i spent a day with a friend from out of town a couple weeks ago. i took some lovely photos of her, you can see them here.
to start our day, we ate at the red wagon. i've eaten there several times since i first went when they opened last november. i really love it.
steph got a breakfast sandwich:
andrea got an omelet of some sort. i think it was an asparagus & goat cheese special:
and i got something i've been eyeing on their menu for a long, long time:
pulled pork pancakes with jack daniels syrup.
i finally did it. i finally ordered it. and i can say.... it was quite worth it. maybe not an every day kind of meal, but most definitely a meal you need to order once in your life (if you eat pork, that is. if you don't, well, maybe you should avoid this one).
i know there are others who like to combine sweet & savory together. i know i am not the only one. otherwise there would be no pulled pork pancakes on a menu, right? i am glad menu items like these exist. they make me happy.
i implore you (the world) to stop using pancake mixes, especially the ones with sketchy ingredients (like bleached flour, corn syrup solids, defatted soy flour, dextrose, carrageenan...). making pancakes from scratch is actually as easy as from a mix. and tastes better. and it comes with a sense of accomplishment and pride. bonus.
pancakes (even when not made from a "pancake mix") are quite easy to whip up when you are hungry. be it for breakfast, brunch, or that late night snack when you are craving sugar.
another reason not to make pancake-mix pancakes:
... if you make your own pancakes, you won't run the risk of salmonella poisoning either.
but here is a real pancake recipe: (recipe adapted from joy of baking)
1 c. flour 2 t. baking powder 1/4 t. salt 2 T. sugar 1 egg, lightly beaten 1 c. milk 2 T. butter, melted
sift/whisk the dry ingredients together in a medium to large sized bowl. in a separate bowl, whisk the egg, milk and butter together. (if the butter is still warm/hot from melting, beat the egg & milk first so you don't cook the egg at all). pour the wet bowl into the dry bowl and fold/stir it together until just mixed. lumps are okay, but dry flour bits are not. if you are feeling creative, this is when you can mix in chocolate chips or blueberries. let the batter sit a couple minutes while you heat up the pan or griddle to medium or medium-high heat. once hot enough (water will splatter or sizzle), brush the pan with butter. scoop out your pancake batter in 1/4 cup increments onto pan. once the edges are dryish looking (bottom will be brown) and the top is bubbly, flip your pancake over and cook until its golden brown. if your pancake completely falls apart in the flipping process and your flipper is covered in smushed batter, then you know its not ready to be flipped.
serve with whatever you like to eat on pancakes. i like peanut butter and maple syrup. or butter and syrup. what do you like to eat on pancakes? i wish i was more creative with my pancake toppings, but nothing beats a bit of moist, sugary pancake for my palate.
one of my go-to sites for baking recipes is the joy of baking. i haven't tried too many of their recipes, but i always* use their pumpkin pie filling recipe, and i always* use their pancakes recipe. check it out if you get that urge to bake something and you just don't know what...
lately i've been using the buttermilk pancake recipe from joy of baking, except that i substitute regular milk for buttermilk, since i never have any buttermilk on hand. i highly suggest using 1/2 white and 1/2 whole wheat flour, which is what i normally do. however, i am out of white flour currently, since my grocery store isn't selling the brand i like anymore. thus, i used stoneground spelt flour. the result was a batter that was a bit too liquidy, so i'm thinking maybe the stoneground spelt didn't absorb the liquid as well? (i really have no idea). regardless, they were yummy. i ate them with blueberries, peanut butter, and maple syrup.
to start our day, we ate at the red wagon. i've eaten there several times since i first went when they opened last november. i really love it.
andrea got an omelet of some sort. i think it was an asparagus & goat cheese special:
pulled pork pancakes with jack daniels syrup.
