Cooking up for the Challenge...

As you can see from my sidebar, I am taking part in the "Eat from Your Pantry" Challenge.

Added to the desire to take part in this, it was also been out of neccessity, with this reno. You must be soo tired of hearing me talk about this kitchen. I hope you will still be awed, amazed and overly "woooowed" when you see this...but anyhow...

So part of the challenge is to use what you got...so yesterday, I held my own.
For I made pancakes, y'all.



Yes, the mix was from a box BUT what I came up with and put INTO them came from my pantry. Even Eliel gummed on one (a plain one that is, I thought all the extras might be too much for his first intro to pancakes...)

Introducing: Honey-Almond, Coconut Chocolate Chip Pancakes. (guess it's like a big coconut macaroon for breakfast!)

And um, yeah, no recipe, just mix the batter and pour in some honey, almond extract and some coconut flakes. Pour a little of the batter on to the well buttered pan (estimating about how big you want your pancakes. Personally, I am a smaller pancake person with them stacked all cute. My husband, on the other hand, is the mega sized pancake type, that you have to flip in the air bc it doesn't actually fit on the spatula....) When just a little cooked, THEN you put the choc chips on, pushing them in a little. And you can be all Martha Stewart if you like, with making sure of proper placement and ample distance from each other, to ensure maximum chocolate-ness in every bite. When the pancake is slightly browned on the edges and there are bubbles on the top (looking like a moon cake), then flip over for just a very short time. Carefully, slide your spatuala under to pick up without destroying.

And a couple of tricks and tips:
1. To ensure perfect pancakes each time, a trick is to wipe the pan with a dry paper towel after removing the cooked pancake. Then add a little more butter, to sizzle and then start all over again.(I learned this from the magazine Cooking Light, when I was in the States and all on my own....)
2. I put the cooked pancakes on a plate with a colander over them to keep warm and from drying out or getting too moist from being on top of each other. That way, I can continue in peace making other 15 or so. (My husband eats a lot.....and Eliel is following behind in suit).