Pancakes

Not planning to grocery shop this week, but to eat on what I had stocked already, I planned to have my parents and grandmother over for dinner on Sunday. But then we had a surprise visit from friends, Garrett and Joy and kids. My heads for dinner increased to 9.5. The littlest doesn't eat that much. I had potatoes that were getting old and knew potato quinoa pancakes from Coming Home to Cook were enough to feed the crowd. I just made some minor adjustments.

In line with cooking all my other potato dishes, after I decide I like it the original way, I start substituting out some white potatoes for sweet. Once again, you could hardly taste the sweet potato, but you gained the nutrients from the power vegetable.

I left out the quinoa because I felt I didn't have time to make it. This was another situation where the quinoa is more for nutritional value than for flavor. For that reason, I would very much prefer to take the time to prepare the quinoa in the future.

After a really tough week at work, I try to focus on the fun of New York from two weekends ago.

Last week we ate fresh veggies as sandwiches on fresh bread all week long. They were delicious. I was grateful for a patient, thoughtful, and understanding husband who allowed me to have some really bad days at work and to come home late not wanting to move, let alone cook. Don't get me wrong. Normally, cooking is a great creative escape from stress and a way to celebrate good times. However, my stress at work rendered my brain and feet useless, which also might explain why I didn't even get around to thinking about a menu for this week. Fortunately, I have a fabulous mother who put together a Sabbath lunch for 10. And I have fabulous in-laws who have done the grocery shopping, the cooking, and the clean-up for the majority of their stay. I think I am very blessed.

If it was all about price, this would be a fabulously cheap meal because the pancake mix cost me $0.69 at Target, and I only used a couple cups, the strawberries were on sale the same day at Freshfields Farm, and the "sausage" links were 50% off at Publix some time ago, and I stocked my freezer. But in theory, this post is more about what we thought about the Quaker Oatmeal Pancake Mix. I had two coupons; so, I gave one to Mom, and we each brought home a box of the mix to try. I made pancakes and Mom made waffles. (She has my waffle iron.)

Mom's Waffle Recipe

• 3 ½ C sifted all-purpose flour
• 2 T baking powder
• 2 T sugar
• 1 ½ t salt
• 4 egg whites
• 2 ½-2 ¾ C milk
• 6 T Smart Balance cooking oil

Sift together flour, baking powder, sugar and salt. Beat egg whites until stiff but not dry. Set aside. Beat egg yolks until thick and lemon colored. Continue beating adding milk and oil. Add dry ingredients and beat until smooth. Fold in beaten egg whites. Pour 1 cup batter on preheated grid. Close unit and bake until light goes out (about 5 minutes). Makes 8 large waffles.

This is absolutely the easiest recipe ever. I used a recipe for regular pancakes. I chose to pass on the "Buttermilk Pancake" recipes because buttermilk is so expensive. After all, what will you do with the rest of the drink when you have made your pancakes? There might be a lot left. Moreover, I want to make pancakes when I want them and do not want to worry about whether or not I have all the ingredients. Naturally, I also like to be able to control the fat in my foods as well. So, I used a regular recipe that used regular milk and whole beat eggs. I like fast cooking adventures and don't have the patience for beating egg whites and folding them into the batter. Nevertheless, use the recipe you are happiest with when creating pancakes from the heart.

Have you ever walked up to a counter at a restaurant and felt as if the people behind the counter were reading your mind and knew exactly what you wanted? Of course it sounds impossible, but that was the way I felt when I arrived for brunch at Ethos Vegan Kitchen with Paul and my folks on Father's Day.