Breakfast for Dinner!!!

Ahhh, so those beans were quite delicious, if I may say so myself. The only caveat being it’s one of those dinners that’s so good, but retains so much heat that inevitably you’re stuck there at the table blowing off every bite and chewing all quickly. But that’s okay, it’s worth it! My recommendation is to eat off the sides and top! My boyfriend Mike likes to go the other route with it and mix it up so that the very hottest parts from the bottom get to the top and then he has an even hotter bite. To each their own (use my method – I can assure you you’ll be trying to eat these before they cool off). We would have these for dinner tonight, also, but I have some leftover pancake batter from Sunday that we are going to use for breakfast for dinner!

Breakfast for dinner is a great concept. I find that usually breakfast foods are less expensive than a full dinner, and it’s a fun thing to do once in a while. To make it even more delicious, you can add some fruit to the pancakes. My favorite is to spoon the batter on the pan and add 3 banana slices on top. The texture of the banana works really well with the pancake – and they’re so much less expensive than blueberries. I can’t wait until my son, Dylan (6 months) is old enough to get a kick out of it like most kids will. They’ll think you’re so cool! Oh, for a little festive addition, let the kids wear their pajamas at the table (and you do it too!). Ok, very fun.

There’s only 2 adults here, so I generally make enough pancake batter for 4 and then save some. Many don’t know this, but pancake batter stays very well in the fridge for a few days and actually makes it a little fluffier. If you don’t have time to make ahead, just let it sit for about 30 minutes before cooking – you’ll see what I mean…it gets all airy. Pancakes can be a great last minute dinner if you have the batter already prepared. Another quick-fix option for pancakes would be to make a large batch of the dry ingredients (make it organic for only pennies more with 365 Everyday Value WF flour) and then add the wet (milk and egg) at the last minute – basically you’re making your own Bisquick. Can I use that word without a “®” or “™”…or for that matter a “☼” (called: miscellaneous dingbats) or a “§”? What in the world would anyone ever need these symbols for? Taking this one step further: Did anyone else realize Bisquick is a combo of “Biscuits” and “Quick”…as in, quick biscuits? I just did…a few days ago. Pretty cool, right? (Probably not).

The point is, we have leftover pancake batter, and I will be making that for dinner. I also really like eating leftover pancakes at room temperature with a little soft butter on them. They’re a surprisingly good snack. I once sent them to work for lunch with a side of maple syrup for Mike, and he was surprised by how good they were. So if you don’t have enough batter left over for a whole meal, just cook up the extra and save them (in an airtight container). You could serve them to the kids (or yourself) for snacks with:

-Butter

-Peanut Butter and/or Jelly or bananas

-Cream Cheese and Strawberries with a little sprinkled powdered sugar

-A scoop of ice cream

scrimpyTips for pancakes:

-Make extra batter for another meal

-Cook extra pancakes and freeze for a quick weekday breakfast/dinner/lunch

-Let batter sit for at least 30 minutes before cooking it. This can be done overnight, just be sure to leave on the counter for 30 minutes to take the chill off

-Make pancakes even thriftier by making your own mix

-Bananas are great, healthy, CHEAP additions to pancakes (since with their thick peels, it’s not urgent you buy them organic) as are a few chocolate chips and apples.

-Serve leftovers creatively at room temperature (Belgian pancakes, anyone???)