SCL fell on Fat Tuesday, so someone requested a pancake dinner.  Since pancakes happen to be a specialty of mine, I was happy to oblige.  Our meal consisted of pancakes, egg casserole, and fruit salad.  Unfortunately, I had absolutely no idea how to estimate enough fruit salad for 20 people and ended up with WAY too much.  Live and learn.  In case you’re interested, I ended up using 4 apples, about 15 oranges, 4 cartons of strawberries, 3 bananas and 3 bags of grapes.  There were about 8 32oz containers of left over fruit salad, so next time use a lot less.

For the egg casserole I based it off a recipe from Kalyn’s Kitchen.  I combined green peppers, zucchini, mushrooms, feta and eggs (half egg whites and half regular eggs).  I sauteed the vegetables in batches (can’t overcrowd your mushrooms if you want them to brown), and then combined the ingredients in casserole dishes (I made 3) and baked them for about 40 minutes.

For the pancakes I used my family recipe.  I also made blueberry syrup and my family syrup.  For the blueberry syrup I made a simple syrup of 2 cups water, a little bit less than one cup of sugar, and 1 Tbsp of cornstarch.  When the sugar dissolved, I added a bag and a half of frozen blueberries and cooked it until most of the blueberries burst, stirring occasionally.

Light as a Feather Pancakes

Makes about 15 pancakes

• 1 1/2 cups milk (to start)
• 2 eggs separated
• 3 T melted butter or canola oil (I’ve always used oil)

• 1 1/2 cup flour
• 2 1/2 t baking powder
• 3 T sugar
• 3/4 t salt

Separate the eggs, putting the yolk in a large mixing bowl, and the
whites in a medium size bowl to be whipped.  Add the rest of the wet ingredients to the egg yolks.  In a separate bowl combine dry
ingredients, then add the dry ingredients into the wet, mix.  If the
batter is not runny enough, add more milk.
Beat the egg whites into stiff peaks just before you’re ready to serve
(you don’t want the beaten egg whites to sit for too long or they’ll
start to separate).
Gently fold the egg whites into the batter.  Spoon onto a large hot
skillet or griddle that has been sprayed with Pam.  When bubbles start
to form the pancakes are ready to flip.

Seat Family Syrup

• 1 cup brown sugar
• 2 Tbsp flour
• 2 Tbsp butter
• 1/2 cup water

In a saucepan, mix the brown sugar and flour together, until evenly dispersed.  Add the butter and water.  Heat the mixture over medium high heat until the butter melts.  Stir regularly until the mixture comes to a boil.  Let boil for 1 minute, then reduce heat to a simmer until ready to serve.  Syrup will thicken slightly as it cools.