Sunday, October 23, 2011

So Much Pumpkin, So Little Time

I have been eating so many pumpkin-laced foods of late, I am turning orange!

Enjoying amazing beer at Surly's Darkness Day

Of course I am kidding about the turning orange part.  I am not kidding about the pumpkin, however.

Pumpkin chili, pumpkin gingersnaps, pumpkin whoopie pies, pumpkin pancakes, and a little butternut squash lasagne to break up the pumpkin monotony.

It seems I never use a full can, and end up wondering how I can use the remains that sit in my refrigerator.

Today I decided to jazz up my pumpkin pancakes, and make Pumpkin Gingersnap Pancakes. So good I had to share!  Bear with me; remember I am not a professional when it comes to food styling or photography.

Plain and simple and ready to be dressed. 

Biscoff Spread and Maple Syrup come to the party. 

Banana slices and a piece of bacon complete the ensemble!

Don't get me started on the Biscoff spread.  If you have ever had the Biscoff cookies they serve on Delta Airlines, these are them, in spreadable form.  A teaspoon contributes nothing nutritionally, but it so indulgent and delicious!  If I believed in good and bad I would tell you it makes me feel like I am being bad.  But I don't, so I won't!

Okay, back to the Pumpkin Gingersnap Pancakes

The recipe will make 8 pancakes and the serving below is for one pancake.

1.5 tablespoons butter, melted
1 cup white wheat flour
1/8th (yes half of a quarter) cup granulated sugar
1 1/4 tea baking powder
1/4 tea baking soda
1/4 tea kosher salt
1 tea cinnamon
1/2 tea ginger
1/2 tea cloves
1/4 tea nutmeg
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup canned pumpkin (Thanks Anne!)
1 egg
1 tea vanilla
1 tablespoon blackstrap molasses

In a large bowl, whisk all of the dry ingredients - flour thru nutmeg above. 
In a medium bowl, whisk the buttermilk, pumpkin, egg, vanilla and molasses.
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix gently until the dry ingredients are almost incorporated.  Add the cooled melted butter in and mix just until the batter is evenly moistened.  (If you beat the crap out of it, you just made pumpkin pot holders as they will be tough as leather.)

I am going to assume you know from this point how to cook pancakes.  Don't put your griddle pan, electric skillet or frying pan on high and blast the heck out of them.  Medium heat works.   Let your griddle pan heat up after you have mixed your batter; this will give it a time to rest making for a more tender pancake.  (The magazine Fine Cooking told me that!) A drop of water should briefly dance across the pan when it is the right temp.  (Yep, their words again, not mine.) I like to take a little canola oil and a teaspoon of butter and melt it then brush it on my griddle.

I scoop about a quarter cup of batter for these and that is plenty big!  I freeze the leftovers for a quick weekday breakfast too.

If you are cooking in batches, have your oven set at 200 degrees to keep warm while you cook the others.

Here is what enjoying a pancake can do for you:


nutrition facts

Just a few more thoughts to add (totally non pumpkin related!) since I have not been around for a couple of months.

We are enjoying our sweet Paco so much!  He has grown quite a bit since last I shared any pictures of him. He is now up to 7 pounds and I believe this is about as big as he will get.

He despises his collar and leash.  He actually shakes and gets a tear or two in his eye when he realizes it is time for a walk.
Once he is out there, he loves it!

I love his little fluffy poof at the end of his tail!

As for me, I have been busy with work and, well, living.  The only new thing, I guess, is that I changed the part in my hair!  Really!

Two weeks ago:


And yesterday...

I like it!

Oh, yesterday I also had a sweet potato taco for lunch and a sweet potato for dinner.  The orange fest continues.

Hope you all are well out there!

Remember, eat like you mean it. Enjoy some pumpkin pancakes along the way!