April has now arrived and here on the west coast of Canada, we have rainy, rainy weather. Nothing new there! But April showers bring May flowers, so our flowers should be well drenched this year by the amount of rain we are getting. April also brings with it more days filled with sunshine and the chance to play in our gardens. And as a kitchen witch I love my garden.
This year I plan on planting a lot of traditional garden fare, tomatoes, carrots, lettuces and cukes but I also plan on planting some unusual items I haven’t grown before but want to try. Any suggestions? How about herbs? What types of herbs do you grow? Anything new you would like to try this year? And as this is the Kitchen Witch Group, what exciting recipes will you use these ingredients in?
To start us off here are my Yummy Weekend Pancake and Fruity Syrup recipes. The perfect way to start a sunny day before heading outside.
~Lori M
Yummy Weekend Pancakes
Zest of 1 orange
Juice of half an orange
1 egg separated, place white into a glass or metal bowl and whisk to medium stiff peaks
1 tsp vanilla
½ tsp cinnamon, ground. You can also add nutmeg, ground cloves, ground ginger just use very little so it isn’t overpowering
1 cup milk
2 tbsp oil, sunflower or canola works best
½ tsp salt
2 tbsp baking powder
2 tbsp sugar
1 cup all purpose flour
This gets a little messy but so worth it!
Add the juice, vanilla, egg yolk, and oil into a large bowl and stir together. Slowly add your dry ingredients and stir together. Add milk and stir together. Now, in a separate glass or metal bowl whip your egg white until fluffy and meringue-like.
Gently fold the egg white into your pancake mixture. The meringue will create incredibly light and fluffy pancakes. As they are cooking they will puff up at least ½ an inch (just over 1cm) in height.
Pour batter onto a hot griddle and cook until golden brown on both sides.
Top with fresh berries and whipped cream or the following recipe for homemade syrup.
Fruity Syrup
2 cup berries, if using strawberries chop them into medium sized pieces
½ cup sugar
½ cup water
Place all ingredients into a saucepan and cook on medium- high heat. You can add a little extra water during the cooking process if you feel the mixture is too thick but if you are using a juicy fruit its own liquid will thin the syrup. Stir mixture to prevent burning. Once mixture starts to boil turn down to low heat and let simmer for a few minutes, stirring occasionally. Before serving take off heat and allow it to cool. Mixture will thicken, or set, as it is cooling. It should have the consistency of really running jam.
Pour fruity syrup into a gravy boat or jar and use for pancakes, waffles or mmmm on ice cream!
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