What’s Been On My Plate
I went home last week and enjoyed a wonderful Thanksgiving with my family. Now that I’m back, I have one observation: Iowa has gone cold. On Sunday, I took a long, cold hike at my favorite spot. Along the trail, in place of the usual streams and waterfalls were crackles of water frozen in place. I was hiking at dusk, and the water glowed blue with the sky’s reflection. It was a beautiful time, I smelled like cold air, and I went home to make pasta. I’m sure that the roads which lead to my hike spot will be snowy and ice-laden soon, so I’m enjoying these moments outside of Iowa City while I still can. It’s early December, everything begins to dwindle. Everything begins to be cherished, too. Winter is near.
While in Chicago, I was surprised to find Chicago’s leaf-falling-schedule a bit behind Iowa’s. I enjoyed walking through sidewalks loaded with leaves, because as you may have noticed in my previous pictures, all the leaves in Iowa are down, brown, and dead. For Thanksgiving, we made a duck, stuffing,
‘s Green Bean Casserole, and a classic pumpkin pie among other things. It was nice to do something different, and I had no clue how delicious green bean casserole is. In previous years, we never had green bean casserole but wow. I was into it.
Now that Thanksgiving has passed, I am in Christmas mode. And in study-for-exams, revise-writing, and apply-to-grad-school mode. So I’m doing things like listening to Christmas Music in the shower, adding cranberries & pecans to my pancakes (when I’m not making my gingerbread pancakes, of course), brainstorming cookies to make, gifts to give, and even playing a festive song or two on my trumpet. What a time!!!!
What Will Be On Your Plate
Gingerbread Pancakes
These pancakes are moist and filled with the warm, spiced flavors of gingerbread. We’ll be using molasses, fresh ginger, and a bit of pumpkin puree to really embody the classic gingerbread taste and shade. They come together fast and are most delectable when topped with butter, maple syrup, and toasted pecans.
Nobody really likes eating the gingerbread man. Perhaps a few sickos do. But I hate having to make the decision to either chomp its head or limbs off first. Not to mention, the taste of a typical, store-bought gingerbread cookie can resemble cardboard with cinnamon more times than not.
Since the taste of gingerbread is best homemade, I’ve enjoyed getting my fix via pancake. The combination of molasses and the fresh ginger is what makes these pancakes so divine. Ginger is in season right now and I always have a knob of it in my fridge.
A recommendation for anyone who doesn’t know what to do with extra ginger: add a few matchsticks of fresh ginger to a mug and pour hot water over it. This is what I sip on all winter long! Ginger is full of antioxidants and is beneficial to your immune system, inflammation, and digestion. Not to mention it’s tasty and soothing. Everyone’s winning.
This recipe makes enough for 1-3 people depending on hunger levels, though I can 100% chief a whole batch after the gym. I’ve tossed some cottage cheese and egg whites in place of buttermilk and full eggs so they’re a little less indulgent, too. If you’re really in a pinch for time, you can use a store-bought pumpkin pie spice to the batter, but I like adding each spice separately to my taste and liking.
Ingredients:
Dry ingredients:
1/2 cup flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp fresh grated ginger
Heaping 1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp nutmeg
less than 1/8 tsp of ground cloves, just a dash
1/8 tsp of salt
Wet Ingredients:
1 tablespoon of molasses
3 tablespoons of pumpkin puree
1-2 tsp brown sugar
splash of vanilla
2 egg whites
2 tablespoons cottage cheese
2-3 tablespoons milk
Extras:
chocolate chips, pecans, butter, syrup, whatever else you may want
Method:
In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients.
In a smaller bowl, beat the egg whites until frothy. Whisk in the rest of the wet ingredients until the wet ingredients turn to a foamy orange mixture.
Gradually, add the wet ingredients into the larger bowl with the dry ingredients, gently stirring to combine. This is a lovely time to add chopped pecans or chocolate chips to your batter if you want them (I do).
In a greased skillet over medium-high heat, add 1/4 cup of batter to the center of the pan. Bring the heat to medium, and cook the pancake for about 3 minutes, or until tiny bubbles form in the center of the pancake.
Flip the pancake and cook on the other side for about 2 minutes. Continue this process until all the batter has been used.
Serve with soft butter, maple syrup, and (ideally) some bacon. Enjoy!