International Pancake Day: Flip for Pancakes!

 

It seems there is a "special" day for just about everything. There are days delighting in doughnuts. There are days for savoring sandwiches and hallowing hamburgers. Pie even gets more than one day.

It's always a good day to flip for pancakes. But if you need an excuse, International Pancake Day is today - Tuesday, March 1. Pancake Day is a moveable feast whose date is determined by Easter. It's celebrated exactly 47 days before Easter Sunday (April 17 this year).

Down the road in Liberal, Kansas, the 73rd International Pancake Day is back after a hiatus last year due to Covid.  

For 73 years, the women of the two communities - Liberal, Kansas, and Olney, England - have raced down the streets of their respective communities, flipping pancakes and running against the clock and each other. The race is always on Shrove Tuesday, the day before Ash Wednesday. It's the only race of its kind in the world.

"Shrove" is not a thing, but a verb. "Shrive" (shrove, shriven) comes from the Old English verb scrfan, "to decree, decree after judgment, impose a penance upon, hear the confession of," according to the dictionary. Shrove Tuesday is a day to reflect, to seek penance and get ready for Lent.

In Olney, the Pancake Race tradition dates back to 1445. Legend has it that a woman was busy making pancakes and using up cooking fats, which were forbidden during Lent at that time. Hearing the church bells ring to announce the Shrove Tuesday service, she grabbed her head scarf and ran to the church, with pancake-filled skillet in hand. In following years, neighbors joined the race to the church. The first to arrive collected a Kiss of Peace from the bell ringer.

Photo from the International Pancake Day Facebook page: Liberal's Billie Warden crosses the finish line in 1950. Billie won the local race with a time of 1:18 but lost to Olney's Florence Callow, who finished in 1:10.4.

 

 

The international race with Liberal began in 1950, when Liberal Jaycee President R.J. Leete saw a photo of the English race in Time magazine and then contacted Olney, challenging their women to race against the women of Liberal.

Racers must still wear a head scarf and apron. Each runner flips her pancake at the starting signal and again as she crosses the finish line to prove she still has her pancake after running the 415-yard course.

Photo from the International Pancake Day Race Facebook page

According to the book, America Celebrates! A Patchwork of Weird & Wonderful Holiday Lore, some superstitions have evolved among Liberal racers:

• It is considered good luck to carry a past winner's skillet in the race or wear a past winner's apron.
• One year, the stack of concrete pancakes marking the starting point of the race was stolen. This was considered a bad omen, but the stack was later returned.
• Although the women practice running 415 yards, it is considered bad luck to run the official race course during the practice sessions.

If you're looking for your own International Pancake Day treat, Country Crunch Pancakes are good for breakfast ... or for a breakfast-themed lunch or supper. The topping mixture offers another layer of flavor and subtle crunch. And Randy is always a fan of added blueberries. I used frozen blueberries, since there weren't fresh ones at my local grocery store. 

Kinley & Brooke are fans of breakfast, too - at any meal of the day! 

Photo from 2020 - I need an updated pancake picture! 

Whether you make pancakes or not, I'll leave you with the traditional blessing bestowed upon the pancake race winner - whether in Liberal or Olney:

The Peace of the Lord be always with you.

These days, we can take all the PEACE we can get.

 

 

Country Crunch Pancakes

From Taste of Home

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup whole wheat flour
1/3 cup quick-cooking oats
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2-1/4 cups buttermilk
2 large eggs, room temperature, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries, optional

CRUNCHY TOPPING:
1/2 cup quick-cooking oats
1/4 cup chopped slivered almonds
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

In a bowl, combine flours, oats, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Combine buttermilk, eggs and oil; stir into dry ingredients just until blended. Fold in blueberries if desired.
Combine topping ingredients; sprinkle about 1 teaspoon for each pancake onto a lightly greased hot griddle. Pour 1/4 cup of batter over topping; immediately sprinkle with another teaspoonful of topping. Turn when bubbles form on top of pancake; cook until second side is golden brown. Serve with your favorite syrup.

 

NOTE: I did use frozen blueberries, since fresh ones weren't available at my local store. I also made my "buttermilk" by combining vinegar and milk.

 

 

 

Baked Monte Cristo French Toast

Somehow, a chain restaurant didn't make the cut for Taste Atlas' Top 6 Monte Cristo sandwiches. I think Bennigan's in Wichita was the only place I ever personally tried this sandwich. (Bennigan's is no more in Wichita, so we're outta luck - at least, at that restaurant.)

A variation appeared on The County Line table when Jill's family visited during wheat harvest. The day before, I had prepared a spiral ham, so I knew I needed ways to use the extra meat. The Baked Monte Cristo French Toast recipe was in my "to-try" pile, so it was perfect timing to begin the day with a hearty breakfast. 

Taste Atlas describes it as: "an American sandwich consisting of two slices of white bread filled with a slice of cheese, ham and turkey or chicken meat. The combination is dipped in beaten eggs and fried in butter, resulting in a delicious, calorie-packed concoction that is crispy on the exterior while tender and custardy on the interior."

What's not to like, right?

That website says the first Monte Cristo was served in the 1950s in southern California, but some people claim that the sandwich is just a variation on the classic French Croque Monsieur.

What's Cooking America's website says the croque monsieur was originated in a Paris cafe in 1910 and consisted of Gruyere cheese and lean ham between two slices of crust-less bread, fried in clarified butter. This sandwich is still a popular snack or casual meal throughout France and Switzerland in most bars and cafes.

Many American cookbooks, published in the 1930s to 1960s, featured this sandwich under different names such as French Sandwich, Toasted Ham Sandwich and French Toasted Cheese Sandwich. Although there are no existing documents to support the claim, it is believed that the Monte Cristo Sandwich was first served in southern California in the 1950s.

Then, in 1966 at Disneyland in Anaheim, it appeared on their menu of the Blue Bayou and Tahitian Terrace restaurants in New Orleans Square and has continued to be a popular menu item to this day.

The recipe originator - Favorite Family Recipes - used a boysenberry syrup. I had blueberry syrup on hand, so we used that. You can also fruit jam - rather than syrup - for dipping.

Baked Monte Cristo French Toast

From Favorite Family Recipes

1 loaf French bread, cut into 1-inch slices
8 tbsp. whipped cream cheese
1/2 lb. deli black forest ham
1/2 lb. deli turkey
1/2 lb. Swiss cheese
4 eggs
1 cup milk
1/4 cup sugar

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 cup butter, melted

Powdered sugar for dusting

Fruit syrup or jam

Place 7-8 slices of French bread in the baking dish, trying not to over-crowd and squish too much. Spread cream cheese over each slice of bread, then layer on ham, turkey, and Swiss cheese.

Top with remaining slices of French bread (making "sandwiches").

In a large bowl, beat together the eggs, milk, sugar, salt, and cinnamon. Pour over bread and let sit for 5 minutes. Turn bread over and cover pan with plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes or even overnight. (I refrigerated it overnight.)

Drizzle melted butter over the top and bake at 400 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes. Dust with sifted powdered sugar over the top. Serve immediately with syrup or jam.

I also served with fresh fruit.

***

If you're looking for a more savory way to use leftover ham, try this Ham & Cheese Quiche recipe.

Plantation Turkey is a favorite recipe from a contest sponsored by The Hutchinson News. Despite its name, it also uses diced ham. (I've gotten better at food photos since I took this photo in 2011; however, the recipe is one we usually have if there's leftover ham in the fridge.)

Flip for Pancakes: International Pancake Day

It's always a good day to flip for pancakes. But if you need an excuse to celebrate pancakes, International Pancake Day is today - Tuesday, February 25. 

Pancake Day is a moveable feast whose date is determined by Easter. It's celebrated exactly 47 days before Easter Sunday (April 12 this year).
 
It seems there's a day for every food these days. There are days delighting in doughnuts. There are days for sandwiches, hamburgers and hot dogs. Pie gets more than one day. But Pancake Day is especially important in Liberal, Kansas, and Olney, England. For the past 71 years, the women of the two communities have raced down the streets of their respective communities, flipping pancakes and running against the clock and each other. The race is always on Shrove Tuesday, the day before Ash Wednesday. It's the only race of its kind in the world.

"Shrove" is not a thing, but a verb. "Shrive" (shrove, shriven) comes from the Old English verb scrfan, "to decree, decree after judgment, impose a penance upon, hear the confession of," according to the dictionary. Shrove Tuesday is a day to reflect, to seek penance and get ready for Lent.

In Olney, the Pancake Race tradition dates back to 1445. Legend has it that a woman was busy making pancakes and using up cooking fats, which were forbidden during Lent at that time. Hearing the church bells ring to announce the Shrove Tuesday service, she grabbed her head scarf and ran to the church, with pancake-filled skillet in hand. In following years, neighbors joined the race to the church. The first to arrive collected a Kiss of Peace from the bell ringer.

Photo from the International Pancake Day Facebook page: Liberal's Billie Warden crosses the finish line in 1950. Billie won the local race with a time of 1:18 but lost to Olney's Florence Callow, who finished in 1:10.4.

The international race with Liberal began in 1950, when Liberal Jaycee President R.J. Leete saw a photo of the English race in Time magazine and then contacted Olney, challenging their women to race against the women of Liberal.

Racers must still wear a head scarf and apron. Each runner flips her pancake at the starting signal and again as she crosses the finish line to prove she still has her pancake after running the 415-yard course.

Photo from the International Pancake Day Race Facebook page

 According to the book, America Celebrates! A Patchwork of Weird & Wonderful Holiday Lore, some superstitions have evolved among Liberal racers:

• It is considered good luck to carry a past winner's skillet in the race or wear a past winner's apron.
• One year, the stack of concrete pancakes marking the starting point of the race was stolen. This was considered a bad omen, but the stack was later returned.
• Although the women practice running 415 yards, it is considered bad luck to run the official race course during the practice sessions.

I flip for pancakes anytime, not just on International Pancake Day. So I decided to try out a new recipe when Kinley and Brooke were here last week. I love to eat out for breakfast, but we don't get to do it all that often. (Let me re-phrase that: I don't eat out that much for breakfast. Randy meets his buddies at Joan's Cafe at least once a week.)  

I'm an advocate of breakfast-for-supper and so are the girls, so if you want to celebrate Shrove Tuesday in a way that's been a tradition since 1455, here's the recipe. And you don't even have to wear a head scarf or run a race to enjoy them!

Whether you make pancakes or not, I'll leave you with the traditional blessing bestowed upon the winner - whether it be in Liberal or Olney:

The Peace of the Lord be always with you.

 Banana Oat Pancakes

Adapted from Food Fanatic 

Serves about 6

3/4 cup old-fashioned oats
2 medium bananas, mashed
1 1/2 cups milk
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 tbsp. brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1 egg
3 tbsp. vegetable oil
1/4 cup chopped pecans (opt.)
Butter for griddle or skillet
Syrup, additional nuts and fruit for serving, if desired

In a medium bowl, combine oats, bananas and milk. Set aside to let the oats soak and soften.

Preheat pancake griddle or skillet over medium high heat.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Beat the egg and oil into the wet oatmeal mixture, then pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture. Add nuts, if desired, and stir until just combined.

Butter the preheated surface of the griddle or skillet. Use about 1/4 cup batter per pancake. Wait until the entire exposed surface of the pancake is bubbly and the edges start to look as though they are set, then flip the pancake. Cook the second side and remove pancakes to a plate or a chafing dish to keep warm.

Garnish the pancakes with more chopped pecans and/or fruit and serve with your favorite syrup. 

Easter Brunch: Quiche & Sweets

Don't you love a recipe that can be used for any meal? Or for a holiday breakfast or brunch? This Cheesy Ham and Veggie Quiche will have your family hopping to the table for Easter breakfast or brunch.

Ham is often the centerpiece of an Easter meal. But even if you're not hosting a huge Easter dinner this year, a quiche featuring ham still gives you the holiday flavor you crave. And, if you plan a big ham meal with all the trimmings for after church on Sunday, there will likely be leftovers. This quiche is a delicious way to use up leftover ham in a way that doesn't say "re-run."

However, this quiche doesn't have to wait for a special occasion or holiday. It's tasty at any meal. I'm a big believer in breakfast for supper. Or breakfast for dinner. This quiche made its first appearance for dinner, which, at our house, is 12 noon. My house, my rules, though my kids and grandkids don't see eye-to-eye with me on the terminology.

Anyway, I served the quiche for our noon meal. And then Randy ate leftovers for breakfast the next day. And we still had enough for a supper serving for him as well. Bonus! (And, thankfully, my husband doesn't turn up his nose to leftovers.)

I used homemade pie crust, but you can just as easily use pie dough you find in the refrigerated case at the grocery store. For one of my parents' Christmas gifts, I make homemade pies for their freezer. (This year, they got three blueberry, three cherry, two apple and one peach). My sister's never-fail pie dough recipe makes three crusts. And when all was done from my marathon baking day, I had enough pie crust "leftovers" to roll a couple of extra crusts and stick them in the freezer for another day.

I labeled them for home use, since they'd been rolled out twice and had more flour incorporated. But one of those crusts came in handy for this quiche.

The original recipe didn't call for any vegetables. I chopped enough onion, broccoli and colored sweet peppers to make 1 cup and microwaved the veggies to soften them. That added some additional flavor, nutrition and color to our meal.

 

 I served it with Apple Almond Crunch Salad, which would also make a delicious accompaniment to your Easter meal.

After you've checked out the quiche recipe, keep scrolling for some Easter treats at the bottom of this post.

Enjoy!

 

Cheesy Ham and Veggie Quiche

1 unbaked pie shell
1 cup diced fully-cooked ham
1 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
2 large eggs
1 cup half-and-half
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
Chopped broccoli, onion and colored sweet peppers to equal 1 cup

Put vegetables in a microwave-safe bowl or mixing cup, cover tightly with plastic wrap and microwave until tender, about 4 minutes. No extra water is needed. Cool.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Put unbaked pie crust in pie plate; do not prick. Line pastry shell with foil. Fill with pie weights, dried beans or uncooked rice. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until light golden brown. Remove foil and weights. Bake 3 to 5 minutes longer or until bottom is golden brown. Cool on wire rack.

Beat eggs and add half-and-half, mixing well. Add salt and pepper. Stir in cooled vegetables.

Put ham and cheese in the bottom of the pie crust. Pour egg mixture over the ham and cheese. Cover pie crust edges with foil or pie shields. Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Let stand 5 to 10 minutes before cutting to serve. Makes 6 servings. That day, I served it with Apple Almond Crunch Salad.

Other Easter Treats

If you do have Easter gatherings to attend or serve, here are some fun ways to celebrate:

Bunny Bait

Lemon Buddies (Add Easter M&Ms to make it full of holiday fun and color.)

.

Noodle Nests 

Coconut Macaroons

 

Resurrection Rolls

Meltaway Lime Shortbread Cookies

Pretzel Nibbles 

Use Easter M & Ms for an easy-to-do-with-the-kids treat

 Try these Blonde Brownies

Happy Easter to you and yours!

Breakfast of Champions

Our usual breakfast when growing up consisted of opening the "cereal cabinet" next to the table and making a selection from a wide variety of cold cereals found next to the stash of napkins. In the winter, the options might include hot oatmeal or Cream of Wheat with chopped-up dates adding sweetness to a few lucky bites.

On the other hand, Randy grew up eating hot breakfasts the majority of the time. I got him converted in no time at all - ha!

I love eating an occasional breakfast out at a restaurant. In fact, it's one of my favorite meals to eat outside the home. And, at the Ladd B & B, where we often stay before or after K-State games, a hot breakfast is sometimes on the menu plan. This past weekend, Jill was already feeding a crowd after the homecoming parade Friday night with yummy slow cookers full of chili and chicken and rice soup. When I volunteered to bring food of some sort, she suggested Saturday breakfast.

I sometimes bring banana bread (and I did this time, too). But with an 11 AM start time for the game, I wanted to add a substantial start to our day ... and try to avoid spending a bundle at the stadium concession stand at the same time.

What did we do before we could go to a search engine, type in "breakfast casserole, sausage, eggs, hash browns" and get a list of possible ways to combine those tasty ingredients? Well, we used the shelves of cookbooks I have cluttering my kitchen, but the typing method is usually faster.

This time, I found a simple recipe at The Country Cook, a food blog. While it's not a blog I normally read, I definitely qualify as a "country cook," and the recipe qualified on the ingredients I wanted to use. I made a few modifications, and we ended up with a tasty, pre-game breakfast. (Check out the recipe below). 

Our whole family was able to sit together at the game this time, which was a lot of fun. 

After a week of rain, it was a perfect fall day. 

 And K-State even won the game vs. Oklahoma State with some help from this cute fan club!

Yes, Kinley was able to eat the breakfast casserole ... even with her current lack of front teeth.

Uncle Brent and Eric got to answer plenty of questions about the whys and where-fors of football games.

The girls actually made it the whole game, though they did take a brief time out to play with their cousins on "the hill."

We arrived in Manhattan in time for the Friday evening homecoming parade. The girls enjoyed hanging out with their cousins and a Sunday School friend.

 Who doesn't love a parade? (OK. Don't ask Brent that question. He's not a big fan.)

We saw Willie ... (Brooke hid from him) ...

... and the marching band ...

... and got a head start on Halloween candy. 

After all the candy collected, let's get back to that recipe, shall we? Besides a tasty breakfast, it would make a great breakfast for supper choice. Enjoy!

Breakfast Casserole

(Hash Browns, Eggs, Sausage)

Adapted from The Country Cook blog

2 lb. bag frozen hash browns, thawed
1 lb. pork sausage (you choose the spiciness level)
1/2 onion, finely chopped
1 sweet red, yellow or green pepper (or equivalent of mini peppers), finely chopped
8 eggs
1/2 cup cream or half and half
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese, divided
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray 13- by 9-inch baking pan with baking spray. Set aside.

Cook sausage, onions and peppers in skillet until the meat is browned and vegetables are softened. Drain any excess fat.

In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, cream, 1 cup of cheese, salt and pepper, mixing well.

In the prepared baking dish, spread out the thawed hash browns. Put cooked sausage mixture evenly on top. Pour egg mixture evenly over the sausage layer. Sprinkle the remaining 1 cup of cheese on top.

Cover with aluminum foil. Bake for 30 minutes. Take foil off, and bake for additional 10 minutes, checking to make sure the cheese doesn't become overly brown. Serve with fruit, etc.

Note: I put the casserole together the night before and refrigerated it. Because it started out cold, I baked it at 350 degrees for about 40 minutes before removing the foil and baking for 10 minutes more. I started in a cold oven so I wouldn't break my glass baking dish.

Flipping for Pancakes

It's always a good day to flip for pancakes. But if you need an excuse to celebrate pancakes, International Pancake Day is Tuesday, February 28.

It seems there's a day for every food these days. There are days delighting in doughnuts. There are days for sandwiches, hamburger and hot dogs. Pie gets more than one day. But Pancake Day is especially important  in Liberal, Kansas, and Olney, England. For the past 68 years, the women of the two communities have raced down the streets of their respective communities, flipping pancakes and running against the clock and each other. The race is always on Shrove Tuesday, the day before Ash Wednesday. It's the only race of its kind in the world.

In Olney, the Pancake Race tradition dates back to 1445. Legend has it that a woman was busy making pancakes and using up cooking fats, which were forbidden during Lent at that time. Hearing the church bells ring to announce the Shrove Tuesday service, she grabbed her head scarf and ran to the church, with pancake-filled skillet in hand. In following years, neighbors joined the race to the church. The first to arrive collected a Kiss of Peace from the bell ringer.

Photo from the International Pancake Day Facebook page: Liberal's Billie Warden crosses the finish line in 1950. Billie won the local race with a time of 1:18 but lost to Olney's Florence Callow, who finished in 1:10.4.

The international race with Liberal began in 1950, when Liberal Jaycee President R.J. Leete saw a photo of the English race in Time magazine and then contacted Olney, challenging their women to race against the women of Liberal.

Racers must still wear a head scarf and apron. Each runner flips her pancake at the starting signal and again as she crosses the finish line to prove she still has her pancake after running the 415-yard course. The overall record stands at 37 wins for Liberal to Olney's 29. (Liberal lost last year, so it's time for a Kansas victory, don't you think?)

Image from International Pancake Day website,
2011 Liberal winner Nicole Schowengerdt

According to the book, America Celebrates! A Patchwork of Weird & Wonderful Holiday Lore, some superstitions have evolved among Liberal racers:

• It is considered good luck to carry a past winner's skillet in the race or wear a past winner's apron.
• One year, the stack of concrete pancakes marking the starting point of the race was stolen. This was considered a bad omen, but the stack was later returned.
• Although the women practice running 415 yards, it is considered bad luck to run the official race course during the practice sessions.

I flip for pancakes anytime, not just on International Pancake Day. So I decided to try out a new recipe. I love to eat out for breakfast, but we don't get to do it all that often. On a couple of trips home from K-State ballgames, we've stopped at IHOP for breakfast. I had a new favorite - Cinnamon Roll Pancakes. But the last time we stopped, they were no longer on the menu. (For the record, the waitress said I'm not the only one who has asked for them since they disappeared from the menu.)

I'm not sure whether I liked the pancakes more or the cream cheese topping. Thankfully, the cream cheese topping is still an option at IHOP, and I chose that to top my Harvest Pancakes there during our last stop.

However, now that I found this recipe from Cooking on the Front Burner, I can make the whole shebang at home!

I'm an advocate of breakfast-for-supper, so if you want to celebrate Shrove Tuesday in a way that's been a tradition since 1455, here's the recipe. And you don't even have to wear a head scarf or run a race to enjoy them!

Whether you make pancakes or not, I'll leave you with the traditional blessing bestowed upon the winner - whether it be in Liberal or Olney:

The Peace of the Lord be always with you.

Cinnamon Roll Pancakes

with Cream Cheese Glaze

From Cooking on the Front Burner blog

Pancakes
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tbsp. brown sugar
1 tbsp. baking powder
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/4 cups milk
1 egg
3 tbsp. butter, melted
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Cream Cheese Glaze
1/4 cup butter
3 oz. cream cheese
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
3 to 4 tbsp. milk

Pancakes:  Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and the salt in a large bowl. Whisk together the milk, egg, melted butter and vanilla extract in a separate bowl. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture. Pour in the milk mixture and use a spoon to stir the two mixtures until combined. The batter will have small lumps in it and will be quite thick.

Heat a large skillet or griddle to medium heat. A few drops of water should skittle across the griddle and evaporate. Lightly spray skillet or griddle with non-stick cooking spray. Spoon 1/4 cup batter onto the skillet or griddle. When pancake edges look dry and bubbles start to appear on the top surfaces of the pancake, turn over. Once flipped, cook another 1 to 2 minutes or until lightly browned and cooked in the middle.

Glaze:  Mix together the butter and cream cheese. Add powdered sugar, vanilla and 3 tablespoons milk, using a mixer to make it smooth. (I tried doing it by hand and it was lumpy.) If it's too thick, add another tablespoon (or more) or milk. Serve over warm pancakes. Top with pecans or fruit, if desired. Store leftover glaze in refrigerator.