saturday mornings

ARE FOR

F RANCES MACLEO D

saturday mornings

ARE FOR

pancakes

F R A N C E S M A C L E O D

© May 2012

many thanks, quite simply, to my sweet family.

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from my earliest memory, Saturday mornings are for pancakes,

& pancakes are for Saturday mornings.

When we were small, we’d wake up to the Andrews Sisters singing “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy” on the stereo and Dad expertly flipping piles of pancakes onto a plate he kept under the griddle to keep them warm. Someone would set the table with small glasses of milk and a microwaveable Hungry Jack syrup bottle. When my little sister was ten, we started mowing the yard together after eating. Over the last 23 years, we’ve shared our breakfast with friends and explored new recipes. There’s been all sorts of recipe variation and delivery exploration, but there’s always pancakes on Saturday morning.

16 inch

ELECTRIC GRIDDLE

a dandy spatula

small pitcher F O R M I C R O WAV I N G syrup

pizza cutterthe best invention

ever for cutting

pancakes into

bite-size pieces for

the wee ones.

special equipment

our griddle

Grandpa MacLeod brought Great Grandma Hebel’s old griddle to us from Wisconsin when we moved to Andover in 1991. I

think he realized we were as serious about pancakes as he’d been. I’m guessing that Grandma Hebel’s griddle was manufactured in the late 1960’s, but it could have been later. According to the identification it was sold by J.C. Penney. In any case, the Bakalite handles had been broken. Because of her deafness, she had a tendency to be rough on cookware. So Grandpa made new handles for what was otherwise a fine, heavy aluminum griddle with non-stick surface. The new handles are made of oak that he probably cut from a tree on the farm. They are of fine workmanship with compound angles. Typical work for him. The result is a one of a kind pancake griddle that we’ve been able to enjoy for 20 years.

The ideal setting is just under 325 even though the label says that pancakes should be done at 400 degrees. The non-stick surface seems to handle pancakes without any greasing. The oil in the batter is sufficient.

original pancake mixFan-favorite of Kansas MacLeods. Serves 18.Recipe from More With Less.

Ingredients

3 cups white flour

3 cups wheat flour

1 tablespoon salt

6 tablespoons baking powder

6 tablespoons sugar

2 cups instant dry milk

Mix well and store in airtight container.

original pancake recipeFan-favorite of Kansas MacLeods. Serves 18.Recipe from More With Less.

Ingredients

3 cups pancake mix, (previous page)

2 eggs

2 cups water

3 tablespoons canola oil

Combine in a bowl. Fry on hot ungreased griddle

blueberriesor

chocolate chips!

crack an egg

in the middle of a circle of batter

toppingsbuttermilk syrup

(like caramel!)

honey

real vermont maple syrup

cherry syrup

apple butter

jam

SHAPES!like letters

& easy animals

VARIATIONS on PANCAKES

In middle school, the Saturday morning wake up call became less exciting because it meant carbing up to mow the lawn.

“

”Anne

ESTIMATE20 pancakes per week

40 weeks out of the year for the last 23 years

pancake consumptionTOTAL

!

18,400pancakes!

ESTIMATE20 pancakes per week

40 weeks out of the year for the last 23 years

Since Dad would occasionally do fancy pancakes (like different shapes, or a giant slice of cheese in the middle of

a pancake), we occasionally had strong convictions about which pancakes we should get. I remember one dibs-calling episode when I was maybe five, where I pointed out which pancake I expected by setting my finger on the griddle. Pain ensued! Dad made me run my finger under the faucet for a while, and maybe he put butter on my finger too, since the butter was close at hand. I’m not sure about the butter. That was my first experience getting burned, and I felt shocked and offended and have never forgotten the griddle’s cruel lesson.

Caroline

EVERYONE has a favorite

FRANCESbuttermilk

annepumpkin

cinnamon roll

GORDONChunky Monkey

with Mom’s homemade

Buttermilk Syrup

Carolinegriddle cakes

DADthe one in

front of him

MomGRIDDLE CAKES

or CHUNKY MONKEY (with

buttermilk syrup!). The PUMPKIN

CINNAMON ROLL pancakes are

delicious, but the cleanup brings

the overall rating down.

buttermilk pancakes

Recipe from Cooks Illustrated Magazine

Serves 4

Ingredients

2 cups flour

2 tablespoons sugar1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder1/2 teaspoon baking soda

2 cups buttermilk1/4 cup sour cream

2 large eggs

3 tablespoons butter — melted

1 teaspoon vegetable oil

BEST

1Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 200 degrees. Spray wire rack set inside baking sheet with nonstick cooking

spray; place in oven.

2Whisk flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda together in medium bowl. In second medium bowl, whisk together

buttermilk, sour cream, eggs, and melted butter. Make well in center of dry ingredients and pour in wet ingredients; gently stir until just combined (batter should remain lumpy with few streaks of flour). Do not overmix. Allow batter to sit 10 minutes before cooking.

3Heat 1 teaspoon oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet or griddle over medium heat until shimmering. Using paper towels, carefully wipe out oil,

leaving thin film of oil on bottom and sides of the pan.

4Using 1/4 cup measure, portion batter into pan. Cook until edges are set, first side is golden brown, and bubbles on surface are

just beginning to break, 2 to 3 minutes. Using thin, wide spatula, flip pancakes and continue to cook until second side is golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes longer. Serve pancakes immediately, or transfer to wire rack in preheated oven. Repeat with remaining batter, using additional oil as necessary.

I remember the first time we had them, Mom made us try to guess the secret ingredient and we were like “Crack??!!” and she said it was cream of wheat.

“

”Caroline

Makes 8 -- 10 pancakes

Ingredients

nonstick spray

1 1/4 cups flour

1 1/2 cups buttermilk

1/3 cup instant cream of wheat — dry

1 egg

1/3 cup sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat a skillet over medium heat. Apply non-stick spray. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl with a mixer set on high speed. Mix until smooth. Pour the batter by 1/3-cup portions into the hot pan and cook pancakes for 1-2 minutes per side or until brown.

Repeat with remaining batter.

IHOP country griddle cakes

Dad 3-4

Mom 2-3

Gordon 5-6

Caroline 3-4

Frances 3-4

Anne 3-5

typicalWEEKLY CONSUMPTION

As long as they’re piled up on a platter and there is milk left in the jug, I could go for a while.

“”Gordon

CINNAMON FILLING:

1 stick salted butter, melted3/4 cup brown sugar1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

CREAM CHEESE ICING:1/2 stick salted butter2 ounces cream cheese3/4 cup powdered sugar, sifted1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

PANCAKES:1 1/2 cups whole milk1 cup pure unsweetened pumpkin puree2 large eggs2 tablespoon canola or vegetable oil2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar2 cups all-purpose flour1 tablespoon baking powder1/2 teaspoon baking soda2 tablespoons pumpkin pie spice1/2 teaspoon salt1 tablespoon packed light brown sugar

pumpkin C I N N A M O N R O L L PANCAKESTEDIOUS, BUT WORTH IT.

1 PREPARE THE CINNAMON FILLING: In a small bowl, mix butter, brown sugar

and cinnamon. Whisk the filling ingredients together and then pour it into a sandwich-sized zip baggie. Zip up the baggie and lay it on the counter while you prepare the pan-cake batter.

2 PREPARE THE ICING: In a medium microwave-safe bowl, heat butter and

cream cheese 30 to 60 seconds, just until butter has melted and cream cheese has softened. Whisk in powdered sugar and va-nilla and combine until smooth. Set the ic-ing aside.

continued

3PREPARE THE PANCAKE BATTER: In a large bowl, whisk together milk, pump-

kin, eggs, oil, and vinegar. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice, salt and brown sugar. Add the dry ingredients to the pumpkin mixture and stir just until all is moistened.

4 CHECK ON YOUR CINNAMON FILLING: Open up the baggie again and give it a

good stir to re-incorporate any butter that may have separated. You want the mixture to thicken a bit- it’s best when it’s similar to the squeezing texture of toothpaste (which will eventually happen if you leave it on the counter long enough, but refrigerate for a few minutes if you need to). Don’t try to use the filling for the pancake swirl unless it has thickened as it will be too runny! Snip off a small piece of the corner of the baggie.

5COOK THE PANCAKES: Preheat a large skillet or griddle to medium, and spray it

with nonstick spray. Use an ice cream scoop

(or ladle) to add the batter to the pan. Use the bottom of the scoop or ladle to spread out the batter into a nice, even circle. Re-duce the heat to medium-low. Pick up your cinnamon filling baggie and squeeze the fill-ing into the corner. Starting at the center of the pancake squeeze the cinnamon filling on top of the pancake batter in a swirl (just as you see in a cinnamon roll).

Cook the pancakes 3 to 4 minutes, or until bubbles begin popping on top of the pan-cake and it is golden brown on the bottom. Slide a thin spatula underneath the pancake and gently but quickly flip it over. Cook an additional 2 to 3 minutes, until the other side is golden as well. When you flip the pancake onto a plate, you will see that the cinnamon filling has created a crater-swirl of cinna-mon. Wipe out the pan with a paper towel, and repeat with the remaining pancake bat-ter and cinnamon filling. Serve pancakes topped with a drizzle of cream cheese icing.

contentIngredients

4 egg whites -- stiffly beaten

4 egg yolks -- lightly beaten

4 tablespoons brown sugar

1 teaspoon salt

2 1/2 cups milk

3 cups whole wheat flour

2 tablespoons baking powder

6 tablespoons canola oil

Serves 6

original! Grandpa Mac’sWHOLE WHEAT PANCAKES

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Beat egg yolks just to break them. Add sugar, salt and milk. Mix together and add whole wheat flour. Mix just long enough to combine all ingredients. Mix should be fairly heavy, not runny.

Fold in the stiffly beaten egg whites, adding the baking powder as you fold. Stir in the oil last, mixing it well, but not enough to deflate the beaten whites.

Spoon onto preheated griddle (325-350 degrees). When bubbles appear on upper surface, flip and cook for about 2 more minutes.

Serve with butter and maple syrup or honey. If adding berries, put them in at the same time as you add the oil.

Grandpa uses Calumet Baking Powder, because it has no aluminum in it. The batter does not keep well. However, cooked pancakes may be put in a plastic bag and held for several days in the re-frigerator. They taste fine when reheated in the microwave oven.no

tes

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BUTTERMILK SYRUP good on everything!

Ingredients

1 cup all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup skim milk

3 tablespoons butter, melted

2 eggs

1 tablespoon white sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 large banana, diced

1/2 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips

1/4 cup chopped pecans or walnuts

makes 9 pancakes

chunky monkeypancakes

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Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. Set bowl aside. In a sepa-rate bowl, whisk together the skim milk, melted butter, eggs, sugar, and vanilla. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and stir in the wet ingredients, being careful not to over mix the batter. Gently fold in the banana, chocolate chips, and nuts.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat, and coat with cooking spray. Pour 1/4 cupfuls of batter onto the skillet, and cook until bubbles appear on the surface. Flip with a spatula, and cook until browned on the other side.

1 1/2 cups white sugar

3/4 cup buttermilk

1/2 cup butter

2 T corn syrup

1 t baking soda

2 t vanilla extract

In a saucepan, stir together the sugar, buttermilk, butter, corn syrup, & baking soda. Bring to a boil, and cook for 7 minutes. Remove from the heat, and stir in the vanilla.

BUTTERMILK SYRUP good on everything!

When my parents got married, my dad asked my mom if their family could eat breakfast together every morning. There were certainly times I didn’t want to be up early, and I resisted giving up sleeping in on Saturdays (most of middle / high school), but eating meals together whenever possible has connected my family. Especially when our schedules were hairy, we were all around for breakfast.

My siblings and I are mostly grown up now, but we still look forward to Saturday morning pancakes when we’re all at home.

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