Easy Homemade Pancakes and Baked Bacon

This one got a
little dark!

If you have twenty minutes this weekend, you can make homemade pancakes so good that you'll never use that quick mix again.  It's a simple process of whisking together wet and dry ingredients into a bubbly batter and dropping it by 1/4 cup dollops onto a hot skillet.  The batter is thick and light (an interesting combination) and once it hits the pan, transforms into pancakes that are fluffy, tall, and beautiful.  I found the recipe on allrecipes.com (one of my favorite web resources because it provides reliable ratings) and this had an impressive 4.5 out of 5 stars. One of the scientific reasons these pancakes rise so beautifully is the addition of vinegar -- don't worry, you won't taste it -- which reacts with baking powder and soda right before your eyes.  It's like re-living a jr. high science class (a fun one)!

The original recipe says it serves four.  I don't know whose family they're talking about, because it makes eight pancakes, and in my family, it's not a plate of pancakes unless there are at least three!  So, double the recipe if you have a hungry crowd OR freeze extra pancakes to give a quick but special start to a mid-week work day.

AND, as a side bonus, did you know that baked bacon is better than fried bacon?  It's so simple, too.  And there are advantages - you won't get splattered, and the cook doesn't carry the aroma of bacon around all day (it happens).  Plus, the slices bake in perfectly aligned strips, very professional looking!  This is how many restaurants prepare bacon, and...

Here's how I do it:

BAKED BACON

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F.
Line a good sized cookie sheet with foil and then a piece of parchment paper.  (The foil allows for easier clean-up - just crumple it all up when all is said and done, and toss.)
Lay uncooked bacon slices side by side on the parchment paper.
Bake for about 15 minutes but check a few minutes before if you like it bendy, or let it go a little longer if you like it crispy.  I like mine just between bendy and crispy.  Remove from oven and let bacon drain on paper towels.

See the foil under the parchment paper?
Makes for much easier clean-up...

FLUFFY PANCAKES
from allrecipes.com
(says it serves four; I double the recipe below)

Ingredients:
3/4 cup milk
2 tablespoons white vinegar (I used apple cider vinegar)
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons white sugar (granulated)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
2 tablespoons butter, melted
cooking spray

Directions:
Combine milk with vinegar in a medium bowl and set aside for 5 minutes to "sour."
Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large mixing bowl.
Whisk egg and melted butter into soured milk.

Pour the flour mixture into the wet ingredients and whisk until lumps are gone.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat, and coat with cooking spray. Pour 1/4 cupfuls of batter onto the skillet or griddle and cook until bubbles appear on the surface.  Flip with a spatula, and cook until lightly browned on the other side.

Perfect...

Flipped!

Three, at least!

One thing my mother always used to say about pancakes - the first one always comes out strange!  It doesn't brown the way the rest of the pancakes do.  I don't know why, but I find that to always be the case -- there's always that one, sacrificial pancake but there's also always someone willing to eat it!

Top with some soft butter, your favorite syrup (the real Vermont deal, or the grocery store stuff), even berries or whipped cream. Make them your own.

Now go enjoy your weekend!