Pancake Project #2

Pancake Project #2

When life gives you pancakes…make macaroni and cheese!

I might be one of the only pathetic people I know who didn’t grow up addicted to macaroni and cheese. Something about the fact that this cheese looked like pixie dust and not like the cheese on my beloved grilled cheese sandwiches made me quite skeptical of its ingredients, even as an eight year old. My sister, on the other hand, found mac and cheese to be that magical bowl of happiness that most kids thought it to be. I wholeheartedly wanted to love it—as all of my friends did—but for some reason, every time I would take a taste from the melted, fresh hot pot of perfectly cooked macaroni and cheese, I would be left feeling utterly disappointed.

Nonetheless, I didn’t give up hope. The phenomenon of taste changing over time kept my expectations high that one day the golden bowl of cheesy noodles would be appealing to me. When I was a little girl, I hated peas; now, I find them to be delightful little vegetables. When I was younger, I salivated at a shiny strip of perfectly seared bacon. Today, that same bacon makes my stomach churn. Alas, I am still waiting for that majestic day when I will take a spoonful of macaroni and cheese and feel that coziness you get when you take a scrumptious bite of something you love…Still waiting…

I have one significant memory worth sharing that I will forever associate with a glistening scoop of mac and cheese. My friend Katie and I started getting to know each other my senior year of high school. Katie made one of her talents abundantly clear to me from an early moment in our new companionship: “I am the best boxed macaroni and cheese maker in the whole world,” she told me with complete confidence. I would be lying if I said I didn’t take that comment as somewhat of a jest, before I quickly realized she was one thousand percent serious. I’ve never met anyone prouder of their mac-and-cheese-making skills—correction—boxed mac-and-cheese-making skills.

So, as a tribute to Katie and in an honest effort to create macaroni and cheese in a way that makes my taste buds sing with delight, I decided to try something outrageous, daring, and potentially disgusting: macaroni and cheese pancakes.

My plan: Make a noodle-y, cheesy pancake, topped with more cheese. Pay tribute to the boxed macaroni and cheese by using the boxed recipe, and thus saving myself time, money, and a whole lot of energy!

My method:

I made the pancake batter: Again, if you don’t have the time to make your own, it’s no problem using a store-bought mix with this recipe (organic is best)! Also, I, again, used the whole wheat batter and milk in place of water in the mix for that special fluffiness.

Then I made the boxed macaroni and cheese (Annie’s brand). This recipe couldn’t be easier! Also, I kept about a spoonful of the cheese sauce in a separate bowl to be used later…

Next, I spooned some of the supposedly delicious macaroni and cheese into the pancake batter. Yes—noodles and all! I bet you’ve never had noodles in your pancakes before.

I cooked the one-of-a-kind pancake and topped it with some of that extra cheese I had set aside. Talk about a twist on the traditional maple syrup drizzle!

My Verdict: Let’s just say that tonight I ate the most macaroni and cheese I’ve ever had in my life. I’m starting to wonder if I’m onto something…Maybe I like food better IN pancakes!















What I would do differently: First, to make the picture more dazzlingly appetizing, I would have added scallions on top of the cheese. I could have easily done that with this recipe; however, with 21 credits of school work, making a trip to the grocery store is not a priority. Also, I think making a decadent béchamel sauce for the top of the pancake would have really stepped it up a notch (or ten). But, again, time is my enemy. So I went with the powdery stuff.

The coming attractions? No foretaste on the upcoming pancake this time. Why? Because I have no idea what I am going to do next…

~Happy Pancake Eating~

Pancake Project #1

When life gives you pancakes…make spaghetti and meatballs?

Spaghetti and meatballs with garlic bread has been a staple mid-week meal at my house for years. From little on, my sisters, my dad and I considered it my mom’s cop-out dinner. Meatball night was mom’s way of saying, “Sorry. I didn’t have time for dinner today guys.” So, to pay tribute to my mom, my first pancake challenge is her signature Italian meal…and one of America’s favorites.















My plan: Make the pancake into “garlic bread,” topped with meatballs, marinara sauce, and cheese.

My method:

I made the pancake batter:

• If you don’t have the time to make your own, it’s no problem using a store-bought mix with this recipe (though I would stick with the tasty fresh/organic variety if you can)! I used a whole wheat pancake, but white, of course, would taste just fine. Did I mention I’m a bit of a health nut?

• Also, I always opt for milk over water when making pancakes. It adds that fluffiness that makes you want to eat ten of them.

• Time for the crazy part! I added some freshly grated cheese, parsley (other herbs would work splendidly), a little bit of onion salt and a touch of garlic powder.

I heated the olive oil (I use extra virgin olive oil) in a nonstick pan with freshly grated garlic on medium heat. I added the pancake batter over the garlicky oil in the pan just before the garlic got too brown and toasty.

I plopped the scrumptious-looking garlic pancake onto the plate, topped it with my meatballs (I used meatless meatballs, since I don’t eat dark meat; but you can forget that tip, you meat eaters out there) and poured on my irresistible marinara sauce. I finished it off with some parmesan cheese and a little sprig of parsley (for the pictures, of course).

My Verdict: AMAZING!


I almost couldn’t believe it. And neither could my second, third, and fourth opinions in the house. The pancake was the most delicious garlic bread I have had in quite a while. Remember my obsession with the pancake’s fluffy texture. Well, combine that heavenly aspect of the pancake’s texture with the perfectly seasoned garlic notes in its taste, and you have, well, an unexpected masterpiece. Would I make this again? You bet. Forget traditional garlic bread. This is tasty, innovative, and quite good-looking! I think my father would agree—he wiped the plate clean.

What I would do differently:

Honestly, not a whole lot. It really was that good. I think Boca di Beppo could make some boo coo bucks with this Italian dish. Maybe next time I would add some veggies on the plate to make the healthy meal look more convincing. There is also one more trick I would like to have done to incorporate spaghetti noodles, but I’m reserving that antic for my next surprise recipe. How could I resist leaving you in some suspense?

The coming attractions? I’m thinking of an all-American classic. C’mon. That narrows the list more than you think…

Welcome to the strangest pancake blog ever.

Pancakes and maple syrup. A match made in heaven.

But what if I forced that perfect pair to separate? What if I cunningly plotted to make the everyday pancake try to make new friends—like spaghetti sauce or cheese? Or hamburgers or salsa?

Crazy, I know. Bold, you bet. Disgusting, quite possibly. But interesting…isn’t it?

Growing up, my family seemed to ignore the traditional pancake. My mom believed French toast was the breakfast to beat all breakfasts, and when my father had the urge to give the good ol’ pancakes a shot, out came the Aunt Jemima. Or the Bisquick. Yuck. Could I just eat the cardboard box instead, please?

My love for pancakes blossomed in my later teen years. Something about their beautifully fluffy texture and that heavenly maple topping made the lasting syrupy smell on my clothes totally worth it. I loved jazzing them up too. Chocolate chip, banana, blueberry, apple cinnamon, peanut butter, mixed berry, cinnamon raison—endless possibilities!

















But perhaps pancakes have been given their fair chance to impress. We seem to shove them into sweet submission by only allowing them to accompany their sugary counterparts. Their crepe cousins hog all the glory for venturing into the savory world, to be folded around meats and cheeses and veggies.

I’m here to stretch the pancake to its limits. My mission is to see how versatile this floury batter really is. Some of my endeavors may simply flop. And others…well, who knows? Maybe tomorrow night at dinner the pancake will be featured in your main course!

I would at least like the adjective “edible” to be awarded to each pancake creation, but I will not feel defeat if I the first bite travels faster coming out of my mouth than going in. Essentially, it’s the fearless try that’s the fun part.
I think it is important to establish some ground rules for this series of new pancake recipes.

My rules:

• The pancake must be altered in some way. Simply putting ingredients on top of the plain pancake is a cop-out, which is unacceptable in a courageous experiment like this.

• No exact measurements. Well, almost none. Of course the ingredients for the pancake batter should be measured out, lest you end up with some nasty, mushy, half-cooked glop. However, I plan to let creativity and spontaneity guide me through the rest of the recipe, which makes it that much more exciting if you plan to recreate any of these inimitable pancakes.

• Most importantly, no traditional pancake varieties allowed. That would defeat the purpose of this whole project entirely. Still, I felt the need to etch this master rule into my first blog…hold me to my word.

I expect you will find this blog hopelessly ridiculous, yet at least mildly entertaining. As a college students juggling a job and a 21-credit semester, I think these pancakes could be a unique creative outlet for me, a good break from pouring over dozens of essays and staring at the same flash cards for what seems like an infinite amount of hours (especially when studying theories).

The coming attractions? All I will divulge for now is that the first pancake will have an Italian theme… Yuí! (“Yum” in Italiano. Who knew you would be getting a mini-lesson in Italian from a pancake blog?)

~Happy Pancake Eating~