Pancakes

My pancake recipe actually comes from a Winnie the Pooh cookery book I was given many, many moons ago. What I love about it is that the kiddies can mix the batter by themselves as the measurements are just so simple!
Makes about 8 pancakes.
Ingredients:
4 rounded tablespoons of plain flour
A pinch of salt
1 egg
½ pint of milk
Butter for frying
Extras for serving: favourites in our house are jam, maple syrup and Nutella, as well as good old-fashioned sugar and lemon!
Method:
1: Sift the flour and salt into a large mixing bowl. Make a hollow in the centre and crack the egg into it.
2: Add about a third of the milk and mix gently together.
3: Gradually add the rest of the milk and beat in.
4: Heat up a frying pan and add some butter. Once hot, add 2 tablespoons of batter. Tip the pan so the batter runs all over the base of the pan to make a pancake.
5: Fry until the underside is brown and then turn over with a knife or flip if you’re feeling fancy (your children will think you’re the coolest thing ever if you can successfully flip!).
6: When the second side is cooked, slide the pancake out of the pan onto a plate (Warning: the first pancake of a batch is inevitably a bit rubbish!), add whatever yummies you like and eat up!
7: If you want to serve a pile of pancakes, pop each pancake as it’s ready onto a tray in the oven on a low heat to keep warm until needed.

Home-made Granola

Why pay a fortune at the supermarket when you can make granola so easily yourself and customise it for your Picky Picker?

Ingredients:

500g porridge oats

4 heaped tablespoons of runny honey

4 heaped tablespoons of golden syrup

2 tablespoons of sunflower or vegetable oil

Method:

1: Preheat the oven to 170 degrees celsius.

2: Gently melt the honey, golden syrup and oil in a pan.

3: Pour the oats into a large bowl and add the honey and oil mixture. Stir well.

4: Spread your mixture evenly onto a large baking tray and bake for 15-20 minutes. Keep checking to ensure none of the mixture burns.

5: When the oats are golden brown, remove from the oven and leave to dry on the tray.

6: Add any extras you like. Some of our favourites are banana chips, raisins, cranberries, dried apricots, desiccated coconut and pumpkin or sesame seeds.

7: The granola should keep for about a month in a airtight jar. Serve with milk or yogurt or sprinkle some over ice cream for some extra crunch!

Fruit loaf

This is lovely toasted for breakfast, or great just sliced and buttered for an afternoon snack. It’s so simple, remembering to put the fruit to soak is probably the hardest bit!

For Picky Pickers who are a bit funny about dried fruit, make it plain first, then perhaps with just raisins and gradually introduce the mixed fruit.

Ingredients:

225g dried mixed fruit

225g self-raising flour

1 teaspoon mixed spice

120g caster sugar

250ml cold black tea

2 tablespoons orange marmalade

1 egg

Method:

1: Measure the dried fruit into a bowl, pour in the tea and leave to soak for at least a couple of hours. I tend to leave it in the fridge overnight.

2: Preheat the oven to 180 degrees celsius and grease a loaf tin.

3: Measure all the other ingredients into a large bowl, add the soaked fruit and remaining liquid and stir gently until combined.

4: Pop in the oven for about an hour until the top has browned and a skewer comes out clean when you stick it in the cake.

5: Leave to stand for 15 mins and then turn out of the tin and onto a wire rack to cool.

French Toast

Despite not being overly fond of eggs, all my boys love this as a treat on a Sunday morning.

Serves 4 Picky Pickers

Ingredients:

4 eggs

4 tablespoons milk

1 1/2 tablespoons of caster sugar

few drops of vanilla extract

4 slices of thick white bread

pinch of cinnamon

butter

Method:

1: Crack the eggs into a large shallow bowl or baking tray.

2: Mix in the milk, sugar, vanilla and cinnamon.

3: Melt some butter in a frying pan.

4: Dip the bread in the eggy mixture (I only do this very quickly, but if you like your French toast eggier, leave the bread to soak in the mixture for a minute or 2).

5: Cook each slice in the frying pan until golden brown on both sides.

6:  Dust with icing sugar and drizzle with maple syrup if you’re feeling decadent. Serve with lots of fresh fruit

American Pancakes

I have to be in a REALLY good mood to attempt making pancakes for our family of 6!  An hour and a half can easily whizz by in a blur of pans, batter and eager little faces.

These are fatter and smaller than traditional UK pancakes and are usually served with maple syrup and crispy bacon. Yum!

Serves 4

Ingredients:

110g plain flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 tablespoon caster sugar

a pinch of salt

130ml milk

1 egg

2 tablespoons melted butter, plus some extra for cooking

a handful of raisins or blueberries (optional)

a few drops of vanilla extract or a pinch of cinnamon (optional)

Method:

1: Sift together the flour, the baking powder, the sugar and the salt into a large bowl.

2: Gently whisk together the egg and milk and then whisk in the butter.

3: Pour the milk mixture into the flour mixture and combine. Leave to stand for a few minutes.

4: Heat some butter in a large frying pan.

5: Drop tablespoons of the mixture into the pan, leaving some room for the pancakes to grow. Cook until the pancake’s bottom is brown and bubbles appear on the surface. This should take only 1-2 minutes. Turn the pancake and cook the other side until golden brown.

6: Repeat this until all the batter is used up. Cooked pancakes can be kept warm in the oven, but taste better straight out of the pan.

7: Serve with berries, maple syrup and some warm, crispy bacon.

1:

Banana Milkshake

I have a son who hates bananas, but loves this. Don’t understand why, but there you go!

This is really quick to make. The fresh banana means it doesn’t keep well, so drink it as soon as it’s ready!

Ingredients:

1 large or 2 small ripe bananas (the ones that are inbetween ‘eating’ and ‘muffin-ing’ in ripeness!)

1 teaspoon runny honey

225ml cold milk

a sprinkle of cinnamon or ground ginger (optional)

Method:

1: Blitz ingredients together using a blender. Serve immediately.

Cowboy Sausages and Beans

I’m pretty sure this is what actual cowboys have for breakfast. Yes, including the carrot. How else can they be expected to see cattle rustlers sneaking up in the dark?

Serves 4

Ingredients:

8 chipolata sausages or 16 cocktail sausages (more if you have big appetites to feed!)
1/2 a small onion
1 small carrot
2 rashers of streaky bacon, cut into little bits (little helpers can do this using scissors, much easier than a knife!)
a handful of grated cheddar (optional)
1tsp sunflower oil
1 or 2 cans baked beans depending on how much your Picky Pickers like them!
a sprinkle of herbs de provence
lots of toast soldiers

Method
1: Heat the sunflower oil in a frying pan, add the sausages
2: Finely chop the onion and carrot, add the onion and bacon to the frying pan. Cook until sausages and onions are beginning to brown.

3: Add the carrot, herbs and 2tbsp of water.
4: Cover and cook for 15 minutes until the carrots are cooked through. Add the cheese if using.
5: Serve with lots of toast soldiers!

TIP: If your Picky Picker isn’t too keen on beans, just serve a couple to begin with, building up over time. They’re a funny old texture to get used to!