Crepes a Dozen Ways

(Recipes by category at the bottom of this post)
These may be my new favorite food.  They are really great for breakfast on the go - my kids can pick them up and eat them on the way out the door on their way to work and practices.   These are filled with strawberry jam, and with leftover pudding and whipped cream.  Just what I happened to have on hand. I've read that they are great with nutella.

2 eggs
2Tb melted butter
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup water
Blend Well (I used the kitchenaid, but a whisk works)
Add 1 cup of flour
1 tsp salt
Optional - Add vanilla
Blend well

Use 1/4 of a cup of batter per a crepe
Swirl it in the pan - it should be thin
cook for about 45 seconds - until the top is solid.  
Flip, cook on other side just long enough to brown lightly


A few years ago I had this book - I can't remember how I came to own it, it may have been a gift from my mom, who knows I love vintage cookbooks.  I remember reading through it, and deciding that I must someday learn to make crepes.  Then I put the book somewhere, and got busy with the 9,000 other projects on my list.

If I had only known how incredibly easy these are to make.  I would have started working through every recipe in that book immediately!  I know lots of cooks have already said that they are easy to make, but I don't always believe others idea of "easy".  I am not big on measuring, preciseness, or paying concentrated attention to, well, much of anything.

And crepes sound so fancy.  I'm not fancy.

This morning I went to my favorite cookbook- YouTube - and watched a couple of videos.  The first had me refrigerating the batter for an hour.  Even made a joke about how if you can't wait an hour, you are too crepe obsessed.  No..  I can't wait an hour because although I got up at 5:30 am, until I steamed the carpets, fed the calf, collected the eggs, finished my bible study homework and started the laundry..  I had 30 minutes to make breakfast, before my son left for work.

I'm also a tad bit stubborn, and I had decided i WAS making crepes this morning.  So two videos later (the 2nd try wasn't in english) I found this:  http://youtu.be/C1DgmbMMOgA

Notice his reference to nonstick pans.  Problem #2 - I don't own nonstick pans.  I use cast iron skillets.  Really old, well seasoned, cast iron.

Just so you know, they work just fine.  

So now I'm looking for what else I can do with Crepes. The possibilities are pretty much endless.  Breakfasts.  Desserts.  IN place of tortillas or wraps.  In place of noodles in lasagna. 

To make a chocolate crepe, add a melted chocolate bar to the recipe above.  Do a google image search on chocolate crepes - they look amazing!


Breakfast:
a crepe with an omelet & ham inside.  Interesting!

This is a buckwheat crepe, but a "regular" crepe could be filled with egg & bacon like this just as easily


Simple Berry & Cream Crepes

Simple Cheese Crepes - filled with Cottage cheese, lemon, & sugar

Viola Crepes with Pansy Syrup


Lunch:
Tarragon & Celery seed in the batter 
Filled with Ham & Asparagus

These have a meat and mushroom filling, similar to something I'd fill ravioli with.  What I love about these is how they are rolled rather than folded

Crab meat Crepe Bundles
I don't eat seafood - but I love the way these are bundled.  I know I can do something similar with chicken!


Dinner:
Manicotti, using crepes

A crepe taco, or even quesadilla

Spinach & Mushroom Crepes, topped with bechamal sauce

Baked Crêpes Cacciatore with Parmesan Cream Sauce


Crepe Enchiladas


Sweet Treats:
Lemon & Sugar

Crepe Apple Pie A la Mode


Banana Caramel Coconut Crepes


Cakes:


Martha Stewart Darkest Chocolate Crepe Cake
Video How To - http://www.marthastewart.com/251099/darkest-chocolate-crepe-cake
Recipe - http://www.marthastewart.com/356131/darkest-chocolate-crepe-cake
(before making this, read the next one - apparently this doesn't taste as good as it should for all the work it involves)

The Real Crepe Cake


Smitten Kitchen has a recipe for Banana Bread Crepe Cake With Butterscotch here:
http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2012/04/banana-bread-crepe-cake-with-butterscotch/

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