Morning Surprise Pancakes

Disclaimer, right here: the pancake recipe to follow is really quite ordinary. The only surprise was that I ended up making pancakes this morning.

Last night the group was discussing plans, and I overheard some talk of making breakfast or something. They didn't really tell me anything, so I said to myself, "Alana, it's ok, they can manage breakfast on their own. You've been cooking enough. You don't have to plan anything." And I replied to myself, "Ok, I'll just eat a regular breakfast on my own and let them worry about it."

So, this morning I got up, ate some freshly made granola (I figured if they couldn't come up with anything else, at least there was lots of granola) and read my Bible. Eventually everyone got up/arrived here and they started talking about breakfast. They decided to make pancakes and I said to myself, "It's okay, Alana, relax. I'm sure they can make pancakes. You don't have to feel the need to always be in control of kitchen activities. Let them work it out for themselves." It was at that point that my flat-mate came out of the kitchen and said, "Alana, what proportion do you use on the pancake mix?" And I responded with a blank stare. See, I may have mentioned, this propensity of mine to not use recipes? Well that goes especially for pancakes. I haven't used a pancake recipe for years...and to try to explain what I do from afar without being able to see and say, "Yeah, that looks like the right amount," is virtually impossible. So yet again I was drawn into the kitchen. These are roughly the proportions I told them as we went.

3 c. flour

1/3 c. sugar (more or less depending on desired sweetness)

1/4 tsp salt?

1 Tbsp baking powder

2-3 Tbsp oil

Mix together and then add

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

milk (enough to make the desired batter consistency. We probably used 2-3 cups, and it was still probably a bit thick.)

Mix batter. May be a bit lumpy.

Cook on a hot griddle. You know, like a pancake.

If you happen to have a sugar shortage, syrup is fairly simple to make. It won't taste like really maple syrup, but if you have maple flavoring, it could taste like fake maple syrup!

1 c. white sugar

1 c. brown sugar

1 c. water

Put in sauce pan and bring to boil. Boil for a couple minutes. Remove from heat and add whatever flavors are desired. I like to add vanilla and maple, but this morning I only had vanilla.

There's another type of syrup I had in Bolivia. It was amazing. I think it was also pretty simple, but I'm not sure if I remember correctly how to make it. It's been a long time. I think it was...

1 can sweetened condensed milk

1 cube (1/2 c?) butter

Boil together in a sauce pan.

Someday I'll have to experiment.