Pancake Madness....

Recently, I got tired of making my pancakes from a box. More specifically, Aunt Gemima's Pancake Mix....They're good and all, but my family and I are trying to eat a little healthier and we're adding more organic foods to our diet. So, for the past couple of weeks, I've been trying out different Scratch Pancake recipes and trying to perfect them by tweeking them here and there. There's nothing I love more than cooking! Well, other than my family and writing :)

What I came up with was OUT OF THIS WORLD! My BonusChild gobbled them up like they were going out of style. My husband (who is like my personal Food Critique!) had nothing bad to say about them and even asked for seconds :)

A good Scratch Pancake recipe is REALLY hard to find, so I thought I would share it with all of you :)

Here it is:

1/2 and 1/4 cup of All Purpose Flour
1/2 and 1/4 cup of Whole Wheat Flour
(This brings us to 1 1/2 cups of flour all together)
3 teaspoons of Baking Powder
3 tablespoons of sugar
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 Large organic egg (beaten)
3 tablespoons of melted butter
1 1/2 cups of milk
1 teaspoon of Pure Vanilla Extract

(This makes 6 pancakes, but you can double all the ingredients for 12)

While preparing the batter, preheat your non-stick frying pan to medium on your stove top.

Whisk all of the dry ingredients together and then add the milk, butter, egg and vanilla extract. Mix until combined and there are no lumps.

Use a soup laddle to pour the batter into the pan (do not melt butter into the pan, the butter in the batter takes care of this). Once you see bubbles form on the top, they're ready to flip. Only flip once! This is how you get a perfect pancake every time! Once flipped, cook the rest of the way and then serve warm.

The size of your pancakes can vary. I personally like them a medium size. That's about 1/4 cup of batter per pancake.

For my husband, and just for variety, I like to make a breakfast sandwhich out of the pancakes for him. What you'll need is this:

2 pancakes
1 large organic egg
low fat mayonnaise
shredded chedder cheese
bacon, ham or turkey

Spread the Mayonnaise on one side of each pancake. Fry up your egg in whatever way you like. Personally, I find nothing more delicious than a nice oozing yolk, so I cook mine sunny-side-up! Fry whichever meat it is that you so choose. On the bottom pancake, spread out some shredded cheese lay your egg over the top, a little more shredded cheese on the top of the egg, lay the bacon over that, add the second pancake over the top to close off like a sandwhich, then drizzle with Pure Canadian Maple Syrup! *drool*.....this is so good, I can't even tell you! I'm salivating as I type!

These pancakes will be the best thing you and your family will put in your mouth on a Saturday morning! The whole wheat gives the batter such a great texture! And the butter in the batter creates this lovely crispy edge! They're fluffy, but not weak.....just delicious!

Enjoy them :)

The Mom Show...

I'm 31 years old. 32, in October.

I lived at home with my parents until I was 28 years old. Met my husband the year I turned 28, moved in the following April, was engaged the following January and Married that November. We've been together for a little over 3 years and we've been married for a year and half.

My husband is my everything and I love him with every fibre of my being.

I have never been pregnant. My body has never experienced the joy of having another living thing growing inside of it.....yet, I am a mother to a 5 year old little boy....who I love just as dear as I would my own (I would imagine!).

It hasn't been easy. My stepson (or rather, as I like to call him...my BonusChild) is an exceptional little boy :).....He's independant, tiddy, intelligent and extremely loving and accepting. He's a joy to be around. We do have our "off" days....usually, when he comes back from his Mom's (as she has access to him every second weekend while he lives with my husband and I full time). It's as though all of the work we put in with him on a daily basis gets rubbed out when he goes over to her place. If he doesn't want to brush his teeth there, he doesn't have to. Nor will he bathe if he so chooses. His meals often include abundances of candy and "fluff". It's a free-for-all and when he comes back home, he's almost uncontrollable. After a couple of days though, he is back to himself and back into routine.

My BonusSon and I have a very full day. We study the Alphabet together, play games, go to the park. He loves to help me bake! I've grown accustomed to playtime (which often includes Spidey, Iron Man and an insane amount of Legos!)....however, I no longer have time for myself.

Don't get me wrong, I love him! I just wasn't prepared for The Mom Show. I skipped all of that natural bonding and went straight into it.

Despite not having any time for myself, I still want one of my own....but then, I feel selfish :(. Selfish because my BonusSon needs so much attention and if I have a baby, that might take away from him.

Also, I'm trying to write a book! Who has the time?! I thought I would. When my husband asked me if I would quite my job to stay home with our boy, I agreed. I figured, this would be my time to finally get that book out of me! Boy, was I wrong.

I'm tired all the time. Cranky and not myself. And to place the cherry atop the cake....my husband and I have been trying to get pregnant for almost a year now and NOTHING. It figures that I would be the only woman in my family who couldn't. I have a doctor's appointment to see what's up next month. My fingers and toes are all crossed on this one.

*sigh*.....

I'm just all over the place and going nowhere fast.

Just another day in the life I guess.