arugula
from Everyday Food, October 2005

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Season chicken with salt and pepper. On a clean work surface, lay cutlets flat (smooth sides down). Fill and roll: Layer each cutlet with arugula; crumble goat cheese in the center. Starting with the narrow end, roll up chicken tightly; seal with a toothpick. In a large nonstick ovenproof skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat; swirl to coat bottom of pan. Cook, seam side down, until golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Turn chicken. Transfer skillet to oven. Cook until chicken is opaque throughout, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove toothpicks, and slice chicken crosswise before serving, if desired.

I told you last week about the first bunch of veggies we got from our CSA… well, we used the garlic scapes this weekend to make a delicious pesto served with shrimp and cellentani pasta.

To be honest, we had no idea what garlic scapes even were when we got them, but according about.com.gardening, garlic scapes are “the ‘flower stalks’ of hardneck garlic plants, although they do not produce flowers.  Many gardeners simply toss their scapes in the compost, but garlic scapes are both edible and delicious.”  Well that was good to read since we had a dozen of them!

We found the recipe below and it turned out to be great and definitely a more flowery/garlic taste than traditional pesto.  If you come across garlic scapes, I would certainly recommend making this.

Rudy’s Garlic Scape Pesto
from Allrecipes.com

6 garlic scapes, chopped
1/2 C freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 C freshly grated Asiago cheese
1 Tbs fresh lemon juice
1/4 C pine nuts
3/4 C extra-virgin olive oil (we used less, maybe 1/2C)
salt and pepper to taste

Place the garlic scapes, Parmesan cheese, Asiago cheese, lemon juice, and pine nuts in the bowl of a food processor. Drizzle the olive oil over the mixture. Blend until the pesto is a brilliant green color and smooth in texture. Season with salt and pepper.

Again, we served with grilled shrimp, all over cellentani pasta.

Enjoy!