Fluffy Apple Pancakes w/Apple Cider Syrup

Some of you might remember about this time last year when I posted a recipe for Apple Cake with Caramel Sauce (If you missed it, go check it out -- it is so good!).  Well, it's October again and here in Central PA, apples and apple cider are everywhere.  And as much as I hate coring and peeling apples, I love cooking with them.  I don't particular like eating an apple on its own (good thing I wasn't responsible for the Original Sin), but, I do like finding a crunchy piece of tartness inside of my food.

My sister Diana and my brother-in-law Jeff stopped by for a quick visit on their way home to Kansas City from Annapolis last week.  Before their long journey home, I wanted to fill their bellies with a good warm breakfast.  I had some apple cider in the fridge from a Cider-Cheese Fondue that I had served at a party the previous Saturday night and some Granny Smith Apples as well.  Hmmm...fluffy apple pancakes!

Now, I always get a little intimidated by my big sister because she is such a fabulous cook. But, when she gives her thumbs up on a dish, I know it's worth sharing here. Jeff - not so much. He's like Nerdy-Boy - he'll eat just about anything.

Diana said as she was gobbling them up, "I didn't know I wanted pancakes.  Apparently I did."  Really - who wouldn't want fluffy apple pancakes?

Of course, Diana can make any dish that I make better.  She emailed me when she got home to tell me she was making this same recipe for house guests but, was cooking up some apples in a little Calvados, a French Apple Brandy to top them off.  Yes, in the Isenhour Clan we have been known to add a little sumthin' sumthin' to our food - even at breakfast time.

Fluffy Apple Pancakes w/Apple Cider Syrup

For the Pancakes - It's really the syrup that makes these pancakes to die for so I just use a box mix of pancakes (we keep Fiber One Complete Pancake Mix in our pantry - somehow I've convinced myself it really is better).  I substitute apple cider for the water, add 1/2 cup of chopped apples and a 1/2 cup of golden raisins.  Make sure that before you pour them on the griddle you give them a good stir so that some of the apples and raisins get in each of the pancakes.

Apple Cider Syrup
1 cup of apple cider
3 Tbsps of brown sugar
1 1/2 tsps of corn starch
2 tsps of lemon juice

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat.  Bring to a slow boil for 5 minutes.  Pour warm over pancakes.

Ugly Muffins

So the pink stove has been lonely this week.  It's a week leading up to an election - what can I say.  I have to earn a living so I can continue to feed the pink stove.
But, election be damned, house guests will be calling this week and they need to be fed so I had a good excuse to set aside politics for a few hours last night to show the pink stove a little love.

Ugly Muffins are not a mind-blowing, Top Chef-worthy recipe - they're eggs with stuff in them for heaven's sake. But, they meet several challenges we often face at Chez Patton-Isenhour that I bet others face as well.

1.  Using leftovers - what goes into Ugly Muffins is only limited by your imagination or what leftovers are in your frig.

2.  Trying to get  a daily dose of veggies into Nerdy-Boy's gullet.  (No, honey, just because Swedish Fish are red like a tomato, does not mean they are in that food group.)

3.  Similarly, eating something more substantial for breakfast other than a miniature Kit Kat bar.  Ugly Muffins are easy to make on a Sunday evening, store in the frig and pop into the microwave as we're rushing out the door on a school day.

4.  No matter what you put in them, they always taste good.  The below recipe is what leftovers I had in my frig this week.  Other weeks Ugly Muffins have come out of the oven with tangy goat cheese and asparagus or my personal fav, aloha-style with ham, pineapple and jack cheese.

I think Nerdy-Boy's aunt may have some weird impression that each morning I wake up, fry the bacon up in a pan, remind him he's a man before I rush out the door to bring home said bacon.  I certainly don't want to be the one to disappoint.  Ugly Muffins seemed to be the answer to assuring her that I have not forgotten my wifely duties of making sure that all in my household are well-fed. 

Ugly Muffins will be easy for Nerdy-Boy to pop in the microwave as I rush out the door on Election Day.

Ugly Muffins
Makes 12

8 eggs - beaten (I often use just the egg whites)
1/4 cup of heavy cream

1/2 cup of ham - diced
1/2 cup of cheddar cheese - shredded
small red pepper - diced
small red onion - diced

Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Prepare muffin pan by coating with cooking spray.

Beat eggs with cream.  Stir in other ingredients.  Divide evenly between muffin cups.  (Each muffin cup should fill to almost the edge.)

Bake for 15-20 minutes until the centers set.  Let cool on rack for at least 5 minutes.