pina colada pancakes and what-not

Hey, y'all! Missed me? I didn't realize that it had been almost a week since I'd posted last. It's been a little crazy around here. I broke a toe last week by dropping a colander on it. I know, I know. Who drops a colander on their toes, and who has a heavy enough one to do any damage? ME! Then the car was in the shop for a couple of days. Some of my non-SAHM friends just shrugged that off saying, "well, you're home anyway, why would it matter if the car is in the shop?"

Oh, but it does matter. You can't do the weekly library run, the grocery store run, etc. Peanut had developed a horribly red bottom due to the detergent I was washing her cloth diapers in, and so I was stuck at home without a way to go get her new detergent, or even some Huggies to hold her over... And my toe was broken, so even if I hadn't left the stroller in the car when we took the car in, I still couldn't have walked to the grocery store with her.

But. The foot is much better. The car is back. It's a bright sunny day, and her bottom is healed. Life is back to stable.

Last week, I had listed pina colada pancakes in my meal plan, and had been asked for the recipe. I waited this long to respond because there's only one slight problem when people ask me for recipes. I don't use recipes if I'm cooking. If I'm baking, I do, unless it's something like apple crisp where it's very flexible. So. Here's my pina colada pancake non-recipe:

Pina Colada Pancakes
pancake mix - the add water only type
canned pineapple - either the crushed or the tidbits
coconut - either sweetened or unsweetened works
coconut extract
water

Dump an appropriate amount of pancake mix into a bowl. I like the add-water-only type because if I'm out of eggs and milk, I can still make pancakes. Toss in some canned pineapple. If I'm making these for just Mister and I, then I use 1/2 a can and save the rest for another day. Make sure you put that nice pineapple juice in there, too, as that adds a touch more sweetness. Toss in some coconut. How much? I like to have that extra texture in every bite, so I use a good bit. Drizzle in a few drops of coconut extract. Add water until it's all at the proper consistency. Fry 'em up on a griddle and enjoy with maple syrup.

See what I mean? That's an awful recipe to follow if you like to measure out the 1/8 teaspoon salt when recipes call for that. This is a family trend - my Nana (great-grandmother) used to give people recipes with a "glop" of this or a "gurgle of oil..." My mom's the same way, but at least she will take the time to figure out a recipe before giving it to someone. Good luck following it - they really are the best pancakes I make. My repetoire consists of banana nut, apple, blueberry, pumpkin, multi grain, banana chocolate chip (another favorite), pina colada.... um... those are the regulars, but Mister loooooves my pina colada pancakes!