Tuesday, May 13, 2008

I'm back!

After five days of very sporadic posts, here I am, ready to keep up with this blog once again!

First of all, here's a fairly recent picture of my marigolds. If you look close, you can see that there are buds on the tips of several plants! (Since this picture was taken one bud has opened up. It's yellow, and SOOO beautiful!!)

Second, I want to share another recipe. This one also includes a story....

Pancakes.

Now how hard could a batch of fluffy wholewheat pancakes be, anyway?

I was in my early-mid teens when I decided that I ought to know how to make a good batch of pancakes. Mom was all for that.

We have a tradition of eating pancakes on Saturday morning, so I had lots of chances to try out my skills. ...Or lack thereof.

First, there's the recipe. I tried all kinds. Once I forgot the baking powder. ...Ever had pansheets?

...Then I added too much baking powder. I was so excited! They sizzled up so nicely, and came off the griddle looking high and fluffy...

...not even the dog would eat them.

And after you get the ingredients right, you still have to master the trick of flipping the little things.

Easier said than done.

For months, the side of our stove was constantly developing streaks of batter down the sides, and the floor behind the stove became the ant restaurant, where the specialty of the house was dirt-encrusted pancakes.
What's the good of having a nice recipe if none of the pancakes make it to the table?

Soooo....(drum roll, please!)...with a hard-earned sense of accomplishment, I wish announce that the ant restaurant is now closed for good (I hope!) and I wish to present to you my pancake recipe, that never fails me:

Tada!

Amber's Pancakes

3 eggs
3 cups milk
1/4 cup veg. oil
a capful of lemon juice
3 cups flour (white whole wheat is nice!)
2 TBS baking powder
1 tps. salt
a few dashes of cinnamon (actually, I load this on!)

The method used to combine ingredients is very important if you want fluffy cakes. First, break eggs into bowl and beat lightly until lots of bubbles form. Then add milk, lemon juice, and oil. Stir. Now mix in dry ingredients. Pour them all into the bowl, and don't start stirring until everything is in the bowl. Then, use gentle strokes with a fork until the batter is fairly smooth. You don't want big lumps...but if you beat the batter hard enough, you will loose all the bubbles that that the baking soda is making. Those bubbles are what make fluffy pancakes, so don't let them escape!
Now cook pancakes in a non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add a little oil on the pan if you need to. Cakes are ready to flip when bubbles start coming to the surface and popping. Second side doesn't have to cook as long, usually.
Serve with butter and genuine maple syrup! Enjoy!
Serves 8 people with average appetites.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Sounds yummy;) I'll have to try it. Did you know that if you seprated your eggs and beat the whites that helps fluffyness. Also the lemon juice helps activate the baking soda. I have a choc. chip cookie recipe that calls for l.j. & that is what it says.

Mom2fur said...

I bet these are delicious. I've never heard of putting lemon juice in pancakes! I guess that sours the milk so it's like buttermilk?

ADMIN said...

Oh my! My name is Mimi, and I am a pancake addict. I swear! One year for Christmas I made my hubby and
bff promise to go out for pancakes with me every sat. for a year in lieu of a gift. Thanks for the great tips! Now I'm just dying to get a big stack if hot pancakes and some maple syrup!