Pancakes and Pickled Onions
No, not at the same time. That would be awful. (Maybe...) But this is just a little post to share two completely different foodie things I've come to appreciate this week.
The first is a recipe for Whole Wheat Pancakes. Since I've been working extremely hard (and successfully!) to cut the grocery bill, I've cut out ready-made foods from the grocery store. Foods like toaster waffles, frozen bagged sweet potato fries, or pancake mix in a bag or box. I figured, I've got my own sweet potatoes, my own flour, eggs, etc., I can make them from scratch and feel somehow more authentic anyway, right?
(An aside about pancakes: Did you ever bristle, even slightly, when you read about or heard some celebrity claim to make great pancakes? Not a celebrity chef, but just a regular Hollywood celebrity? It's weird, I know, but I always cringed when I partook of some tabloid popcandy and read a quote from a rich, beautiful millionaire adoring his/her spouse because he/she makes "the world's best pancakes" for their special family weekend breakfasts. I always thought, But they're pancakes!...Any monkey can make them...)
Well, folks, here's your monkey for today. It's me, with the world's simplest, yet WONDERFUL little whole wheat pancake recipe. I don't know why they are so good. They just are. And like any monkey, I like bananas in mine. Unless I've run out, I ALWAYS mash and puree two bananas to mix into the batter. This makes them moist, sweeter, and lets the flavor run all through, instead of getting a clump of banana here and there. But here's the basic recipe and you can just go to town on your own add-ins. I found the recipe on this weird little website called Make Healthy Meals by Googling, and the reader responses are all really great, so check those out if you visit the website.
Whole Wheat Pancakes
Ingredients:
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 tablespoon common granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons oil
Directions:
1. Mix wet and dry ingredients separately, then together.
2. Pour pancakes into a butter- or oil-greased skillet over medium heat and cook on both sides until done.
Here are some add-in suggestions in any combo you like: Blueberries, chocolate chips (so yummy with the pureed bananas!), grated apple, cinnamon, pureed butternut squash, sweet potatoes, strawberries...
My next foodie appreciation for the week came in my current July/August issue of Cook's Illustrated. You know how up front they have that "Quick Tips" section? One of their readers (Diane Talts) wrote in with what I think is a brilliant idea. When you finish with a jar of pickles, save the juice and add thinly sliced onions to it. Let the onions marinate for a few days right in the pickle jar, and then use them as condiments for burgers, hot dogs, and whatever. Neat!
--Sweet B
Pancke Lover on June 02, 2009 at 03:01 PM
Also try adding bluberries. I use the whole box of blueberries. The taste is great and its healthy for you.
Shana on June 02, 2009 at 11:20 PM
Since you are into baking, here is a recipe for Missouri Mix, a homemade biscuit/pancake/muffin mix, from the U of Missouri. I first made it in the 60's. You can use any recipe for Bisquick or google Missouri Mix for more info.
Missouri Mix
Large batch
(Requires a very large mixing bowl or tub for mixing)
5-pound bag of flour or 20 cups
3⁄4 cup baking powder
2 tablespoons salt
2 1⁄2 cups nonfat dry milk powder
3 3⁄4 cups shortening
Makes 27 cups mix.
Smaller batch:
8 cups flour
1⁄4 cup plus 1 tablespoon baking powder
2 teaspoons salt
1 cup nonfat dry milk powder
1 1⁄2 cups shortening
Makes 11 cups mix.
Combine dry ingredients in large bowl. Sift to assure even distribution of ingredients. Using a pastry blender, cut in shortening until mix is the consistency of cornmeal. Store in an air tight container.