Sin and a Recipe

Here's the thing.  I love food.    I think about eating all. the. time.   Food talks to me.  I can have a conversation with a cookie all afternoon before it finally wins and I give in.

Seriously, ask Lorraine.

I love everything about food, except for the calories.  Those are one of those direct-result-of-original-sin things in my mind.   I am convinced that before the fall of mankind there were no such things as calories.  Foods of all kinds were just there for to be enjoyed and savoured and partook? partaked? partooken? of.. in the blessed Garden of Eden.  For all I know the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil was a Cheesecake tree.  And then Eve.  Sigh.  Stupid Eve.

So in addition to (the much bigger and more important consequence) of being separated from God by sin there followed calories, slow metabolisms, trying to avoid refined sugar, fitness classes, cabbage-only diets and Eve asked Adam the question men have been dreading since, well, since she first asked it: "Do I look fat in this?" 

Regardless of the reasons, I really do love food.  And I try to find a sweet balance with the busyness that our wonderful life requires with cooking and baking and eating well without sacrificing taste cause cabbage-only diets belong in only one place and it starts with h an ends with toothpicks.

So without further adieu, here is the Cinnamon Oat Pancake recipe that I tried to avoid making by purchasing the pancake mix.  

These are not your typical light as air, full of nothing, dessert-for-breakfast pancakes - not that there's anything wrong with that.  They are more hearty; the flavour and texture is somewhere between a traditional pancake and an oatmeal muffin. It is easy to make ahead as a mix, or  to prepare a whole bunch and freeze the leftovers.  I think I got the recipe from a Martha Stewart Food mag a few years ago and have been making a version of them ever since.    They are fantastic hot off the grill with butter and syrup, or my favorite add on - blueberry sauce...or canned peaches, or anything you want really.  They pass for lunch or dinner around these parts as well.  Happy Pancaking :)

By request - here's the pancake mix recipe!

Cinnamon Oat Pancakes
1 cups	All-purpose flour
1 cup	Whole Wheat Flour
¼ cups	Brown sugar
1 Tbsp	Baking powder
1 tsp each	Salt & Cinnamon
1 tsp	Vanilla
2 cups, divided	Old-fashioned (large flake) oats
2 + cups	Milk (I use whatever I have – usually 1 %)
2	Eggs
¼ Cup	Vegetable Oil
* I have had success substituting the wheat flour with a combo of 1 cup spelt flour, ½ cup oat flour, and ½ cup kamut flour for a wheat-free (not gluten-free) version.
Directions:
Place dry ingredients, except for 1 cup of old fashioned oats in a mixing bowl.  In a blender or food processer (I use a blender), blend oatmeal until it looks like, well, flour.  Add to the dry ingredients and mix until well combined. In a separate bowl (your pancakes will be lighter and fluffier if you do this, the extra dish is worth it) combine milk, eggs and vegetable oil. Add to dry ingredients, and using a large spatula (or perhaps you call yours a rubber scraper) stir until just moistened.  Your batter will be lumpy – more like a 30-something in a swimsuit than a 20-something.  Just so we’re clear.  You probably don’t feel like cooking anymore, do you?  Make sure you scrape the sides and bottom of your bowl when mixing so that you don’t end up with a half cup of dry ingredients at the bottom and no liquid left! Preheat your pan or griddle.  Set it on medium heat – to test if your pan is to the right temp a few drops of  water should bounce around like a mercury ball not spitter-spatter – if it’s doing that, wait a minute more and try again.  Wipe water off once it’s to temp, and then add a teaspoon of oil – if necessary. Drop the perfect amount of batter onto your griddle.  I prefer a Pampered Chef large scoop – but feel free to make whatever size you want.  Flip pancakes after 2-4 minutes – or when the bubbles that form in the pancakes have slowed down… you know what I mean right?  When they’re perfect, flip ‘em, and cook for another minute, or so until done.  Serve to everyone in your family hot, and then save some batter to make some for yourself after they’ve eaten so you can eat them hot too.  Freeze any leftovers.    To reheat leftovers:  place on a cookie sheet, cover with foil and reheat at 350 deg. F for 10 – 12 minutes. To make a mix:  This is my favorite option.  It takes me about 10 minutes to put together a quadruple (4 times) recipe of the dry ingredients, I would guess it takes me 8 to make a single recipe - that two minutes is totally worth it to me!  The recipe ratios goes like this: 2 cups mix 1 egg 1 + cup milk 2 tablespoons oil ½  tsp vanilla

Let me know how it turns out!