Week 2 for Jennie

I know I'd be running in last place if this were a contest but I'm so excited I finally broke 600 points! My tally this week is 645. Andrew says to post 1000 points for him...yah...ok...and suddenly he's a Steelers fan. Samantha, I've only been able to edit my own posts. The little pencil only appears on ones I've written. Does a pencil show up on mine for you? What am I doing wrong?

We've had a breakthrough at our house. I finally got Andrew to try these oatmeal pancakes I've been making the kids. He says they're "ok". I use water in place of the buttermilk. Also, I got this soup recipe from a friend a few weeks ago and we all liked it. No one even noticed I snuck in whole wheat pasta. I used frozen spinach instead of fresh. I think it would be great with zuccini and carrots but Drew disagrees. Love you all!!

Oatmeal Pancakes
3 1/2 cups quick oats 3 cups whole wheat flour
2 cups all-purpose flour 3 Tbs sugar
3 Tbs baking powder 1 Tbs salt
1 Tbs baking soda 1 cup vegetable oil
1 Tbs cinnamon (optional)
Makes 10 cups of dry mix. Mix all dry ingredients. With mixer on slow drizzle the vegetable oil into the bowl slowly. When all oil has been added, stop mixer and squeeze a clump of mix in your hand. If it stays together, it is just right. If it is still really crumbly, add another tablespoon of oil at a time until the consistency is correct. Store in airtight container up to two weeks or indefinitely in the refrigerator or freezer.
To make pancakes: whisk 1 cup of mix, 1 cup buttermilk (a combination of half plain yogurt and half milk will also work), and 1 egg. Mixture may seem thin at first but oats will soak up the milk as it stands while the griddle preheats. Heat a griddle and drop the batter onto it. When the edges look dry and bubbles come to the surface and don't break, turn the pancake over to finish cooking on the second side.

Pasta e Fagioli
2 tsp olive oil 2-3 turkey Italian sausage
½ sweet yellow onion, diced 4 cloves minced garlic
1-28 oz can whole tomatoes 4 c chicken broth
2-15 oz cans white beans, drained 1 tsp dried basil
½ tsp dried oregano pinch crushed red pepper
Salt and pepper to taste 1 c tube shaped pasta
1-2 cups spinach fresh grated parmesan
Heat olive oil in or soup pot. Add onions and sauté until softened. Remove casing on sausage and add to pot. Cook until brown and well crumbled. Add garlic, then chicken broth. Blend tomatoes and their juices thoroughly. Add to pot. Add drained beans and seasonings to soup and simmer covered 1-2 hours. When ready to eat bring soup to gentle boil then add spinach and pasta and cook per pasta instructions. Serve with parmesan cheese.