Shrove Tuesday Pancake

Shrove Tuesday. Fat Tuesday. Mardi Gras. This day has so many names. But my most favorite name for the day is Pancake Day. Whence all the names? Time for a history lesson:

This Tuesday is always celebrated the day before Ash Wednesday. Back in the day (like centuries back, not decades), Lenten sacrifices went some steps further than abstaining from chocolate (except for those times that, "Oops. I forgot it's Lent. Oh well, I might as well finish this chocolate bar, right?" happened). Eggs and dairy products were completely taken out of the faithfuls' diets. Eating food like pancakes, which tend to call for such ingredients, would use up the last of these indulgent foods before the penitential season began. Such abstinence is also the reason eggs are so popular at Easter time: people were celebrating finally adding dairy and eggs back into their kitchens and I'm-sick-of-being-vegan bellies.

As last year, I wanted to celebrate with some tasty pancakes. Lenten suffering must have been out to get me early, because I dropped and shattered the jar of Jif's chocolate hazelnut spread. Oof. I was able to (painstakingly) salvage about half of it..

To be fair, I'm incredibly clumsy.

Here's my tasty pancake breakfast inspired by and adapted from Joy the Baker's Single Lady Pancake recipe.

This is not a pretty, so much as a delicious, pancake.

Shrove Tuesday Pancake
(makes 1 large pancake)

1/3 cup whole wheat flour

2 Tablespoons whole oats

1 teaspoon baking powder

pinch of salt

1 Tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons vegetable oil

1/4 cup milk

dash of vanilla extract

handful of pecans

handful of dried cranberries

swirl of honey

tablespoon of chocolate hazelnut spread

Preheat a medium sized skillet on the stove top and add your handful of pecans to get them toasting, swirling the pan every so often so they don't burn.

In medium bowl, mix flour, oats, baking powder and salt together. In separate bowl, mix 1 T oil, milk and vanilla. Add the wet ingredients to the flour mixture. Now add about half the pecans and half the cranberries to the batter and stir until it just combines. The mixture will be thick. (If you like thinner pancakes, add a couple tablespoons of milk. I wanted a thick and fluffy pancake so the batter was just fine for me.)

Add the remaining 2 teaspoons of vegetable oil to the pan and pour the batter into the pan. Cook on each side for 2-3 minutes, whenever the pancake has browned to your desires.

Once the pancake is cooked, flop it out onto your plate and dress it up with the remaining pecans and cranberries, a swirl of honey and a nice dollop of (glass-free) chocolate hazelnut spread.


Then enjoy it because this is your last hefty dose of sugar before Lent begins. Muahaha. ;)

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Brown Sugar Biscuits

Failed baking test trials can really mess with your groove. Even if they aren't complete disasters, it can be frustrating for something not to turn out quite as you imagine it will. Especially if it leads to a general lack of inspiration. That's where these biscuits come in.

I know what you're thinking. Inspirational biscuits? Is that even possible?
Yes, absolutely. When you wake up with a hungry stomach loudly making known its need for immediate sustenance, biscuits are the most inspirational thing in the world.

Luckily, these biscuits come together crazy quick and are open to so many add-ins. Bacon pieces, like the original recipe? Slivered almonds, dark chocolate and coconut for an almond joy variation? Raspberries and white chocolate chunks? Chives and cheddar for a savory route? Either way, you'll end up with flaky, buttery, crumbly, melt-on-your-tongue, lightly sweet heaven.

Brown Sugar Biscuits

Adapted from Joy the Baker

3 cups flour

2 tablespoons brown sugar

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

3 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cracked pepper

1 large egg

3/4 cup buttermilk

3/4 cup butter, cut into pieces

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare baking sheet by lining with foil or parchment paper.

Whisk together flour, sugars, baking powder, baking soda, salt and pepper. Cut butter into flour mixture, mixing until crumbly.
In separate bowl, whisk buttermilk and egg together. Add to dry mixture and mix until just combined.
Turn out on floured surface, kneading a few times if necessary. Roll out to 1 inch thickness and cut with 2 inch biscuit cutter. Bake 12-15 minutes until golden brown.

These are great on their own, but would also be wonderful with butter, honey, jam or a fried egg and bacon for a breakfast sandwich.

Share them with friends. Otherwise you'll find yourself four biscuits gone and crumbs all over your shirt. Not that this happened to me or anything.

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