Pancake Sunday!

With Island Nanny in town, we've been very busy here!

We have taken her down to Chamorro Village and again introduced her to the fiesta platter. And coconut juice! On Saturday we went to the flea market and picked up some new plants for our yard, and we went to the mall where Island Boy loves to look at the giant kinetic sculpture in the main concourse. Yesterday we took her down to the beach on the Naval Base, where Island Dad took Island Nanny out snorkeling for the first time ever! She was getting the hang of it quite well by the end. Then she came back, and Island Dad and I had a chance to go out snorkeling together, which is rare, since it's usually just the two of us with the kids.

In other news, Island Girl has been working VERY hard on her mobility over the last few days. She can now pull her knees underneath her tummy, and is getting good at rocking/scooting her back side around that way. As most grandchildren seem to like to do, I imagine she will wait until shortly after Island Nanny leaves to start actually crawling.

Island Boy is just generally being himself! He is very much enjoying his time with his grandmother, and is being spoiled rotten, too :-D

On to the pancakes (one of these weeks, I really will get on top of my game and take an actual picture of the pancakes before they're all devoured)!

This week, I used a new (to me) recipe from Taste of Home magazine. Lately, Taste of Home has become my go-to for great new recipes that make the whole family happy. I get scarily excited when my new one arrives in the mail every other month.

Blueberry Cheesecake Pancakes
(submitted to the magazine by Donna Cline)

Ingredients


3 oz. cream cheese, softened
3/4 c. whipped topping
1 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 c. graham cracker crumbs
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1-1/4 c. buttermilk
1/4 c. butter, melted
1 c. fresh blueberries
3/4 cup maple syrup, warmed
additional blueberries optional

For topping, in a small bowl, beat cream cheese and whipped topping until smooth. Chill until serving.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, cracker crumbs, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Combine the eggs, buttermilk, and butter; add to dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in blueberries.

Pour batter by 1/4 cupfuls onto a greased hot griddle; turn when bubbles form on top. Cook until the second side is golden brown. Spread topping over pancakes. Top with warm syrup; sprinkle with additional blueberries if desired.

I followed the recipe pretty much verbatim this time, except our grocery store on base doesn't carry graham cracker crumbs (that I could find), so I used the cinnamon grahams and made crumbs of my own. Definitely a very yummy substitution! We also did not find it necessary to have the maple syrup, although I'm sure it wouldn't hurt the flavor at all.

We all, hands down, LOVED these pancakes! Even Island Dad, who is not normally a breakfast food fanatic, has requested that these make a repeat appearance on future Pancake Sundays.

Stay tuned for a return to Muffin Tin Monday tomorrow (which, for us, of course, is really Tuesday).