Too Good not to Share

So, I've been bailing on the pancakes lately, I know. With Island Dad home, I'm trying to get better.
Actually, his very presence is what led me to this week's recipe. Island Dad l-o-v-e-s eggnog.

Personally, my life would have been complete without "nog". And that is why I feel I MUST share this pancake recipe with you. Because, while I do not like eggnog on it's own, I could spend the rest of my life eating these Eggnog Pancakes and never tire of them. Seriously. They're THAT good.

Eggnog Pancakes
(base recipe found on allrecipes.com)

Ingredients
1.5 c. all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp. sugar
2.5 tsp. baking soda
0.5 tsp. salt
1 c. eggnog
2 Tbsp. clarified butter
1 egg, lightly beaten

Heat a lightly oiled skillet or griddle over medium heat.

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt.

Create a well in the middle of the dry ingredients, and pour in the eggnog, the butter, and the egg. Mix until dry ingredients are evenly moist.

Pour batter onto the griddle by 1/4 cupfuls. Cook pancakes until bubbly on top. Flip with a spatula, and continue cooking until lightly browned on the bottom.

I should add that I found it to be too thick with just the 1 cup of eggnog. An additional half cup seemed to do the trick. Also, I did not clarify the butter.

As I said above, I could probably live off of these pancakes for the rest of my life. They were that good. They had the smooth texture and dense consistency of buttermilk pancakes, with just the right amount of added sweet and spice. We will definitely be making these again before the end of the holiday season.

Pancake Sunday Meets the Muffin Tin Meal

Once again, it's been a busy few days! We met with a friend for dinner on Thursday, then the same friend plus another for lunch on Friday. We attempted the beach both Friday and Saturday, but to no avail, as it rained at some point during our attempt each day. Such is life during rainy season! 

This week is shaping up to be busy, as well, meeting more friends for lunch, Island Girl's 6-month check-up, playgroup, and a few other things that I'm sure will come up at some point. I will try to be better about updating this week, if nothing else, to share Island Girl's growth during the last 2 months!

Moving on to the food!

There was no theme for Muffin Tin Monday this week, so I opted to create my own, rather than just throw together a random MTM. My original plan was to do breakfast for dinner. At some point, that morphed into a sort of autumn-themed muffin tin. As this is my first year ever without fall, I'm really missing the smell of burning leaves, the crisp edge to the air, and, of course, apple cider (if they have it in our commissary, I have yet to see it).

The four corner spots are pumpkin pancakes (recipe to follow). The top middle is apple circles, which are a repeat from last week's muffin tin "shapes" lunch. Island Boy was so in love with them that he has had them at least once a day every day since that meal. Fine by me! The lower middle spot is maple syrup for dipping. Even to my surprise, he came away from it surprisingly un-sticky. 

He LOVED the pancakes....those were pretty well devoured before I even actually got to sit down at the table. Of course he loved the apples, too.

Pumpkin Pancake Recipe (courtesy of Island Nanny)

Ingredients

2 c. Bisquick mix

2 Tbsp. packed brown sugar

2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 1/2 c. evaporated milk

1 tsp. allspice

1/2 c. solid pack canned pumpkin

2 tsp. oil

2 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

Directions

Combine dry ingredients. Add evaporated milk, pumpkin, oil, eggs, and vanilla. Stir to combine. Cook on a pre-heated griddle. For muffin tin-sized pancakes, pour by small spoonfuls onto griddle. For larger pancakes, pour by 1/4 cupfuls onto the griddle.

For either, size, after pouring, cook until edges look dry and bubbles are forming. Flip, and cook a minute or two longer, until golden brown.

This time around, I served the pancakes with maple syrup. However, for next time, I am toying with serving them with a maple-cream cheese whip. I'll report back on that one.

Pancake Sunday

Despite flying solo right now, I did actually manage to get some pancakes made this morning! Accomplishing that, while Skyping with Island Dad and trying to wrangle both kids, was a big confidence booster.

This week's recipe was from Taste of Home's Healthy Cooking magazine, June/July 2010 issue.

These were very similar to the Granola Pancakes we made a month or so ago. These were more oat-meal centered, so very dense and VERY moist. Totally yummy!

Oatmeal Pancakes

Ingredients
2 c. quick-cooking oats
2 c. buttermilk
1/2 c. egg substitute
2 Tbsp. canola oil
1/2 c all-purpose flour
2 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 c. raisins

In a small bowl, combine oats and buttermilk; let stand for 5 minutes. Stir in egg substitute and oil. Set aside.
In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Stir in the wet ingredients just until moistened; add raisins.
Pour batter by heaping 1/4 cupfuls onto a hot griddle coated with cooking spray; turn when bubbles form on top. Cook until second side is golden brown.

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).

Pancake Sunday

It has been ridiculously dreary here on the Island today! Rain, rain, rain, and not a speck of blue sky in sight (which is amazing, because usually, the rain blows over pretty quickly).

Island Dad had to work this afternoon, and so the Island Kids and I went up to base, got some lunch, did some shopping, and hit the grocery store, as well. By the time we got back, though, it was so late in the afternoon that instead of an actual nap time, I let Island Boy have "quiet time" watching Finding Nemo. He sat pretty well for most of it, and does enjoy the movie, so it went reasonably well! He recognizes most of the characters, and when he spots a clown fish in real life, he calls it a "Nemo." For the joint 1st and 3rd birthday party I am looking at this year, I think we are going to go with a Nemo theme. He likes it, it's gender neutral, and, hey! We live on an island with lots of ocean and coral reef around, so it's perfect!

On to the pancakes!

This week, we had strawberry banana pancakes with chocolate chips. They were amazing! Island Boy downed four or five of them in as much time as it took me to eat six. The child loves his pancakes!!

Strawberry Banana Pancakes with Chocolate Chips 


Ingredients


1 c. all purpose flour
2 Tbsp. sugar
2 Tbsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 egg, beaten
1 c. milk
2 Tbsp. mashed banana
2 c. chopped frozen strawberries (I chopped them in the food processor)
mini chocolate chips

In a large bowl, mix flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.

Stir in egg, milk, and mashed banana.

Fold in the chopped strawberries.

On a heated griddle (with the frozen strawberries, you want to use the highest setting, to ensure that they thaw while the pancake cooks), pour the batter by 1/4 cupfuls. Sprinkle chocolate chips on the up-side before flipping.

Cook until sides start to look dry and bubbles start to form in the top (with the strawberry chunks, this may take longer than normal, and if they do not flip easily at first, give them a bit longer, then try again). Cook another 1-2 minutes until done.

Enjoy!

Pancake Sunday Hiatus

We decided to take a break from Pancake Sunday today, as we were all actually up and moving in time to make it to church (at the chapel on base), but only if we ate a quick breakfast.

So I think we will move pancakes to a little later this week, and maybe for dinner. Breakfast for dinner is the BEST (well, second only to pancakes for breakfast on Sunday morning).

We wound up having a very go-go-go kind of day. Church was a big success, with Island Boy rather enjoying his time in the nursery, playing with the other kids and watching Veggie Tales. And coloring (!!), which is one of his very favorite things to do anywhere, any time. Island Girl hung out with us, as she is still a month too young for the nursery.

After church, we stopped by the base dive shop to get a complete set of snorkeling gear for me. I did manage to put an "Island Mom" touch to it and get a light pink snorkel mask. We also got a new mask and snorkel for Island Dad, as his went missing somewhere between our time in DC and our move here. In the very near future, I will be getting SCUBA certified, so definitely look for a post on that when it happens. Adventures and (I hope) great stories are sure to follow! Island Dad is already certified, he's just waiting on me.

We then drove on down to the beach at the Naval Base where there is some pretty decent snorkeling. Island Dad and I took turns watching the kids while the other one went out. It's so great to just be in the quiet water with no sounds other than your own breathing and the clicking of the fish cleaning off/eating from the reef.

The Island Kids had a fantastic time at the beach, as well. We managed a few pictures at the beginning of the trip (before snorkeling, hence the Island Parents are dry in the pictures).

Pancake Sunday

Today, we tried the long-awaited cinnamon bun pancakes!

I have to say, having perused the site a bit, I think that I will be going back to The Tasty Kitchen for more recipes in the future. Go ahead and do a search for pancakes. Look at all the results. Yum!!!!

This morning, I had a bit of help from Island Girl. She was the first one up (then me), so she sat in her bouncy seat for most of the time I was cooking. Towards the end of pancake prep, I hollered for Island Dad to get Island Boy, who was stirring. The sudden yell scared Island Girl, and she spent the remaining cooking time on my hip (safely away from the griddle, no worries). She even helped me pour the very last of the batter, grabbing the handle to the bowl when I tipped it. My little chef in training!

So, here's the recipe!

Cinnamon Bun Pancakes


Ingredients
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
3 Tbsp. white sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
4 tsp. baking powder
1 Tbsp. cinnamon
2 whole eggs, beaten
1 c. milk
2 Tbsp. corn syrup
1/4 c. butter, melted
1 Tbsp. vanilla

In a bowl, combine flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and cinnamon. Whisk until very well-blended. In a separate bowl, combine eggs, milk, syrup, butter, and vanilla. Add liquid ingredients to dry ingredients, and whisk until well-blended.

Pour by the 1/4-cupful onto a preheated griddle, and cook on first side until edges appear dry. Flip, and cook for another minute or two.

First, my own substitutions:
I used whole wheat flour, as that is simply what I keep on hand. While most of the time, it doesn't make a huge flavor difference, I definitely think these would have been better with the bleached, all-purpose flour. I promise this is one of the only times you'll hear me advocating using the refined stuff over the whole-wheat stuff!
I used maple syrup instead of corn syrup. If anything, it added to the flavor, but to my taste, there was no real difference.
I also used the seeds from one vanilla bean in place of the vanilla. Here, you could taste a BIG (positive) difference! Vanilla bean just adds a much fresher, more natural flavor than does vanilla extract.

When you're pouring the pancakes onto the griddle, be warned that this is an airier, fluffier batter than I've worked with in previous posts. The batter, for me, didn't "pour" so much as have to be kind of dropped onto the skillet. This can somewhat affect the circular shape, but I guarantee that will be more than made up for in flavor.

We did not find a need to add further maple syrup to these, thanks to the sugar and syrup already in the pancakes. According to The Pioneer Woman, this is heavenly, and she even takes it a step further, making a basic icing to go over top!

These pancakes may be my favorites so far. The light, airy texture was a great complement to the intense and sweet flavor.

Bon Apetit!

Pancake Sunday

As of today, I am starting a four-and-a-half-month attempt to knock off some remaining baby weight from both Island Girl and also Island Boy (I was still 5 lbs. above my goal from him when I got pregnant again). In honor of this, I opted to go with a slightly healthier pancake this week!

The base recipe came from the kitchen classic, The Joy of Cooking - 75th Anniversary Edition (Rombauer, Becker, & Becker, 2006). I made some modifications based on what was available in my pantry.

Four Grain Flapjacks

Whisk together in a large bowl:

1 c. whole wheat flour

3/4 c. all-purpose flour

1/3 c. cornmeal

1/4 c. old-fashioned or quick-cooking rolled oats

2 Tbsp. sugar

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon (optional)

1/8 tsp. ground or grated nutmeg (optional)

In another bowl, combine:

1 3/4 c. milk

1/4 c. (1/2 stick) butter, melted

1/4 cup honey

3 eggs

Quickly mix the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients. Cook as normal. Again, I like to do my pancakes on my electric griddle. To cook, I pour the batter by 1/4 cupfuls onto the skillet, and cook until the edges begin to look dry. Flip, and cook for another minute or two.

My modifications to this recipe: I skipped the all-purpose flour and used 1 3/4 cup of the whole-wheat flour.

Instead of melted butter, I substituted 1/4 c. applesauce (though you can substitute an equal amount of any pureed fruit). Instead of honey, I substituted 1/4 c. maple syrup.

I also added blueberries during the cooking stage, dropping them onto the uncooked side before flipping. You could also mix them straight into the batter.

Island Boy again quickly devoured two of these. Island Dad was happy that they tasted good, but was even happier that they were relatively healthy!

For my own part, I generally like multi-grain breads and foods. I especially like them when cornmeal is involved. The texture and hint of flavor that it adds is perfect - grainy, hearty and slightly sweet. These did not disappoint! The maple syrup in the batter, combined with the blueberries, made the pancakes just sweet enough that there was no need to add further maple (or any kind of) syrup on top of the pancakes. Meaning that I was able to reduce Island Boy's pancake-related sugar-intake drastically!

Another Pancake Sunday!

Wow! This week sure went by quickly! Island Dad had last Monday off. Then Wednesday was Liberation Day here. The base did not shut down entirely, but Island Dad did get to leave work at noon, in order to attend the parade. To give you an idea of what a big deal this is, the parade started sometime around 10:30 and didn't end until around 2 or 2:30. The people of Guam definitely know how to throw a party!

Briefly, Liberation Day celebrates the 1944 liberation of Guam from Japanese occupation. More information can be found here and here.

We did take the Island Kids down to check out the parade for a bit. Island Boy had only ever been to one other parade before, and he was just 8-months-old at the time. Island Girl, of course, had never witnessed a parade before. Overall, they greatly enjoyed themselves. Island Boy quickly discovered the candy hand-outs at parades (that would be a mouth-full-of-candy expression in the picture).

I went and got Sno Cones for all of us to share. Unfortunately, I didn't do a good enough job of explaining to Island Girl that by "all of us," I meant Island Dad, Island Boy, and me, because she is clearly too young for flavored-sugar-water-syrup. She did not get any, but not for lack of trying on her part!

We did not get a picture, but later, we had taken the binky out of her mouth and she was totally trying to actually eat the sno-cone.

In the end, it was hot, but we had a great time, and Island Boy (and all of us, really), LOVED the floats!

On to Pancake Sunday!

Today's pancakes were again Bisquick-based, though I was running low on mix, so I had to get creative.

Granola Pancakes

Ingredients:
1 1/2 c. Bisquick mix
1/2 c. quick-cooking rolled oats
1 egg
1 1/2 c. milk
1/2 Tbsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 c. raisins
1/2 c. dried cranberries

Directions
Combine all ingredients in a bowl, and stir until dry mix is well-blended. Pour batter, 1/4 at a time, onto a hot griddle (I use an electric griddle set to medium-high heat). When pancakes are bubbly on top and looking "dry" around the edges, flip. Let them cook about another 1 1/2 to 2 minutes, and remove.

Island Dad commented that the oatmeal gave them a more unique texture and made them seem almost more like cookies than pancakes (though these are surely healthier than cookies)!

As I am now out of Bisquick mix, be prepared for something a bit more daring next Sunday! As always, I welcome suggestions for new kinds of pancakes to try.

Pancake Sundays

Now that we are moved in and fairly settled here on the Island, I have instituted "Pancake Sundays." I am hoping this will become a family tradition for us, and give us a chance to sit down and enjoy a "real" breakfast all together once a week. Except this week. Island Dad was busy power washing the roof this morning. But as a general rule, Sundays are the one day breakfast is a family meal for us.

So we began this week! Rather than kick off a new tradition with plain pancakes, I wanted something a bit more fun. I went with "Chunky Monkey" pancakes. In following weeks, I will post pictures, but as I am posting from my phone still, I am not able to share one this week.

Ingredients:
6 Tbsp. mashed ripe bananas*
2 c. Bisquick mix
1 c. milk
3/4 c. mini chocolate chips

In a medium bowl, combine the first three ingredients. Stir until the dry mix is well-incorporated. Stir in mini-chips.
Cook as directed on the Bisquick box.

*Note that the banana serves as an egg substitute as well as flavoring. DO NOT ADD the eggs directed on the box.

These were a huge hit with the whole family (well, all but Island Girl - She's still too little). Island Boy, in particular, devoured three of them very quickly! They are dense pancakes, so even Island Dad and I only had four each!

As we move forward with Pancake Sundays, I will be looking for some more "fun" recipes. Please feel free to share your favorites!!