First of all, let’s return to the 1930s and make our pancakes in a real heavy iron pan. The pan is ready for the mixture when you can drip a couple water droplets into the pan and they retain their shape for a few seconds. Always add a little shortening to your pancake batter to keep the pancakes from sticking to the pan.
When you put your batter into the hot pan, wait until the batter starts to bubble in the middle. Only then should you flip the pancakes over, and you should flip each pancake only once.
Normal Pancake Mix
INGREDIENTS
1 ½ cups flour
1 egg
3 tsp baking powder
1 ¾ cups milk
½ tsp salt
3 Tbsp melted butter
3 Tbsp white sugar
¼ tsp vanilla
METHOD
Tasty blueberry pancakes
Use normal pancake mix, increasing the sugar to ⅓ cup. Reduce milk to 1 ½ cups. Add 1 cup floured blueberries. Bake more slowly than normal pancakes. Serve with melted butter and a layer of brown sugar between pancakes.
Healthy banana pancakes
Use normal pancake mix, but add ¾ cup mashed bananas and a few grains of pepper. Reduce sugar to 2 tsp and milk to 1 ½ cups. Suggest serving with breakfast sausage.
Buttermilk pancakes
Using the normal pancake mix, substitute buttermilk for normal milk. Reduce baking powder to 1 ½ level tsp and add 1 level tsp soda dissolved in 1 tsp warm water.
Apple pancake
Make the normal pancake mix, adding ¼ tsp grated nutmeg, 1 cup grated apple and ⅓ tsp soda dissolved in 1 tsp warm water. Reduce milk to 1 ½ cups. Ideal served with ham.
Pancakes from heaven
INGREDIENTS
1 ¾ cups white flour
3 Tbsp melted butter
¼ tsp salt
3 eggs, separated
2 tsp baking soda
1 ¼ cups milk
1 Tbsp white sugar
5 drops vanilla
METHOD
Mix all dry ingredients. Add milk ,melted butter, egg yolks and vanilla. Mix well. In separate bowl, whip egg whites. Fold egg whites into batter. Cook pancakes on lightly greased hot skillet until golden brown. For variations, use ¼ cup whole wheat flour or ¼ cup buckwheat flour with 1 ½ cups white flour.
Waffles
INGREDIENTS
2 cups flour
3 eggs. well beaten
1 tsp sugar
2 cups milk
3 tsp baking powder
½ cup melted butter
½ tsp salt
METHOD
Combine first 4 ingredients in large bowl. Stir with spoon. In separate bowl, beat eggs. Add milk and melted butter. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix until batter is smooth. Cook following waffle iron instructions.
CHRISTMAS BREAD
INGREDIENTS
8 cups flour
2 pkg dry yeast (approx. ¼ ounce each)
1 cup sugar
2 cups milk
½ lb butter
2 eggs
1 ½ cup raisins
Rind of 1 lemon
4 oz. pkg. almonds
1 pkg. glazed cherries (approx. ¼ ounce)
METHOD
Soak yeast in ½ cup warm water with 1 tsp sugar. Let stand for 10 minutes. Warm the milk. Mix milk, butter and eggs with 2 to 3 cups flour to form soft dough. Let rise for 1 hour. Add fruit, lemon peel and rest of flour. Do not make the flour too hard. Allow to rise in warm area until doubled in bulk. Roll in chopped almonds. Set your bread loaves in pan to rise for 1 hour. Bake at 325°F for 30 minutes.
AUNT KATE’S CHRISTMAS CAKE
INGREDIENTS
1 lb butter
2 cups unsweetened applesauce
12 eggs
1 lb chopped dates
1 tsp soda
1lb mixed peel
1 lb brown sugar
1 cup slivered almonds
4 cups flour
1 lb cherries including ½ lb red and ½ lb green
2 tsp baking powder
2 chopped pineapple rings
1 lb seedless raisins
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1 lb seeded raisins
1 tb lemon extract
1 lb white raisins
1 Tbsp almond extract
METHOD
Melt butter. Add sugar. Mix. Add eggs, one at a time. Sift together flour, soda and baking powder. Add to butter and egg mixture. Add applesauce. Mix well. Add the fruit. This will have to be done gradually. Pour into pans that have been lined with brown paper and greased. Bake at 250°F until done. Makes 3 large cakes.
Closing note: “you know that you are getting old when the candles cost more than the cake.” This I know because before my readers read this, I will turn 86. I just looked up at a picture from when I was a kid. Now I’m wondering where in the hell did it all go?
