in the kitchen: oatmeal pancake mix

Since we've been married, my husband has actually been the Chief Pancake Maker in our house.  And his turn out yummy every time.  True, he uses Bisquick, but he never has to measure anything and he works the griddle like a pro.  Maybe that's why I gladly stepped down from pancake duty once I figured out how talented he was.  'Cause in comparison, mine kinda stink.  I make them for myself and for Caleb from time to time, but they never turn out that stellar.

Until today.

I came across this recipe from Mel's Kitchen Cafe and decided to try it.  I liked the idea of making my own pancake mix; that way I knew what went into it, and I can have it on hand for whenever we want pancakes.  Plus it has whole wheat flour and oatmeal in it....so I can at least tell myself that they're somewhat nutritious while I'm eating myself into a carb coma indulging in some pancake goodness.  :o)

I tweaked the recipe a bit to make it my own.  Here's what I did:

Making the mix:

This recipe is supposed to make about 10 cups of the mix.  First, pull out your ingredients:

3 1/2 cups quick-cooking oats

3 cups whole wheat flour

2 cups all-purpose flour

3 tablespoons brown sugar

3 tablespoons baking powder

1 tablespoon salt

1 tablespoon baking soda

1 cup canola oil

First, mix all of the dry ingredients together.  I mixed mine by hand since the recipe recommends a mixer with a paddle attachment, and my mixer isn't swift enough to have one of those.  Then, slowly incorporate the canola oil in there.  You can use vegetable oil instead, I just used canola oil because it's better for you.  You'll know the mixture is ready if it clumps in your hand; if it's still really crumbly you can add a bit more oil, but I didn't need to.  This is what mine looked like:

Put the mix in an airtight container and you're all set!  I kept mine in the fridge, but the original recipe says you can also leave it out on the counter for up to two weeks.

Making the pancakes:

It's Pancake Time.  Combine 1 cup of the mix, 1 cup of buttermilk, and 1 egg to make six to eight pancakes, depending on the size.  I had to play around with the temperature of the griddle and how long I let the pancakes cook on each side, but after a couple of tries they were perfect.

You'll notice in the picture that I have a very scant amount of syrup.  I was already feeling guilty about eating pancakes for dinner, so I figured only using a tablespoon or so of syrup made it a little better.  They also taste good with a little cinnamon sprinkled on top.  Yum.

Think there's a new Chief Pancake Maker in town?  Co-chief?  :o)