14 day Countdown to 40 - Self-Indulgence #5

Homemade Pancakes for Dinner - smothered in real Maple Syrup made in Northern Ontario at a family friend's sugar shack, and served with a dollop of yogurt.
This indulgence is in honour of Shrove Tuesday/Mardi Gras AND my all time favourite breakfast food.
When I was little, my dad would make us pancakes for breakfast after church, every Sunday morning.  He was very adventurous in the kitchen and would frequently add a whole spectrum of "secret ingredients" to the pancake batter - parmesan cheese was particularly memorable.
While having inherited some of my father's penchant for experimenting in the kitchen, I choose to stay away from cheesier ingredients when it comes to my pancake batter - instead I like to play around with ways to make the mix a little healthier - that way I don't feel so guilty about drowning them all that Maple Syrup.

Some of my favourite additions to any basic pancake recipe - wheat germ, cornmeal, oat meal, wheat bran, cocoa, powdered green tea and hemp hearts.  Sometimes I also experiment with adding different fruits and nuts to the mix, like mashed banana, grated apple, frozen berries, sesame and sunflower seeds ....

Today though - I think I'll keep the recipe basic, but give a nod to Mardi Gras by making the batter a rainbow of colours

Mmmmmmm, my inner 8 year old and I can hardly wait for dinner!!!!

Happy Mardi Gras! Happy Pancake Day!! and Happy International Women's Day!!!

As always, Dayna