Fluffy pancakes and weblinks - work, play, sustainability, cleaning

When I started my blog, I was so tired of all the boring old recipes that I had made too often.  I was seeking novelty and innovation.  Occasionally I find myself seeking a basic recipe and finding my blog lacking.  Of course the internet is awash with basic recipes but one reason I keep my blog is to have a ready and searchable resource of tried and true recipes for my own use.  So today I bring you my latest favourite basic fluffy pancake recipe.  And, because having a blog means I can share whatever interests me, I also have a list of links to articles I have found interesting or useful lately.

As I mentioned above there are some recipes you can find squillions of online versions.  The challenge is not to find a recipe.  The challenge is to find the right recipe for you.  I actually have a basic vegan fluffy pancakes recipe but which one suits you best and then how it suits you best.

Regular readers know I am not keen on eggs.  We don't always have them in the fridge and when we do, I find they don't get used.  So I decided to use some up in pancakes.  As I am not so keen on the taste of them, I sought a recipe with just one egg rather than 3 or 4.  This suited me but I tried the suggestion to put 1/4 cup of batter to make uniform pancakes and then I just reverted to my usual habit of spooning batter into the pan and making a few at once.  My mum always did and I find I always do too.

I have now made these pancakes a few times.  They have been great when Sylvia has had sleepovers lately.  Perhaps the pancakes have been a bit distracting because on her last sleepover, her friend forgot to take home a tooth that fell out.  I kept suggesting Sylvia take it to her at school but she kept forgetting.  Finally she has told me the tooth is lost.  It probably wasn't a great idea to keep it in a tissue.

We serve our pancakes with maple syrup or lemon and sugar.  My mum used to also serve pancakes with butter and sugar but I suspect this has never been popular in my house because Sylvia just doesn't like butter.  As you can see in the above photos, these are light and fluffy and pillowy, just as pancakes should be.

Now that you have made your pancakes for breakfast, you might have cancelled your newspaper subscription like we have and no longer have it in the front yard when you get up on a weekend.  If so and you would like some online reading, I have some fascinating links for you below.

Work:
(The drinks in the above photo are from one of the talented cocktail makers at my workplace.)

• How to stay focused when you get bored working towards your goals - The Mission
• Against Metrics: How measuring performance by numbers backfires - Aeon
• What most people get wrong about men and women - Harvard Business Review (This is one of the best articles I have read about men and women being treated differently in the workplace.)

Children:

• The dangerous playgrounds of the 1900s - Rare Historical Photos
• I really love all the questions in the Conversation's Curious Kids series.  It includes fun questions such as Why do some people find some foods yummy but others find the same foods yucky?, Do sharks sneeze? and Why don't cats wear shoes?
• 15 awesome reading nooks for kids - Book Riot 

Housework
These handy hints are ones I have tried and found brilliant:

• Using a squeegee to clean hair out of carpets or upholstery - Buzzfeed
• Easiest way to put on a doona or duvet cover (the burrito method) - Country Living
• 4 cheap and easy way to unclog your kitchen sink without any nasty chemicals (I did the bicarb soda and vinegar method) - Wonder How To

Sustainability:

• Why do Americans refuse to give up tampons - The New Republic
• The Bike-Share Oversupply in China: Huge Piles of Abandoned and Broken Bicycles - The Atlantic
• Windows of opportunity to harness solar energy infrastructure - Roads Online (Imagine a film over your windows that will generate solar power!)

More fun pancake ideas from Green Gourmet Giraffe:
Banana oat pancakes
Nutella stuffed pancakes (v)
Pumpkin buckwheat pancakes
Spiced carrot pancakes
Spinach pancakes (gf, v) 

Fluffy Pancakes
From Cafe Delites

2 cups plain flour
1/4 cup sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon bicarb (baking) soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups milk (plus up to 1/4 cup extra if needed)
1/4 cup butter , melted
1 egg
extra butter for frying

Mix all ingredients together.  Heat frypan to medium high heat.  Use a metal spoon to run about 1/2 - 1 tsp of butter over the warmed pan.  Spoon 1 - 2 dessertspoonfuls of batter into the pan.  I usually fry about 3-4 at a time.  When mixture is starting to bubble flip them over and then leave another minute or so and turn out onto a plate.  They are best warm but very edible a room temperature too.

NOTES: I used soy milk and vegan margarine instead of dairy milk and butter.  If you have self raising flour, you could use 2 cups of self raising flour rather than 2 cups plain flour and 4 tsp baking powder.

On the Stereo:
Fourteen Autumns and Fifteen Winters: In the Twilight Sad