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Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Some days just do not go according to plans

Wouldn't you know it, the day that I tell you about all the wonderful fruits and veggies we eat around here, turns out to be the day that I serve pancakes for dinner.


I didn't feel quite right when I got up yesterday morning, just tired, no biggie. I volunteer with our church's MOPS group on Tuesdays. I babysit the one's and two's. It's a big group. Most weeks I rise to the challenge. But this week, the challenge chewed me up and spit me out. I was feeling so incredibly tired throughout the morning. By the time the mommies all came back, I was wiped.

I love babysitting these kids. One's and two's are so sweet. They like to be held, read to, and they don't mind if I sing badly. I often look into their sweet, cherubic faces and wonder what God's plans are for their lives. Maybe the little boy who every week finds himself in trouble, is actually destined for something great. I just always wonder.

Anyways, what I really wanted to do was come home and crawl back under the covers. (I've been fighting a virus all week, and I think it won.) But I had things to take care of that had become urgent, and couldn't be put off another day. Then I had to run out and get my girls from school. Once home, I had about 1 hour to put together a decent dinner before taking one daughter to ballet class. I made myself a half cup of coffee (something I haven't done in the afternoon in over a month now), thinking I just needed to perk myself up. I was just so tired, knocking things over in the kitchen, staring blankly at my mess, and wondering where do I start to get this thing called dinner going. I could not pull myself together.

As a result, my dinner plans for a nice vegetable-rich repast, became a dinner of pancakes.

One of my daughters suggested gingerbread pancakes. If you haven't tried these, and you're a fan of gingerbread, you really should. They're a wonderfully warming treat. So, gingerbread pancakes it would be, along with homemade applesauce (which by the way is brownish due to being natural-style and it has cinnamon in it, in case you're wondering at the photo).

To make gingerbread pancakes, you simply add cinnamon and ginger to any pancake batter, along with about 1/3 cup of molasses. 

I was feeling rather punk, and holding that molasses jug upside down was tiring my arm, so I didn't add nearly enough molasses to the batter. I cooked up the batch, then at the very end, went to taste one, and thought, "gee did I add salt? I don't remember getting the salt out". 

So, the gingerbread pancakes, turned out not molasses-y and very low-sodium. I tried to compensate when making the syrup, by adding a pinch of salt to the water, sugar, maple flavoring, and molasses. And, as I was serving up the applesauce at the same time as making the syrup, I turned the almost empty jug of molasses upside down over the syrup container. A lot of molasses dripped into the container before I caught it. So the syrup was extra molasses-y, and gingerbread pancakes, not so much. 

But if you can get this right, good molasses flavor, with the ginger in the pancakes, and a good maple-y syrup, you'll find these to be delectable. All I can say is they were edible (though they looked very good). Today's another day, and I'll squeeze in an extra serving of vegetables or two, if I can.

Some days, when I try to pull a rabbit out of my hat, I reach in, and all I find is a skunk.

How about you? Any days not gone according to your plans lately? And what do you fix for dinner when you just can't seem to pull it all together?

18 comments:

  1. I think you are just going to have to admit it. You were sick yesterday. I hope you feel better today.
    When meal plans fall through, we often order a pizza. Otherwise, everyone fends for themselves. That usually involves something out of the freezer or PB and J.

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    1. Hi live and learn,
      But I couldn't have been sick. Haven't you heard? Mom's don't get sick.

      When my daughters were 6 years old, I'd been up all night with a horrible bout of stomach flu. The next morning one daughter came in the room and asked why I wasn't cooking breakfast. I groaned, "I'm sick". She looked puzzled, thought about it a minute, then replied, "but mom's don't get sick". I moaned something about get yourself something to eat, and they did -- cookies and chocolate milk.

      I feel better today, thank you.

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  2. I concur with live and learn about being sick, b/c I had a similar issue for the past week+ of just being dog tired. As for the pancakes for dinner, my son and hubbie just love when we have breakfast for dinner,,,french toast, waffles, pancakes...and it is one of the easier meals to make. So who cares if no one got their veggies for a night, go rest, you deserve it! Feel better.

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    1. Hi Lisa,
      I just thought it very ironic, the very day I post about loads of fruits and veggies on our plates, is the day we had pancakes. I actually do make pancakes or waffles every so often for dinner. Everyone loves is when I do. And you're right, it is one of the easier meals to make. Thanks for the well wishes. I'm doing much better.

      Delete
  3. Feel better. I did the same thing, except it's going to last all week. :-) I usually try to do all of my cooking over the weekend. When that fell through last weekend, I went with an old stand-by - pasta, sauce (bulked up with spinach) and chicken sausage. I was actually thinking last night that it sort of tasted like Spaghetti-o's...in a good way. :-)

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    Replies
    1. Hi Marilyn,
      Oh no, and with your cooking being done on the weekends, that must've put a wrench in the usual plans. But it sounds like you came up with something very tasty, despite it all. I hope you're feeling better now! It must be the equinoctial virus. I catch something every equinox, spring and fall.

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  4. Lili, I hope you are feeling better. Don't stress over it, we aren't superwomen, some days we just want to curl up under the covers and should.

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    1. Thanks, Lois. Yes, I'm doing a lot better today. You know, every so often I give myself a pass for the day. I stay in bed, watch old movies on TV, catch up on a soap opera I watched many years ago (it's funny to see some of the actors on the show that I remember from way back when), and eat whatever I please for the day. Some days I plan for a day like that, and some days it's forced on me.

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  5. Aha! You're normal like the rest of us! I tend to use our stash of freezer leftovers when I feel dog tired. Sometimes my hubby takes sympathy on me and whips up something. I'm finally almost over a 2-week sinus infection--one of those "I'm not sick but I'm not really well, either" kind of things. So I am in sympathy!

    I attended MOPS for 2 years with my daughter and I SO appreciated the volunteers who worked with her. She's almost 7 and still talks about MOPS.

    Do you have to reduce any other liquids in your pancakes when you add the molasses? We do love gingerbread around here! Oh, and our homemade applesauce is the same color as yours--isn't that normal?

    Get some rest, drink your tea and feel better! BTW, I think one of my friends has your same plate pattern! Pretty!

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    1. Hi Kris,
      oh sinus infections can be horrid. I hope you're starting to feel like yourself again.

      I love MOPS, I really do. Those kids are so precious. And the other ladies who volunteer feel the same way. So when they were caring for your children, just know that they felt it a privilege and honor to hold your little ones. I think of it as my baby fix.

      With the gingerbread pancakes, use the molasses as part of your milk, and just add about a tablespoon more liquid, to compensate for the molasses being thicker than milk. One night for dinner we had split pea soup and homemade applesauce. my husband asked me why he had two bowls of soup for dinner! He thought they looked an awful lot the same.

      Thanks for the well wishes. I'm doing much better today. I'm taking my zinc, vitamin C, B complex, Vitamin A, and anything else I think will help me. And I had a cup of blueberry tea with acai berry (supposed to be good for your immune system).

      The dish pattern has been around for a very long time. It was an older pattern when I first noticed it almost 30 years ago. I find plates in vintage shops now, for less than buying them new.

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  6. Bless your heart! Hope you are feeling better today. Plus, why can't pancakes be a healthy supper? :-)

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    1. Hi Shara,
      Thank you. I'm much better. It was just a strange day. My head felt so weird. But better today. I just couldn't help but see the irony in the very day I posted on lots of fruits and veggies in our diet, was the day I made pancakes for dinner. All those other days of fruits and veggies surely carried us through yesterday.

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  7. Poor you! HOpe you feel better soon. We have beans on toast with grated cheese on top in a pinch.

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    1. Hi Jess,
      Thanks for the well wishes. I'm much better today.
      Beans on toast. I'm guessing that's baked beans? I've never had beans on toast before but it sounds quite good actually. I'll have to give that a try next time I need a quick meal!

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    2. Beans on toast or scrambled eggs on toast is our quick fix. It doesn't hurt to not have fruit and veg with a meal occasionally! Glad you're feeling better Lili! You know I love anything with ginger in it, so I'm definitely giving gingerbread pancakes a go!

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    3. Hi Sarah,
      Beans on toast -- I'm going to have to give that a try, now that it's been suggested twice. Hope you enjoy the gingerbread pancakes as much as we do!

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  8. As soon as I saw the picture of the pancakes at the top of your post, I hoped you had included a recipe because they were such a lovely colour! Will definitely try with the spices and molasses.

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    Replies
    1. Hi anexactinglife,
      I hope you enjoy the gingerbread pancakes as much as we do!

      Delete

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