from the kitchen - instant pancake mix

You might have noticed, when it comes to gifting, I am a big fan of 'stuff in jars' - in fact I have a whole week's worth of jar-filled gifting (or should that be filled-jar?) coming soon. Y'see jars are just so damn handy, they look great lined up in the kitchen and don't need much to look special - a handmade tag, a fabric top or a strip of ribbon.

Plus there is that old-timey housewifey thing of filling jars, stocking the storecupboards and being generous with the love from your kitchen. Am I too young to join the WI? Do they let you do the Jam and Jerusalem thing when you wear piercings and mini-skirts?

Anyway, this might seem like an odd thing for a gift, and trust me it was hard to photograph a jar of mainly flour and make it look good too. But let me explain. See, by some Biblical mis-timing, Pancake Day (or Shrove Tuesday I believe it is officially called) falls during the week. And as a child I remember learning all about lent and Jesus and stuff at school, then running home to my mom begging for pancakes. And of course we wouldn't have any eggs, or the right kind of flour or something. Plus my mum had been at work all day, then expected to whip up batch after batch of pancakes for two hungry children... And judging by the popularity of readymade pancake mixes in the supermarket at the weekend, there are plenty of people facing this same predicament.

So I found a recipe for a homemade instant pancake mix and filled up a couple of jars. This is the basic recipe, I added some chocolate chips to one jar, chopped walnuts to another, but didn't take photos before they were gifted away (duh).

600g plain flour
3 tbsp baking powder
2 tsp bicarb
1 tsp salt
40g caster sugar

- Mix in a bowl and decant into jars

Instructions (put these on your label):

For every 150g mixture (or an American cupful- to save weighing) mix with 1 egg, 250ml milk, 1 tbsp melted butter until you have a smooth batter
Heat a griddle or large frying pan over a medium heat
Drop in spoonfuls of batter, when bubbles appear on the surface flip over for another couple of minutes
Enjoy

(if you make a lot and want to avoid the batch cooking while everyone elese is eating scenario keep them warm in a low oven)

Everyone likes their pancakes different, but I think a jar of jam or a punnet of fresh fruit would go well with this, perfect your busy mums, or a hostess gift (esp if that hostess is serving you breakfast in the morning).

Blue Skies and Fluffy Pancakes,

Charlotte xo