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Remember way back to last week when it was nearly a million degrees?
Picture this: It’s the middle of summer. You’re late for work. You decide to grab breakfast and eat it on the way to work. “Oatmeal sounds good,” you think. Never mind that it’s 167 degrees and 3000% humidity. An iced latte and an ice cream sandwich might make more sense considering the weather, but you’re trying to be healthy and you’re starving. While you’re waiting for your train you decide to pop open that paper container of hot paste and start chowing down. (Wait. Are those banana slices on top??? I think I'm going to hurl.) Incidentally, you’re not waiting for your train in some air conditioned waiting room (cue Fugazi here) or on an elevated open air platform with a gorgeous view and a balmy breeze. No, this is the SUBWAY platform, the furthest place you can get from fresh air, where the only view is of stagnant water, rats, and crumbling tiles, illuminated only by the sickening glow of fluorescent lights. Pleasantries be damned, that oatmeal is calling your name so in the hot, humid, foul subway station, you slurp it up while I stare at you in shock and horror, sweat dripping down my face, neck, back, and legs. Not only is it a bazilion degrees, but it smells like a urinal. I can't take it. I'm feeling faint. For the love of God, stop! There are better ways to get your oats, and not on a subway platform. Check out my recipe links below:
(And don't worry. Fall's not here quite yet, despite this rainy NYC day. It will be a million degrees again starting this weekend, so there's still time to complain about the heat before launching into 4 months of complaining about the cold.)
Olive Oil Granola
Oatmeal (Cookie) Pancakes
Peanut Butter Granola Bars
Extra Nutty Sour Cherry Olive Oil Granola
For someone who claims to not like pancakes, this, my fourth post on the subject, suggests otherwise. But then again, it also means that I've made pancakes only four times in a year. It hardly compares to my consumption of French Fries - something that I eat all the time but never actually make.
While hanging with one of my best my buds, Sarah, (and fam!) in New Hampshire this weekend, we made quite a few tasty meals, including a breakfast featuring some amazing local BACON(!) and a stack of oatmeal blueberry pancakes. (Fortunately we feature an oatmeal pancake recipe in The Ski House Cookbook. The book's not just for winter, people!) I would have been happy with just the bacon, but I guess when you have kids you're supposed to try to make a more complete meal. But what do I know?
Not much apparently. I made the same pancakes when I got home, except that instead of adding some nutritious blueberries...I added chocolate chips! I didn't have any blueberries and I'm pretty sure that dark chocolate has antioxidants too, so what's the diff? It was kind of like eating an oatmeal cookie for breakfast. That's healthy, right?
Oatmeal Pancakes
1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
2 tablespoons wheat germ
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 cup milk
Unsalted butter
Chocolate chips or blueberries (optional)
1. In a large bowl, whisk together the oats, flour, wheat germ, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Whisk in the egg and milk just to combine.
2. Heat a large nonstick skillet or griddle over medium heat. Brush lightly with butter. When the skillet is hot, pour in 1/4 cup batter to the griddle for each pancake, leaving room for the pancakes to spread. Sprinkle pancakes with chocolate chips or blueberries, if using. Cook until small bubbles appear on the surface and the bottoms are set, 2 - 3 minutes. Flip the pancakes and finish cooking through, about 1 minute more. Repeat with the remaining batter, adding more butter to the pan as needed. Serve immediately. Makes 10 (4-inch) pancakes.
And all of the idiots decided to go outside to bother me. I mistakenly thought that it would be a good idea to go for a bike ride along the West Side Highway, but so did everyone else. It could have been an enjoyable ride if anyone else was aware of the rules of the road, but I guess rules don't apply to bike paths? Riding three abreast or down the center double yellow or into oncoming traffic or while talking on your cell phone? All A-OK from what I saw! So is taking your small children who can barely ride their small bikes into high traffic areas. While you're at it, take your dog too, but make sure that it's on an extender leash so that they can run into oncoming traffic leaving you with no way to prevent it. Smart.
Good thing I carbo-loaded my breakfast before I left the apartment or my road rage might have spun out of control. Since the last thing I actually made was Pappardelle with Broccoli Rabe and Ricotta, I was able to make pancakes out of the leftovers. Well, the leftover ricotta. Broccoli rabe pancakes would be gross! These Lemon Ricotta Pancakes cook up so light and fluffy that they barely resemble pancakes at all, which to me is a good thing since I'm not a pancake super fan anyway.
I made it home in one piece, which is more than I can say for many of the bikers out there. Perfect example? The dude who whizzed past me in his Lance Armstrong Live Strong head to toe get-up. I was like, "Fine, you're a real fast rider. Whatever." Until I looked at his shoes. He was wearing sneakers! That weekend warrior was riding a hard core multiple thousand dollar bike, but didn't even bother to use pedals and shoes that clipped in. As I was contemplating his douchebaggery, I rode past a crash that could've been pretty gnarly. The cause? Live Armstrong! Don't forget to wear your helmets, people.
Lemon Ricotta Pancakes
4 large eggs, separated
1 cup ricotta
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon freshly grated lemon zest
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
Salt
Unsalted butter
Maple syrup
Mixed berries
1. In a large bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, ricotta, sugar, and the zest. Add the flour, and stir just until combined.
2. In a medium bowl, use an electric mixer on medium-high speed to beat the egg whites, with a pinch of salt, until they hold stiff peaks, about 6 minutes. Whisk about one fourth of the beaten whites into the ricotta mixture, and then gently fold in the remaining whites.
3. Heat a griddle or large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and add about 2 teaspoons of butter. Stir to melt. Working in batches, pour 1/4 cupfuls of batter onto the griddle and cook the pancakes for 2 - 3 minutes per side, or until they are golden, adding additional butter as necessary. Transfer the pancakes as they are cooked to a heatproof platter and keep them warm in a preheated 200°F oven. Serve with maple syrup and berries, if desired. Makes about 12 (4-inch) pancakes.
Since I still had some pumpkin puree leftover from my pumpkin pasta sauce, I decided that a quick and easy way to use it up would be to make some pumpkin pancakes. They would also make a great breakfast to have the day after Thanksgiving when you wake up starving because you went to bed so full (just me?). And it's at least a little more interesting than screaming, "Breakfast!" and then handing a box of cereal to your house guests. Plus, you'll need the extra energy for Black Friday (and your relatives). I sprinkled a few walnuts on top but I think that chopped pecans would be a great addition to the batter, if you're a nut person. Sometimes you feel like a nut, and sometimes you don't.
Pumpkin Pancakes
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Pinch of ground cloves
1 cup whole milk
1/2 cup canned pumpkin puree
3 tablespoons melted butter, plus more for cooking
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Pure maple syrup, for serving
1. In a large bowl whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and spices. Set aside.
2. In a medium bowl whisk together the milk, pumpkin, butter, egg, and vanilla. Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients and stir just to combine. (The batter will be thick.)
3. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat and add enough butter to coat the bottom of the pan. Pour 1/4 cup batter onto the skillet for each pancake. Cook about 3 minutes per side. Add more butter to the pan as needed to cook the remaining pancakes. Serve with butter and warm maple syrup. Makes 8 to 10 medium pancakes.
Fridays are even better in the summer when I have every other Friday off! WOOT! Today is my day off and even though it is raining (Again! I'm used to it!) I have really big plans, including making a breakfast that is something other than cereal and a hard boiled egg.
I have a love-hate relationship with pancakes. I love blueberry pancakes with real maple syrup. I hate plain pancakes. Yuck. Why I feel there is such a distinction I don't know. I do have a great recipe for blueberry buttermilk pancakes, but I don't usually have any buttermilk in my fridge. Who does? I certainly don't have any now, so I had to do a little research on alternate recipes. Fortunately Cook's Illustrated came through with a recipe that resembles one using buttermilk. They came up with a faux "buttermilk" mixture of lemon juice and milk. It totally works! I always have lemons and milk (as well as the rest of the ingredients) on hand, so this might be my new go-to pancake recipe for those once a year pancake cravings that I get.
Blueberry Faux-Buttermilk Pancakes
(from The New Best Recipe)
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 cups milk
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
1-2 teaspoons unsalted butter (for cooking)
1 cup fresh blueberries
1. Whisk the lemon juice and milk together in a medium bowl or large measuring cup; set aside to thicken while preparing the other ingredients. Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl to combine.
2. Whisk the egg and melted butter into the milk until combined. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients in the bowl; pour in the milk mixture and whisk very gently until just combined (a few lumps should remain). Do not overmix.
3. Heat a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat for 3 - 5 minutes. Add 1 teaspoon butter and brush to coat the bottom of the skillet evenly. Pour 1/4 cup batter onto 3 spots on the skillet. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon blueberries over each pancake. Cook the pancakes until large bubbles begin to appear (see photo below), 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. Using a wide, thin spatula, flip the pancakes and cook until golden brown on the second side, 1 to 1 1/2 minutes more. Serve immediately. Repeat with the remaining batter, using the remaining butter if necessary. Serves 4 to 6.
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