Victory Griddlecakes - From "The American Woman's Cook Book"

I hope everyone is having a lovely weekend. Who likes pancakes? Pancakes are one of my favorite breakfast foods. I've tried a couple different recipes over the years and the two I like the best are my mom's and the one I'm going to share with you now.

If you don't own a copy of The American Woman's Cook Book you need to. It's a great addition to any kitchen. Not only is it full of great recipes it's loaded with advice on meal planning, food prep, and more.

Here is the recipe for griddlecakes. And a few extras!

First gather your ingredients and your mixing bowl. I used a Pirex dish that belonged to my grandmother. I like this one because it's a small size and has a little pouring spout.

Your griddlecake batter should be nice and bubbly once it's all mixed.

Heat up your pan with some oil and pour!

Cook until golden brown!

Add a side of bacon and orange juice and you have a breakfast of champions!

If you try this recipe let me know how you like it!

From the Victory Garden - Tomato Sauce

Making your own tomato sauce is super simple. We had so many tomatoes in our little victory garden this year that I thought I would give it a try. If you don't have a garden of your own, check out your local farmer's market!

What you will need:
- Tomatoes
- Sharp knife
- Pot with cover
- Measuring cup and/or a large bowl
- Metal sieve/strainer (the kind with crank handle and mesh bottom)
- Freezer bags
- FoodSaver (optional)

Take your fresh tomatoes and rinse them well to remove any dirt. Next cut away any bad spots. Dice your tomatoes into small chunks and add them to your pot. You can add a little bit of water but if your tomatoes are nice and fresh you should have enough liquid from them.

Simmer covered for 20 to 30 minutes stirring occasional. You may choose to add a dash of salt and pepper at this point. I also added some fresh basil from my garden. Because this sauce was going to be frozen for future use I didn't add very much in the way of seasoning. You can always add more spices etc. later on.

Once the tomatoes are cooked you are ready to put them through your strainer. I placed my sieve over a glass measuring cup to make things a little easier. I added about a cup of stewed tomatoes at a time. Turn the handle in one direction several times and then back the other way to scrap the bottom. Then turn again. Discard any seeds and skins.

I then poured 1 1/2 to 2 cups of the tomato sauce into my freezer bags. Dividing your sauce into smaller portions makes it easy to defrost only what you need at a time. We make a lot of home-made pizza so one bag with 1 1/2 to 2 cups of sauce is the perfect amount!

The FoodSaver is great because it vacuum seals these bags. Regular freezer bags works great too and can be purchased just about anywhere. Be sure to label your bags. And that's it!