Apple-Pie Pancakes

I spent yesterday morning going through the most popular of the 5000+ blogs on the Foodie BlogRoll, which recently accepted me into their ranks. Unfortunately, the FBR's search engine is on the fritz: instead of displaying 25 blogs on one page, then 25 on the next, it thinks each page should contain a growing number of entries. So by page 25 it says "Showing 601-625 of 5406 records" but actually lists 625 blogs, the first 600 of which were on previous pages but aren't numbers #1-600. I still haven't figured out the exact pattern. Still, I picked through the onslaught and found some fantastic writers to add to my Emulation list. Take a look-see below and to the right.

Anyway, I was so excited for this weekend! I don't have any special plans, but a couple of days without work or worries is definitely welcome. My week wasn't horrible, but it was full of tiny stressors that really added up (like the suddenly freezing weather, going off my acid blockers, and an extreme application of mental discipline to up-root that destructive attitude towards food lingering from adolescence). I celebrated with a rich-tasting breakfast of apple-pie pancakes.


-1/3 cup pancake mix (I use Hodgeson Mill Buckwheat)
-1/3 to 1/2 cup light soy milk
-1 teaspoon vanilla extract
-1 Granny Smith apple (or your favorite variety), chopped
-1 tablespoon sugar (brown ups the flavor)
-1/4 teaspoon each cinnamon and nutmeg
-1 teaspoon light butter

Combine the mix and milk, adding more of the latter gradually until you've reached your preferred batter consistency (I like mine thin, sweetie likes his thick and non-buckwheat; fortunately whipping up two batches like this is quick and painless). Mix in vanilla. Pour into 2 cakes on a hot griddle.

While the pancakes cook, stir the apple, sugar, and spices together in a mug or small bowl. Place the dab of butter on top. Microwave for 2 minutes until apples. When the pancakes are done, plate and top with the apple mixture, dribbling the sweet juices at the bottom evenly over the plate. Savor with a cup of black breakfast tea.

Note: the pancake mix directions call for oil and egg, but I disregard that. I've found that the cakes come out moist and fluffy enough without. To make the cakes more interesting, I'm considering mixing in some pureed pumpkin. I have two huge cans of it sitting in the cupboard waiting to be turned into goodies.