Baking Day And Home Made Yogurt

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Gourmet Pancakes

I have found that stirring leftover bits of fruit into pancake batter is a great way to use up leftovers, and (bonus) your family thinks you have become a gourmet chef (at least mine does. Don't let them in on the secret, okay.). I like to make breakfast for dinner on Sunday nights, and pancakes make an appearance quite often (some times french toast if I have an abundance of bread, or find cinnamon bread on the day old rack at the grocery store). Tonight, for instance, I had two apples that had been sitting in the fruit basket for awhile; they were on the verge of becoming shrunken apple head people. I cut out the bruised spots and grated them (making about 1 cup). Then I stirred them into 6 cups pancake batter with 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon ( I know that sounds like a lot, but I am usually feeding an army, plus I freeze the leftovers so the kids can have a quick hot breakfast before school or for after school snacks). Other popular combination's (these ratios are added to six cups already prepared pancake batter) at our house are:

1 cup thawed frozen blueberries (I buy them on sale in the summer when they are cheap and toss them in the freezer or water bath can them in light syrup in pint jars) with 1/2 teaspoon of almond extract
1 cup canned cranberries ( I buy them when they go on sale after the holiday's and water bath can them in light syrup in pint jars). You can also simmer them until they are tender with a little bit of sugar and water and freeze them) with 1 teaspoon orange extract
1/2 cup applesauce with 1/4 nutmeg and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup melted peanut butter (microwave it for about 35-45 seconds) and mini chocolate chips
1 cup mashed banana with 1/4 nutmeg
1 cup finely chopped fresh or canned peaches with 1/4 nutmeg and 1/2 teaspoon almond extract

I have to confess that I use pancake mix. I use to make them from scratch, but my family prefers their Aunt's recipe, and when I asked her for it she showed me the blue bag of Krusteaz! So I picked my battle and now buy it a Costco (the 10lb bag) or make my own mix:

Homemade Pancake Mix

9 cups all purpose flour (or 4 cup all purpose flour and 3 1/2 cups whole wheat flour)
1 cup sugar ( or 3/4 cup Splenda)
2 2/3 cup powder milk
1/4 cup baking powder
1 tsp. salt
Combine ingredients and store in an airtight container. Makes 10 2/3 cups mix.
To make pancakes mix together:
2 2/3 cups pancake mix
1/4 cup melted butter or oil
1 tsp. vanilla
1 3/4 water
Combine wet ingredients and stir into pancake mix until combined. Makes 12 pancakes.

Don't forget to whip up a batch of Homemade syrup or melt a jar of jelly(or use the freezer jam that didn't set quite right) to pour over your delicious gourmet breakfast treats!

Breakfast Idea

As I was digging through the fridge this morning to make French Toast for Christmas breakfast, I had an ah ha moment. There was a quart of Eggnog with not quite a cup left in it, and some heavy cream leftover from fudge making. Rather than let it sit in the fridge and go to waste I substituted the Eggnog and cream for the milk in the recipe. After I whipped up the eggs I added in the Eggnog and cream with a teaspoon of vanilla. It was HEAVENLY (and the Eggnog haters didn't even notice). I bought Cinnaburst Bread from Great Harvest because it was a special occasion, but making French Toast is the perfect way to use up old bread, or odd and ends. I have even sliced leftover rolls into thirds (slice lengthwise), and used those (the kids had mini French Toast that day). Sprinkle a little cinnamon on top while it is cooking for extra flavor.

And while we are on the subject of breakfast. Here is a yummy recipe for homemade syrup.
It is so much cheaper to make your own syrup; especially if you go through it quickly! Even my picky third child (and yes I do remember his name today) who is a syrup snob loves this.

Homemade "Maple" Syrup

2 cups granulated sugar
3/4 tsp. maple extract (Mapleine)
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/4 cup corn syrup (to prevent the syrup from crystalizing)
1 cup water

Stir ingredients together in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat stirring occasionally until it comes to a boil. This is the important part WATCH YOUR SYRUP CLOSELY!
Once it comes to a boil it will boil over quickly. As soon as it starts to boil and the sugar is dissolved take it off the heat and let it cool. The syrup is thin while it is hot, but once it cools it's thick just like store bought syrup. Pour into an old flip top syrup or ketchup bottle and store leftovers in the fridge. It will stay good for a month in the fridge, but ours never lasts that long!