Flapjacks! Pancakes! Griddlecakes!

I know this is a cooking blog but this week was quite a week for me on a personal level and I thought I'd share! I got engaged this weekend! I already knew I'd be spending the rest of my life with him but I'm very happy to have made it official! I can't wait for this new chapter and journey to begin! Now that I have that out of the way my birthday was this week too! So, for that I made one of my favourite dinners ever... BREAKFAST! Or brinner as the ladies (if you know you know) would call it.

I'm not going to go through the whole thing but I am going to give you a pancake recipe. I used to be a master of pancakes with pancake mix but I've been trying to do much more from scratch than I used to. I still haven't quite mastered the pancake but these were still delicious. I'll have to have my little sister as a guest writer to try to figure out what we do differently!

Of course this is another one of those recipes that you can add your own spin to with fruit, chocolate and spices. The only thing I did extra was add cinnamon because I can't get enough!

FLAP JACKS

Ingredients:
1 cup AP Flour
2tbsp sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
optional, a sprinkling

1 cup milk
1 lrg egg
2 tbsp oil, (or butter, melted)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:





Mix dry ingredients in one bowl and wet in another.







Get your pan pre-heating to a medium heat and grease with a little oil. This part is super important because if your pan isn't hot you will end up with under-cooked or burned pancakes!

** pro tip ** have an oven proof container/ sheet pan for your done pancakes and keep them in the oven (turned off) to keep them warm.

You'll know your pan is hot enough if you can sprinkle some water on it and it sizzles away quickly.






Once your pan is hot enough whisk your ingredients together just until moist. A few small lumps is okay. If you need to thicken or thin you batter add a little flour or water (very small amounts until you are happy)






Using a measuring cup or ladle spoon equal amounts of batter onto the pan. Aim for about a 1/4 to a 1/3 cup for size.

Cooking pancakes is a waiting and watching game. You will see bubbles begin to form across the top of the pancake then you will see a little bit of smoke coming off the edges. When you see that smoke it's time to flip! No you are looking for the pancake to rise. When it stops rising wait about 45 second longer and it will be ready. You can double check this by flipping it and poking it. If it feels squishy you didn't wait long enough. You're looking for soft. Almost every batch the first pancake will be a dud, this is something we know to be true and its nothing to feel bad about if it happens to you. It usually means you need to adjust your temperature. If you followed my steps above and you burned it, turn your temperature down; if it took an inordinate amount of time and still has that squishy feeling turn it up. Eventually you will learn how your specific stove and pans work together and there will be less duds going forward.

** pro tip ** keep your bowl of batter as far away from the stove as you can to avoid heating the batter. I had a very small kitchen growing up and I remember having to adjust the batter with water as I went because the heat would thicken it while I cooked the first pancakes.

If your pan is large enough and you feel comfortable watching multiple pancakes, go for it!

And so there you have it! Flapjacks (or pancakes if yours turned out better than mine!)

 
On to the metaphysical!

There are only a few ingredients here that hold any meaning or purpose for me. Eggs (mainly for protection,) Cinnamon (mainly for its boosting power this time around,) and Vanilla. Obviously every ingredient holds it's own power and correspondences they just weren't the focus for me with this recipe.

I want to home in on Vanilla because we've talked about cinnamon about a million times already and eggs certainly aren't the star of the show in this recipe (although they definitely lend their power to my intentions in this case.) On a personal level vanilla gives me very down-to-earth, happy home vibes. When I think about the smell of vanilla I am reminded of the sweet smell of shortbread cookies baking in my Nana's oven. While I use vanilla year round it always reminds me of the holidays and family gatherings.

Traditionally vanilla is associated with love and mental clarity/power, (as well as the usual shopping list of correspondences you can find below.) As far as the love aspect goes it is much more on the physical side of things, not quite lust but more seduction. It's subtle. The mental clarity aspect, I believe, comes from its calming, soothing effect. By allowing your mind to calm it becomes clearer and more ready to lend itslef to a more complex and spiritual task.

Vanilla: Venus, feminine, water, calming, consoling, soothing, vitalizes energy, promotes a happy and healthy environment, attracts good fortune, enhances mental stimulation, used in spells to enhance physical energy.

All in all this recipe was really about bringing good vibes into my home. With the aroma of cinnamon and vanilla wafting through the house it definitely brought about a certain calm and loving atmosphere.

What is your go to ingredient or recipe that makes you think of home?

Short and Gritty
Ingredients:
1 cup AP Flour
2tbsp sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
optional, a sprinkling

1 cup milk
1 lrg egg
2 tbsp oil, (or butter, melted)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:
1. mix wet and dry ingredients in separate bowls
2. heat skillet and lightly grease
3. when skillet is hot mix dry into wet just until moist
4. sccoop batter into skillet in 1/4 cup amounts
5. watch for slight smoke at edges, flip
6. watch for it to stop rising, wait 45 seconds, done