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Digital scrap items in the header, layouts and sidebar are by Miss Mint at PeppermintCreative.com or Jen Wilson at JenWilsonDesigns.com

Thursday, December 18, 2008

Tay's Totally Cheating 'Best Ever' Pancakes

Sometimes my kitchen adventures catch small appliances on fire. And sometimes they result in an amazing new concoction . My pancake recipie is one of them.

When Brian and I were first married I couldn't make pancakes from scratch to save my life. They always turned out AWFUL. Last month when Brian made a batch following the same old recipie, they tasted worse than mine ever did. (In Brian's defense, it was the stale baking powder that ruined his batch.) Two years ago I decided to give in and start using Bisquick to make pancakes and I never looked back. This summer, while delirious from lack of sleep, I mixed up the waffle and pancake recipies half-way through making the batter and discovered the pancakes tasted a lot like the ones they serve at The Cracker Barrel. Here's the recipie for my delicious screw-up:

Tay's Totally Cheating 'Best Ever' Pancakes:

2 heaping cups Bisquick
2 tablespoons white granulated sugar
1 and 1/3 cup milk
2 tablespoons cooking oil

May Also Need:
1/4 cup Bisquick for thickening if needed (you might need to add this on humid days)
1 tablesppon milk for thinning if needed

Combine all these ingredients in a bowl and stir until the big lumps are broken up. Batter should be slightly thick, more like a waffle batter. Add another 1/4 cup Bisquick if the batter is too thin or runny like cake batter. (Relax, you can't screw this up! It's Tay-proof.) Spray a hot griddle with any cooking spray and cook the pancakes according to the Bisquick box directions from here. They should make thick, fat pancakes. When you pull them off the griddle, smear each one with butter while they're still hot or drizzle warm melted butter over them if they have cooled. Serve smothered in syrup.

Please Note: NEVER ADD EGGS TO THIS RECIPIE! Or any Bisquick pancake or waffle recipie for that matter. It has been my experience that eggs ruin the flavor and soft texture of all pancakes.

If You Want To Add Nuts:

Add an extra slosh (1 tablespoon) of milk to the batter and stir well before adding extra Bisquick for thickening. Usually you won't need to thicken it.

If You Want To Add Spices:

Throw them in! No special steps required.

Tip: Don't ask me why but the HEB brand of 'Bisquick' (Hill Country Fare All-Purpose Baking Mix) makes the most delicious version of this recipie and is actually what I was using when I messed it all up and stumbled across this yummy combination. ;)

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

A Minute To Breathe

Okay, I've got a minute to breathe between holiday gift deliveries and jewelry orders so let me catch you up on my (unexciting) life! I've hardly left the house in the last two weeks so Brian and I have planned a much-needed date night for Saturday. I'm sooooooo excited to dress up and go out! I just finished my forty-seventh or so piece of jewelry and I'm so glad I began building up my bead inventory in August. Unfortunately I put off Christmas shopping (which I also normally begin in August and have finished by November) but this year has been a painful reminder of why my shopping needs to be done by Thanksgiving. I'll be better about it next year! LOL!

Meanwhile, I've loved all the custom orders and really gotten to stretch my creativity lately. (Hence, the blog absence.) I cut some vinyl for my house, which just went up on the walls this afternoon (see: other things I should have done by Thanksgiving). I also discovered that low-tack vinyl application tape has the perfect amount of stickiness for removing glitter from a toddler's soft skin without hurting them when they pull a half-dozen glitter balls & snowflakes off your tree to pile in the middle of the living room floor while you have your back turned to hang the vinyl.

I had anticipated the tree being a problem so I bought all shatter-proof ornaments and let Aiden select a 'special' ornament that he can pull off the tree and play with any time he'd like. (He chose a silver Eiffel Tower. He loves my little model ones and about fell out of the shopping cart as he leapt for the ornament version when we passed it at Target. I love his ornament! I was afraid we'd end up with Lightning McQueen on the tree...) However, the rest of the ornaments are off-limits. Or so I say. EVERY SINGLE TIME I'm not looking, he runs to the tree and starts plucking things off. Or I'll hear the light tinkling of the jingle bells, followed by a very metallic PING-JANG-JANG-JANG as they ricochet & bounce across the tile while he shouts 'I fro ball!' or something similar. If I'm not paying him enough attention at the moment (read: in the bathroom), he'll bring me one and give me a very stern 'no no' as soon as he places it in my hands.

Actually, I'm afraid I have created my own problem there. ALL my psychology texts say that children will usually resort to misbehavior when they want attention. It's easy for me to spot this so I'll often stop and ask Aiden if he needs a hug instead of telling him 'no' for the billionth time about throwing the mail on the floor or standing on the open dishwasher door. Only problem is Aiden doesn't seem to understand he can ASK for a hug. Instead, he does something blatant & obviously naughty to get my attention, most likely hoping a hug will follow. Today he barged into the office, crossed the room and threw the biggest fistful of vinyl he could grab across the floor before turning to look at my surprised expression. His little bottom lip pouted out a fraction of an inch as he processed the agitated look on my face. How could I be mad at that pout?!!! When I gently said 'You must really need a hug', he barrelled into my arms and he hugged me like he never has before, burrying his head under my chin and wrapping all four limbs tight around me. I'm not entirely sure what upset him (my attention to hanging vinyl?) but I was completely melted! We played in the playroom for the next hour and a half and then cleaned up and packed some old toys away to make room for new Christmas toys coming. He had a great time and I did, too! He's such a cool little kid. And I'm amazed at how much he can make me laugh! This morning I carried him into the pantry and asked him what he wanted for breakfast. He simply replied 'food'.