FLASHBACK 5th century

"this song It's meant to keep you from doin' what you're supposed to..wakin' up too early...maybe we could sleep in...i'll make you banana pancakes...pretend like it's the weekend now"
the first known references of pancakes are attributed to greek poets cratinus and magnes. of course, they don't call them PANCAKES...they refer to them as tagenites. ummmm...that doesn't sound appetizing AT ALL.
FLASH FORWARD february 5, 2013
after a long day of travel...and seeing the bk off for even MORE traveling...i sit down to channel surf. of course, i'm not hungry at all...UNTIL...until i see an ihop commercial. now i'm craving pancakes!! worse than that...i'm craving pancakes on national pancake day. and i've missed it!! boo!! but i've said i'm committed to getting healthy and eating right, you say? ummmm...yeah...but pancakes don't have to be considered unhealthy. fact: a serving of pancakes (2~4" plain) is only 94 calories and 2.17 grams of fat. it's how you chose to top it that can make them, truly, fattening. 

do i have tips for making your pancakes more figure friendly? of course!

1. don't use butter or whipped topping.
2. go for sugar~free or low~cal syrups and...AND...only use the suggested serving size.
3. want bacon? try turkey bacon...it's really good. or. cut your bacon in half. if you have 4 pieces you are actually only having 2 full slices! fool your brain...it works. cross my heart.
4. want eggs, too? try an egg white omelet or use egg substitute.

NOW. you're wanting a cheat day? you don't want to count calories...or fat...and just want to taste the ultimate deliciousness of the pancake? try this amazing recipe i had at a savannah, georgia bed and breakfast. it was like dessert for breakfast!!

APPLE PANCAKE BAKE

ingredients:

2 apples...peeled, cored, and thinly sliced

1/4 c. brown sugar, packed

3/4 tsp. cinnamon

3/4 c. all~purpose flour

1/4 tsp salt

3 large eggs

3/4 c. milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

3 tbs butter, melted

vanilla bean ice cream

preheat oven to 425. heat 10" iron  in oven for 7~8 minutes.  toss apples in brown sugar and cinnamon to coat. mix flour and salt. whisk together eggs, milk, vanilla, and 1 tbs butter and add to flour, mixing until smooth. swirl 2 tbs butter to coat bottom of skillet. arrange apples in skillet and pour batter over apples. bake 25~30 minutes until golden brown. serve with nice sized scoop of vanilla bean ice cream. serves 4~6. *note: it's the ice cream that makes this fattening...try a slow~churned ice cream which will cut the fat in half...or try no topping. it's delicious alone...no ice cream, syrup, or powdered sugar needed.

*every february 5, since 2006, ihop offers customers a free short stack of pancakes. guests are asked to consider making a donation to children's miracle network, or other local charities. to date, ihop has raised more than $10 million!