Pancakes & Syrup

As a kid, Saturday lunch was always pancakes and syrup. Both homemade. As early as I can remember, I didn't care for either. I'm not sure if I got tired of them or if I didn't like the way they were prepared, but I usually went "lunchless" on Saturday. Perhaps it was the time I got sick in church after eating buckwheat pancakes that turned me off of all pancakes. Maybe it was the bacon fat the pancakes were fried in that caused them to have patches of black. The syrup, which was usually just brown sugar and water, boiled a tad too long sometimes, didn't do much for me either.

Maybe it was just a Saturday thing...I also didn't care for the weekly Saturday supper of spaghetti and meat sauce...but the homemade bread was to die for. We always drank buttermilk, as it could be purchased for 10 cents a gallon at the local creamery (the price did go up over the years). I didn't like buttermilk, either. So, Saturday was somewhat of a bread and water day for me. If I was really hungry, I would eat just the spaghetti noodles with a tiny amount of sauce mixed up in it, but I rarely caved in to eating pancakes.

Given my dislike of pancakes and spaghetti, it used to puzzle me that different organizations and church groups would hold pancake breakfasts or spaghetti suppers to raise funds. Who went to these functions and why were the foods I disliked most so popular? I never attended one of these functions as a diner, although I worked at a few in high school.

Fast forward to adulthood, and I started eating pancakes. The habit didn't start until I had children, and then it was occasional. My husband liked pancakes, and I didn't think I needed to pass my aversions on to my children. In the beginning, I just thought of them as okay. I made the pancakes from a mix and used bottled syrup; sometimes maple (or artificial maple), and sometimes flavored syrup. I also loved to make waffles, which was something we didn't have growing up. It would have been hard to keep the waffles flowing when cooking for thirteen.

A number of years ago, while I was visiting my aunt in Georgia, she made some pancakes from scratch that were very light and fluffy, and turned out to be a delightful treat. That may very well have been a turning point for me. I started enjoying pancakes, not just tolerating them. My husband used to make a wonderful banana nut pancake with banana syrup. We haven't had those in a while. I'll have to dig out that recipe. We do have pannekoeken (baked pancake) on a regular basis.

My daughter requested pancakes on vacation last month. Not just any pancakes, but pancakes from the family recipe of one of her friends. Once she ate those pancakes at their home, there was nothing better in her mind when it came to pancakes. I fulfilled the request, and enjoyed somewhat of a pancake paradise. The pancakes are easy to make, are very thin, spread with a thin layer of peanut butter, then topped with the most luscious syrup. Each of the elements of the meal has its own special part in making this a mouth watering experience. Enjoy!

2-2-2 Pancakes

2 T. butter or margarine, melted
1 tsp. salt
2 eggs
2 c. flour
2 tsp. baking powder
2 c. milk, room temperature

Mix butter and eggs. Add flour, salt, baking powder and mix to wet. Slowly add milk to desired consistency (we like ours thin). Pour on to hot griddle (plate size), flipping after bubbles form around the edge and gloss is gone. Serve topped with peanut butter and syrup.

Syrup
1 c white sugar
1 c brown sugar
1 c. whipping cream
Combine in small sauce pan and bring to just boiling, reduce heat, simmer for two minutes (until sugar is dissolved). Great on pancakes or use when making caramel rolls.