Breakfast

"When the toast is burned and all the milk is turned
And Cap'n Crunch is wavin' farewell,
When the big one finds you may this song remind you
They don't serve breakfast in Hell..."

Yes, it is early in the morning, now that you ask, and thoughts of food are making their way through my brain. w00t! shirt today was Continental Breakfast:

That is actually a pretty healthy continental breakfast, I'd say. But what ran through my mind was:
PANCAKES.

I like blueberry pancakes, except if I watch "The Cry of the Owl" the night before. I didn't watch it last night, so I might throw blueberries in mine this morning. We have company, so I naturally thought of pancakes because it's a good dish to cover more than one person at a time.

Then I got started thinking: it has been my observation over the years that most people make pancakes harder than they need to be!! Aunt Jemima and Bisquick sell lots of boxes full of flour and chemicals every year to people who do not realize how simple the batter is and fail to recognize that most of their problem is not having the right thing to cook them on or to use the right heat.

A big skillet, preferable non-stick, will work for one or two at a time. Real pancake men/women use a griddle, either an electric one or a stovetop one, depending on how good they are with their stovetop. If you have a nice cast iron griddle and a gas stovetop that you use all the time, I am probably not telling you anything you do not already know. Otherwise, stick to an electric griddle. If you don't have one, buy your parents a new one for Christmas and take their old one - the old one will likely be a better, heavier griddle.

Temperature. In days of yore, the griddle was the right temperature when a drop of water would blithely dance around the surface like a woodland sprite, or some semblance thereof. I like to say 375-380 degrees F. Electric griddles like to tell you 425, because you get it that hot, throw the batter on and it cools down to around 380 while it cooks. I always stick mine a hair over 375 and have always been happy.

If your griddle is nonstick, wipe it off and go for it. There actually is enough oil/butter in your pancake mix to keep them from sticking once they are ready to turn or take up. They will stick if it is too early. Warning to tuck away for later.

But, that brings us to the batter. Easy as pie. Actually, easier than pie, or cake for that matter. Get a good sized pitcher, thrown in some milk - 3/4 to 1 cup or so, 2 tbl of cooking oil, and an egg and mix that around until it is consistent. Throw in a cup of flour, a teaspoon of baking powder, a tablespoon of sugar and a dash of salt, mix that all together and you're done. Glob out as much as you want on the griddle, and let it sit there past when little bubbles form and break, then flip them for a bit. The second side cooks a lot faster. Then you're done.

Variations - use some powdered buttermilk/water instead of milk. In that case, throw in a half teaspoon of baking soda. You don't need the baking powder, but I leave it in anyway. Add chocolate chips. Add blueberries. In either case, sprinkle the additives on after you put the batter on the griddle. Use melted butter or margarine instead of oil. Throw in a 1/2 tsp of vanilla.

Always use good syrup, too, with or without butter/margarine. Makes all the difference in the world.

Enjoy!