U is for: Explore the Unknown by Making Pancakes

Today we made pancakes from scratch. They were truly the very best pancakes we’ve ever had. I’d gotten some blueberries on sale and intended to make blueberry pancakes for the family, but within an hour of being home from arriving home from the store, the berries were discovered by one of my daughters, who quickly gobbled half of them up.

I let a few days go by, considering the matter closed, but another of my daughters was persistent. She continued to ask for pancakes. She has a terrible cold right now, so I could hardly refuse. My oldest was at school and my husband was at lunch with a friend. With just 3 of us left at home, We might be able to eke out a blueberry pancake a piece. The timing seemed right.

These weren’t pancakes from a box.

We were out of the mix, so I looked for a recipe online. I found THIS ONE, from graceandgoodeats.com. I chose it, partly because she acknowledged the abuse of the term “best-ever” by food bloggers. Isn’t it the truth? I love honesty, and her psychological word magic drew me in. The next thing I appreciated was how she arrived at this recipe. She tried lots of pancake recipes and by experimenting, came up with a light, fluffy pancake that’s sweet, but isn’t too sweet.

Baking Powder Problem

Unfortunately, when I checked the expiration date on the baking powder, it was past due. So, we did an experiment. You can know whether the baking powder is still active by putting a ½ teaspoon into a cup of hot water. If it bubbles and fizzes, you can still use it because the carbon dioxide will still do its thing. Thankfully, ours was still usable. A fresh can will go into our grocery cart the next time we are at the store.

How did it actually go?

The pancakes were fantastic! They were sweeter than I expected. We didn’t even use syrup because the blueberries added enough flavor. The only difficulty we had was getting the center of the pancakes to be cooked all the way through. Making the pancakes smaller really helped with that problem. My husband came home in time to sample a silver dollar and lick the batter bowl. He loved it! I’ve never seen him so excited about pancakes.

Cooking pancakes might not seem that adventurous, but it sure made my family happy. We will be using this recipe from now on.

The A to Z Blogging Challenge

I’m doing double duty this month during the A to Z Blogging Challenge. Here at Heather Erickson Author/Writer/Speaker, I will share ideas for “Thinking Creatively.” I’ll also be doing the challenge at Facing Cancer with Grace, where I will focus on “Avoiding Burnout.” I hope you’ll visit me at both sites. While you’re here, sign up for my email list. Today’s post is U is for: Explore the unknown by Making Pancakes.

In 2001, entrepreneur Elon Musk conceptualized “Mars Oasis,” a project to land a miniature greenhouse on Mars containing food crops. But first, he needed to buy a rocket. Easier said than done for a space novice such as Musk. In the end, he decided to build his own rockets and founded SpaceX with the long-term goal of creating a “true spacefaring civilization.” In the same way, what unknown could you explore today?

What Are YOUR Thoughts?

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About Heather Erickson

I am an author, writer, and speaker and homeschooling mom of 3. Since doctors diagnosed my husband, Dan with stage IV lung cancer in 2012, I’ve focused my writing and speaking on helping cancer patients and their families advocate for themselves and live life to the fullest, in spite of their illness. My goal is to help people face cancer with grace. My books are available at Amazon.com:

The Memory Maker’s Journal 

Facing Cancer as a Friend: How to Support Someone Who Has Cancer

Facing Cancer as a Parent: Helping Your Children Cope with Your Cancer

I also blog about living with cancer at Facing Cancer with Grace.