Bacon what?

 

Bacon who?  Bacon where?  Bacon what?  BACON PANCAKES!

 

 

I know, it probably sounds crazy, but I have seen the above picture for weeks now floating around on Pinterest. 

I was actually quite intrigued and to me, the thought of bacon pancakes sounded quite good; I’m thinking that it is the breakfast equivalent of a corn dog.  Same thought process – meat wrapped in batter (sounds funny, I know).

Anyway, this past Sunday I thought I would give it a whirl.  Since Mike will eat anything, I knew they wouldn’t go to waste if the pancakes just happened to be a little bit off kilter, but luckily they weren’t!

 

For our version of bacon pancakes, instead of cooking strips of bacon (which I really don’t enjoy) and topping them with pancake batter, I thought of an easier technique to achieve the same flavor.  Bacon Bits!  I have a big bag in my freezer and they were perfect for this application – no thawing required.  Even better.

I whipped up my normal go-to pancake batter, added the bacon and a few tablespoons of syrup for a sweet spin (think savory and sweet like a McGriddle) and threw them on the griddle…well, ladled actually if you must know . 

Here’s how:

Bacon Pancakes

1 1/2 C complete pancake mix (I use Hungry Jack)

1 C water

2 T syrup

2 T real bacon bits

 

Mix together and cook as directed on pancake mix.

 

Here’s the result – perfection!

 

 

We ate ours as pancake tacos which made the bacon pancakes even more delectable.  I tried this technique for the first time when camping a couple of years ago and LOVED it.  It was a one bite, one handed way to eat breakfast and was even easier clean up – a must when camping.

 

 

To do this at home simply use the pancake as the “taco” and stack it with scrambled eggs and melted cheese.  Dip in syrup if desired.  So delicious!

 

See the bacon bits – soooo good!

Pantry Pancakes

 

I love getting up on weekends and trying to come up with new pancake recipes.  Usually by Sunday morning, our fridge is getting low (which is good – that means we planned our menu well) and I don’t have a lot of options, which in turn means, I have to get creative.

We almost always have staples on hand for breakfast – eggs, turkey sausage (in the freezer) and either pancake mix or ingredients for French Toast, Mike’s fave.  Well, this morning we didn’t even have milk to make the batter for French Toast, so eggs, sausage and pancakes were on our agenda.  The only problem…how could I make our plain pancake batter new, interesting and super tasty?

Then, I looked in my pantry and it hit me: 

Dark Chocolate Chips + Raspberry Cranberry Preserves= Deliciousness

 

 

I love any chocolate and berry combination, especially in trail mix, so I thought, why not?

The verdict?  Absolutely perfect. 

 

 

Not only were these SUPER easy with ingredients from the pantry,  but the finished result looked and tasted very gourmet.  My kind of fake out meal.

 

 

Here’s how:

Dark Chocolate Raspberry Pancakes

yields 6-8 pancakes

1 C complete pancake mix (I use Hungry Jack)

3/4 C water

1/4 C dark chocolate chips

2 T Raspberry Cranberry Preserves (or jelly of choice)

 

Whisk pancake mix and water together until smooth in a medium bowl.  Add chocolate chips and stir.

Heat griddle to medium high heat.  Spray with nonstick cooking spray and ladle 1/4 C batter onto the griddle.  Add about 1/2 t of preserves onto the middle of the pancake and swirl.  Once bubbles form on the top of the pancake flip and cook for a few more minutes on the other side.

 

 

Serve with syrup and any other yummy fixings that suit your fancy.

 

 

Happy Sunday!

Spice is Nice

 

I have recently fallen in love with Ginger.  Gingerbread, gingersnaps, ginger ale.  The spicy yet delicate flavor is delicious and adds a little bit of mysteriousness to otherwise bland baked goods.

I have been wanting to try to make Gingerbread Pancakes for the upcoming holiday season, since I am almost pumpkin-ed out, and found all of the recipes to have way too many steps.  Not my style.

Then, it hit me.  Why not use gingerbread cake mix?  A pancake is basically cake batter ladled onto a griddle, right?

So I tried it, and the good news is – we have a winner!

So quick, so easy, and SOOOO yummy!  This is a great pantry item to have on hand whenever you need an impressive yet quick breakfast.

Gingerbread Pancakes

Makes about 20 pancakes – I froze the leftovers for breakfast during the week.

1 box Gingerbread Cake Mix

1 1/4 C lukewarm water

1 egg

*2 T flour

Make cake batter according to package instructions and whisk altogether.  The mix that I used called for the water and egg listed above.  This will be a thin consistency and your pancakes will have a more delicate texture.

If you want a more “cake-y” texture, add 2 tablespoons of flour, or more to the batter until you get the thickness you prefer.  The addition of flour will make the pancakes puff up a bit more when they are cooking.  Both versions are delicious.

Heat griddle and spray with non-stick spray.  Ladle on batter and flip once you see bubbles.  Keep warm in a 250 degree oven and enjoy!

The leftovers are great frozen and are easily reheated (microwave or oven) for a quick weekday breakfast.

Enjoy!

Pumpkin Pancakes

Welcome Fall!

Even though we live in the middle of the Sunshine State, we do get little snippets of fall weather.  Even the slightest breeze can constitute "fall" for us.  With just an inkling in the air, I get so excited.  I love everything about the season and pick up a can of pureed pumpkin each time I go to the grocery store to try in new recipes. 

A couple of weekends ago I tried making pumpkin pancakes for the first time and am hooked!  It was so quick and easy!  They are also great leftover.  I usually make a big batch and we have some to eat for breakfast during the week. Score.

Pumpkin Pancakes
yields 12-14 "normal" sized pancakes
-You can always adjust the measurements to make fewer or more.



2 C complete pancake mix
1 1/2 C water
1/2 C canned pumpkin
1 t  vanilla extract
Desired amount of the following spices (I just usually do a few shakes of each):
Cinnamon
Pumpkin Pie Spice

--If the batter is a bit thick you can always a little bit more water until the desired consistnacy is reached.  Don't be afraid to play around with it.  They will still taste delicious!

Heat griddle.  Spray with non-stick spray.  Using a ladle, spoon onto griddle and wait for bubbles.  Flip.  Place on baking sheet when finished.  Keep warm in a 250 degree oven until ready to serve.  Repeat until all of the delicoius batter is cooked.  Add the fixins* and enjoy.

To reheat you can place in a 350 degree oven and flip occasionally until warm, about 8-10 minutes, toast in the toaster or microwave on high for about 30-45 seconds, give or take.  I prefer the first two options.  They don't get as mushy and have a little bit more crust-a-bility!

*Fixins:  peanut butter (my favorite on top), almond butter, maple syrup, cranberry flavored syrup, butter

Enjoy!