Feeding The Breakfast Club

 As a teenager of the 80's, this is still one movie I can watch a million times over!  This is a pretty good image of what type of kids are here for breakfast.   I feed "Jocks", teens with tattoos and piercings, Justin Beiber look a-likes, Slash look a-likes  etc. 

This blog post was featured on Kitchen Monki this past week!
http://www.kitchenmonki.com/blog/?p=638

I have a herd of teenagers at my house several times a week, now that summer is here, and often, during the winter months, they are here all weekend.  Some of them have told me that they only get a home cooked meal when they are at my house.   Whether that is true or not, it makes me feel good to feed them, and I also feel obligated to feed them...those teens really know how to manipulate me! 

I have anywhere from two extra teenagers spending the night, to, at one time, 25 (but that will NEVER happen again! lol).  Ya live and learn, but we do average about 4 extra at a time, and with my two and hubby, I cook for 8.

I have had to learn to be frugal where I can.  We have ducks and sometimes I use duck eggs, although I prefer chicken eggs.  I just got 12 chicks so in a few months they will be laying and we will not have to buy eggs anymore. And not only do they save us money, but they are so entertaining!

 Here are some of the duck eggs at our faucet "egg washing" station lol  Look at the tiny one! lol.

Martha Stewart said that back yard chickens have become the in thing, and I don't know why I waited so long to get some!


Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day.  I think the most inexpensive thing I have found to make so far, is the oven pancake.  And the kids LOVE it.  It looks like I took such an effort to make it, but really, it was just mix, pour and bake!  No slaving over the stove, flipping flap jacks for each individual person.


Here is the recipe and you can modify it to include almost anything you want.  You DO NOT need buttermilk, I have a substitution for buttermilk that only requires milk and vinegar.

Buttermilk Pancakes

2 C all-purpose flour
2-1/2 t baking powder
1 t baking soda
3/4 t salt
2 T sugar
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 C buttermilk * see substitution note
1/4 C vegetable oil (I used grapeseed)
maple syrup, or whatever topping you like...

Note:
I add mashed bananas to the liquid and in the end, toss in some chocolate chips and walnuts.  Apples and cinnamon would be good, or how about bacon and maple syrup?  The sky is the limit!

* Buttermilk Substitution for each C of buttermilk called for in a recipe add 1 T white vinegar to measure cup and then fill with milk to 1 C line. This recipe called for two cups so I used two T and then filled to two cup line.

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°
Combine first five ingredients;stir well. Combine eggs, buttermilk and oil in a bowl and add to flour mixture, stirring until just blended (this is where you would throw in blueberries, choc chips, apples, nuts, banana slices, whatever you want)

Pour batter into Pampered Chef Bar Pan baking stone. Bake at 350° for 15-20 mins or until done. Cut into squares and top with your favorite topping.
  I have a friend who does not have a bar stone, so she uses a normal jelly roll pan and greases it first.

Then cut into squares with a pizza cutter.  Some of the kids will get up early and eat it while its hot, some will nuke theirs in the microwave to heat it and some love it at room temperature. Eat it as is, or top with a favorite syrup...strawberry is good on the banana one.  Apple goes well with a caramel sauce or even basic maple.

I have many other great recipes I will be posting on my blog and also on Kitchen Monki.   If you haven't signed up to play with all of the recipes on Kitchen Monki, you don't know what you are missing!
www.kitchenmonki.com

I have some other great breakfast recipes and I think I may run this topic again and again with new recipes I have come up with, along with some old favorites we make.