Saturday 29 March 2014

The Classic Pancake (with homemade syrup, too!)

Spring is when life is alive in everything. -Christina Rossetti


This is the second week of Yeah!  It is Spring! Pancake breakfast recipes ideas.  This one is really, really good.  It is just a simple classic, basic pancake recipe.  Nothing fancy...Just pure tasty!  These were so easy to make, and so delicious that I hope I inspire you to never buy a boxed pancake mix again! When I made these for my children and nieces and nephew, I knew they would enjoy them, but I had no idea they would LOVE them like they did.
Here is what my little critics had to say about this pancake recipe:

"Your pancakes made my stomach hurt.  I usually don't like pancakes, but these were so good that I ate too many and now I feel sick" - nephew, 8 years old.

"Wow! mom, these are really good!  What did you do different?" - son, 13 years old

"They are so light and fluffy!  These are so nice!"- daughter, 11 years old

"Mmmm...make these again!  How many can we have?" - son, 15 years old.

If you make these pancakes...I promise they will fly off the plate as soon as they are made...so I present to you...

The Classic Pancake (from allrecipes: Buttermilk Pancake )
(too good to be from a box)
Serves 4

 Ingredients:
3 cups flour
3 Tablespoons white sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoons salt
3 cups buttermilk*
1/2 cup milk
3 eggs
1/3 cup butter melted

Directions:
1.  Pre-heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat.
2.  In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. 
 
3.  In a separate bowl, beat together buttermilk, milk, eggs and melted butter. Keep the two mixtures separate until you are ready to cook. (you will have fluffier pancakes if you allow your eggs and milk to come to room temperature.  Sometimes I just put my milk in the microwave for 20 sec. to take the chill out)

4. Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture, using a wooden spoon or fork to blend. Stir until it's just blended together. Do not over stir! Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/2 cup for each pancake. Brown on both sides and serve hot.
 *for an easy substitute for buttermilk: put one Tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon juice in a one cup measure.  Fill the rest of the cup with regular milk.  Set aside for 5 minutes. Let the milk curdle.  There you go: 1 cup of Buttermilk.


Easy Homemade Syrup (from  the peaceful mom blog)

Ingredients
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup water
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup butter

 Directions
 1. Put the brown sugar, water and vanilla into a small saucepan.  Heat until it slowly comes to a boil.
2.  Add the butter. Stir until melted.
3. Serve warm or refrigerate for later.

Enjoy!!
 The end!

Friday 28 March 2014

Waiting at the Window

Waiting at the window...there are my two drops of rain...waiting on the window pain... - A.A. Milne

Here is my world today....










 






Saturday 22 March 2014

Pancakes, Pancakes, Pancakes!

Who wants a pancake, sweet and pipping hot?  Good little Gracie says," I'll take the one on top!" - Shel Silverstein

 
To celebrate the beginning of spring, as snow continues to fall outside of my window, I have decided to share with you a different pancake recipe, every Saturday for the next six weeks.  I feel I need to celebrate the coming of spring, don't you? Growing up, Pancakes were always the celebration food.
If it was your birthday: pancakes.  If a friend spent the night: pancakes.
If it was a holiday: pancakes. My Grandmother was coming for visit: pancakes.

So today I give you: Cheesy Pancakes
This first pancake recipe I will share was one of my children's favourites when they were small. Honestly, I had forgotten about the recipe until recently, but as the scent of melting cheese and pancakes filled the air, all those nice memories filled my mind again.  These pancakes are good.  They are really good! Here are some quick little tips:
  • I recommend using good quality cheddar cheese to get a nicer result in flavour ( I used Empire Cheddar Cheese).
  • You can serve these with Maple Syrup if you like (but I don't).
  • They make a great quick lunch, too..

Cheesy Pancakes  
recipe from bloggers Nikki and Nicholas
makes about 4 servings
 
Ingredients:
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
2 eggs
2 ½ cups milk
½ cup oil or melted butter
1 tsp vinegar
Grated cheese (added during the cooking process)

Directions:
 1.  Mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl. (Wait! don't add the cheese yet!)

2.  Mix all the wet ingredients in a separate bowl.Then pour your wet ingredients into your dry ingredients and stir until just combined. (Still not the cheese!)

3.  Ladle your pancake batter onto a hot griddle.  (Now the cheese!) Sprinkle each pancake with your desired amount of cheese.


4.  Flip each pancake over so that both sides will cook.

5. Serve warm.  I hope you enjoy them, too!

The end!

Tuesday 11 March 2014

Spring Break! (or A Day at the Lake)

So fair, so cold; like a morning of pale spring still clinging to winter's chill. - J.R.R. Tolkien

It is that time of year again. Springtime...oh yes...the smell of the sweet green grass beginning to sprout through the thawing ground...the freshly budding trees...

Just not here in Ontario...

In honour of spring break, my children were excited to host their cousins for a few days.  Their  first determination was to go skating (a very good spring idea, naturally). To the lake they went to clear the foot and half of snow off a small patch of ice on the lake behind our house. The cold did not bother them...the wind did not bother them (however, I came back with frozen, swollen toes, go figure.)
With an afternoon of clearing and clearing....and clearing.  The faithful crew were able to finally  skate...on our frozen lake...in the middle of March.

Here's to our spring afternoon (in Ontario)...

Clearing the snow for our ice rink

no small feat...
my son Ethan
 
Suntanning...

My daughter and her cousins...

My littlest son resting from all the work....

lakeside view...

My nephew...

My daughter...

my niece with her snow umbrella (to block the bright sunshine)...

my niece...
Three hours later...

And finally skating...
Trying to make it back home...over the river, and through the woods...and up the hill...



The end!

Saturday 1 March 2014

Welcome March!

Every success I've ever had was preceded by a defeat...and in those moments I had to choose...to go down...or to climb back up again. - C.S.Tadin

 In Ontario we are still covered with an endless landscape of snow.  It is nice to know we are closer to the end of winter than to it's beginning.  I think we are all missing the warmth of the spring sunshine and the change of seasons...but, until spring greets us with its open arms... I will continue to find the small treasures in the icy world outside my doorstep...

Here is my world today...












 




The End!