Filed under: Places to Eat | Tags: breakfast, oregon, pancakes, portland, restaurant
Remember those Japanese hibachi restaurants where they samurai your vegetables and cook them on your table? Well, this place (Slappy Cakes) in Portland uses a similar griddle/table and lets you MAKE YOUR OWN PANCAKES. Ok, yeah, I know it’s kinda gimmicky, but I was able to put aside my pancake snobiness and totally enjoy this place with the eyes of a sugar syrup-loving 5-year-old. Our pancake creations were inspired and totally awesome. We ordered zucchini pancake batter and made goat cheese, scallion, and mushroom pancakes first, followed by buttermilk pancakes with hazelnut, blueberry, and applesauce. I would HATE to work here (syrup and batter everywhere), but it was a bonafide breakfast experience.
I woke up this morning wanting waffles, but feeling like I “should” eat oatmeal. So I googled oatmeal waffles, and ended up with this phenomenal and healthy breakfast via The Veggie Gal. Luckily, I had fresh blackberries to top them with.
2 cup rolled oats
2 cup water
1 medium banana
1 tbsp raw sugar, or other sweetener
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
Blend all ingredients. Let stand a few minutes; if batter becomes too thick, add enough additional water to make batter easily pourable. Pour into a heated, oil-sprayed waffle iron. Cook for 10 minutes without lifting the lid. This made 3 waffles.
I topped with blackberry maple syrup which I made by boiling syrup and fresh blackberries. It was kind of perfection.
Sure, we thought about going to IHOP for free pancakes this morning to celebrate National Pancake Day, but that would require sneaking in real maple syrup and a jar of peanut butter. And then we thought about going to the Coffee Cup, a Pensacola classic diner, but I knew I’d end up ordering eggs and grits.
So we made pancakes at home. Jeremy and I were both inspired late last night by Austin/Mexican pancakes directed to us by a Texan coworker. Y’all (I’m feeling the Texan influence) know I love pancakes. These were sweet and sour and light and fresh, instantly sending them into the Top 3 Pancakes Ever Eaten (by me). Drizzling lemon juice and zest on top was the clincher.
My pancake love came from my parents. Mom cooks ‘em, Dad dresses ‘em. Here is an example from this week. I’m always on the search for the perfect pancakes. If you’re feeling hungry today, let me recommend one of my favorite resources on the internet. I’ve had success with these and these, but I’m still searching for my go-to recipe. Next I want to try these (cardamom!)
Dining in Houston was all well and good, but with Thanksgiving, Chanukkah, and Christmas all happening, I had much more fun cooking at “home” this time round. I really tried to ignore the mugginess of Houston and force myself to feel fall through food. This meant mashed potatoes, fish, squash, soup, lots of kale, and hot toddys.
For dessert one night, Lowell made his mother’s baked apples, which left us with a delicious plate of cinnamon-sugar-butter that I didn’t know what to do with but refused to throw away. It ended up on pancakes (using an Everyday Pancake recipe from the NYTimes that turned out thick cakes), and it was divine. I might try putting it in the batter next time.
Also, Nina and I invented a couple quiches for some remaining pie shells. I think the masterpiece contained bacon, mushrooms, cheddar, shallots, and rosemary.
Nina and I made latkes for the first night of Hanukkah last night, opting for a variation of the traditional potato latke (aka pancake) with this Red Flannel Latke recipe from the NYTimes that includes beet and celery root. This was my first latke making experience, so I relied entirely on Nina and Mark Bittman. For Nina’s nostalgia we made some regular sized latkes, but as my patience is low for watching oil do its magic, I pushed for Bittman’s style: one big fat latke. We also travel with limited supplies, so we didn’t have a grater. We used a peeler to peel the potatoes and then proceeded to peel the entire potato. I think all in all we ended up with some pretty fancy latkes. We added gobs of sour cream, lit candles, and Nina sang.
Nina suggested I turn the leftovers into a yummy Saturday morning breakfast, which was pure genius. Potato, beets, onions, celery root, and a fried egg. (Nina not only knows about Jewish foods, she knows about words and radio too!) Happy Hanukkah, and hooray for food that brings us together.
Filed under: Places to Eat | Tags: breakfast, colorado, denver, pancakes, restaurants
If I haven’t mentioned it yet, I’ll just lay it out there: I’m a sucker for breakfast. Pancakes, eggs, toast, morning radio, oatmeal, mugs of coffee, morning light, quiche, diners, hash browns, all of it. On our only morning in Denver, some extremely lovely and hospitable locals took us out to a great neighborhood breakfast joint (instantly winning cool people points). As we sat down and began to survey the mouthwatering menu, the cheery waitress asked us if we were new. She made recommendations, and I ordered the caprese benedict (poached eggs, fresh mozarella, basil, balsamic vinegar). Shortly thereafter, a waiter (he looked in training) came to our table, ostensibly sent by our waitress, bearing what he called their “secret pancake.” It was a cinnamon roll pancake that apparently can be ordered at any time simply by saying the words, “secret pancake.” One more time in unison, “secret pancake.” I don’t mind if they tell every new customer (or just every customer madly taking photos). That morning we shared a pancake drizzled in cinnamon, butter, and brown sugar that tasted divine, and for a moment we shared a delicious secret.
