Pancakes, Hot Cakes, Griddle Cakes, Flap Jack....whichever you prefer...

An ever-popular breakfast dish, pancakes are what we in the culinary world consider quick breads. This means that they rise quickly because they contain considerable moisture and chemical leavening. Certain food anthropologists believe that the earliest forms of pancakes (consisting simply of ground grains and water) may have very well been the first real cooked food. In Canada,the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Australia, pancakes are traditionally eaten on Shrove Tuesday, which is also known as "Pancake Day." Shrove Tuesday is more widely known in the US, France and other countries as Mardi Gras or Fat Tuesday. Historically, pancakes were made on Shrove Tuesday so that the last of the fatty and rich foods could be used up before Lent.

What many IHOP-goers and pancake-consumers may not know is the large-scale presence of the pancake or a form of a pancake on a global scale....The following is a list of countries with their form of pancake...

France-crepe
Sweden-plankakor
Scotland-oatcakes
Ireland-boxty
China-onion cakes
Austria-nockerl
Italy-castagnaccio
German-pfannkuchen
Netherlands-pannekoeken
Hungary-palascinta
Russia-blintzes
India-pooda

Despite the global existence of pancakes it appears that the US is the only country to turn pancake mix into a factory-produced and pre-packaged mix of "ingredients." Allow me to defend this claim...here's an "ingredient" list for a popular brand of pancake mix....

INGREDIENTS: ENRICHED BLEACHED FLOUR (BLEACHED WHEAT FLOUR, NIACIN, REDUCED IRON, THIAMIN MONONITRATE, RIBOFLAVIN, FOLIC ACID), SUGAR, LEAVENING (SODIUM BICARBONATE, SODIUM ALUMINUM PHOSPHATE, MONOCALCIUM PHOSPHATE), SALT, CALCIUM CARBONATE (A SOURCE OF CALCIUM).

...hmmm....I don't think I see a lot of things at my local supermarket. In pancake mix's defense there are definitely more artificially produced foods. Like this for example...


I like pancakes and I like sausage and sure I'll eat them at breakfast time but that does not mean I want to eat them together on a stick!! But hey, maybe I'm just weird....>_>

Day 30: It's a vegetable! It's a grain! NO!...It's Candy!!

A classic fall/harvest-time/Halloween treat! Candy Corn! Created in the 1880s by the Wunderle Candy Company, the three colors of the candy are meant to mimic corn.As surprising as it may seem, each piece is approximately the size of a whole kernel of corn, as if it fell off a ripe or dried ear of corn. Needless to say those who eat corn off the cob are wasting a good deal of this grain! Eskimos would be ashamed! (I mean Inuits..Sorry) Candy corn generally has a base of yellow, a middle of orange, and a tip of white. An alternate form of candy corn has a brown base with a hint of chocolate. This variety is known as Indian Candy Corn. (WTF!?! (Remember that means What the flip!) So just because it's brown we have to call it Indian Corn?? I think American candy producers have some racial biases to address!)

The National Confectioners Association estimate 20 million pounds of candy corn are sold each year! (Ok...What's crazier...the fact that we consume that much candy corn or the fact that a National Confectioners Association actually exists!)

Candy corn is made primarily from sugar, corn syrup and honey. Originally candy corn was homemade with marshmallows and fondant as additional ingredients...but as all things must come to an end (or in this case begin mass factory production) the ingredients and methods of candy corn had to be more cost-efficient and quicker. Just a quick note on ingredients...If it doesn't have honey in it, it ain't no good! Personal favorite brand: Brach's but everyone has their preference. Brach's does contain honey BTW!

Of recent Brach's has released several other Halloween-specific varieties of candy corn. Carmel Candy Corn which actually contains Milk Maid Caramels and Candy Apple Candy Corn. I believe the Candy Apple (which has a red base) is a bit sickening but I'll let you be your own judge.

Now the recipe I am going to include does not actually contain candy corn....it merely resembles candy corn...and without further ado..I present...

Candy Corn Cookies- by Land O'Lakes

These bite-sized treats resemble candy corn and have a hint of orange flavor.
Preparation time: 45 min Baking time: 7 min
Yield: 15 dozen miniature cookies


1 cup Butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 Egg
2 tablespoons orange juice
2 teaspoons freshly grated orange zest
1/8 teaspoon salt
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
Orange paste or gel food color
Yellow paste or gel food color


1/2 cup sugar


Line bottom and sides of 9x5-inch loaf pan with waxed paper or plastic food wrap. Set aside.

Combine butter and 1 cup sugar in large bowl; beat at medium speed until creamy. Add egg, orange juice, orange zest and salt. Continue beating until well mixed. Reduce speed to low; add flour and baking soda. Beat until well mixed.

Divide dough into thirds. Press one-third of white dough evenly onto bottom of prepared pan. Place another one-third of dough back into same bowl. Add small amount of orange food color; mix until color is well blended. Press orange dough evenly over white dough in pan. Place remaining one-third of dough into another medium bowl. Add small amount of yellow food color; mix until color is well blended. Press yellow dough evenly over orange dough in pan. Cover with plastic food wrap; refrigerate until firm (at least 2 hours or overnight).

Place 1/2 cup sugar in large bowl; set aside.

Heat oven to 375°F. Invert loaf pan to remove dough. Peel off waxed paper. Place layered dough onto cutting surface. Cut loaf crosswise into 1/4-inch slices using sharp knife, trimming edges to make even, if necessary. Cut each slice into 6 wedges. Place 1-inch apart onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for 7 to 10 minutes or until edges are firm and bottoms are very lightly browned. Cool 1 minute; remove from cookie sheets. Immediately place warm cookies in bowl with sugar; roll in sugar to coat. Place cookies onto cooling rack. Cool completely.

Store in loosely covered container.

VARIATION:
Chocolate Candy Corn: Prepare dough as directed except stir 1 (1-ounce) square melted semi-sweet baking chocolate into one-third of white dough. Tint one-third of dough orange and one-third yellow. Place chocolate dough into prepared pan; layer with orange and yellow dough. Cut and bake as directed.

Oh and true story! One Halloween when I was much younger, more naive, and not nearly as intelligent (:P) I broke off the white tip of a piece of candy corn and convince my mom that I had lost a tooth. It actually worked!.....for a little while at least...not long enough to find any money under my pillow though....: (

Day 30: Nutella!

What is bar none the best chocolate-containing substance, treat, snack, dessert, or food on this planet?? : nutella! I wish I was merely exaggerating on how good this stuff really is but I'm not...And believe me the fact that I'm a food-obsessed foodie (I guess that would be a double negative(positive) of sorts) does not mean that the average chocoholic would not love this spread. It is sold in over 75 countries and the estimated Italian production of Nutella averages 179,000 tons per year!

The recipe for this concoction was developed by the Italian Ferero Company (Yes all great things are Italian! Like me ;)...that was a joke btw) in 1949 and began its production in 1963. Because this is not an American condiment product, the ingredient list is not as unhealthy or freakishly long as that of the modern condiment. In fact..that is if you take out the sugar and fat from the chocolate..this stuff really isn't that bad for you!!

Sugar, vegetable oil, hazelnuts, cocoa powder, skimmed milk powder, lecithin,and vanilla. That's it!!! (By the way lecithin isn't as scary as it sounds. It just acts as an emulsifier to keep the ingredients mixed despite a long shelf life.)Nutella is a modified form of gianduja. Gianduja is a type of chocolate containing approximately fifty percent almond and hazelnut paste. It was developed in Piedmont, Italy after taxes on cocoa beans hindered the trade of conventional chocolate. Pietro Ferrero owned a patisserie in Alba, in the Langhe district of Piedmont, an area known for the production of hazelnuts. He sold an initial batch of 660 pounds of "Pasta Gianduja" in 1946. This was originally a solid block, but in 1949 Pietro developed his first spread, which he started to sell in 1951 as "Supercrema". The name "Nutella" and logo were added in 63' as previously mentioned.

Nutella even has its own website @ www.nutella.it

After a bit of research I found this very appealing Nutella-containing recipe that I just may have to try out.

Nutella & Peanut Butter Brownies
(adapted from OvenHaven)

½ cup butter, melted
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
½ cup all-purpose flour
¼ cup cocoa powder
¼ teaspoon baking powder
Pinch of salt
4 tbsp (¼ cup) peanut butter (chunky, smooth, whatever you have on hand)
4 tbsp (¼ cup) Nutella

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 8×8 inch or 7×11 inch pan with baking parchment paper.

Measure the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt into a small bowl and whisk to combine.

Stir the sugar into the melted butter. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. Add the dry ingredients and mix until combined.

Put the Nutella and peanut butter in a small bowl and microwave until runny. Fold into brownie mix. It may help to not mix too well so that you are left with streaks of peanut butter and nutella. Pour batter into pan and bake for 20-25 minutes, until top forms a crust.

Day 30: An Apple a Day Keeps the Doctor Away!...well not this kind....

What does carmel, toffee, and candy all have in common??! They are all suitable coatings for apples. Thus we have the candy/toffee/carmel apple. Actual candy apples date as far back as to the early 19th century! (That's early 1800s for anyone who has a hard time with the whole century concept.) These were served at harvest festival or Christmas celebrations. At this time the actual coating was more of a sugar syrup and was generally tinted red and occasionally hinted with cinnamon. The actual carmel apple is more of an Americanized method, whereas a toffee apple is more British.

Companies involved in large-scale carmel apple productions wrap a sheet of caramel around the apple, which is then followed by heating of the apple to melt the caramel evenly onto it. This creates a harder caramel that is easier to transport but more difficult (and sometimes more fun) to eat. My theory is that carmel-apple companies (the name of one escapes me now) are in league with the American Dental Association. For every ten apples consumed, another individual requires a cavity or filling! (Ok that's not true....but wouldn't it be crazy if that were true!!)

In regards to caramel apple production at home you can do the easy and conveniently delicious method or you can do the lengthy, more likely to-burn-yourself method. I prefer the first which entails unwrapping 30-some carmels adding a tablespoon or two of water and microwaving it in intervals. The homemade way requires a lengthier list of ingredients like brown sugar, butter, and vanilla. The procedure to making a homemade carmel sauce also requires more precision and equipment. So sure if you want to go all Iron Chef America on your apples then go ahead, make your homemade carmel glaze with a candy thermometer. Keep this in mind! If you do choose to melt store-bought carmels in the microwave, then you CAN lick off the melted carmel without fear of a second-degree burn on your tongue!

NOTE TO READER!: Ok, I know the word is Caramel but everyone prounounces it carmel so that is how I will type it!


There also exists a group of candy-coated apples known as Gourmet Carmel Apples. This merely meants that the already dipped carmel apple is also dipped in chocolate and then rolled in a variety of nuts, chocolate, or candy bits. The real purpose in adding gourmet to the title of carmel apple is so that consumers do not feel jipped/ripped-off/tricked into paying outrageous sums of money from mass-producers of less than adequate candy apples...

Day 29: To Be or Not to Be...a muffin!

Ok so this question may not be as in depth or soul-searching as that of Hamlet (If you're in high school or above and don't know who Hamlet is shame on you!)...but the question of what qualifies a muffin as a muffin can be just as vital to human existence! Ok that's not true...but hey a lot of people like muffins! So! What is a muffin? Well according to the dictionary a muffin s "an individual cup-shaped quick bread made with wheat flour, cornmeal, or the like, and baked in a pan (muffin pan) containing a series of cuplike forms." Hmm...why does that definition sound familiar....Oh! I know why!! Cupcake: "a small cake, the size of an individual portion, baked in a cup-shaped mold." Awfully similar definition, eh? Well do not be fooled there is a distinct difference between a muffins and cupcake!

The way most people identify the difference cupcakes and muffins as having different health benefits. A muffin is generally viewed as healthier as a cupcake and thus a muffin can be considered an appropriate breakfast food. Well listen up people! There is really not too much of a difference !! Sure you can get a blueberry muffin or banana muffin but they generally do not have to much more nutrients than say a banana cupcake or blueberry cupcake. So that makes the health difference a little less convincing...

Oh and by the way I feel it necessary to present a pet peeve of mine. THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A CHOCOLATE MUFFIN! THAT IS COMPLETE HOGWASH! There is not a darn bit of difference between a chocolate muffin and say a chocolate cupcake or chocolate cake. So next time someone asks you if you are eating a chocolate muffin, be honest! It is a cupcake! There is nothing healthy about a chocolate muffin/cupcake!

Anyway! Another classic distinction is the whole idea of frosting. Now for the most part this could work. Usually cupcakes are spread with a light swirl of frosting. Or in the case of supermarkets, the cupcake acts as the carrying device for a glob of artificially-dyed frosting the size of Mount Everest. (Sounds appetizing, eh? ^_^) However it is possible for a muffin to be topped with some jelly, marmalade, of glaze.

So still we have yet to find a clear distinction between a muffin and a cupcake...Well time to get technical! Let's start with our ingredients! A muffin batter will always contain more flour than a recipes for cupcake batter. When it comes to mixing ingredients, cupcakes are meant to be creamed whereas muffin ingredients are told to be combined or mixed until wet. Also muffins are baked 5-7 minutes longer and at a higher temperature than cupcakes. The result of these ingredient, mixing, and baking differences results in a difference in density. As is easily noticed a muffin is much denser than a cupcake. If you look closely at the inside of a muffin you'll notice a pattern of small, consistent bubbles. A cupcake has bubbles of varying size and shape that cause it to have a texture that is lighter and cakeyer (yeah I know it's not a word so don't sue me). And voila there you have the difference between a cupcake and muffin!