About to dig into pancakes but your syrup bottle is tapped? A few kitchen staples can easily satisfy your cravings.

Photo: Flickr / Roadsidepictures

Her name is Butterworth. Mrs. Butterworth. And after 40 years of mystery, she's ready to reveal her first name to the world.

Slashfood reported in June that Mrs. Butterworth's had launched a contest asking participants what they think the company's iconic spoke-bottle's first name might be, accompanied by a short statement as to why. The co-winners, 15-year-old Shayla Doty, of Logansport, Ind., and Cynthia Harmon, 44, of Champaign, Ill., each independently found their way to "Joy" -- as well as $500 and a year's supply of syrup.

Said Miss Doty, "The father-to-be, Mr. Butterworth, was in favor of the name Yvonne, while the mother-to-be felt she was more deserving of a name that would remind them of what a precious jewel she would be -- Opal. Having not settled on a decision the day their giggling baby girl arrived, the doctor suggested "Jocelyn," meaning "the merry one." A light bulb lit above Daddy Butterworth's head, and he suggested combining the first letter from all three names, J-O-Y."

Ms. Harmon contended that, "Growing up, Mrs. Butterworth was teased by classmates who called her 'Joy Buzzerworth' in reference to a popular practical joke item called a joy buzzer that shocked people when they shook hands. When Mrs. Butterworth's introduced her syrup to the world, she didn't want anybody to think about Joy Buzzers, and just wanted them to love her thick and rich and buttery syrup, and so she decided to leave out her first name."

Still, Slashfood wonders -- did she meet a Mr. Butterworth and tie the knot, or is Missus just a nickname? Share your best guesses in the comments below.

Contest results will be posted at mrsbutterworthssyrup.

America is about to be on a first-name basis with Mrs. Butterworth.

Since her television debut in 1961, Mrs. Butterworth's® syrup has been a sweet addition to breakfast tables everywhere; the rich, buttery syrup is to pancakes as Hershey's chocolate syrup is to ice cream.

Call us old-fashioned but after a 40-year relationship, it's about time we knew the mysterious bottled woman's first name. Lucky for Slashfood, the one secret Mrs. Butterworth has kept is about to be revealed -- but not without your guesses first.

If you think you're a superstar at the name game, simply visit mrsbutterworthsyrup.com to submit your "Hi, my name is Mrs. _____ Butterworth" guess along with an explanation of 100 words or less.

The person who divines the first name of the foodie pop culture icon -- and has the best reason why -- will be rewarded with $500 cash money, a year's supply of Mrs. Butterworth's syrup (shocker!) and will be featured on the web site.

The contest ends next Friday, July 17, so don't get stuck without an entry.

Just yesterday, a NYC maple syrup mystery was solved. For several months now, there has been a mysterious smell over Manhattan that's been identified as maple syrup-like. Scientists in New Jersey and New York examined chemical registries, air samples, weather reports and 311 call logs. So what is the cause of this stink? Mayor Bloomberg states - New Jersey.

Frutarom factory in North Bergen is responsible for what the New York Times calls an "aromatic mystery". Mayor Bloombery assured reporters yesterday that the smell is harmless. The factory produces this smell on nights when it processes fenugreek seeds. To see what these seeds look like, check out AOL's coverage on the story. So, what's the deal with these seeds?

Fenugreek seeds are often used as a spice in Indian cuisine, in particular curry. Interestingly, in the U.S., fenugreek is often used as a flavor in industrial less expensive maple syrups. In the Middle East, it's used in many sweets. And, in Egypt, it's made into a tea and sold at coffee shops. For me, what began as an intriguing story over a syrup mystery has spurred an interest in discovering this aromatic spice and herb.

Sometimes some of the best and most worthwhile meals or treats are the ones that take no time at all. While there's nothing quite like a carefully prepared dish, it's also great to wow the tastebuds with simplicity. The above video, Green's Cuisine, has rejigged the Chinese treat toffee apples with deep-fried bananas into a super-quick and sugary treat. Sesame bananas are basically chopped bananas sprinkled with sesame seeds and then doused with a good drizzle of freshly made toffee syrup -- just a melted mixture of water and sugar.

This looks like the perfect dish for entertaining -- whether you're gathering together for a chat and want some munchies, or curling up with a good movie. Personally, I'd treat it like fondue -- prepare a nice, large pile and then give everyone skewers to pick up banana chunks as they wish. In fact, I'm thinking that the bananas on my counter won't be going into a smoothie after all...

Lavender: So hot right now. Lavender.

1. Lavender Cupcakes from Chockylit (who sadly is no longer blogging). That makes this recipe worth more, right?

2. Pound Cake with Blueberries and Lavender Syrup from Epicurious

3. Amazing lavender cookies, jelly, cinnamon buns and more from Happy Valley Lavender

4. Lavender and Honey Salad Dressing from Sonoma Lavender.

5. Lavender Lemon Bars from recipezaar

6. Lavender Ice Cream from Philly food blog Straight from the Farm

7. Lavender Pizza dough, breakfast rolls and other sweet recipes from Napa Valley Lavender Co.

8. Lavender Limeade from Jardin du Soleil

I first encountered kuro mitsu in San Francisco not long ago, at a creperie in the Japantown mall. I ordered a crepe with green tea ice cream, red bean paste, strawberries, whipped cream (sounds totally overkill but is truly amazing), which came drizzled in a mahogany-colored syrup that tasted like a light molassas, with a hint of malt. The mystery syrup really brought the crepe together, somehow cutting through the sweetness with its odd, bright bite.

Later, through research, I discovered that this was kuro mitsu (literally, "black honey"), a Japanese brown sugar syrup not at all dissimilar to molassas. Made from unrefined Okinawan brown sugar, it is a central ingredient in many sweet Japanese dishes.

A Taste of Zen provides a recipe for making your own kuro mitsu. Drizzle it over pancakes, fresh fruit or ice cream, add it to tea or stir a spoonful into plain yogurt.

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...

...cherry sauce.

Before I even went to this list of American food icons that never really existed, the first name that immediately popped into my head was Betty Crocker. And yup, she's on the list. Along with Ronald McDonald, Uncle Ben, and Aunt Jemima.

I can understand why the clown is on there, though he doesn't really seem to fit in with the other three. Betty Crocker, Uncle Ben, and Aunt Jemima aren't just icons like Ronald McDonald, they also have seemed like people who actually do the cooking and not just represent a company. In fact, Uncle Ben was recently promoted to be Chairman of the Board of his company, and Betty Crocker has become sexier over the years.

But what fake icons are missing from this short list?

[via Jade]

If you check out the labels on natural food products, you'll see agave syrup listed as an ingredient more and more often. Agave syrup - sometimes called agave nectar - is a natural sweetener that is marketed as a healthy alternative to processed sugars, as well as an alternative to honey, corn syrup and similar liquid sweeteners. The syrup is made from blue agave, a type of succulent, cactus-like plant that is also used in the production of tequila. The thick liquid comes in light and dark forms, the latter being unfiltered, and tastes similar to honey.

So what makes this syrup "healthier" than other sweeteners? It has a very low Glycemic Index (GI) value, so although it is noticeably sweeter than sugar, it doesn't cause the same type of "sugar rush" that other sweets do. Table sugar has a GI value of 68, on a scale from 1 to 100, while honey comes in at 55. Agave syrup has a value of around 15.

Agave syrup can be used in baked goods, with a reduction in the amount of liquid in the recipe to account for its presence. Starting with a recipe that already calls for honey and substituting it in is a good way to start, but as a general rule, you'll will need to spend some time playing around with your favorite recipes to get them to work, especially if you want to substitute it into a recipe that calls for crystallized sugars. The syrup will dissolve easily in liquids and is a good choice for sweetening iced tea or lemonade.

Since I drink coffee pretty much around the clock, I started buying the bottled syrups so I could add my favorite flavors to the cappuccinos and lattes I made at home. However at $10 or so a pop that can be a fairly expensive habit, especially since I like to mix up my flavors often. I decided to make a simple syrup base and then added various flavorings to find out how they tasted in comparison to the store-bought variety. The results were very favorable, in fact one friend of mine swears she can't tell the difference between various Starbuck's drinks and my own homemade versions. I still think there is nothing quite like the original, but these are a reasonable facsimile at the very least.

To make a simple syrup, combine 1 cup water and 1 cup white sugar. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer until it has reduced by half, which should take about 5 minutes. Now if you want flavoring, you have to add those ingredient(s) at the same time you add the water and sugar. Keep in mind, the following are just examples. I don't really have a precise recipe for this as I usually just wing it, so play around with the amounts and make what suits your own taste.

Lyle's Golden Syrup, manufactured by the British sugar company Tate & Lyle, has just been honored by the Guinness Book of World Records with the title of world's oldest brand. The sweet syrup is a byproduct of sugar refining and was first put into the distinctive green and gold tin in 1885. The packaging and the syrup have remained almost completely unchanged since that time. The product is found in more than 85% of British households and is popular in countries all over the world.

In the US, the syrup is found at some specialty stores, but is not terribly easy to come by. It has the consistency of corn syrup, but a much more unique flavor that carries over into whatever it is used to sweeten. There are any number of recipes that the syrup can be used in, but treacle tart and ANZAC biscuits are two that are well loved world wide.

Waffles make appearances at the breakfast table slightly less often than other foods, like eggs, cereals and pancakes. Perhaps this has something to do with the fact that they require a separate appliance and, unless you are fortunate enough to have a surplus of counter space, you probably have to spend some time tracking it down before you can cook. Waffles are not really any more difficult to make than any other breakfast food - and these particular waffles are easy and delicious.

The recipe comes from one I saw in Sunset magazine and called for blue cornmeal and a whipped cream topping. I replaced the whipped cream with maple syrup, which seemed more appropriate for breakfast, and used yellow cornmeal. In seconds, the batter comes together in one bowl and the waffles begin to dook in the iron. The waffles are crisp outside and moist and tender within. The cornmeal gives the a fantastic and satisfying texture.

This French toast and bacon sandwich could just be the ultimate breakfast sandwich - assuming that you aren't in the least bit worried about your weight and that you enjoy indulging in the morning, of course. It starts off with two thick slices of bread, soaked in an egg and milk mixture then fried into perfectly cooked french toast. The toast is then topped with a generous amount of lightly crisped bacon, allowing the pieces of overlap and for two layers. Once the bacon is in place, pour on some maple syrup and add the top piece of french toast. Eat with a knife and fork.

The end product is salty, sweet, filling and in no way can be considered health food. Ah well. You can't win them all, right?