Something Old, New, Borrowed, True

So I've had this idea rolling around in this 'ole head of mine for awhile now. I've been ignoring it too. Know why? Commitment! You know.....that thing I struggle with? So here's what I've been wanting to do but have let my own insecurities hold me back.

I was thinking about doing a weekly segment here called "Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something True. Kinda like the old marriage saying 'cept this wouldn't have anything to do with marriage. I was thinking more along the lines of something "old" maybe sharing an old family favorite recipe or tradition. Maybe an entry from my journal when I was 8 years "old". (Which btw would be hilarious and I can probably guarantee I talked about food. I still talk about food a lot today. I need therapy!

For something "new" I would share something "new" I did during the past month. Maybe something I did that I've never done before, or a place I've never been before, or a food I've never tried before. (See how it's always about the food?)

Something "borrowed" would be an idea I got from another blog perhaps. Or an idea I got from a friend. Something along those lines.

And something "true" will just be about what I believe to be true. My beliefs and my feelings. (Which is basically what I do anyway on this blog.)

So there you have it. What do ya think? I think it could be really fun! At least for me anyway.

With it being the first week of June today I said to muhself....why not start today? So here goes nuthin'! (And just so you know...don't set your expectations too high. I for one don't take a lot of pictures of foods I make. I'd rather being eating them. I don't take a lot of pictures of things I make. I don't make a lot of things. And besides my camera isn't that fancy and the quality isn't that great. And ....I blog because it's therapeutic for me. Weird right? Try it! You'll see. Something about getting your feelings and thoughts out of your brain does a girl good!)

Something OLD:

One of our favorite breakfast foods here is pancakes. I make pancakes at least once a week. Usually twice. I make a batch of batter, cook up all the pancakes and put any we don't use in the fridge. It has come in really handy to just warm them up for breakfast when we're in a rush and I don't have time to make them on a school day. Plus, I know it's probably mental but I feel that my kids will be more satisfied with a pancake than a bowl of cereal. (Don't' get me wrong. We loooove cold cereal at our house but I'm not sure it's all that filling. Maybe it is. Maybe it isn't. You be the judge.)

So why is pancakes under "old" you say? Because the recipe I use for our pancakes belonged to my husband's Great Grandma Grunt. (Grandma Grunt was her nickname.) I never knew Grandma Grunt but I have learned a lot about her over the years and one thing I know for sure was she was a fantastic cook. So many of her recipes are family favorites and I'm sharing it here today. (I hope I don't get kicked out the family for this. It may be an old family favorite but I don't think it's a family secret.)

Grandma Grunt's Buttermilk Pancakes

1 1/4 c. flour

(I use about 3/4 c. white flour and 1/2 c. wheat flour)

1 tbsp. sugar

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 egg

1 1/4 c. buttermilk

1/2 tsp. salt

2 tbsp. oil

And since we're talking about old check out that griddle. It's old and belonged to my granny. She made the BEST reuben sandwiches ever on that griddle!

A couple tips and tricks: If you don't have buttermilk (which I hardly ever have on hand) you can use regular milk. Mix the regular milk with vinegar or lemon juice. Use 1 tablespoon per cup of milk and let sit for 10 minutes before you add it to the batter. And for a healthy twist add a few tablespoons of flaxseed to the batter too. I'm not a health nut but I know it's good. I don't know why it's good for you. Something about the healthy Omega 3's and blah blah blah! Either way...it's healthy and your kids will never know.

And to make it even more fun for the kids we add food coloring to the batter, they decorate their pancakes with sprinkles (the kind you use for cookies), or I cook them into different shapes and we add eyes and a mouth with marshmallows and chocolate chips. Basically we just undo all the healthy ingredients I added to the batter.

If I have the time and the patience I let the kiddos help me make them. They have their own little cooking set they got from their Nana for Christmas this past year and their own homemade aprons from their Grandma Cindy so they love to help and get really excited when I let them.

(And then we rub the cooking utensils on our nose! I never said anything about being sanitary!)

And last but not least...pancakes aren't pancakes without the syrup and we ALWAYS have homemade syrup! It's what I was raised on and now my kids have kinda become syrup snobs and prefer the homemade stuff too. It makes me proud!

Homemade Maple Syrup

2 c. brown sugar

2 c. white sugar

2 c. water

Bring to boil on stove and boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat and add 1/2 tsp. maple and 1 tsp. vanilla. This is a runny syrup so if you want thick...well umm...I don't know. And it's always the best warm! If you are going to use store bought use Aunt Jemima's Butter Lite! It's a bit more pricey than some but it's gooood! If you're cheap like me I buy the lite no name brands and I still like it. I even ventured out and bought sugar free. Not my fav but I like to torture myself and be healthy every once in a blue moon! Enjoy!

Be back next week for something NEW!!!