Yankee-Belle Cafe: pancakes

Showing posts with label pancakes. Show all posts

Wednesday, February 18, 2015

Pancake People versus Bread and Milk People

Here in North Carolina, we've had a mild winter so far. Last week, we even had temps in the 70s. ManO and I've lived in our area long enough to know summer in January or February is a bad sign. There's a winter storm coming right behind all that glorious spring break weather.

Sure enough, the Jaws music played again. Meteorologists called for a snow possibility and then changed it to an ice storm definitely. Forget Snowpocalypse three years ago, at least that was just snow.

I love snow. Ice is an entirely different matter.

We don't do ice well here in North Carolina. At. ALL. One ice storm we had was a pitiful inch at an early rush hour. People were stuck on I-40 for seven hours, getting out of their cars to do their business behind bushes or just plain old walk home. Children were stranded overnight in schools. Their teachers and staff stayed with them. They were saints. So you see why we might go a little overboard on cancellations. This time folks heeded warnings and left early...so they could mob the grocery stores.

My beloved snow boots need spikes!

When it comes to storms around here, there are two kinds of people, Pancake people or French Toast fans (as most folks call them, Bread and Milk people). My sister pointed out she has a snow day tradition of waffle making. But waffles are just crazy pancakes IMHO.

Bad weather forecast? French Toast people risk life and limb to get these two items. Plus the eggs which I totally forgot to get more of.

This week's ice storm hit right before Fat/Shrove Tuesday or Pancake Day. The tradition of eating pancakes right before Ash Wednesday came from when Christians were required to get all the fat and sweet stuff out of their house before Lent. No point in being tempted for forty days! Take that butter, flour, eggs, syrup and make pancakes. BUT our community pancake suppers were cancelled all over town. Bummed doesn't begin to describe how we felt.

The good news? I had pancake supper ingredients including gluten free pancake mix, syrup and the last two eggs in the carton. Yankee Belle is full of recipes. I didn't need to go the grocery store. No, let me be honest, I was scared to go. The Publix, Harris Teeters and Food Lions were packed with milk and bread people. Long lines, people fighting over the last of everything, and being impatient because they were sure they were going to get stuck in the storm before they got out of the parking lot. Whew. There's no place like home...so long as there's a stocked pantry.

I didn't have to make a full recipe's worth of pancakes but I did. The great thing about these is they freeze well. And believe me, it's freezing here! Down to lower single digits the rest of the week!

Naked pancakes waiting to be all dressed up!

Pancake Supper Buffet Ideas: Feel free to add your own bacon, sausage, ham and pancake toppings.

Hawaiian Pancakes   - My favorite pancakes of all time and makes me think of Hawaii, which I need right now. I use Pamela's gluten-free baking mix for this one.

Missy's easy Sweet Potato Pancakes   The great thing about these Southern inspired pancakes is you can use gluten-free Bisquick in the mix.

Ruthy's Pancake Heaven   Our New Yorker knows how to win my heart. Chocolate and peanut butter chips! Need I say more? Yes, it's also easy-peasy as she likes to say, thanks to Bisquick.

So, are you a bread and milk person or pancake person when it comes to storms? Did you go to a pancake supper for Shrove Tuesday? Do you observe giving up something for Lent or do you plan to mark the days in some way before Easter?

Wednesday, September 24, 2014

My Favorite State, Part One.

Note: My favorite state is our 50th in part because Man O, my dear hubby, works there on a semi-regular basis. Do I know how to pick 'em or what? In fact, we might have just been there and I'm now completely jetlagged. This blog post is a refreshed blog post from a while ago with added pictures. If you haven't read it before, yummy pancakes are at the end. If you have, it's still got some neat new pictures and I promise an entirely new Hawaii blog post coming next week.

From the first time to Hawaii, I went along on one of ManO's business trips, I loved the people, the different beauty of each island, and the food. I wanted to see one of the most famous Japanese gardens outside of Japan that was supposedly in Hilo. I asked the concierge how to get there and he pointed and said, " Just walk all the way across our parking lot and you're there." WOW!

I went to the Japanese garden all dawn, noon and dusk to catch the light and the shadows of all the statuary, ponds and bridges.

A blend of native, Japanese, Chinese, Pacific Rim, and more, I never had trouble finding something to eat. Why? Much of the food was rice based or thickened with tapioca. But more importantly, people accommodated my needs with such grace.

No, this isn't where we stayed but seeing this ancient reconstruction of a Hawaiian village makes me want to stay in a hut on a beach some day.

When we visited Maui, we stayed at a gorgeous bed and breakfast, the Old Wailuku Inn, run by a native Hawaiian family. The inn is considered the most truly Hawaiian bed and breakfast on Maui. Every room was decorated in colorful Hawaiian quilts (yes, quilting is big in Hawaii!) and local antiques and art.

This turtle bowl is from an artist on the island of Maui. We found out her mother was from NC and was in the middle of a hurricane we were tracking back home. Small world connections.

I emailed ahead to share my allergies but figured I'd be eating scrambled eggs while everyone else ate the banana pancakes featured one morning. Yep, I am allergic to bananas along with wheat and corn. But the owner sat a plate down in front of me. Light, fluffy pancakes made with rice flour and topped with macadamia nuts and passion fruit! I almost fainted. I got to share the experience of slathering on coconut syrup and diving in like everyone else around the table. She didn’t take the easy way out but made the experience special for me. Mahalo, “thank you” in Hawaiian. I said it a lot that morning.

My "silver dollar" version with mango, on my Hawaiian apron showing the monarchs and hula festival that takes place in Hilo on the Big Island each year.

Here is the innkeeper’s recipe with the interesting touch of beating the egg white to peak and then adding for additional fluff. Saturdays are made for shortcuts but this step really makes a difference! Pamela's GF Baking and Pancake mix is a good alternative if you can't find rice flour.

Old Wailuku Inn Pancakes

1 cup rice flour (or other flour)

2 T sugar

1 T baking powder

Sift all dry ingredients well before going on.

1 egg separated

beat egg whites to peak

beat yellow

1 T melted butter or margarine

1/8 t vanilla add to yellow of egg (optional)

1 cup water (make judgement as you mix)

¼ cup banana (optional)

Mix ingredients except egg whites. Fold egg whites into mixture. Put two tablespoons of oil in skillet and cook in small batches on medium low heat.

Top with whatever tropical fruits and nuts you can get: macadamia nuts, coconut, pineapple, mango or banana slices. The fruit grows in almost every yard in Hawaii and can be found in most mainland grocery stores.

To make your own coconut syrup: Heat one can coconut milk (the real stuff) with one cup sugar until dissolved. Cool. Serve over pancakes.

Like I said above, we have been back more recently but we love this picture of our 30th anniversary celebration in Maui.

Saturday, May 4, 2013

Hawaiian Hospitality

My friends know I love Hawaii. Man O, my hubby, works there on a semi-regular basis.

We have been back more recently but we love this picture of our 30th anniversary celebration in Maui.

From the first time I went along on a business trip, I loved the people, the different beauty of each island, and the food. A blend of native, Japanese, Chinese, Pacific Rim, and more, I never had trouble finding something to eat. Why? Much of the food was rice based or thickened with tapioca. But more importantly, people accommodated my needs with such grace.

My "silver dollar" version with mango, on my Hawaiian apron showing the monarchs and hula festival that takes place in Hilo on the Big Island each year.

Old Wailuku Inn Pancakes

1 cup rice flour (or other flour)

2 T sugar

1 T baking powder

Sift all dry ingredients well before going on.

1 egg separated

beat egg whites to peak

beat yellow

1 T melted butter or margarine

1/8 t vanilla add to yellow of egg (optional)

1 cup water (make judgement as you mix)

¼ cup banana (optional)

Mix ingredients except egg whites. Fold egg whites into mixture. Put two tablespoons of oil in skillet and cook in small batches on medium low heat.

To make your own coconut syrup: Heat one can coconut milk (the real stuff) with one cup sugar until dissolved. Cool. Serve over pancakes.

Friday, September 14, 2012

Breaking from Cakes to...Pancakes?

Missy, here. And I'm so sorry I can't carry on with our wonderful week of cakes and pies. I will be baking a cake...Saturday! But that won't do me any good for a Friday post. :)

So I'm sharing what I cooked in a pinch last week when the cupboard was totally bare. I'd never tried it. Had never even heard of it. I just dreamed it up according to what jumped into my line of vision.

I decided we would have breakfast for dinner. A fairly routine cop-out for me! :) As I was leaving the pantry with a box of Bisquick, I spotted one lone sweet potato and had a stroke of genius. Thus, today you'll hear about

Sweet potato Pancakes!

Peel and slice one sweet potato. Boil until soft when pricked with a fork.

Meanwhile, mix up the Bisquick batter according to package directions. I made a double recipe for my family of 4 (plus a friend), and we had two or three leftover pancakes.

I usually mix up the batter in my 4 cup Pyrex measuring cup with a pour spout, but I soon realized with the sweet potato, it wasn't going to fit. So I transferred it to my stand mixer. I added some cinnamon for flavor.

Drain off water and mash up the sweet potato. Let cool. I didn't have that long to wait, so I tempered it by quickly mixing in small amounts of the batter, stirring constantly until it felt mostly cool. Then I dumped it all in the stand mixer with the rest of the batter and mixed on low/med speed until smooth. Then I transferred some of the batter back into my mixing cup for pouring.

I wish you could see the beautiful color of the batter! It even had the occasional tiny chunk of potato.

Then pour your desired size pancakes onto greased skillet or pancake griddle.

The trick to easy-to-turn pancakes (besides spraying with the Pam) is to wait until you see bubbles all over before turning.

Then flip and cook until golden.

Serve with butter and maple syrup. (Okay, I admit, I used Sugar-free Log Cabin, so it's not true maple syrup.)

They were delicious! And bites with surprising bits of sweet potato were a treat! I also like to tell myself I got a little Vitamin A for dinner that night. ;)

Thursday, June 28, 2012

Pancake Heaven!

Here's an easy-peasy breakfast, lunch, supper or snack that SHOULD NOT BE TRIED BY ANYONE TRYING TO BEHAVE.

WARNING!!!!

THE SURGEON GENERAL HAS DETERMINED THAT EATING THESE DELICIOUS PANCAKES WILL RUIN ANY AND ALL THOUGHTS OF DIETING YOU MAY HAVE EVER ENTERTAINED. BEWARE!!!

Having said THAT, let me just show you a bit of quick kitchen deliciousness that keeps well, can be sliced for 'morsels' or snacks and is ten minutes, tops.

First, buy Bisquick. Every responsible person should have Bisquick in their cupboard because it makes a great "base" for so many things. Paula Deen uses Bisquick in some recipes, and I love me some Paula Deen!!!

Follow the Melt-in-your-mouth pancake recipe on the back of the box. It's amazing. Truly. You will never eat out for pancakes again because that would be just plain silly.

Here's your batter... Don't you love that big ladle???

Heat up your griddle, but not super hot. Just... regular hot. With a little oil on it. Just a smidge and a half.

Ladle the pancake batter onto the griddle. Sprinkle with chocolate and peanut butter chips. Cook until done on bottom side. You probably won't have the usual tiny-bubble-dots you normally get. But that's okay. I made this big one for fun, but you can make normal size cakes, too.

Flip over.

Cook until done on second side. Like you knew that already, didn't you? But not too quick or hot... Just: medium.

Put on plate. Butter generously. Sprinkle with powdered sugar.

And there you have it, a pancake meal or dessert that literally melts in your mouth with tender, cake-y, buttery, chocolatey-peanut-buttery goodness.

So YUM!!!