Pancakes

Mundane Pointless Stuff I Must Share (MPSIMS)
#1

Sundays at Rancho DeDay is Pancake Day. It’s our tradition around here. What’s for breakfast Sunday? Pancakes! Only, I have to admit I’m lazy. I make my pancakes from a mix. Sometimes I go crazy and whip out the blender and mix up a batch from scratch. I used to take pride in my scratch pancakes (that you mix up in the blender, so it’s still pretty easy). But then I had an epiphany: The kids will eat the box-mix pancakes just as fast as the from-scratch 'cakes. And it’s fewer steps and less clean-up. So mostly now it’s box-mix pancakes.

Not just any box-mix though. We only use The Original Aunt Jemima Pancake & Waffle Mix. (We don’t make the waffles though. Just won’t happen.) None of that Bisquick stuff for us. No way! And you know The Original Aunt Jemima Pancake & Waffle Mix is good, it won an award. Not just any award, like for nicest box or prettiest artistic rendering of a fictional spokes model either. This is a Big Time Award. The Original Aunt Jemima Pancake & Waffle Mix won the Best of Show Taste Award from the prestigious American Tasting Institute.

You’ve heard of them, right? The American Tasting Institute? Me neither. Is this a real Institute? Of course it is because they gave The Original Aunt Jemima Pancake & Waffle Mix a big ol’ award. It says so right on the side of the box. But who the heck is The American Tasting Institute? No one knows. How do you get nominated for the Taste Award from the American Tasting Institute? It’s a mystery. These Taste Awards, are they broadcast anywhere, even on one of those way too specific cable stations (like The Sock Network, or Knitting TV)? Probably not. How do you even get into the American Tasting Institute? This one I think I can answer.

To get into the American Tasting Institute, you really have to like The Original Aunt Jemima Pancake & Waffle Mix. That’s probably the first question they ask you when you fill out an application to join up.

With The Original Aunt Jemima Pancake & Waffle Mix you don’t just have to make plain old regular pancakes either. Right under the award they got from the American Tasting Institute they have recipes for extra special pancakes. For Chunky Pecan pancakes they say to add some pecans. For Blueberry pancakes, you stick some blueberries in there. Cinnamon & Brown Sugar? Use some brown sugar and some cinnamon. Apples & Cinnamon? You use some cinnamon all-righty, but here’s the big surprise- instead of using apples you stick some applesauce in the batter. (I bet you didn’t see that one coming.) So you can make some real swank pancakes with The Original Aunt Jemima Pancake & Waffle Mix. If you want. Which we don’t. Because the boys eat the regular ones just fine.
-Rue.

#2

MMMMMMMM… pancakes. I loves me some pancakes. Ever tried putting in a little club soda in the mix Rue? Makes em nice and fluffy. I also make waffles. I have a waffle iron. One side is the waffle side and the other side is flat for making pancakes and grilled cheese sammiches. I guess I could make other stuff on the flat side too but I use it for pancakes and grilled cheese sammiches. MMMMMMMMMM… good! I like waffles for supper in the winter. Waffles and bacon for supper when it’s cold. MMMMMMMMMM.

I had a good weekend at my symposium. Who knew a bunch of naked boys who like boys could be so erudite and intelligent? :smiley: The pool was nice too. I ain’t sayin’ anything else cause that would get to TMIy and besides y’all need stuff to imagine about me anyways. I will tell ya I got happy birthday sung to me by a bunch of nekkid people, which was interesting.

Last night I burned a bunch of cds for a friend of mine. Ok, I’ve been promising I’d do this for weeks now so last night after I got home I decided it was time to do it. A whole bunch of 60s stuff. She doesn’t know I did it yet. I’m givin’ em to her this evening. She’ll be excited. She’ll probably hug me and go SQUEEEEEE.
-swampbear (now more golden brown)

#3

I was reading this and kept remembering that scene from Cabin Fever. The one where the crazy kid in front of the store starts yelling “Pancakes! Pancakes!”

Now I want some pancakes, but I’m out of mix. Dang it.

#4

We make big pancake breakfasts on Sundays, too, and we also use the Aunt Jemina mix.
My husband is the Chief Pancake-Maker in our house. He makes them on the big electric griddle while I make scrambled eggs and bacon on the stove.
My son likes pancakes with grape jelly on them rather than syrup.
Hubby always makes extras so the kids can have them through the week.
I don’t eat pancakes anymore since I’ve been doing Atkins. (I’ve lost nearly 80 pounds over the last year - Yay me!) I’ve never been a real fan of pancakes, anyway; I prefer French Toast.

We cheated this Sunday, though. We went to IHOP.
I got a 3-egg omelet with Swiss cheese, mushrooms and bacon. My god, that thing was freaking HUGE! (And it came with 3 pancakes.) I brought half of it home and am planning on eating it very soon. Like, within the next few minutes.
I also brought home my three pancakes and my son’s two pancakes that he couldn’t finish. The kids can eat them if they ever get up.

#5

I’m a heathen, because I prefer waffles far, far more than pancakes. It’s a texture thing.

I think I’d like to join the American Taste Institute. You’d get to taste stuff all day long. Then I think I’d like to join a gym. Because that would have to all be worked off.

#6

I’m an omelet man myself; three eggs lightly beaten with a splash of water and whatever happened to be handy (onions, peppers, mushrooms, ham), then sprinkle with shredded cheese just before folding. I even had a pan which was reserved for making omelets, never to be used for lesser purposes. On those occasions when we would eat breakfast at a restaurant I could always count on my wife to order an omelet and after a few bites proclaim that it was “not bad, but not as good as yours.” Of course, she’d married me, so her taste in some matters might be considered questionable.

#7

Sundays is turkey bacon day at my house. And not just any turkey bacon neither. We do the Butterball turkey bacon cause it’s only about 40 calories a slice and not a lotta fat grams. We would rather have real bacon and eggs and butter slathered toast but we are watching our weight around here, too. I’m with Swampy on the pancakes for dinner in the winter thingy. Some sausages and fried eggs with that would be good.

So, I got my hairs cut on Saturday. I got them cut all real short, too. :eek: So now I’ve gone from the sorta Farrah Faucett look to more like the Stockard Channing in Grease look…specially when I wear my pink lipstick. Mr. Anachi said it was cute and “it will grow back.” :mad: Hmmmph! Anyway, all the dye is gone now and I’m back to my real color which is a lot less gray than I thought it was gonna be. That’s all I got for right now.

Tupug, the short-haired

#8

But what color are your pancakes?
Do you make them into fun shapes?

I will be sad one day when the kids are all grown up and I am no longer making purple, pink, red, blue, green or orange pancakes in bear, heart, star and Mickey Mouse shapes!

#9

I’m a waffle guy too, mainly because of their compartmentalization capabilities. Instead of my butter slip sliding away, those little individual chambers all hold my condiment secure until they can drench my tongue with yummy delectability.

Oh, and the guy that started the prestigious American Tasting Institute? I think his name was Bud.

#10

Weird. I had an intense craving for pancakes yesterday. But I don’t buy Aunt Jemima. I use Bisqick. It’s what my mom used, so it’s what I use. Also, the grocery store near me only had Aunt Jemima Buttermilk mix, and I don’t like buttermilk pancakes. Ergo, Bisquick.

I have a cast iron flat skillet. Perfect for pancakes. Heat it up, wipe it with a bit of wax paper and you’re ready to go.

Made three perfectly golden puffy pancakes. Topped with real butter. And some fancy schmancy maple syrup my nephew forgot when he moved out. Not Log Cabin. This stuff was $12.00 for a 12oz bottle. Serious syrup.

It was heaven.

#11

Hmm, that reminds me… today is Get-Rid-Of-The-Gray Day in the BiblioCat house. My hair is terribly gray, and I’m only 39. I’ve let it go, and have about an inch of VERY gray roots. I bought a new brand Saturday, L’Oreal Medium Brown. Gotta get going on that.

#12

Well, y’all are getting me depressed. After gaining 6 lbs. in the 6 weeks between doctor’s visits, I’ve had to quit blowing off my Atkins diet. No pancakes for me, and the lot of you are making me very hungry.

#13

Pancakes at my apartment: generic Wal-mart brand with Wal-Mart syrup. yup., That’s it. no fancy awards, no scrath cakes. Just cheap, generic pancakes. And they’re very yummy too! However the likliness of pancakes getting made here is slim to none. My roommate can’t cook unless it consists of Hamberger Helper, Easy Mac, or PB&J (I won’t let her in my kitchen), and I never have the time or the motivation to do it myself. I can’t member the last time I had pancakes, so I’m jealous. :stuck_out_tongue:

#14

Okay, I’ve got the dye on my hair and I have 28 minutes to kill - entertain me!

#15

Shouldn’t waffle irons make your waffles flat? You know, like regular irons make your clothes flat instead of wrinkly. Yes they should. At least in a perfect world.

I’ll have to try the club soda. It sounds crazy enough to work. Would 7-Up work too? There’s more a chance of having 7-Up around here than club soda. Then we’ll have lemony-limy pancakes. Now we usually have vanilla-y pancakes because the Aunt Jemima mix, as good as it is (and it’s waaaay better than Bisquick, MissTake), it’s even better with a splash of vanilla. (The extract. Only the fake extract because I’m too cheap to buy the real stuff and my palette is not what you’d call discerning.)

It’s the “Tasting Institute” (founded by Bud), not the “Eating Institute” Java. It’s like wine tasting, you just taste, you don’t swallow. I’m sure when you join they give you a great big bucket with a nice ATI logo on it. I’m just sure.

Have you ever made a free-hand green dinosaur on the griddle misstee? I have. I can do Apatasauruseseses and T-rexes. In any color. Just one color at a time though. I tried to do a tie-dyed thing with the food coloring in the batter and it worked fine. For the first couple of 'cakes. Then all the colors mixed and it wasn’t so much the pretty anymore.

I can see it now: LurkMeister vs lieu. Omelet Man vs Waffle Guy. I think that would be a good movie.

SkyClad 72-72-4-HIKE! is implying she’s all naked with her screen name. I don’t think she is. At least not right now. That’s what I think.

#16

We pretty much only make scratch pancakes anymore. The secret is to whip the egg whites. LIke you’re making a meringue. Makes for a light pancake and the taste is different.

But this weekend instead of pancakes we had bacon and biscuits. We do cheat on the biscuits (any perfect, foolproof biscuit recipes out there?) And the kids only eat turkey bacon, but the turkey bacon doesn’t have enough fat to cook correctly, so we cook real bacon first (por moi) and then fry the turkey bacon in pork bacon fat. Yum.

On Saturday we went to my folks for dinner and swimmin’. Lots of kids in the pool. Unfortunately I was the only adult that went in, so I became a human jungle gym. Then feelings got hurt if everyone didn’t get their fair turn. So I had to salve hurt feelings and toss kids into the air/water. Boy was I tired.

For dinner we had NY strips and filets mignon. I don’t know why but my dad fixes strips for the guys and filets for the ladies. With stuffed twiced backed potatoes and salad and SF sourdough bread. We also downed a bottle of Chateneuf du Pape and a Penfolds Bin 128 Shiraz and a 2000 Bordeaux, I can’t recall the Chateau right now but it was from the Montagne - Saint Emilion area and it was a Grand Vins de Bordeaux. Washed down with chocolate strawberry cake or carrot cake, your choice. Not too shabby.

#17

Here’s the website of the American Tasting Institute.

http://www.americanculinaryinstitute.org/

Ok, it’s not the American Tasting Institute anymore. Now it’s the American Culinary Institute (in case the address didn’t give it away). I guess all the other institutes laughed at them, and so they changed their name to something fancy.

#18

I have never made any dinosaurs, but I am now inspired to. I did make a few catdogs a couple of years ago when the kids were into him(her?it?)

I let the kids use sprinkles to make faces, I have also tried mixing colors- but not in the same bowl, I would have two bowls of different colors and mix them on the griddle - but as of lately I have only been doing one color at a time.

It’s been awhile since I have done any shapes. <slaps wrist for being a bad slacker mom>

#19

Rue, you are making me all misty with your pancake talk. Sundays growing up were Pancake day for dad and I. Mom was a late sleeper, and never ate breakfast, so dad and I would get out the Bisquik (I know) and whip up flapjacks for ourselves on the weekends. When I was really little I’d sit on the counter as dad cooked them. That’s an awesome memory of my dad and I. :: snif ::

I dated a guy a while back who didn’t like pancakes. I was horrified, and thought that maybe it should be a warning to me. But alas, I was distracted by his talents in other rooms of the house IYKWIM. I then decided that Mr. Right was going to be a pancake man.

Jesus, are the experts really right? Are we just looking for men who remind us of our fathers? :eek:

Anyhoo, back to the MMP, because that just got a little bit too deep.

I tried sake for the first time last night. I’m not sure how I feel about it. It went down warm, but the taste? Hmm. I enjoyed the eel roll much more.

#20

Are you my kid, Scout? No, wait, VunderKind is a dude, and you’re not.

He would always give me grief about how I made crummy pancakes, but amazing enough, he wolfed them down.

Alas, now he’s 16, and too big to sit on the counter. He also is living with his grandparents at the moment, so lifting him onto the counter is real tough…