How I loved pancakes as a kid. And on this delicious National Pancake Day, I have it covered with my cheap$kate spin on a childhood breakfast, with the addition of fresh fruit.
Just check out my video below to see how easy it is to do.
Fluffy browned flour pancakes would jumpstart my day with a sugar blast of maple-flavored syrup. Hey, I grew up in the South in a small town, so we didn't have access to real New England maple syrup, but what we had was fine.
Of course, now I buy real maple syrup. I don't have pancakes as often as I used to, but when I do I make it a special occasion with the addition of fresh fruit that I add to the frying pan and then pour on the pancake batter.
That way, I don't need as much syrup since fresh and in-season fruit adds a layer of natural sweetness. And you'll never be bored with plain pancakes again if you try my versions of Fruity Pancakes, and I bet the kids will eat them up, too!
What fruit can you add? Just about any type you can find, really. Start with an easy-to-get sliced banana, then move on to peach, and more exotic ripe slices of mango.
It's easiest to use small whole fruit that is ready to add, like blackberries, blueberries, strawberries, and raspberries. Scroll on to see the fruity variations I've tried and pick a favorite to try yourself.
Canned fruit is mushy, except for Pineapple. I like Pineapple Chunks so you get a sweet/sour big bite. But, use any canned Pineapple you can get on sale. Pineapple will burn, but to me that is extra flavor, like char on a steak. Pineapple Pancakes are a favorite.
My recipe is basic; I use premixed pancakes from the box. Nothing special really. The average mix is usually just enriched flour, sugar, dried egg, and milk. Normally, you just add water. You can use your own favorite mix or even a homemade mix. If price is no object, then get organic from Whole Foods or from your fave health food market.
I do like to finish my pancake with a pat of real butter. It's up to you if you want to go that far.
Here is my basic Pancake Recipe using a box of mix and fresh blueberries. I like to make one large pancake, but you can make them any size you and your family or friends like, including small or dollar-sized.
Blueberries are ready to go, just a quick rinse and put them right on a lightly oiled hot griddle or pan -- no peeling or seeds to remove. Next, pour on the pancake batter and cook until browned on both sides.
My YouTube video link for viewing or embedding, just click here.
Ingredients (2 servings, using a pancake mix)
1 cup pancake mix - any favorite
3/4 cup water - okay to use milk for a richer pancake batter.
1/4 cup blueberries - add as many blueberries as you like per pancake, about a dozen or so.
1 tablespoon of cooking oil - to grease the skillet. Add more when needed, depending on how many pancakes you make.
Butter and your favorite pancake syrup - add as much as you like.
Directions Prepare pancake batter according to package directions. My pancake mix calls for 1 cup of flour and 3/4 cup of water.
Mix pancake ingredients in a bowl. When mixed, it will be like thick country gravy.
(If you are using frozen blueberries, it's okay to add them right to the batter. Defrosted or not, as they will warm up during pancake cooking.)
Add a teaspoon of oil to the pan or griddle. Heat the pan over medium heat.
Rinse fresh blueberries and arrange on a hot pan or griddle. Add as many as you like, depending on the size of each pancake.
Brown pancakes for 2 to 3 minutes on each side, depending on the pan heat. When you see air pockets, then check the bottom of the pancake to see how it's browning.
The instant box of pancake directions mentions cooking time to brown each side as 1.5 minutes each....hmmm, they must be using a super hot pan! Best to just check the pancake for color as you go.
If you want a dark brown pancake presentation, then cook one side to get the right hue of brown, then cook the other side for a minute to finish. Serve browned side up on the plate.
I serve it hot with melted butter and a favorite pancake syrup.
Cherry Pancakes are at the topof my fave fruit-filled breakfast.
You do need to remove cherry seeds, but it's worth the effort, and since the cherry season only lasts a couple of months, you won't be making these too many times anyway, so give my Cherry Pancakerecipe a try.
Fig Pancakes are another favorite. I have a fig tree a few blocks away so I can get them for free when the tree starts bearing sweet fruit.
When store-bought, they are on the expensive side, but I've found packages of cheaper dried figs that work just fine.
Blackberries often show up at my local 99c Only Store, so they will end up in my Blackberry Pancakes. They are often quite large so I slice them in half before pouring on the pancake batter.
Mango Pancakes may be the sweetest fruit pancakes.You do have to wait for them to reach ripeness until they are soft to the touch, like a peach.
And they are well worth the wait. Check out your local ethnic market to get a good deal on them.
I'm late to Persimmons.It took living in Little Armenia in Los Angeles to come around. They sell them in the neighborhood mini-mall markets.
Persimmons are ripe when soft, and the flesh is like pudding. And they pair perfectly with pancake batter.
Go ahead and flip your own fruity Pancakes this auspiciously delicious day.
Sweet and tart, Pineapple is at the top of my favorite fruit list. Add chunks of pineapple to your pancake batter for a fresh take on a plain, syrupy breakfast. My Pineapple Pancake is a delicious addition to start your day
Canned Pineapple is still cheap enough for this Budget Epicurean. Whole pineapple costs more, but after you break it down, it's cheap enough.
No special tricks to this recipe; I just add drained Pineapple pieces to a lightly oiled heating pan and pour on pancake batter.
My recipe is basic; I use premixed pancakes from the box. Nothing special really. The average mix usually consists of just enriched flour, sugar, dried egg, and milk. Normally, you just add water. You can use your favorite mix, or even a homemade one.
I do like to finish my pancake with a pat of real butter and syrup. I don't make pancakes a lot, so I will indulge in expensive real maple syrup.
Check out my tasty Pineapple Pancakes breakfast. I like to start my day with sweet-and-tart fruit.
Pineapple Pancake Recipe - Video Play it here, video runs 1 minute, 35 seconds.
My YouTube video link for viewing or embedding, just click here.
Ingredients
1 cup pancake mix - any favorite.
3/4 cup water - okay to use milk for a richer pancake batter.
Canned or Fresh Pineapple - okay to use any canned Pineapple; just drain.
Cooking Oil - 1 teaspoon to grease the skillet. Add more when needed, depending on how many pancakes you make.
Butter - optional. I finish my cooked pancake with a pat of butter.
Pancake Syrup - any favorite.
Directions
Prepare pancake batter according to package directions. My pancake mix calls for 1 cup of flour mix and 3/4 cup of water.
Mix pancake ingredients in a bowl. When mixed, it will be like thick country gravy.
Add a teaspoon of oil to the pan or griddle. Heat the pan over medium heat.
For canned Pineapple, just drain. Okay to use crushed or Pineapple rings.
Arrange on a hot pan or griddle. Add as many as you like, depending on the size of each pancake. The pineapple pieces should be on the small size so they attach to the pancake batter. If they are too large, they will separate from the cooked pancake. Slice larger pineapple pieces in half if too large.
Pour pancake batter over pineapple pieces. I like the fruit to make contact with the hot pan so there is some caramelization on the pineapple pieces. It's okay to mix pineapple into the batter for less pineapple burning.
Brown pancakes for 2 to 3 minutes on each side, depending on the pan heat. When you see air pockets, then check the bottom of the pancake to see how it's browning.
The instant box of pancake directions mentions cooking time to brown each side as 1.5 minutes each....hmmm, they must be using a super hot pan! Best to just check the pancake for color as you go.
If you want a dark brown pancake presentation, then cook one side to get the right hue of brown, then cook the other side for a minute to finish. Serve browned side up on the plate.
Pineapple is extra sweet and may burn a bit, but that is just extra flavor.
The Dollar ain't what it used to be. But being the cheap$kate that I am, I can still stretch a buck even today, August 8th, on National Dollar Day. Well, I guess I should call it a Dollar and 50 Cents Day.
National Dollar Day commemorates the establishment of the U.S. monetary system by Congress on August 8, 1786.
So read on to see recipes that use foodstuffs that cost about a Dollar. And you know the deal, just click on a highlighted recipe name to see all the tasty details from my extensive collection of cheap and tasty blog postings.
You can't get more basic than a Sandwich, and I don't mean a boring Fried Baloney Sandwich, although I do crave one every once in a while.
Let's start with aPhilly Hoagie Sandwich. My wife, Linda, was raised just outside of Philadelphia and when we visit her kin and friends I always make a stop for a local Hoagie Sandwich. It's really just an Italian Sandwich filled with deli cuts of meat, usually salami, pepperoni, ham, and provolone cheese, and topped with lettuce, onion, and tomato.
The above sandwich is from Dale's Deli in Levittown, Pennsylvania, and this is where I get the best local Hoagies. They use salami, ham, capicola, and provolone for theirs.
You want a bread roll firm on the outside and soft on the inside. Instead of the usual mayo and mustard, a Hoagiehas a dressing of oil, vinegar, and dried Italian herbs. Check out my video below to see how I make mine.
The way I keep my sandwiches cheap is to buy "day-old" bread from my local supermarket bargain bin. If you toast bread that's been out a little too long, I bet you can't tell the difference from fresh-toasted bread, at least I can't. I even get croissants on sale that cost less than a dollar apiece when you break the package down.
I can still find tomatoes for about a dollar per pound, especially Roma tomatoes. Lettuce is cheap when you break it down, even if it costs a couple of bucks per.
Two easy side dishes are Easy Coleslawand Potato Salad, again, I can keep the ingredients at a buck each, including the condiments, mustard, pickle relish, and mayo.
My Homemade Potato Salad is the bomb, just check it out below and rock your next patio party with it.
How about Dollar Tree cereal and Toast 'em breakfast? And that includes coffee.
I like fruit with my yogurt, especially when yogurt is still pretty cheap. Bananas, peaches, and even mangos can be found on the cheap at my nearby ethnic market. The container of yogurt can be small, but it's enough for a snack or light breakfast when you add fresh fruit.
The same goes for Pancakes. I also like mine with fruit. You can still find pancake mixes in the box for a buck twenty-five atDollar Tree.
While the syrup there is not pure maple, you can always splurge for the real thing elsewhere - don't tell, but that's what I do these days.
You can't get much cheaper than an Egg Sandwich. Egg prices have doubled, but you only need one fried egg for my recipe.
I add lettuce, tomato, and mayo to mine. I like my egg fried with a slightly runny yolk. You can scramble an egg as well. I use toasted bread. Get fancy and use a Pretzel Rollor Croissant. I often start my day with a Fried Egg Sandwich using day-old bread.
I get many breakfast ingredients for around a buck each, and here are just some of the deals I've found.
My Old School Country Breakfastcan be made with some of the above ingredients. Check out my recipe below, which my dad made for me as a kid.
Pasta is still a steal and I have a few recipes up my tattered sleeves.
Let's start with a Fresh Veggie Pasta Salad. Just purchase the cheapest veggies on sale, like carrots, onions, celery, cabbage, and spinach.
You could just use a package of fresh-frozen veggies, too. Steam the chopped veggies for a couple of minutes and mix them into cooked pasta. Serve warm or cold.
And since the late, great 99c only Stores shut down, I get the cheapest veggies at my local Latin grocer, Superior. This bottom-feeder cannot survive just on Dollar General ingredients!
I even find enough ingredients for a quick Homemade Pizza.Dollar Tree sometimes sells cooked pizza crusts. So all you have to do is top them with pasta sauce and anything else you like, then heat the pizza in the oven until bubbly.
Click on any image to see larger.
Canned pasta sauce is still cheap and so are small tins of fish. Hey, that's a meal right there. Just cook the pasta and mix in some tomato sauce then add a can of fish at the last minute to heat through. Some tinned fish has tomato sauce added, so that's even cheaper to make. Click here to see my Sardines in Tomato Sauce & Pasta.
In my bachelor days, I even used grated cheese from those plastic shakers on my pasta dishes. If my wife did not object, I would still be using it, but go ahead and shave it if you got it, a block of Parmesan, that is. And most pasta benefits from garlic, which I still find cheaply.
When I watch sports on TV I will invite my rowdy buddies over for hot dogs. Now, this is a meal for cheap$kates, especially when they bring the beer!
Plus, it's so easy to make hot dogs my way. I set out the condiments of mustard, pickle relish, sauerkraut, chopped onion, and cheese. I like a home field advantage since stadium dogs, while delicious and so satifying, cost a full catcher's mint, I mean mitt, of dollar bills.
I like a Stir Frybecause you can make it cheap and fast. Rice is always a bargain, along with chicken, my favorite protein to use. I also find frozen veggies and typical Chinese condiments easily.
A favorite cool summer patio party appitzer is my cheap$kateKrab and Black Bean Ceviche, made with cheaper imitation crabmeat. I still find cheap Black Beans, but Krab hasn't shown up this year at Dollar Tree, yet.
I make a damn good Huevos Rancheros and I sometimes use canned beans and a jar of salsa with a fried egg, all on the cheap. I make this recipe all the time and I courted my wife with this recipe - she loves it. Try it with Tortilla Chips instead of corn tortillas for extra crunch.
Love or hate them, canned Tamales are a bargain and plentiful. I barely remember the taste from my bachelor days, but I used to have a can or two in my pantry as a late-night meal of last resort. It's funny, but Mississippi Delta Tamales are very similar to canned Tamales as they both use ground meat and are smaller than Mexican Tamales.
The first frozen meals I had were made by Banquet and Swanson. Old habits die hard...I do like their Salisberry Steak - there is something about the mushy sides that have stayed with me, and that I crave on occasion. I have a sadly, funny post on frozen Banquet Turkey Dinners.
l admit to having a sweet tooth. When I make my own sweets, I usually keep the sugar amounts to half what a typical recipe calls for. I have recipes for Cobblers and Fruit Pies with fresh or canned fruit. The ingredients list is small, and if you use canned fruit, look for unsweetened or low sugar. Click here to see Mom's Cherry Pieand my PineappleandPeach Cobblers.
My latest dessert come courtesy of Tina, my Uncle David's girlfriend in Texas. It's a down-home Southern recipe so it uses instant cake mix, Whip Cream, and canned sweet Mandrin Oranges and Crushed Pineapple.
She calles her recipe Tina's Orange Cake with Pinapple Frosting...so yummy! Check out the recipe video below, and don't miss my Uncle David laddeling out zinger comments, from the peanut gallery.
I love my Mom's Cherry Pieand it's the best, so do check out my video below.
You will want to bookmark her Pumpkin Pierecipe, especially now that organic pumpkin puree is out there.
I get sweets that are ready to eat at my local Dollar Store. Sometimes it's a good call and other times not. Cordial or Chocolate Covered Cherriesare a success, and I still have a Moon Pie on occasion.
I went to a garden party and brought some Dollar TreeCream Puffs. Check out what my neighbors thought of my edible (?) gift -- oh boy!
I find enough ingredients for a luscious Egg Salad, a pungentTuna Salad, and even a creamy Tuna Melt.
Canned Meat? Every once in a while it brings a flashback to my childhood school lunch dazes.
My wife calls me her "Louisiana Man" so you can be sure I'm all over Cajun dollar deals that show up on the shelves.
Don't know how long Dollar Days will last in this economy, but keep checking back to see how to ride out any economic earthquakes, tornadoes, or hurricanes, and still have a full belly dining in your bomb shelter.
