For years, I believed that pumpkins were only good for carving. The thick, brownish-orange look and smell of a pumpkin pie was never appealing, so I generally stayed away from anything related to the orange squash. But then I tried an exclusive Williams Sonoma pumpkin spice waffle and pancake mix and fell in love. The mix made the best pancakes, and absolutely divine waffles. Then the buggers added pecans, which put the mix on my nut allergy-led Don't-Eat list.
Luckily, there are other options. First of all, you can make your own. We shared one version back in 2005, and there's also PinchMySalt's version and this one at Epicurious. Or, you can get other ready-to-go mixes. There are, thankfully, tons of options out there -- it's just a matter of picking one of the manychoices.
I'm always on the lookout for the mix or recipe that will replace my lost love (maybe it's above?), so please comment below with all tasty, nut-free suggestions!
I love a good pancake, especially ones bursting with whole grains (I find that those made with white flour leave me feeling hungry an hour after breakfast). These look like they were excellent, stick-with-you cakes. They also have the benefit of being totally vegan (recipe here), so are fabulous for those mornings when you have a crowd to feed and some of them don't do milk or eggs.
I'm pretty infamous for my pancakes, or moreover, the look that pops up on my face when friends use Bisquick. It's so easy to make your own, or make your own instant, that buying a box just seems silly. (I'll post my favorite instant recipe this week.) But if you like to spend the time and make your own from scratch, you've got to check out the pancake recipe in the show above. Tomatza starts off with a run-of-the-mill homemade pancake recipes and adds meringue to improve the texture.
Yesterday morning, I made pancakes even though I really wanted waffles. The idea of digging around the coat closet (my kitchen storage annex) in order to pull out the waffle iron felt like far more effort that I could muster up on a lazy Saturday morning and so I opted for pancakes, made from mix stirred up according to my father's special recipe. They have honey toasted wheat germ, cornmeal and uncooked millet in them and are lightly sweetened with a touch of cane sugar. My pancakes were delicious, but this picture of a batch of cornmeal ricotta waffles, taken last fall by Jeannette of Everybody Likes Sandwiches, makes me think it might just be worth the effort to pull out the waffle maker after all.
After posting about food advertising versus food reality, I got curious about exactly how food stylists make stuff look so tasty for the cameras. Alanna's written about this before too - she notes that adding a tablespoon of soapy water to your coffee will make it appear extra hot and bubbly. Here are a few other tips I learned - hope you've got a spray gun and some motor oil!
- Half-cook barbecued ribs are painted with wood stain for a glossy, extra juicy look.
- Dyed, whipped shortening often subs for milkshakes because it looks so dense and creamy. Mmmm, Crisco.
- Motor oil makes great pancake syrup - super thick and glossy.
- "Roast" turkey and chicken sometimes comes by its caramel-colored skin via a blowtorch and several layers of food coloring.
- Sesame seeds are hand-glued on hamburger buns using tweezers for even spacing.
That mountain of colorful, sugary pancakes comes to you by the fine folks at IHOP, who have put together this concoction to celebrate the movie Horton Hears A Who, starring the voices of Jim Carrey and Steve Carell, that was released a few weeks ago.
This thing is just chock full of stuff that will make kids run around all day long, or maybe stay in bed with a tummy ache. Colored syrup, a lollipop shoved in the middle like the flag on top of a mountain top. And what are those, jelly beans or bubble gum pieces?
As mentioned in a recent post, maple syrup prices are soaring due to high fuel oil costs and a shorter season due to climate change.
But if you want to indulge your maple syrup-tooth right now, and happen to be in the Angelica, New York vicinity (about two hours from Buffalo), try Cartwright's Maple Tree Inn. The Cartwrights, a family of longtime maple syrup producers, began serving pancakes and syrup for a few weeks during the harvest season in 1963. They've been selling stacks of buckwheat pancakes ever since, to tourists from as far away as Germany and Japan. The restaurant is only open for two months - from February 12 through April 13 this year. How's that for local, seasonal eating?
The Cartwright's pancake recipe is a family secret, but here's a link to The Minimalist's Pancake Primer - his ricotta pancakes are killer (in case you can't make it to Angelica before April 12).
We're in the thick of the maple syrup harvest season right now, but high fuel costs will likely lead to price increases of around 30 percent, according to an article in the Boston Globe.
Fuel prices - sugarmakers use fuel oil to boil the harvested sap into syrup - combined with already low syrup reserves from several poor harvest seasons are driving up retail prices. Warmer winters due to climate change have shortened the season, causing historically low output. Plus, there's an increased demand for maple syrup as consumers grow increasingly hip to its superiority over the faux corn syrup-based pancake syrups.
There's nothing like a wobbly stack of thick, fluffy pancakes spilling over with melted butter and maple syrup on a weekend morning (or early afternoon, if you prefer), but there are occasions when we need to be a little more refined. That doesn't mean you can't have pancakes, though. It just means that you might want to dress them up by molding your pancake batter on the griddle with a set of molds in floral shapes. Williams-Sonoma has a set of three in different sizes for pretty stacking for $16. Williams-Sonoma also provides a recipe for Praline Pancakes (pictured above) so that your Sunday morning brunch will feel a little bit fancier than a truck stop (not that truck stops aren't absolutely delicious).
OK, this is just plain freaky. When I sit down to eat a meal, I don't want to see its eyes. It reminds me of that Nightmare on Elm Street movie where Freddy Krueger's body had all those writhing faces of his victims. In this pic, all I can think about is the little cereal pieces screaming "help us!" in a high pitched voice.
Though I can imagine the pancakes singing and dancing in an animated Disney movie.
Today is National Maple Syrup Day, and while it's common to pour maple syrup on breakfast foods such as pancakes and waffles, maybe we can do something a little bit different today.
You could make a Monte Cristo Sandwich, though the recipesI'mfindingonline don't have maple syrup listed in the ingredients. That's the way I've had them in the past, so maybe you can try it that way too. Having pasta tonight? Forget all about tomato sauce and put some maple syrup on it! Making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches? Maybe a dollop or two of maple syrup might make things interesting.
And then top it off with a cocktail made with maple syrup, The Misty Maple Leaf.
Long before I was born, my dad worked at the International House of Pancakes as a short order cook. Because of that experience, he developed something of an intense pancake and waffle philosophy that included what should go into the batter, how they should best be cooked and what belonged on top of a pancake or waffle. Thanks to him, I grew up eating some really excellent breakfast goods.
It is also because of my dad that I am slightly alarmed by the Batter Blaster. It is a spray canister of pancake/waffle batter that you simply "point, blast and cook!" Oh, and did I mention that it's organic (because if it's organic then it must be good for you)? I believe that if you don't have the time to stir up some batter and cook it, then it's best to choose something else for your breakfast. Or when you make pancakes or waffles on the weekends, make a few extra to freeze for quick defrosting on busy mornings.
Has anyone tried this product? Are you intrigued or repulsed (or somewhere in between)?
For years, I believed that pumpkins were only good for carving. The thick, brownish-orange look and smell of a pumpkin pie was never appealing, so I generally stayed away from anything related to the orange squash. But then I tried an exclusive Williams Sonoma pumpkin spice waffle and pancake mix and fell in love. The mix made the best pancakes, and absolutely divine waffles. Then the buggers added pecans, which put the mix on my nut allergy-led Don't-Eat list. 
As mentioned in a 
We're in the thick of the maple syrup harvest season right now, but high fuel costs will likely lead to price increases of around 30 percent, according to an article in the 
The world of 
Today is National Maple Syrup Day, and while it's common to pour maple syrup on breakfast foods such as pancakes and waffles, maybe we can do something a little bit different today.
Long before I was born, my dad worked at the International House of Pancakes as a short order cook. Because of that experience, he developed something of an intense pancake and waffle philosophy that included what should go into the batter, how they should best be cooked and what belonged on top of a pancake or waffle. Thanks to him, I grew up eating some really excellent breakfast goods. 
New York Times Magazine's food issue
Chicken McNuggets frolic at New York City pet store
Eat your broccoli orbs! 
