Lovingly made for a lovely little girl…

Inspired by one of the breakfast restaurant cooks (chef?)  in an episode of Diners, Drive-ins and Dives, I decided to get a little more creative with the pancakes I make for Mary for breakfast.  In the TV episode, the cook did a pancake that is shaped and looked like the host of the show— Guy Fieri’s head.  Very impressive.

I told Mary I would make her pancakes for breakfast and surprise her by making it look like her most favorite thing in the world.  What would it be?  After some pondering, she said that her most favorite thing in the world is LOVE, so make them shaped like hearts.

Well, I thought I would get more creative than that.

My first thought was to make her a sun-shape with curlicue rays and a smiley face inside it.  So, I tried to incorporate the two ideas.

Pancake shaped like a sun with heart

Not so impressive.

Next, I did hearts within heart.

Pancake Hearts within a heart

A little better.

I tried a third one — hearts within a butterfly.

Pancake Butterfly with hearts

Looks good but I cheated a little bit on this- looks great on the plate but the whole thing is in pieces.

Still, all in all, not bad for a first try.

Mary was totally impressed. She loved them so much that she only ate around the edges of the second one (the big heart) and the bits and pieces of the butterfly.  She wants to preserve the rest.

Dont touch mommy and daddy

The sign is supposed to keep me and her Daddy away from the pancakes (y’know, like “accidentally” throw them away)while they dry.  I told her that we need to do this first before we put the pancakes in a plastic bag.  Anyone have any ideas on preserving pancake art???

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My entry to Wifely Steps’ I Heart You Blog Carnival.

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Some tips for making custom-shaped pancakes.

1.  Use whatever pancake mix you like.  I used Bisquik Heart Smart Pancake and Baking Mix.  1 cup mix, 1 egg, about 2/3 cup of milk (full-fat, low-fat, nonfat or soy, whichever one you prefer)  Use enough milk to make the pancake into a slow-pour consistency.

2. Transfer mix into a squeeze bottle (like the ones used for ketchup and mustard in restaurants).  If you don’t have one handy, like me, use a good-sized Zip-loc Freezer bag.  When you’re ready to pour, make a tiny (less than a quarter-inch) cut in one corner.  Prepare to get messy.

3. Squeeze out the shape you are making, first, as this would cook longer and you will have a nice brown-colored outline.  If you are using a ziploc bag, use it like you are piping icing.  Pinch the corner to stop the flow when you need to.