So this week it was Valentine’s Day and Pancake day. Of course it made sense to combine the two things together and make heart-shaped pancakes – what could go wrong.
Well to be honest this was a big fail. I got back from the school run on Shrove Tuesday and the girls demanded pancakes straight away. I knew this wasn’t a good idea. I really needed ten minutes of quiet and a cup of tea but thought it might be a good idea to make a few and then have a later dinner. I’ve made pancakes many times and they usually turn out ok.
I made a very easy batter and simply added a few drops of food colouring to make half look pink. I have some pancake moulds which you pour the batter into and just flip half way. I did manage to make a few successful pancakes which you can see in the picture. The girls started to mess around as soon as I was busy, trying to get paint out, demanding endless glasses of milk, wanting to be picked up, arguing and eating all the sprinkles before the pancakes were even cooked. Usually if I’m doing something tricky then I leave them with a safe activity in the living room – at least while I prepare.
So having three children literally under my feet really wasn’t conducive to perfect pancake making. My main mistake was to make the pan too hot – although to be honest I made just about every mistake you could make – a lumpy batter, pouring too much oil into the pan, pouring too much batter into the pan, not flipping the pancakes soon enough, having too many children – well ok maybe the last one doesn’t count exactly. The pancakes themselves were ok, a little burnt in places and a bit too thick and a bit mushy – but really with a few tasty toppings you don’t really notice.
I managed to shoo everyone out of the kitchen having saved myself one of the least appetising pancakes. Molly came into the kitchen asking, not very politely, if I would help her sort out her swimming goggles. When I said I was just having five minutes to eat a pancake she replied “I wouldn’t bother – they weren’t actually very nice!”
Unfortunately she had a point.
To see some more successful treats have a look at my Snowman Pancakes Recipe. Also check out this greta post from Actually Mummy with lots of recipes and fillings.
This post is part of the centre Parcs Family Blogger Club.
To be in with a chance of winning a short break at Center Parcs for you and your family, they are challenging you to create your own unique pancakes and take pictures of the result. Then, just send a tweet including the hashtag #CPFamilyBreaks to @tots100 and @CenterParcsUK, linking to your blog post. This month’s challenge closes at 4pm on 22nd February.
Find the full terms and conditions for the challenge here.
