Pass the Syrup!

 

Piping hot off the griddle, I can think of few things as comforting and delicious as pancakes in the morning! And since it is November, why not welcome the autumn dawn with pumpkin pancakes? Whether you call them pancakes, griddle cakes, hot cakes or flapjacks, they are perfect with hot tea and some authentic maple syrup. Though our days are still quite warm, the mornings have been a wee bit chilly and I decided to cook up some pumpkin pancakes today. I got the following recipe from All Recipes.com~

Pumpkin Pancakes

1 and 1/2 cups milk

1 cup pumpkin puree

1 egg

2 TB vegetable oil

2 TB vinegar

2 cups all purpose flour

3 TB brown sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon each allspice & cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon each ground ginger and salt

Combine dry ingredients, set aside.

Place milk, pumpkin, oil, vinegar and egg in a food processor. (or bowl) Pulse dry ingredients into the wet mixture. (or stir flour mixture into milk mixture) Do not over stir. Heat lightly oiled griddle over medium high heat. Pour batter onto griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup batter for each pancake.

 I cut the recipe in half and it made 8 fluffy pancakes about four inches in diameter. I also substituted a couple of tablespoons of rice protein powder for some of the all purpose flour- just to add a bit of protein. One online reviewer suggested adding an extra egg for increased fluffiness, but since I halved the recipe one egg was a bit extra. Haha! I also added some fresh ground nutmeg to the batter. The pancakes had a wonderful texture and density, they were not flat or rubbery. They were not too sweet, either.

My family thinks I'm a bit nutty and I am! Gotta add some chopped and toasted pecans or walnuts to make the pancakes extra yummy in my book. If your breakfast companions prefer pancakes sans nuts, just sprinkle them onto the pancakes on the griddle, otherwise mix the nuts into the batter.

I could hardly wait to take the photo so I could tuck in! Did you know~

• Each tablespoon of pure maple syrup contains 21 mg calcium,35 mg potassium, only 2 mg sodium, small amounts of iron, and phosphorus and a trace of B vitamins.
• In any standard recipe, maple syrup may be substituted for all or part of the sugar required. When using syrup, reduce the liquid in the recipe by 3 tbsp. for each cup of syrup used.
• Unopened containers of maple syrup should be stored in a cool dry place. Once opened, maple syrup should be refrigerated. Long term storage in the freezer is recommended.
• Tapping does no permanent damage to the tree, and only about 10% of the tree’s sap is collected each year. Many sugar maple trees have been tapped for 150 or more years.
• 30-50 gallons of sap are evaporated to make one gallon of syrup. The syrup is boiled even further to produce cream, sugar and candy. It takes one gallon (11lbs.) of syrup to produce 8 lbs. of candy.
• Warm, sunny days and frosty nights are ideal for Sap flow. The harvest season ends with the coming of spring’s warm nights and the first stages of bud development on the trees.

photo from countryviewmaplesyrup.com- these trees are having sap collected from them to make syrup

sharing this post with~

How Sweet The Sound

My 1929 Charmer~ Sunday's Best
Sunny Simple Sunday 

Sunshine, Bunnies & Bees~

We had a couple days of much needed rain and I especially enjoyed listening to the downpour while tucked beneath the covers...I love to hear rain on the rooftop~ This morning we awoke to sunshine and clear skies. Out on the back lawn enjoying the warmth were a couple of the wild desert cottontails. We leave a carrot or two out there for them from time to time.

College Girl made the bunny jumping into the pot (above) a few years ago. I get it out every Spring and it makes me smile...that fluffy bunny bottom is so cute! And it is easy to make. You need:

• small pot
• large puff ball
• small puff ball
• Easter 'grass'
• pink and white Fun Foam for feet

                                     

Place green styrofoam or tissue paper ball into the pot bottom. Glue grass upright along inside-back edge. Glue small puff ball to large puff ball. Glue large puff ball into pot. Cut feet and toes from foam and adhere to large puff ball. It looks like a white bunny is making a quick getaway into Farmer McGregor's pot! This is a fun and easy craft if you have children attending an Easter brunch. You could even have markers available for them to decorate the pots.

I had a bunny on my teapot today too~ There is no makers mark, so I don't know the manufacturer.



Le Lapin



He looks like he is chasing the blue butterfly...not too far fetched, either! We watched one of our visiting bunnies chase a bird around our lawn.

         The teapot handle is a yellow blossom~



I admit...I bought this tea just for the box!

I made multigrain pancakes today. As time has gone by, I find I prefer healthier~heartier grains as opposed to fluffy white-flour 'buttermilk' style flapjacks. I like the nuttiness and wholesomeness of added flax seed, buckwheat or oats.



my fleur de lis napkin ring adds a bit of panache



I added chopped pecans to the batter before cooking..yum! I also stewed some frozen cranberries in orange juice and grilled a veggie sausage patty.



I enjoyed a pot of Harney & Son's Earl Grey Supreme



The cheery bone china cup I used is by Crown Trent. I love the gardening theme on it. My favorite thing pictured is...

the bee skep!

A little information about skeps;

Before the 1800`s, most bee hives in North America

and Europe were simple shelters for the bees.

Bee Skeps were common types of hives in this period.

Bees attached their wax combs to the hive`s roof and walls,

just like they do in wild hives. Skeps were made from coiled

 grass straw (wheat or sometime rye),

and often had sticks inside to provide support for the honey combs.



nothing like hot tea and real maple syrup~



sharing this post with~

Marthas Favorites

Artful Affirmations

Rose Chintz Cottage

A Delightsome Life

Antiques and Teacups