Difference between Pancakes and Crepes

Whats the difference between pancakes and Crepes? My good friend Pat has taught me a valuable difference between pancakes and crepes. It would appear that I thought I was making pancakes for years, when in fact I've been making Crepes.

Now I honestly didn't cop the difference. But it's all down to the basic ingredients. There seems to be a few different recipes for them out there, but here's the key difference.

Pancakes contain baking soda, yeast, some sort of raising agent. The way to remember, cakes raise, they get bigger, hence why they're called panCAKE's.

Crepe's are made with flour instead of baking soda. As a result, this means they are lighter and easier to eat. Crepe's can also be used for both dessert and as a savoury dish.

Simple Nachos

The other night I was feeling very lazy and looking to eat junk food. So I made myself some nachos.

Here's what ya need:
Big bag of nacho's (any type you want)
Cheddar cheese
Jalapeno Peppers
Salsa sauce or Sour Cream or Guacamole or all

Put the nacho's on a plate, pile them high. Grill the nacho's under a grill for a wee bit to heat them. Add your sauces on top, in any fashion you like. Add jalapeno peppers. Grate the cheese on top of this and place under the grill again until the cheese starts to go a golden colour.

Eat while hot and enjoy.

Very Tasty Sambo

Ok, here's a sandwich I really enjoy. It's big, full of salad and really is very tasty. It's easy to overload it, but sure have fun, go mad.

What ya need:
Bread
Mayonnaise
Butter
Ploughman Pickle
Tomatoes (sprinkle salt on top to bring out the taste)
Cucumber
Lettuce
Sliced Edam cheese or mild cheddar cheese

I don't think I need to explain how to make a sandwich. So go mad, use three slices if ya like. Toast it if you really want. Have two layers of cheese, add mustard, whatever. It's just a great mix of ingredients, so enjoy.

Caprese salad

Tis a fancy sounding name for something so simple. Basically it's tomatoe, mozzarella, bit of olive oil and basil. It's simple and works great as a starter to a pasta dish.

What ya need:
Big beef tomatoe, the redder the juicier
Mozarrella (the one that comes in the pouches in water are the best)
Olive oil to drizzle (extra virgin olive oil is a safe bet)
Fresh Basil leaf

Slice the tomatoe into big thick slices. About a centimeter thick. Add one or two per plate. Slice the mozarella ball into slightly thinner slices than the tomatoe. Drizzle olive oil on top. Add three of four fresh basil leaves to garnish.

Basil Plant

I suggest buying a herb plant or two, it really makes a difference when making a meal. Fresh supplies will always increase the taste and can look good too.

I've gone and purchased myself a little basil plant, it's looking a little worse for wear but with a little work, it should be grand in a while. I love basil, it works well fresh on a Caprese salad.

Basil, Parsley, Thyme, Sage and Rosemary are good options. They grow all year round and you can even have them on you windowsill in your kitchen so you can take a leaf whenever you want.

Tasty grilled sandwich

Here's something I made earlier today that I thought was delicious. Maybe I was just hungry and would eat anything.

What ya need:
2 slices bread
1 egg
Edam or mild cheddar cheese (or whatever you prefer, the block cheese is best)
1 spring onion (scallion, whatever you call it)
Aromat to season

Toast the bread, butter it, put the cheese on the toast, slice up the spring onion and sprinkle on top, sprinkle aromat on top to season and put it under the grill to let the cheese melt. Fry the egg on a low heat (it may be slower but it tastes so much better). You can have your egg sunny side up or over easy, you pick. Take the toast out, put the egg on the toast, close the sandwich and cut it diagonally. There ya go, nice and tasty.

Avocado Salad

Here's my very own one that I created while away in Australia. While living in Cairns, my girlfriend and myself would often go to the fresh fruit and veg market called Rusty's. If you've ever been to Cairns you'll know it, it's just next door to Gilligan's hostel.

Here's what ya need:-
1 Avocado (slightly soft for best taste)
some tomato diced
1/2 clove of garlic
some diced up red onion
lemon juice
salt and pepper (salt is necessary to bring out the taste of the tomatoes)

Here's what ya do, cut the avocado in half, remove the stone and keeping the avocado in the shell, mix it all up using a fork. Add the garlic, red onion, tomato, lemon juice, salt and pepper and then mix it all up. Serve in the skin of the avocado straight to the plate or store in the fridge until ready.

Tis simple and it looks cool.

Recipe Stuff

Well, here's to the start of another blog of mine. I know my other one is boring as hell, computer stuff can be a lot of the time.

Anyways, I want to try and list a number of recipes that I either come across or that I've made up myself.

I'm a Vegetarian so this limits what I can eat. I've been a vegetarian all my life, so don't go bothering trying to convert me, it's too late, I've no idea what it tastes like and I've no interest. Just to let you know, I won't be including anything that contains meat, chicken or fish. I won't be including in my recipes any fish oils or lard or anything that involves killing of the animal.

Right that's enough of what I can't. I eat everything else. I love trying new food and new recipes as well as cooking and eating what I make. I like to cook with my girlfriend as well. I find I actually try harder to make something nice when I'm cooking for her or for friends. I think nothing can be cooler than to make a delicious meal and see how everyone enjoys it and comments on it to help advance the taste and improve it for future use.

I suppose I should add comments on Restaurants I've been to and those that I wish to go to as well.

I'm a member on MenuPages.ie and I've availed of their special deals with their points system and I think it's a great way to find hidden gems of restaurants and read reviews on restaurants before you go, so you're not completely clueless about it.