That mountain of colorful, sugary pancakes comes to you by the fine folks at IHOP, who have put together this concoction to celebrate the movie Horton Hears A Who, starring the voices of Jim Carrey and Steve Carell, that was released a few weeks ago.
This thing is just chock full of stuff that will make kids run around all day long, or maybe stay in bed with a tummy ache. Colored syrup, a lollipop shoved in the middle like the flag on top of a mountain top. And what are those, jelly beans or bubble gum pieces?
As mentioned in a recent post, maple syrup prices are soaring due to high fuel oil costs and a shorter season due to climate change.
But if you want to indulge your maple syrup-tooth right now, and happen to be in the Angelica, New York vicinity (about two hours from Buffalo), try Cartwright's Maple Tree Inn. The Cartwrights, a family of longtime maple syrup producers, began serving pancakes and syrup for a few weeks during the harvest season in 1963. They've been selling stacks of buckwheat pancakes ever since, to tourists from as far away as Germany and Japan. The restaurant is only open for two months - from February 12 through April 13 this year. How's that for local, seasonal eating?
The Cartwright's pancake recipe is a family secret, but here's a link to The Minimalist's Pancake Primer - his ricotta pancakes are killer (in case you can't make it to Angelica before April 12).
We're in the thick of the maple syrup harvest season right now, but high fuel costs will likely lead to price increases of around 30 percent, according to an article in the Boston Globe.
Fuel prices - sugarmakers use fuel oil to boil the harvested sap into syrup - combined with already low syrup reserves from several poor harvest seasons are driving up retail prices. Warmer winters due to climate change have shortened the season, causing historically low output. Plus, there's an increased demand for maple syrup as consumers grow increasingly hip to its superiority over the faux corn syrup-based pancake syrups.
There's nothing like a wobbly stack of thick, fluffy pancakes spilling over with melted butter and maple syrup on a weekend morning (or early afternoon, if you prefer), but there are occasions when we need to be a little more refined. That doesn't mean you can't have pancakes, though. It just means that you might want to dress them up by molding your pancake batter on the griddle with a set of molds in floral shapes. Williams-Sonoma has a set of three in different sizes for pretty stacking for $16. Williams-Sonoma also provides a recipe for Praline Pancakes (pictured above) so that your Sunday morning brunch will feel a little bit fancier than a truck stop (not that truck stops aren't absolutely delicious).
OK, this is just plain freaky. When I sit down to eat a meal, I don't want to see its eyes. It reminds me of that Nightmare on Elm Street movie where Freddy Krueger's body had all those writhing faces of his victims. In this pic, all I can think about is the little cereal pieces screaming "help us!" in a high pitched voice.
Though I can imagine the pancakes singing and dancing in an animated Disney movie.
Today is National Maple Syrup Day, and while it's common to pour maple syrup on breakfast foods such as pancakes and waffles, maybe we can do something a little bit different today.
You could make a Monte Cristo Sandwich, though the recipesI'mfindingonline don't have maple syrup listed in the ingredients. That's the way I've had them in the past, so maybe you can try it that way too. Having pasta tonight? Forget all about tomato sauce and put some maple syrup on it! Making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches? Maybe a dollop or two of maple syrup might make things interesting.
And then top it off with a cocktail made with maple syrup, The Misty Maple Leaf.
Long before I was born, my dad worked at the International House of Pancakes as a short order cook. Because of that experience, he developed something of an intense pancake and waffle philosophy that included what should go into the batter, how they should best be cooked and what belonged on top of a pancake or waffle. Thanks to him, I grew up eating some really excellent breakfast goods.
It is also because of my dad that I am slightly alarmed by the Batter Blaster. It is a spray canister of pancake/waffle batter that you simply "point, blast and cook!" Oh, and did I mention that it's organic (because if it's organic then it must be good for you)? I believe that if you don't have the time to stir up some batter and cook it, then it's best to choose something else for your breakfast. Or when you make pancakes or waffles on the weekends, make a few extra to freeze for quick defrosting on busy mornings.
Has anyone tried this product? Are you intrigued or repulsed (or somewhere in between)?
Finally. After a couple of days of food holidays like National Crab Newburg Day and National Cherries Jubilee Day, here's something I can really sink my teeth (and fork) into.
Not that I do that often, actually. The only time I seem to eat pancakes is if I go out for breakfast, which isn't often at all. But it's one of my fall resolutions to change that.
I usually don't eat anything for breakfast. Yes, I know, that's bad. "Breakfast is the most important meal of the day" and all that, but I'm never in the mood to cook anything in the morning (and I'm trying not to eat as many muffins or breakfast bars), so I usually just grab a cup of hot tea. Even that's only in the fall and winter since I don't eat hot tea in the spring and summer, so I usually go breakfast-less.
However, because September is Better Breakfast Month, maybe this is the month that I actually start eating breakfast on a regular basis. Eating breakfast can actually help you lose weight and improve your mind, and the A View of America site has a ton of recipes you can try, including everything from Apple Omelettes and Eggs Benedict to Party Salmon Crepes and Swedish Pancakes.
Well, I told you about the cherry smoothie I made from the summer cherries I put into the freezer for safe-keeping. A lot of good those will be to me in the fall since I subsequently used them all for a liquid breakfast every morning thereafter until they were.
What I didn't tell you is what I did with the cherries I kept fresh on the counter. You, my Slashfood faithful friends, suggested clafouti to spare my fingers the chore of pitting cherries, as well as a multitude of recommendations for what I should do with the result of my gluttonous run at the market. I took the advice of a few and made...
As you know, there is an enduring battle at breakfast time for me between Savory and Sweet. For almost all of my life, I've loved sweet breakfast foods, whether that was cold cereal in the form of Cinnamon Toast Crunch or Belgian waffle with sweetened fruit and whipped cream. However, savory has taken the lead in recent years, and it's everything I can do to keep myself from ordering the same egg white, vegetable, and cheese omelet.
Food blog What Did You Eat has put a break in the battle, if at least for one morning. Jalapeno Corn pancakes (a recipe from Ask.com) look like normal pancakes, and with a small amount of sugar in the recipe that "lends a subtle sweetness to the pancakes," may even taste like regular pancakes, but the addition of masa flour and jalapenos, makes these all kinds of spicy and savory. You could eat them as is (I don't think I'd add any syrup), or do like Sher did and throw a fried egg on top!
Lately I have been more of a savory breakfast/brunch person, and especially in the summer, pancakes seem awfully heavy for a hot, late morning meal.
However, I could not stop staring at this stack of banana pancakes from one of my favorite LA food bloggers, Acme Instant Food. For some reason, the way they are plated and photographed breathlessly sigh "summer" to me (even though banana pancakes definitely sound like a fall breakfast). The pancakes are lazily laying all over each other as if just after a playful *ahem* "romp, glistening with syrup, and with coca nibs and pecans carelessly scattered all over. Makes me just want to drape myself on a chaise lounge by the pool.
Over on my personal blog, I played a game with my readers, and one of the questions that I asked them was about their breakfast preferences: Do you prefer savory or sweet?
A long time ago, I wouldn't have eaten anything other than pancakes, waffles, or French toast dripping with sugared fruits, maple syrup, and whipped cream. These days, however, I find those types of breakfasts more like dessert than a way to start the day. Is it my old age? Who knows? Regardless, I absolutely love a delicious breakfast of eggs in any format, whether it's huevos rancheros, eggs Benedict, an omelet stuffed with cheese and vegetables or simple scrambled eggs.
Which do you prefer for breakfast: savory or sweet?
As mentioned in a recent post, maple syrup prices are soaring due to high fuel oil costs and a shorter season due to climate change. 
We're in the thick of the maple syrup harvest season right now, but high fuel costs will likely lead to price increases of around 30 percent, according to an article in the Boston Globe. 
The world of organic meat. 
Today is National Maple Syrup Day, and while it's common to pour maple syrup on breakfast foods such as pancakes and waffles, maybe we can do something a little bit different today.
Long before I was born, my dad worked at the International House of Pancakes as a short order cook. Because of that experience, he developed something of an intense pancake and waffle philosophy that included what should go into the batter, how they should best be cooked and what belonged on top of a pancake or waffle. Thanks to him, I grew up eating some really excellent breakfast goods. 
Do you eat breakfast? 
Creating the ultimate Mother's Day gift for the carnivorous mom
Create less clutter with your Mother's Day gifts
Gifts for the vegetarian (or vegetable-loving) mom
