Almond Milk Buckwheat Pancakes

I woke up two Saturdays ago and didn't have a race, a rehearsal, a brunch, or a workout to go to. I knew exactly what to do with my rare free time: I was going to make pancakes.

But then I realized that I didn't have any milk in my fridge and only had almond milk. "Hmmm..." thought I. "Let's see what pancakes are like with almond milk."

Well, they were delicious! My almond milk was the sweetened variety and I added powdered sugar, bananas, and blueberries. It was the perfect amount of sweetness. No syrup needed! The pancakes themselves were a little less fluffy than normal ones without being too thin/stiff. They reminded me of a chubby crepe.

I highly recommend trying this recipe if you, too, have some almond milk in your fridge.

Almond Milk Buckwheat Pancakes (my own recipe)
1/2 C all purpose flour
1/2 C buckwheat flour
1 Tablespoon white sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup of almond milk
2 tablespoons of butter, melted
1 egg, lightly beaten

Add all ingredients together in a large bowl and stir until well mixed. Heat a pan on medium heat and coat with a little bit of butter. Pour 1/4 cup of batter onto pan. Once a couple of bubble appear on top of the batter, flip to the other side. Once both sides are browned, remove from heat and enjoy.

Bake well and prosper!

Clementine Weekend - Celementine Pancakes

Still have tons of clementines? Not to worry. I am devoting this weekend to recipes that use clementines. (Have your own recipe? Send my way and I will post on Sunday! erika8cookies@gmail.com)

Easiest way to use your clementines is by using the zest in recipes.

First up (and easiest recipe of the weekend) - Clementine Pancakes.

Use your favorite pancake recipe or mix and use water, not milk. Add zest from a whole clementine (or less according to taste) into the batter. Bake as usual. Add syrup or powdered sugar.

If you want a stronger taste, substitute some of the juice from the clementine for the water.

Bake well and prosper!

PS Check this post featured on Real Sustenance's Seasonal Sundays along with other in season goodies:

http://realsustenance.com/seasonal-sunday-02-13-11/

Cinnamon & Sugar Fried Pancakes (and my Christmas Day) - 100th POST!

I've recently been wondering what else I could use vegetable oil and cinnamon and sugar on ever since I made the Yummy Cinnamon and Sugar Pretzels.  I woke up and decided that I would be experimental for my last of 12 Days of Christmas Recipes (and my 100th post!) I treated myself to pancakes slathered in the cinnamon and sugar "sauce." 

I mixed pancake batter as usual and made the pancakes in a pan. Once they were done, I dunked them in the cinnamon and sugar "sauce" which consisted of 1/2 cup vegetable oil, 1/4 cup white sugar, and 1 teaspoon cinnamon. Then I place them back in the pan on the stove and added more of the sugary part of the sauce on top of each side before flipping them. I removed them once the sauce had glazed and solidified on both sides of the pancakes. It was messy, but the results were great! (NOTE: Pour the left over "sauce" from the pan into an empty can. It could wreak havoc in your sink if you don't.) 

After my glorious Christmas breakfast (that had maple syrup on it, of course), I HAD to have a glass of milk. After two sips I spilled the rest on my newly cleaned counter. *sigh* Of course... It reminded me of this. How come I only spill milk RIGHT AFTER I clean the counter? 

After cleaning that up, I headed out to sing at the noon Christmas service at the church I sing for. 

Both the church and the service were gorgeous. Afterwards, I headed down to Chelsea to visit my friend Frankie while he was working at his coffee shop job. While we were chatting and spreading Christmas cheer by being silly, Mario Cantone (from Sex and the City fame) came in and gave a Christmas gift of COOKIES to Frankie and his coworker.

I was even more shocked to find out that HE MADE THEM HIMSELF! Frankie was kind enough to let me try one. Let me tell you, if Mario starts a baking blog, I'll be out of business. They were so good! (Mario, if you read this, please send me the recipe!) 

So all in all, I've had a good, normal New York City Christmas.

I hope you and yours have had a great Christmas too!

Bake well and prosper!

An Apple a Day - Apple Pancake Surprise

Did you just pick a bunch of apples/buy a bunch of apples too?

I went to Terhune Orchards in Princeton, NJ this past Sunday and went hog apple wild with picking!

I LOVE apples. I have apples in my fridge all year round, but everyone knows fall is the best time to get them from local orchards.

So, in an effort to help everyone out with their apple excess, I introduce to you:

For the next couple of days I will be posting apple recipes. First up: a recipe I made up last night.

I recently bought an apple corer and thought to myself how lovely it would be to encase a slice of apple in a pancake. So, without further ado, I bring you:

Erika Beth's Apple Pancake Surprise

Ingredients
One apple (I used a Stayman Winesap)
Pancake mix (I used buttermilk)
(Egg or whatever else your pancake mix calls for)

Directions

Core an apple.

Cut apples into very thin slices.

Start heating skillet or pan.

Make pancake mix acording to directions.

Pour a small amount of mix onto pan and firmly press an apple slice onto batter. Cover top of apple with a thin layer of batter.

Let cook on one side for longer than you would a normal pancake and then flip.

Make sure the other side is done well before serving. (If not, the batter by the apple will still be gooey!) If some batter escapes when flipping, feel free to scoop the pancake up after done and roll it on its side on the pan.

Cool slightly and then pick up and eat with hand. It's so delicious, no syrup needed. Sprinkle powdered sugar on it if you must.

Check it out:

These seem like normal pancakes.

Surprise! There's an apple in the middle!

Bake well and prosper!

A Nice Idea for a Saturday Morning

When I was a kid, I used to wake up every Saturday and watch the Saturday morning cartoons. I had it down to an art. Once Garfield and Friends was done and the credits were rolling on channel 42, I would switch to channel 24 for The Tick. Life was good. Life was simple. I had a schedule and I was happy.

My joyous days of watching cartoons are long gone, but my good, simple, happy times on Saturday mornings are not. Introducing a simple, good, and happy recipe:

Lemon Pancakes with Blueberry Compote

All you need to do is find a pancake mix or recipe you like and add some lemon juice.
I really like Highland Sugarworks buttermilk pancake mix. Unfortunately, pancake mix and flour are quite the same and I got the mix EVERYWHERE (please see the aqua blue arrows in the picture below.)

All over my clean dishes. :( Yes, I'm even messy on Saturday mornings. *sigh*

So, make the pancakes and then add some blueberry jam on top. (Compote...jam....whatever. I told you this recipe would be simple!)

Voila! Simple and lovely pancakes that will make you and your tummy happy. You can get all the above baking items at Whole Foods....except the mess. I personally own that item.

Bake well and prosper!