Under a Red Roof

All Ways Delicious Pancakes from Scratch

June 1, 2009 in Cooking + Baking, Eating, Remembering by Colleen | 4 comments

When I was a little girl and had pancakes for breakfast at a friend’s after sleeping over, I always wondered why their mom or dad’s version tasted so much different than my mom’s. For the most part, they were exactly the same size, shape, and golden hue (though never as fluffy). Additionally, the syrups tended to be the same, though sometimes I was surprised with a Mrs. Butterworth’s (fancy!) or in the case of Janet Womack’s mom, the use of plain corn syrup instead of the fake maple I was accustomed to.

Finally, after not being able to puzzle it out and always enjoying the pancakes at home over anywhere else (besides Grandpa’s – he used the same recipe), I asked my mom about it the next time she made them. “Well,” she said, “they probably use a mix and mine are from scratch.” “Oh.” “Yeah, it makes a big difference.” Indeed it does. Here is my variation on the recipe that makes a big difference, given to my mom by my Nana, my Grandpa’s mom. I’ve also included myriad variations at the end – they’re all delicious.

Pancakes from Scratch

1 cup flour

pinch salt

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 egg, separated

1 cup milk

Sift dry ingredients together, set aside. Add egg yolk to the milk in a measuring cup and stir. Beat the egg white until it is stiff but not dry. Mix the dry ingredients and the milk and egg yolk mixture together until smooth (do not over beat). Gently fold in the egg white, doing your best not to deflate the mixture. This gives the pancakes a wonderfully light texture. I won’t insult your intelligence here. You know how to do the rest.

Variations:

Hungry?

This recipe makes about a dozen 3″ pancakes, though it is easily doubled or tripled. You can also make a big batch and then freeze the leftovers for a quick weekday breakfast. Lightly toast them and you’re good to go!

Milk?

You can use any kind of milk here – soy, rice, oat, almond, hazelnut, buttermilk, whatever strikes your fancy. Today’s photo actually used hemp milk.

Eggs?

I’ve used the Ener-G Egg Replacer with good results. Since there is no yolk, just whip up the mixture like you would the egg white, though it won’t get as stiff.

Vegan?

Use the egg replacer along with the non-dairy milk of your choice.

Flour?

I’ve made this recipe with brown rice flour, oat flour, whole wheat, all-purpose, buckwheat, gluten-free blends, and every combination. The results have always been good, though if you go gluten-free or all whole wheat, I’d use more baking powder (1/4 teaspoon per cup of flour) for a little extra lift.

Blue Corn?

Use a mixture of one half corn meal (very fine masa, and it doesn’t have to be blue, though it is the prettiest!) and one half all-purpose flour (or equivalent).

Like Fruit?

Banana? Mash up a banana (small to medium size) really well (or use a hand blender) and add to the milk mixture. You can also slice it like the apple below, but make sure the pan is well oiled. Bananas are sticky.

Apple? Place a slice or two on the griddle just before pouring the batter over the top, or use 1/4 cup applesauce for every cup of flour. You may need to cook them a little longer. Add some cinnamon and ginger, too, they’ll be yummy!

Blueberries? Add some to the batter, or if you suffer from Colleen style anal-retentiveness (eek!), evenly distribute a small handful over each pancake just after pouring the batter onto the griddle.

Fruit Syrup?

Mix whole berries, chopped fruit of virtually any variety (fresh or frozen, though not banana), or a combination into a sauce pan. To that, add water or fruit juice (apple or white grape are good neutral flavors, orange for contrast), about 1/2 – 2/3 the volume of fruit. Mix in some cornstarch (usually about 1/2 to 1 teaspoon for every cup of fruit) with sugar or whatever sweetener you use (to your liking) and heat until thick and bubbly. Add a little vanilla or almond extract and butter. You can also add a little ginger and/or cinnamon – especially good with plum, peach, and apple syrups.

Peanut Butter?

Spread some on your pancake just before pouring your favorite syrup over the top. This is especially good with the banana variety. Elvis would be proud, too!

Pumpkin?

Add 1/4 cup pureed pumpkin (canned or homemade) for every 1 cup of flour along with cinnamon and ginger, and you’ve got a fall hit on your hands. Sprinkle with toasted pecans and hot damn – delicious!

Enjoy!

Tags: Cooking and Baking, Recipes

Sweet Sixteen

May 28, 2009 in Loving, Quoting, Remembering by Colleen | 2 comments

This is a bloom from the final peony I bought on my grand adventure last summer – the Bartzella! A delight for the eyes on the eve of my sixteenth wedding anniversary.

Blessed is the influence of one true, loving human soul to another.

George Eliot

Happy Anniversary – I love you, Buddy!

Everlasting Moments

May 15, 2009 in Remembering, Spotlighting, Watching by Colleen | 1 comment

When I was little, the first camera I had was a Kodak Pocket Instamatic. I liked the feel of it in my hand and the power associated with it – this moment will be mine, not only in memory, but as something tangible, for as long as I have the photograph. I remember being so excited to take pictures – there was a distinct thrill in finding a certain light or subject, winding the film, putting my eye to the view finder, and hearing the very sharp click of the shutter. I took a picture! Twelve photos later and I was ready to drop them off at Target, wait another week, and then see the results.

Sometimes they were disappointing – a finger or a blurred image marring what I thought was the perfect composition, but most of the time they were exactly how I remembered the scene to be: my cat Tasha licking her paw, the glorious Royal Gorge Bridge, or the beautiful and prolific sweet pea blooms in our neighbor Helen’s yard. I guess not much has changed, actually. I still get the same thrill when I snap photos now, only I get the instant gratification of seeing my work on the tiny digital screen of my camera.

It is this same thrill that echoes throughout the superb Swedish film from Jan Troell, Everlasting Moments. The story follows Maria, her husband, friends, and children with the same careful attention one pays in capturing the singular moments of life. From her first photograph to her last, we watch this woman grow in maturity, wisdom, and age, all the while taking photos of the mundane to the sacred. No matter what is on the other side of the lens, beyond her eye, she treats it with the delicacy and wonder of a rare object.

However, I would be remiss if I led you to believe this is a film about photography. It certainly is that, but it is really so much more, too. It is about the joys of living, the ways we love, fidelity, sacrifice, loss, and a changing world. I think, oddly enough, what I found most striking was the way everyday sounds, like birdsong, the fluttering of leaves in the trees, even children’s laughter, were incorporated into the story, like a heart beating in time.

A Cascade of Memories

April 1, 2009 in Being, Receiving, Remembering by Colleen | 1 comment

Yesterday at Nia class, my instructor Margaret mentioned Silver Falls State park here in Oregon, and with it came a cascade of memories for me.

The spring after we first moved here, one of Greg’s colleagues participated in an exchange with someone from Daimler-Chrysler to further the relationship between companies. Ron went off to Germany and Hans came here.

I think, quite possibly, he was the best gift we had in that first year. We’d had a rough start with the house (the furnace and oven breaking, plumbing problems, etc.) and I couldn’t find work as a teacher (a long standing trend!). One night, after a particularly bad day, we had Hans over for dinner, and his presence was like a light shining down on us – warm, friendly, and entirely good. It was the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

Hans became a near constant companion. We did every manner of activity together. We explored the McMenamin’s kindgom, had downtown adventures, threw parties, went hiking, took in movies, enjoyed great conversations, the works.

But these memories are the ones I hold dearest to my heart, for they are the most “Hans”:

Hans dressed in what I consider a pretty typical German fashion. Stylish with a dash of kookiness. He loved character socks. He once wore his favorite pair, Popeye, with sandals, to the waterfront for the Rose Festival. Also, he’d never owned a dryer before, and the one in his apartment was like a revelation. “Did you know it can dry pants in only half an hour?” Um yeah, but for every half an hour, you seem to lose a quarter of an inch in length, Hans. No matter. He was the happiest guy in high waters and Popeye socks. Definitely.

Hans always wore a button down shirt, always. In his left breast pocket he kept a small spiral notebook and pencil for new words and phrases. Often times, he would bring out the notebook for us to help him with something particularly unusual that he couldn’t suss out with his dictionary. The best was when he learned “spam sucking trailer trash” and “son of a bitch,” and in a rather serious tone, asked the G-Man and I: “Which is more worser?” The two of us nearly died with laughter, explaining that it really depends on the audience.

Hans was a master at cards. He could figure out any game in a matter of minutes and play joyously for hours. In particular, I loved to watch him shuffle. I have only recently become even remotely efficient at shuffling. I can’t really say why. I used to think it was my hands being small, but then we met Sandeep, and despite his fingers being a full inch shorter than mine, he was like a dealer in Vegas. Amazing. Anyway, Hans had this curious way of doing it, basically mixing up the stack, not actually shuffling. It was crazy how quick and efficient he was at it. You’d never imagine it would work, but it did.

Finally, the memory that started this all. On one of our many adventures, we went to Silver Falls State Park for a hike. It was a cold day, a bit drizzly, but exceedingly beautiful. The water was high and the falls in their full splendor, loudly crashing into the river below. As we hiked, we took a path that was further from the falls, deeper into the forest. Imagine the quintessential Oregon forest – redolent with the scent of clean air and earth, full of moss, ferns, evergreens, and the lacy branches of deciduous trees clamoring for the sun. We were happily chatting and walking when Hans suddenly stopped. I kept speaking for a moment then realized what it was about. Silence. A void of sound of the most profound variety, like none I have experienced since. For a full five minutes we stood in utter stillness and wonder that the world could be so beautiful and quiet and we could be so privileged to share in it.

There are many other wonderful memories of Hans, as well, and sometimes, when I need a little pick-me-up, I gently unpack one and smile that such a wonderful man came into my life all those years ago. Life is good.

By the way, I could not find the picture from that day, so this one has to suffice. The day was cloudier, but the landscape quite similar…