Happy Pancake Day!

Yes, that's really a thing. Or maybe I'm the only one who didn't know about it? In any case, today is Pancake Day here in the UK. I found out serendipitously on a trip to the grocery store. I thought there must be a sale on syrup or something, because everywhere I looked there were displays for pancake mix and syrup. Then I saw a sign about Pancake Day.

When I got home from shopping, I had Justin look up Pancake Day while I whipped up a batch for dinner. I figure, if it's Pancake Day, that right there is an answer for what to have for dinner!

It turns out this day comes 47 days before Easter (approximately...) so it's one of those holidays that is on a different day every year. It's related to Shrove Tuesday, and the thought is that historically people wanted to get rid of their sweet and rich foods before Lent, rather than have them in their pantries tempting them while they fasted. So they made the food that combines sugar, eggs, butter, and milk, all rich foods typically avoided during Lent, to get rid of all the good stuff. Who knew?

Also, you're supposed to flip the pancakes you make on Pancake Day with proper pancake-flipping finesse, rather than with a spatula. I had never done that before, but here is my first ever flipped-in-a-pan pancake:


You can see the edge is a little bent, but otherwise, not bad, eh? I couldn't help myself, so I of course altered the traditional pancake recipe by adding mostly whole wheat flour and omitting the sugar. Who needs sugar when you're going to drench the thing in maple syrup?!


Here are the kids, eyeing their first ever Pancake Day cakes. Did they like them? Read on to find out...



And the verdict is: yes!! (We do encourage the use of utensils at most meals, but we'll just overlook Justin shoving the entire pancake into his mouth with his hand for today okay? It's Pancake Day after all!) We added some maple syrup and our favorite French jam for good measure.

There are also Pancake Day races, where people race while holding a frying pan and flipping a pancake. Sort of like an egg race, but a little harder on the wrist. We skipped that part.

So, if it's not too late, whip up a batch for yourself. Don't forget to use all the good stuff...That's what the day is all about.

Now, onto Valentine's Day!




Comments

  1. din 'illahi14 February 2018 at 07:34

    Yum! If one is on social media much one discovers that just about every day of the year is ‘something’ day. I knew there is a waffle day but didn’t know about pancake day.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Rachel14 February 2018 at 09:24

      Yeah, true! But this seems to be a pretty big deal here...maybe like Mardi Gras.

      Delete

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