Pancakes and Syrup

Light, fluffy pancakes + easy, delicious syrup = homemade goodness, happy people.

Inexpensive to make. Easy to memorize. Dazzle your family and friends with a yummy meal made entirely from scratch! Who doesn’t like pancakes?!

This is also especially great if you run low on syrup. It comes together in a flash with very little stove-top supervision.

Perfect Pancakes

1 egg
1 C. all-purpose or whole wheat flour
3/4 c. milk
1 T. brown sugar
2 T. oil
1 T. baking powder
1/4 t. salt

Beat egg in medium bowl until fluffy. Mix in remaining ingredients until just smooth. Heat griddle or skillet to 375 degrees. Grease slightly with butter or cooking spray.

Pour scant 1/4 c. batter onto hot griddle. Cook until bubbles form and pop around the edges. Turn and cook until other sides are golden brown. Makes 9-10 4” pancakes. Serve with homemade butter and homemade maple-flavored syrup.

Maple-Flavored Syrup

In a small saucepan, just combine with a non-metallic spoon:

3/4 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. white sugar
3/4 c. water
1/2 c. light corn syrup

Bring to a boil over medium heat. Set timer for 7 minutes and let boil. Try not to stir more than once or twice. It will look slightly thickened, don’t be tempted to continue to boil b/c it doesn’t look thick enough.

Remove from heat and stir in well:

1 t. vanilla extract
1 t. maple-flavoring

Leave pan alone while you are cooking your pancakes for 15 minutes to cool. Serve with your pancakes and butter.    

(It snowed here this morning, so I made my kids pancakes that looked like snowmen. They loved the syrup, the cakes, the butter…and they asked for more!)

Simple Simple Syrup

A base for you to have on hand, simple syrup can be kept in your refrigerator indefinitely. And it’s incredibly easy to make. 

Take a clean, sterlized mason jar (running it though the dishwasher will do). Add equal parts water and sugar. Place the jar in a pan of water on stove. Make sure the water is filled about 3/4 of the way up the side of the pan once the jar is inside.

Barely boil the water over medium heat. And as the sugar dissolves, it becomes clear. When the water inside the jar is completely clear, you are finished!

Place a lid/band on the jar, and keep in your refrigerator. If you want to store  simple syrup in a different container, just mix equal parts water and sugar in a pan and gently boil. Once the water looks clear and has cooled off, you can store in a different container. 

Highly functional.   

Here’s something you can do with your homemade butter:

Delicious Drop Biscuits

Combine: 
2 c. whole wheat flour
1 T. baking powder
1 t. salt

Cut 1/4 c. butter into Tbsp sized pieces. Add to dry ingredients. Cut with a pastry blender, or two knives in a scissor fashion, or use clean hands to mix until butter is the size of peas.

In a separate bowl, combine:
1 c. plus 1 T. milk and 3 T. honey. Add to dry mix and just combine.

Flour a bowl. Scoop batter into bowl, one at a time and toss to cover. Place in greased baking pan.

Brush melted butter on top of biscuits. Bake at 425 degrees for 15-20 minutes.

and while they are cooking….

White Cream Gravy

In a medium saucepan, melt 2 1/2 T. butter. Add 1/4 c. flour and whisk until smooth.

Add:
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper
1/8 t. sage
1 t. chicken base

Cook on low heat for 5 minutes. Stir occasionally.

Slowly add:
1 c. hot water
1 c. warm milk

Whisk while combining, bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cook for 2 more minutes. Gently stir while cooking.

Add cooked sausage, bacon, chipped/dried beef if desired. Pour over biscuits which are undoubtedly out of the oven by now.  

Feel good. And add butter to your biscuits.

Homemade Butter

Take one clean, sterilized jar with a lid. Chill in refrigerator for 1 hour. Pour in 2 c. chilled heavy cream and cover with band and lid. Shake it. I mean, shake it! It’s going to be good. And delicious. 

You will need to shake it for about 15 minutes. Give your arm and wrist a break. Pass it to the person sitting next to you. If you have kids, give them a turn. If you have a dog, good luck. Either way, take a break when you need to. 

Shake it for 15 more minutes or until you see a lump or two. (That’s the butter!) You will see the lump surrounded by white, milky liquid that won’t stick to the sides of your jar. (That’s the buttermilk!)

Strain the contents through a colander into a bowl. Reserve the liquid for all your future buttermilk needs, use the butter for all your future butter needs. Trust me, you’ll have them. 

Gently wash off your butter with cold water – very cold water – until it runs clear. You don’t really want any of the buttermilk hanging on to your butter, or else it will spoil and taste bad.

You can lightly salt your butter and place it in a container in your fridge. Chill for 1 hour. You can use it for cooking, or you can flavor it. This recipe will give you about 6-7 oz. of butter. Keep the buttermilk in a covered container in your fridge and use with 5-7 days.

Or, you can chill your food processor bowl and blade. Pour the cream down the spout and turn on for 8-10 minutes. Quicker, easier….but not as much fun.

Dry Laundry Soap for 12.5% of the Cost. No Joke.

I couldn’t decide what soap to use to make homemade laundry soap, so I use both.

* Take 1 bar of Fels-Naptha soap (5.5 oz.) and grate it. 
* Add 1 c. of 20 Mule Team Borax, and
* 1/2 c. Arm & Hammer Washing Soda

Mix them all together. The end result? A spetacular version of powdery laundry detergent. I didn’t make this up myself. A friend emailed me the recipe years ago. Several versions exist online, too.   

* And if you add a grated bar of Simply Ivory Aloe (3.1 oz.), no kidding - a nice, clean, fresh scent.

Only 2 T. per load necessary, but make sure you pre-treat for stains and use more for particularly dirty laundry.

AND yes, you see these things next to a food processor. I use mine to grate the soaps and mix them really well. I make huge batches at one time and clean my processor out with extremely hot water and brushes. Think whatever you like.

I spend 12.5% of what I used to on laundry detergent.

What’s in your cupboard right now? Your refrigerator? How about your pantry? You may open one of these spaces and see nothing that you think can use for a meal or a snack. Instead of hanging your head like Old Mother (or Father) Hubbard, today is a new day. Whatever reasons bring you here, you can begin today - right now - to open your pantry and see possibilities. Potential. Providence.

Maybe it’s a few days until payday. Maybe you haven’t been grocery shopping in a while. On a budget? The goal of The Provident Pantry is to help you learn how to make the most of what you already have! 

Want to eat more non-processed foods? It’s easy to get discouraged reading labels at the grocery store. It’s almost impossible to be unaware of the massive amounts of preservatives in our foods. While this is not a preservative-free site, this site will help you become more aware of what you are eating!

You might be the type of person who wants to learn something fun and new. If you can’t find what you are looking for here, post a question. You might just find what you’re looking for in a future post. This blog is designed with you in mind!

If you see a word italicized, then that means it is an item that can be created in the kitchen. If there is something that you want to know how to make yourself, ask!