A Breakfast Idea That Could Not Wait!

Once upon a time when Kiddo was a kid, we had a tradition for Fat Tuesday. We made Pancakes. You know, colorful Shove Tuesday Pancakes. Gosh, it’s been a while.

This year’s 4th of July was kept very simple. And that gave me time in the morning for something special for breakfast. The lights came on – Patriotic Pancakes! Red Pancakes with Blueberries and Whipped Cream. Start the day together as a family gathered round the table with a focus on the meaning of the day. Perfect!

I mean, if we can color our pancakes Purple, Green and Yellow for Fat Tuesday, why not Red? Just be sure to use a no-taste red coloring. If there is one color out there that is nasty it has to be red. Yuck! Putting extra sugar in the batter and pouring on a gallon of sweet syrup will not hide the taste of red food coloring.

Have you ever wondered why some red coloring tastes bitter, while others do not? Yeah, me too. So I went looking for answers. Turns out Red #3, used in some food coloring, is the same Red #3 that is used in printer int. Can you imagine coloring your frosting with printer ink? And guess what’s in Red #3? It’s Erythrosine, and it contains iodine. Check your label – tasteless is best, Red #40 is less bitter and Red #3 is just nasty.

When coloring batters remember that the dark color you see in uncooked batter is influenced by the moisture in the batter. As the moisture cooks away, so does some of the color. So go a little darker than intended. Now if you don’t want to color your food, use a combination of strawberries and blueberries along with the whipped cream for that Red, White and Blue presentation. Personally, I like coloring my food. I also like playing with it, so I guess in a lot of ways I’ve never grown up.

Patriotic Pancakes
The Blue
1 cup Blueberries
1/2 cup Sugar

Place blueberries in a bowl. Add sugar, toss to coat. Set aside until ready to use.

The Red
1-1/4 cups Flour
1 Egg
1-1/4 cups Buttermilk
1/4 cup Sugar
1 heaping teaspoon Baking Powder
1 teaspoon Basking Soda
1/4 cup Vegetable Oil
1 teaspoon Vanilla
Pinch Salt
Red Food Coloring as needed

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine flour, egg, buttermilk, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, oil, vanilla and a pinch of salt. Add food coloring, stir jut until blended. Check color, add more food coloring as desired.

Beat until smooth, taking care not ot over work the patter. Set aside.

Heat a griddle to medium-low heat. Spray lightly with cooking spray. Spray spatula with cooking spray as well.

Ladle the batter onto the prepared griddle forming 5-inch circles. Increase temperature to medium, cook until the edges appear slightly dry, about 3 minutes. Flip pancakes, continue to cook another 2 or 3 minutes. Repeat until all the batter is used.

Plate pancakes, top with sugared blueberries.

The White
Whipped Cream

Make stars around the base of the pancakes for that final patriotic color or top with a big glob of whipped cream. It doesn’t matter, so long as we have the Red, White and Blue. Serve with the final touches and enjoy.

Finishing Touches
Butter, soft for serving
Syrup, warmed for serving

Finish pancakes tableside, passing the soft butter and warm syrup ‘round the table. Enjoy!

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With all my heart I seek You;
let me not stray from Your commands.
One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.