Stick it on Your Pancakes (or waffles)

Getting bored with breakfast? We often do around here. Some folks can eat cold cereal day in and day out and still want more. Others live and die by oatmeal. Around here we like to change it up. We do actually eat a lot of cold cereal. And sometimes oatmeal with applesauce and cinnamon mixed in (and recently at The Tractor's we had steel cut oats with apple crisp on top--now that was to die for. Perhaps I'll post the "recipe" some other time). But several years ago I decided to have pancake morning once a week for the kids. It moves back and forth between Tuesday and Wednesday, depending on which day is story time at the library. The kids know that pancake day also means bath day (don't worry, I usually bathe them more than once a week).

Even pancakes can get a little blase week after week. Perhaps you are feeling the same. If you are--here are some of our favorite pancake topping ideas.
First off--the pancake type. When I make buttermilk pancakes, I want them to be whole wheat or multi grain. By the way, the kids call these pancakes "Aunt Megan pancakes". I suppose because they've had them at Aunt Megan's house. But the irony there is that Uncle Nathan is the one who loves to make pancakes. And I frequently hear around here that mine are not as good as Uncle Nate Dog's.
We like our Aunt Megan pancakes with: maple syrup and snow (powdered sugar) for Ezra,
Nutella and fresh blueberries for me!
Mmmmm....or applesauce and whipped cream--thanks for teaching us that trick Aunt Megan! Now, I thought I had more pictures....but after 15 minutes of searching the hard drive I can't find them. And those are 15 minutes I'll never get back.
You'll have to imagine what they look like from here on out.
The other topping I like on buttermilk pancakes is peanut butter and bananas. That can stick in the throat a bit if you don't grease it with a light amount of syrup.
The second type of pancake we use is the kids favorite. It's the first recipe I ever memorized--at the ripe old age of three. My dad and mom used to let me help them make these pancakes often. We call them Swedish pancakes. They take 3 eggs, 2 C milk and 1 1/3 C flour. Really only white flour will work. Both my sister-in-law and I have tried to use whole wheat and it just ain't happenin'. Oh yeah, they also take a couple T of sugar. The batter is blended up and poured onto the griddle. They are basically mini-crepes. They are delicious. We like to eat them plain, as fast as we can cook them. But they also make delectable "jam roll ups." Simply pour a puddle of your favorite jam in the middle, roll up and eat. Now I've never been to Europe to taste a famous crepe with Nutella. But in my own dining room I regularly eat a mini-crepe with both Nutella and homemade raspberry jam. And I didn't have to learn a foreign language, take a long plane ride or pay to stay in a hotel where I share a bathroom with everyone else on the same floor : ) Not that I'm against going to Europe.
Our third most frequent pancake is the Dutch Baby. Or the "Puffery" as my kids have taken to calling it. Some folks call them an oven pancake because they bake up in a 9x13 in the oven. They can be eaten plain with a dusting of powdered sugar, with jam, or with syrup and a sprinkle of cinnamon sugar. They fare well with fresh in season fruit. The beauty of a Dutch Baby is the high protein. One oven pancake takes five eggs.
Let's review. Your grocery list now includes:
syrup
powdered sugar
cinnamon
applesauce
heavy cream for whipping
peanut butter
Nutella
bananas
fresh jams
blueberries (or other fresh fruits)

Bonus! Below is my favorite easy recipe for a sugary, sticky, delicious fruit topping that works best on waffles.

Fruit Topping
1 T corn starch
1/3 C sugar
1 T lemon juice
3 T water
Combine in sauce pan over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Add 2-3 cups fresh fruit and resume boil. Boil and stir until thick (about 2-3 minutes). Serve warm on waffles.
My favorite fruits to use are blueberries or a tropical frozen mix of mango, pineapple & papaya. You could add a sprinkle of dried sweetened coconut to the top of the waffle if you use the tropical mix. Really, any frozen fruit will do.
Happy Fast Breaking!