Jackson recently had to create a poster board explaining our family traditions and present it to his first grade class. Eric and I have known each other for over 20 years now so a lot of my family traditions have merged with his family's traditions.
One of the favorites we have passed down to the kids is the making of a silly pancake (IE - Dutch Baby) each Sunday morning. When Eric's grandma would host us, she would make each person in the household their personal pancake. Eric and his brothers have always called them "silly pancakes" because when they cook they take silly shapes. Each one comes out completely different. Our kids absolutely love the name and will sit in front of the oven watching it rise to see which shape it takes each weekend.
SILLY PANCAKE RECIPE
(this is a 1/2 recipe, that serves two adults and two children. If you have more people, you can always double it).
INGREDIENTS
-3 eggs
-1/2 cup of milk
-1/2 cup of flour
-1 teaspoon salt
-1 teaspoon vanilla (or almond) extract.
-2 tablespoons of butter.
DIRECTIONS
1) Heat oven to 425.
2) Crack eggs into a large mixing bowl.
3) Add flour and milk to the eggs (flour first, then milk).
4) Combine ingredients until the flour is absorbed by the milk and eggs.
5) Add in salt and vanilla
6) Stir all ingredients together (it is ok if there are lumps).
7) Cut the butter into four pieces then add the butter to a 12 x 8 baking dish (spread the pieces out). Place in the oven to melt the butter.
8) Once the butter is melted, pull the pan out (it will be hot) and add the mixture into the melted butter.
9) Place the baking pan back into the oven for 25 - 30 minutes. Keep an eye on the pancake. You will know it is done once the edges turn brown.
10) Cut the pancake into equal pieces and serve with your favorite berries. Eric's favorite trick is to pour powdered sugar on top of the berries and then squeeze a lemon on top of the sugar to create a delicious combination.
It is a simple recipe to follow and an easy one to do with kids. I hope you can enjoy our family tradition this weekend!