Pancakes, I can't stop thinking about them...

It was the first thought in my head this morning...

Pancakes.

Sad, but true.

I stayed in bed thinking about the ingredients,

wondering if I had enough buttermilk left.

Slowly, I went over the entire contents of my refrigerator...

shelf by shelf in my mind.

Had I used it all for the scones?

Murphy didn't stir to move when I told him to go check...

He just let out a big sigh and pretended to sleep.

Typical.

Pancakes.

Yep. 

Now I have to make them,

otherwise I would think about them all day long.

When I have a craving for pancakes (or waffles), I give in...

because I know that I only need a couple pancakes to fulfill the craving

and then I'll be good for a few months.

You see...I don't like pancakes very much.

Sure, they're great while camping,

but those are just made from instant mix...

I mean, who wants to drag ingredients

to make pancakes from scratch while camping?!

That would be craziness!

When I want pancakes, I want fluffy pancakes made from scratch.

But I rarely make them at home, especially just for myself!

Good thing Murphy was in the pancake mood too.

Buttermilk Pancake Heaven
Recipe from The Cookworks on Food Network

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 cup sugar

21/4 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

2 cups buttermilk

1/4 cup melted unsalted butter, plus some for frying

Serving suggestions: whipped cream,fresh berries and maple syrup

Directions

1. In a large bowl sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. This is an important step to get all of the dry ingredients combined well.

2. Beat the eggs with the buttermilk and melted butter.

3. Combine the dry and the wet ingredients into a lumpy batter. Be careful not to over mix, otherwise it will create heavy, flat pancakes.  No one wants that!

4. Heat some butter in a skillet over medium heat. Spoon 1/3 cup of batter into the skillet.

5. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes on each side.

6. Serve with your favorite toppings and share with your favorite people...those with two or four legs!

 

Not every pancake turned out well...some were epic fails.

Guess who doesn't care how the pancake looks?

Yep...Murphy has never met a pancake that he doesn't like.

And by the speed in which he consumed them,

they were scrumptous.

Blueberry-Lemon Buttermilk Scones

Brrr...it's chilly outside!
Winter has barely settled in here in Oregon, but I'm already cold.
I know. I know.
It's not really that cold here.
And that's very true...it's not that cold here, but it's cold enough for me.
Sure, I'll take this dry, cold spell over the sideways rain any day,
but it is making me wish for Summer.
Since I can't have summer for awhile,
I'm sure glad that I preserve some little bits of summer to get me through these cold days.

Aren't these pretty?!

Even straight from the freezer,

these are a beautiful reminder of summer.

They deserve a new gorgeous spot, 

as the highlight of delicious scones.

Blueberry-Lemon Buttermilk Scones
Adapted from AlexandraCooks and Tartine
Yield=20-24 Scones

Ingredients:
4 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 Tbl. baking powder
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp. lemon zest
3 Tbls. fresh lemon juice
1 cup + 1 Tbl. cold unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
2 cups blueberries

Topping:
turbinado sugar for sprinkling (regular granulated sugar is okay too.)

1. Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. Zest and juice one lemon.  Set aside for later.

3.In an electric stand mixer, whisk together flour, baking powder and baking soda. Add sugar, salt and lemon zest and stir to combine.

4. Cut the butter into 1/2-inch cubes and scatter the cubes over the dry ingredients. Cut butter into dry ingredients.

5. Add the buttermilk all at once and mix until it is combined. If the mixture seems dry, add a little bit more buttermilk, though mine was very moist.


6.  Add blueberries into the dough and gently fold in berries.

7. Dust your work surface with flour and turn the dough out onto it. If you’ve made the whole recipe, divide the dough into two or three even portions. Using your hands, pat each portion into a circular disk about 1 1/2 inches thick.  Sprinkle with sugar. Cut each disk into 6 wedges.

8. Transfer the triangles to baking sheet.

9. Bake until the tops of the scones are lightly browned, about 20-25 minutes. (They took 23 minutes to be browned in my oven.)

10. Remove from the oven and serve immediately. 
Or take them to your next breakfast movie-fest morning. ;0)
That's what I'm doing!