Week 39 - A Very Berry Happy 4th of July

I know, I know, I've done berries before.  But what can I say, I love berries and they're abundant in the summertime.  I enjoy trying new types of fruit and the farmers market (my new obsession) is a great place to find things you normally wouldn't at your average grocery store.  Just recently I tried wineberries, which look like small, shiny raspberries and are a bit tart but still delicious!  
So back to the recipe, I tried something different than just mixing in berries to my batter.  This time, I pureed some raspberries and used them as part of the liquids for the batter.  Turned out really good and will definitely try this again.    
Jó étvágyat!

Very Berry 4th of July Pancakes

Ingredients

• 2 eggs, separated
• 3/4 cup raspberry puree
•  1 1/4 cups buttermilk
• 2 tablespoons melted butter
• 2 cups "Simply Perfect" Pancake Mix (See week 5)
• 1/2-1 cup of blueberries  
• butter, for greasing the pan

1. Heat an electric griddle or frying pan to 350 degrees F.

2. Whisk the egg whites until white and frothy.  

3. In another bowl, whisk the egg yolks, raspberry puree, buttermilk, melted butter, and pancake mix together.  

What a beautiful color for pancake batter!

4. Add in the egg white and then fold in blue berries.
5. Lightly butter the griddle.
6. Gently ladle the pancake batter onto the griddle.  When bubbles begin to set around the edges of the pancake and the griddle-side of the cake is golden, gently flip the pancakes. Continue to cook 2 to 3 minutes or until the pancake is set.

7. Serve with syrup.

Pink pancakes!

Week 38 - Zucchini and Feta pancakes

I've recently discovered the wonders of the farmers market.  You'd think with my love of cooking, and fresh, local-grown food I would already be on a first name basis with all the vendors.  Maybe by the end of summer. :-)  With my yummy market finds I made these savory pancakes.

Zucchini and Feta Pancakes
Ingredients:
1 cup shredded zucchini
1/3 cup shredded carrots
1/4 cup panko bread crumbs
3 green onions, chopped
2 eggs
3 Tbsp fresh parsley, minced
1 Tbsp fresh dill, minced
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
Butter for griddle

Directions:
1.  Heat a griddle over medium high heat.  In a sieve or colander, drain zucchini, squeezing to remove excess liquid. Pat dry. In a small bowl, combine the zucchini, carrots, bread crumbs, onions, egg, parsley, dill, and cheese.

2.  Butter griddle and drop batter by heaping tablespoonfuls.  Press lightly to flatten. Cook for 4-5 minutes, then flip and cook for another 4-5 minutes.

Week 37 - Birthday Cake Pancakes

My daughter turned 1 recently.  Amazing how quickly this past year went.  To think a year ago she was this tiny ball of cuteness who couldn't do much of anything, and now she's a walking, talking little girl with quite the personality on her.

To celebrate her birthday I made these pancakes.  I made them with cake mix, sprinkles, and frosting.  I made the pancakes big enough to layer like a cake, alternating between pancakes and frosting.  Get ready for another sugar rush!  Jó étvágyat!

 

Birthday Cake Pancakes
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup cake mix (I had white cake mix, but you can use yellow cake mix too)
1 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
2 eggs
2 cups buttermilk
2 Tbsp butter, melted
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup sprinkles
8 oz whipping cream
2 Tbsp powdered sugar
 
Directions:

1. Heat a griddle over medium-high heat. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, mix the flour, cake mix, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt; set aside.

2. In a separate medium bowl, lightly beat the egg whites with a whisk until frothy. Add the egg yolks, milk, butter and vanilla.  Whisk to combine. Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl with the dry ingredients and stir until fully mixed. 

3. Fold in the sprinkles.  Only do this step right before you are about to make the pancakes, otherwise the sprinkles will begin to melt.

4. Ladle batter onto the griddle and cook for 2-3 minutes.  Flip when bubbles form around the edges and cook for another 2-3 minutes.  Transfer to a plate and allow to cool.  

5. To make the frosting, whisk the whipping cream with powdered sugar.  You can add a little vanilla extract if you'd like.  Whisk until stiff peaks form.  

6. Once the pancakes cool, you can make the pan-cake.  Otherwise, the frosting will begin to melt.  Begin with a pancake on a plate, layer with whipped cream frosting, put another pancake on top, then more frosting.  Continue to alternate between pancake and frosting, with frosting and a few sprinkles on the last and top pancake.

yumminess

Week 36 - Tropical pancakes

My daughter's birthday party was the weekend I decided to test out this recipe.  Her birthday party was themed Hawaiian Luau, so I thought this would be fitting.

I found the recipe on allrecipes.com, which sometimes has some pretty good recipes.  But it can be hit or miss.  I think this was a hit.  It's filled with lots of yummy tropical fruit and great finished off with just some plain syrup. Jó étvágyat!

Tropical Pancakes
Ingredients:
-2 cup Simple Perfect pancake mix
-1 1/2 cups orange juice
-8 oz crushed pineapple
-1 large banana sliced
-1/4 cup chopped pecans
-1/4 cup flaked coconut

Directions:
1. Whisk together the pancake mix and orange juice; the batter will be lumpy. Stir in the pineapple, banana, pecans, and coconut. 
2. Heat a lightly oiled griddle over medium-high heat. Drop batter by large spoonfuls onto the griddle, and cook until bubbles form and the edges are dry. Flip, and cook until browned on the other side. Repeat with remaining batter.

Week 35 - Very Berry Pancakes

This weekend we happened to have a lot of fruit laying around, especially berries.  So I decided to toss them in to my perfectly simple pancake mix for a yummy breakfast treat.  It was a great use for those smooshed up berries that aren't much to look at, but still quite tasty.
Jó étvágyat!

Very Berry Pancakes

Ingredients

• 2 eggs, separated
• 2 cups buttermilk
• 4 tablespoons melted butter
• 2 cups "Simply Perfect" Pancake Mix (See week 5)
• 1/2-1 cup of berries (I used raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, and chopped strawberries)
• butter, for greasing the pan

Directions

1. Heat an electric griddle or frying pan to 350 degrees F.

2. Whisk the egg whites until white and frothy.  

3. In another bowl, whisk the egg yolks, buttermilk, melted butter, and pancake mix together.  
4. Add in the egg white and then fold in berries.
5. Lightly butter the griddle.
6. Gently ladle the pancake batter onto the griddle.  When bubbles begin to set around the edges of the pancake and the griddle-side of the cake is golden, gently flip the pancakes. Continue to cook 2 to 3 minutes or until the pancake is set.

7. Serve with syrup.

Week 34 - Caramelized Pear Pancakes

Years ago, when I was living in Kentucky, I had to learn to cook for myself.  You see, prior to that, I always had either my Mom or the college cafeteria to provide me meals.  Armed with a few family recipes, and the Food Network, I slowly began to conquer the kitchen.  I remember one of the first dessert recipes I made was a baked caramelized pear, topped with vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce.  Simple and elegant.  This is a take on that delicious dessert.  Jó étvágyat!
 

Caramelized Pear Pancakes

Ingredients

• 2 eggs, separated
• 2 cups buttermilk
• 4 tablespoons melted butter
• 2 cups "Simply Perfect" Pancake Mix (See week 5)
• 1 1/2 pears, diced (about 2 cups worth)
• butter, for greasing the pan
• Caramel-Pear Sauce (recipe below)

Lots of delicious pears

Directions

1. Heat an electric griddle or frying pan to 350 degrees F.

2. Whisk the egg whites until white and frothy.  
3. In another bowl, whisk the egg yolks, buttermilk, melted butter, and pancake mix together.  
4. Add in the egg white and then fold in pears. 
5. Lightly butter the griddle.
6. Gently ladle the pancake batter onto the griddle.  When bubbles begin to set around the edges of the pancake and the griddle-side of the cake is golden, gently flip the pancakes. Continue to cook 2 to 3 minutes or until the pancake is set.
7. Serve with warm caramel-pear sauce.

Caramel-Pear Sauce

Ingredients

• 2 Tablespoons butter
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• Dash of cinnamon
• Pinch of salt
• 1 1/2 pears, diced (about 2 cups worth)

Directions
1. Combine the butter, brown sugar, heavy cream, cinnamon, and salt in a saucepan and bring to a gentle simmer.  Stir until the mixture thickens, about 4-6 minutes.

2. Stir in the pears and continue to simmer until pears soften, about 6-8 minutes, stirring frequently. Allow to cool slightly.

Week 33 - Banana Pancakes for Baby

My latest craze, in addition to coming up with pancake recipes, is finding baby-friendly recipes.  At 11 months of age, my daughter is ripe for trying new things.  I love that she loves different flavors, foods, and textures.  While I don't want to pump her full of sugary treats, it doesn't seem right for us to eat pancakes in front of her and not give her any.

I ended up finding this on the Little Grazers website and made a few slight modifications.  My daughter gobbled them right up. Helps that her favorite fruit is banana.  Turns out bananas are a great natural sweetener to recipes. I like whisking the egg white separately before adding it to the rest of the batter because it results in a lighter, fluffier pancake.

My daughter loved these so much, I didn't have the heart to eat more than one, leaving the rest for her at a later time.  These freeze pretty well, so I can give her homemade pancakes anytime.  Just pop them in the microwave or toaster and breakfast is served!  Jó étvágyat!

  
Banana Pancakes for Baby
Ingredients
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 ripe banana, mashed
1 egg
1/2 cup whole milk
1 Tbsp butter, melted, plus more for griddle/pan

Directions
Add the flour, baking powder and baking soda to a large jug.
Add the eggs, banana and oil and then gradually add the milk, mixing as you do. Your batter should be well combined, but still a little lumpy.

Melt a little butter in frying pan or skillet over a medium high heat and add a couple of dessert spoons of the mix per pancake.
When you start to see little bubbles appear in the top of the batter, gently flip over, both sides should be golden. Repeat process with remaining batter.