Basic Fluffy Pancakes

When I think of breakfast, usually the first few things that come to mind are eggs, bacon, cereal, and of course pancakes! The great thing about pancakes is it's versatility. Add some blueberries. Voilà! Blueberry pancakes. Top with strawberries, strawberry pancakes! Add some chocolate chips, chocolate chip pancakes! The choices are endless. Another plus is the fact that it can be easily made with common pantry staples. In other words there is no reason for you to buy the boxed mix! Well I tried a few recipes online, tweaked it here and there and this is what I have come up with. Pretty much your basic super duper fluffy pancake recipe. Seriously, my dad said it was too fluffy. I berated him and told him he does not know good food. Please enjoy!

P.S. Want to impress your significant other? Make this for him/her!

Fluffy Pancakes
1 cup all purpose flour
2 tablespoon white sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup milk
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 egg
2 tablespoon butter, melted and cooled
vegetable oil for frying pan

1. Combine milk with lemon juice and set aside for 5 minutes to "sour."
2. Meanwhile, sift dry ingredients together.
3. Whisk the egg and melted butter into the "sour" milk.
4. Pour the dry ingredients into the sour milk mixture and mix until moistened. DO NOT OVER MIX! The mixture should be slightly lumpy but you should not see obvious signs of dry flour.
5. Heat a non stick skillet over medium heat and add a small amount of oil. Wipe away the excess with a paper towel so that there is just a thin layer of oil. Add 1/4 cup of batter (pancakes will be about 6 inches in diameter) onto the pan and cook until bubbles form on the surface. Flip with a spatula and cook until the other side is browned. (If you do it right, and for maximum fluff, you should only be flipping once.)
6. Serve with butter and maple syrup or other fancy toppings.

Blueberry Bread Pudding

Bread pudding is one of those staple comfort foods that everyone loves. Carbs + Milk + Eggs? Yes please! It's hard to believe that this dish used to be poor man's food. Back in the day it was just a means to use up stale bread and it still is today but one of the major differences is that instead of soaking the break in water, we use milk. And it doesn't suck. Nowadays the dish can actually be quite decadent and rich. On the one hand summer is here so I opted to make a lighter bread pudding. The beauty of this recipe is that because it is so light, it's good both as a breakfast dish and dessert. Bon appétit!

Blueberry Bread Pudding
1 pound white bread cubed (I used Asian bread)
4 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
4 tablespoons of melted butter cooled
1 can 12 oz evaporated milk
2 cups milk
zest of half a lemon
1 cup blueberries (do add more if you like)
sliced almonds for garnish
powdered sugar for dusting

1. Preheat oven to 300°F.
2. In a mixer whip eggs and sugar on high speed for about 5 minutes or until mixture forms a ribbon when the wire whip is lifted, the color should be pale yellow.
3. Beat in vanilla extract, spices, and lemon zest. Then beat in melted butter, evaporated milk and milk.
4. Place cubed bread and blueberries in baking pan lined with parchment paper or cupcake pan lined with foil cupcake liners. (I made a dozen bread pudding cupcakes and one 9 by 9 pan.)
5. Careful ladle prepared custard over bread until completely covered. Press down on the bread cubes so the bread pieces absorb the liquid completely. Sprinkle with almond slices.
6. Prepare a water bath. Carefully pour in enough hot water until the water is halfway up the sides of the pans. Bake cupcakes approximately 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cupcake comes out clean. Pans take about an hour to cook through. Remove the bread pudding from the water bath and allow to cool slightly before serving.

Serve chilled or still warm with fresh fruit, nuts, whipped cream, ice cream, or any combination of the above!