First, let me say that we miss everyone back at home and wish we could be there with you on this holiday! The Easter Bunny did visit our house, though. On Friday, he dropped off a couple of packages in the mail (Thanks Mom & Wanda!!), which we enjoyed. This morning, he left a basket of goodies for Grant (and maybe a little extra for me, too...) and Wizzo!
On Thursday, I baked some Easter cupcakes for Grant to take in to his squadron on Friday. I used a box carrot cake mix and then used my piping bags to frost them in a fun design. I wanted to put a peep bunny or chick on top, but the commissary was out on Thursday when I was grocery shopping. So instead I just tinted some coconut green (Grant's idea!!) to look like grass and then added some jelly bean eggs on top. I thought they turned out pretty cute! :)
I wanted to watch an Easter church service on tv this morning (a baptist church broadcasts each week), but we were making our pancakes and I forgot. Speaking of the pancakes, I decided today would be a good day to make them. I found this recipe using the BigOven application on my ipod. A while ago, I had some leftover buttermilk that I wanted to use up, so I put in buttermilk as the ingredient and it found several recipes using buttermilk. These pancakes are so yummy...light and fluffy, but thick! We decided to double the recipe today to use all of our buttermilk, and it made about 30 pancakes! I filled freezer bags with 4-6 pancakes, depending on their size, so now we can just take out a bag, toast them, and have pancakes for the next few weeks! I don't have a picture, but here's the recipe:
Buttermilk Pancakes
(Source: BigOven)
Ingredients:
2 large eggs, at room temperature
2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups buttermilk, at room temperature
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)
1 to 2 tablespoons bacon grease, vegetable oil, or nonstick cooking spray
Directions:
In a medium bowl, beat eggs until frothy. Beat in buttermilk, melted butter and (if using) vanilla, until well blended. Add the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt to liquid ingredients, and quickly mix just enough to make a creamy batter with some lumps; do not overbeat. (It's normal for the pancake batter to be lumpy after you stir it.)
Heat a heavy-bottomed skillet or griddle over high heat. (If using an electric griddle, heat to 375 degrees F.) Test skillet by sprinkling a few drops of water on it.. When water forms beads and dances over skillet surface, it is hot enough. Lightly grease the griddle with bacon grease, vegetable oil, or spray with nonstick cooking spray.
Pour about 1/4 cup batter into skillet for each pancake, making sure there is space between them; pancakes will expand slightly during cooking. Cook pancakes until batter is set, bubbles uniformly cover the top and have burst, and bottoms are golden brown, about 2 minutes. Flip pancakes and cook until golden brown on the other side, about 1 minutes more. (They usually take about 1/2 the time on the second side. This will depend on how thick you've made your pancakes.) Repeat with remaining batter, adding more oil to pan as necessary. Serve immediately or keep warm (* see note) until all the pancakes are cooked.
Serve with butter spread on top and drizzled with warmed maple syrup, fruit compotes, etc.
Makes 12 pancakes; serves 4.
* Note: To keep pancakes warm -- Place a large cooling rack (sprayed with vegetable cooking spray) on a sheet pan. Place the pan and the rack in a 200-degree oven. Place pancakes on the rack in a single layer, uncovered, for up to 20 minutes (any longer--they will start to dry out.) The warm oven keeps the pancakes hot enough to melt a pat of butter, and leaving the pancakes uncovered keeps them from becoming soggy.
Since this post is long enough, I'll leave you with an Easter joke. :)
Three blondes died and are at the pearly gates of heaven. St. Peter tells them that they can enter the gates if they can answer one simple question. St. Peter asks the first blonde, "What is Easter?" The blonde replies, "Oh, that's easy! It's the holiday in November when everyone gets together, eats turkey, and are thankful and stuff..." "Wrong!," replies St. Peter, and proceeds to ask the second blonde the same question, "What is Easter?" The second blonde replies, "Easter is the holiday in December when we put up a nice tree, exchange presents, and drink eggnog." St. Peter looks at the second blonde, shakes his head in disgust, tells her she's wrong, and then peers over his glasses at the third blonde and asks, "What is Easter?" The third blonde smiles confidently and looks St. Peter in the eyes, "I know what Easter is." "Oh?" says St. Peter, incredulously. "Easter is the Christian holiday, that coincides with the Jewish celebration of Passover. Jesus and his disciples were eating at the last supper. Then the Romans took him to be crucified and he was stabbed in the side, made to wear a crown of thorns, and was hung on a cross with nails through his hands. He was buried in a nearby cave which was sealed off by a large boulder." St. Peter smiles broadly with delight. Then the third blonde continues, "Every year the boulder is moved aside so that Jesus can come out...and, if he sees his shadow, there will be six more weeks of winter."
