Breakfast with s Smile

One of the best things about getting pancakes at a diner is the whipped cream smiley face. There’s something about a steaming hot stack of smiling pancakes that just makes kids want to squeal with delight.  This month we’re reinventing the smiling pancake stack by cutting the flour in half and replacing it with oats and using baked in fruit instead of the whip. This smiley-faced reci-pea is guaranteed to warm the house and belly even if there is a blizzard outside!

 Ingredients:

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup quick cooking oats

¼ tsp cinnamon

2 tsp baking powder

½ tsp baking soda

½ tsp of salt

2 cups milk

1 Tbs maple syrup

1 Tbs lemon juice or vinegar

3 Tbs canola oil

½ tsp of salt

An assortment of sliced fruit for the pancake faces (bananas, strawberries, kiwi and blueberries make the best faces and taste great in the pancake batter.

Method:

Pour milk into a bowl. Add lemon juice or vinegar and set aside for 5-10 minutes.  (This is a simple and inexpensive way to make buttermilk).

Combine dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Stir in all wet ingredients (including the buttermilk that was just made) taking care not to over mix.

Preheat a large skillet on medium heat. Lightly coat the pan with canola oil. Pour about ¼ cup batter into the pan for each pancake. Cook about 3 minutes, or until bubbles form on top and sides are a little dry. Place your fruit into the pancake to create a silly face. Flip, and cook another minute or until pancake is cooked all the way through.

Makes 6-8 pancakes