Pancakes may have changed my life!

Let me tell you how much I love pancakes. They are my favorite thing to eat for breakfast. Secretly I love it when I can have biscuits and pancakes in the same meal. Yes, not a healthy idea I know but a guilty pleasure. Anyway I have tried so many pancake recipes. Until recently my pancake recipe was kind of involved and difficult. Too many ingredients and too many procedures. I like the recipe but I was always loking for something even better. Well John wanted me to make pancakes like IHOP (some of the best pancakes ever I might add.) So I Googled a recipe. After looking over several I was very skeptical. There was no way that such a simple recipe could produce such great pancakes! And shurley not better than my overly complicated pancakes. Well I gave it a shot and made them (all the while knowing they would not be great.) To my surprise, those simple pancakes really did taste like IHOP pancakes.

Later that night I was really feeling bad after a trying day with the kids. Home schooling was difficult, house work did not go as planned, errands were taking longer than they should. So after the kids were angry and I was stressed out, they were finally in bed. I had time to reflect on the day and I kept thinking about those pancakes. I mean how cold something so simple be so good. Ha, then an epiphany. I looked back on all I did with the kids that day. I made everything so over complicated. From the lesson planning, then too much house work, and too many errands. Had I just "Simplified" the day no one would have been stressed out.

So from now on when I can see that I am expecting too much from me or the kids, I am just going to remember to "Simplify" it. Take a break between lessons or make them more fun. Only do 1 load of laundry if I know there is no time to cram in more. And errands can always wail until later if stress is involved. Just like those pancakes, just make it simple and great things can happen.

Here is the recipe by the way. These are really great with pure maple syrup.

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 egg
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup cooking oil
pinch of salt


1. Preheat a skillet over medium heat. Use a pan with a nonstick
surface or apply a little nonstick spray.
2. Mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl.
3. Mix the wet ingredients (I just mix them in the measuring cup to cut down on dishes, start with the milk first, then egg and oil.)
4. Mix wet and dry together, just until combined. It is ok if there are lumps. 

5. Pour the batter by spoonfuls into the hot pan, forming 5-inch circles.
6. When the edges appear to harden, flip the pancakes. They should
be golden brown.