Pancakes For One

 

One weet-bix, about 3/4 cup muesli, a few canned peaches and a good dollop of yoghurt is pretty much what I have eaten for breakfast everyday for a really long time. A really long time. Yep, I'm definitely a creature of habit - even I was going out for brunch I'd have to at least have a couple of weet-bix to line my stomach for what was coming. Some may call me a wuss or a creature of habit but regardless -yesterday morning something in the wind changed because I felt like something a little more heavy than my usual cereal saga. I wanted Pancakes. Badly. AND I didn't even want weet-bix to start off. I know! Shock horror. Quite a big deal and may have the potential to become a regular thing. Did you know they don't even take much longer to prepare than my usual cereal breakfast? 

If you're already thinking I'm pretty weird it gets worse. I wanted peanut butter and plums of my pancakes - together. Yes, that's what that brown gooey thing on the side of my plate is. But before you judge, may I just say that this is an extremely tasty combination? I dare you to try it. It has the sweet, tangy, savory taste going on all in one go. Mmm! To be fair I did use Pics' really good peanut butter (only the most ahhmazing peanut butter ever made).

While I was eating this one, my other pancake was waiting patiently in the pan and to my delight was super crispy when I came to eat it. All it needed was a good drizzle of maple syrup and - deliciousness in my mouth. 

Pancakes For One:

Ingredients:
1/4 cup self raising flour
1/2 cup buttermilk or milk with one tsp lemon juice
pinch of salt
1 egg
a sprinkle of rolled oats
*NB

Blend together to make a smooth, pourable batter. Add more or less flour to create this consistency. Lightly grease a heavy pan and cook ladlefuls of mixture over a medium heat. Once the pancake bubbles, turn over. Makes about 4 medium sized pancakes.

*NB: Because it was early morning time, I didn't add any extra butter in the mixture (just lots to the pan) and the sweetness came from the toppings. If you'd like it extra sweet, add 2 tsp sugar and 1 tablespoon butter, melted to the mixture.

If you have mixture left over, cook it up and leave the pancakes in the fridge for the next day, or freeze them and toast them.

Pot Luck Dish

I seem to have a love/hate relationship with pot-lucks. I love them when I have the time/can be bothered to conjure up something to take yet seem to rather dislike them when I have no time, no ingredients or feeling too lazy to make anything. Thus this then results in feeling guilty when my supermarket item sits awkwardly next to a home cooked item made by someone who was slightly more organised than I.

I have a pot-luck dinner to go to tonight and fortunately I had the time, the desire aaaand the ingredients to make something.

I did have to be fairly creative however when choosing something to make as we have just moved house and my baking ingredients are spread out everywhere.

I decided to go with these little babies from my sister's blog and this chocolate no-bake slice which allowed me to use up three half empty packets of biscuits and the rest of some cereal.

Both are fairly effortless and stress-free which is ideal for a lazy public holiday day.

Apricot Truffles


Ingredients:

250g dried apricots
1/4 cup white sugar
rind of one lemon/orange*
2 Tbsp orange juice*
1/2 cup dessicated coconut, more for rolling

Chop the apricots roughly, then put in a food processor with the sugar rind, and juice. Process until chopped finely. Then add the coconut and process until firm. Roll into small balls (one batch makes about 20) then roll in extra coconut. Keep in fridge till firm.

I didn't have a lemon or orange rind so substituted these for a teaspoon of marmalade. Instead of the orange juice I used one tablespoon of lime and one table spoon of lemon juice (from a packet - no judging..).

 Chocolate No-Bake Slice
 
Makes 24
175g butter
3 tbsp golden syrup
1 tsp vanilla essence
3 tbsp cocoa powder
250g of any cereal, biscuits etc.(I used a combination of squiggles, oreos, weetbix and muesli)
½ cup dried cranberries

Icing
3 tablespoons Cocoa
11/2 icing sugar
2 tablespoon nutella
40g butter, melted

Line a 17cm x 27cm slice tin with nonstick baking paper. Place butter, golden syrup and vanilla in a saucepan and heat until butter has melted. Process cereals/biscuits in a food processor. Add cocoa, and cranberries and pour into butter mixture. Stir to combine. Press to cover the base of prepared tin.

Icing
Place all ingredients in a bowl and mix to combine making sure there are no lumps. Spread with a hot wet knife or spatula onto the base. Leave for 1 hour to set. Cut into bars with a hot knife.

 

I hope you are having a happy Waitangi day (or happy Monday if you're not from kiwi land).