"shrove tuesday" news and stories

Over the years, the Tuesday prior to the beginning of Lent (known as Shrove or Fat Tuesday in most areas of the country - New Orleans knows it as Mardi Gras) has become recognized as a day to eat pancakes. To quote myself from last year, this is because "pancakes were a good way to use up the ingredients in your cupboards that were prohibited during Lenten austerity."

For as long as Pancake Day been part of our modern cultural vernacular, the International House of Pancakes (aka IHOP) has been giving away a free short stack of buttermilk pancakes to all comers on this most holy of breakfast days. Last year, they tried to move their free giveaway one week later so as not to have their business reduced by Super Tuesday, but they experienced more than a little backlash as a result, owing to the fact that those who observe Lent aren't going to disrupt their fast so that IHOP can have a better day at the till.

Happily, IHOP's pancake giveaway is back where it belongs this year. They'll be giving out free short stacks (one per customer, three pancakes per stack) tomorrow, February 24th between the hours of 7 am and 10 pm. In conjunction with the giveaway, they are conducting a fundraiser for the Children's Miracle Network, so if you go in for some pancakes, consider making a donation. Oh, and just because the pancakes are free doesn't mean you should skimp on tipping your servers!

As we've now mentioned several times, today is Pancake Day (Mardi Gras/Shrove Tuesday). Historically this is because pancakes were a good way to use up the ingredients in your cupboards that were prohibited during Lenten austerity. As with all things in this age, Pancake Day has been somewhat co-opted by society at large. Case in point? The International House of Pancakes isn't celebrating Pancake Day until next week!

Today is also Super Tuesday, which means that citizens across 24 states will be going to the polls today to cast their vote for their candidate of choice. Apparently, the fact that Pancake Day and Super Tuesday fall on the same day caused great consternation to the IHOP. They didn't want to share the date with democracy and so have announced that next Tuesday, February 12th is when they'll be celebrating National Pancake Day. It sort of defeats the purpose, don't you think?

[via Metafilter]

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My father (aka Mo) is something of a pancake connoisseur. He spent a bit of time working at the International House of Pancakes as a short order cook during his youth. He found their pancakes to be so bland and unimpressive that he set off on a life-long mission to create the best pancake he could. This meant that I grew up with excellent pancakes. His were nutty and full of belly-satisfying whole grains. One of his secrets is the addition of honey-toasted wheat germ to the mix. Sadly, this ingredient has gotten increasingly difficult to find over the years.

Despite the challenges to find the appropriate wheat germ, he still makes a good pancake and has passed that knowledge on to me. I've always been an eager study when it comes to food and so hungrily drank in his pancake wisdom as a small child. He recommends to carefully monitor your heat, so that the insides of the pancakes cook completely before the outside gets too dark. He always greases his griddle with vegetable oil, wiping off the excess with a carefully folded paper towel. Lastly, he teaches that you know it's time to flip your cakes when the bubbles start to pop at the edges and don't close back over themselves.

In some parts of the world, tomorrow is known as Mardi Gras. Others know it as Shrove Tuesday and still others simply refer to it as Pancake Day. For those of you who like to eat a big stack of pancakes before heading into the austerity of Lent, check out the recipe for Mo's Famous Pancakes after the jump and get cooking!

Our pancake roundup this morning only included eight delicious recipes that were sure to tempt just about everyone to get out their frying pan and make up a batch. But as tempting as they may have been, most of the recipes presented there would not be good choices for gluten-free eaters because they were almost all flour-based. In fact, most pancake recipes are. Fortunately, there happen to be a lot of equally delicious gluten-free pancake options out there that ensure everyone who wants to can celebrate Fat Tuesday (a.k.a. National Pancake Day).

The easiest GF option is a pancake mix. Jay used Kinnikinnick Pancake Mix to make the lovely stack pictured above. There are many mixes out there to choose from, including Bob's Red Mill, which is widely available at Whole Foods Stores.

If you want to make your own, try using an alternative flour, as was done in these Rice Flour Crepes or Almond Flour Pancakes. You can find several more GF pancake recipes here, which use buckwheat, quinoa, potato flour and other gluten-free bases.

[Thanks for the reminder, Jay!]

Last year, we rounded up eight great pancake recipes for a Fat Tuesday celebration, but even though eight new pancake recipes are enough to get you through several breakfasts without getting bored, there are always going to be more recipes out there to try. So, without further ado, here are eight delicious new pancake recipes to try:

• Nosheteria's Lemon Poppyseed Pancakes (pictured) are light and tender, with the bright flavor of lemon backed up with a little crunch from poppyseeds. They're a great alternative to lemon poppyseed muffins.
• Keeping the seasonal citrus, but moving in a slightly different direction, we have Lemon and Ricotta Pancakes, which are delicate and just melt in your mouth when eaten.
• Oatmeal pancakes are hearty, but perfectly satisfying on a cold winter morning - although with a fresh berry topping like the one Elise used, they will satisfy in summer, as well.
• A giant Baked Apple Pancake can be served as breakfast or as dessert, but due to its size and addictive taste, it is best to save lots of room for it.
• A little bit of zest and spice can take a plain, buttermilk pancake to a whole new level, as they did in these Orange and Cinnamon Buttermilk Pancakes. Use any spices you like (ginger would be nice)!
• For those of you who are health-conscious when it comes to breakfast, you might want to try making a batch of No-Flour, No-Sugar Crepes to start your day.
• Pork-lovers will probably get a kick out of having their favorite breakfast side inside their pancakes, rather than next to them, so Bacon Pancakes should be particularly appealing to them
• Nutella is often spread on top of pancakes or used as a filling for dessert crepes, but mixing it into the batter for Nutella Pancakes eliminates that pesky extra step before consumption. Opt for chocolate sauce as a topping if you like your pancakes for dessert, otherwise stick to maple syrup.