A No Power Empowering Recipe

THURSDAY, JULY 11, 2013: Well now… I’ve been here at blogger dot com for several weeks. So, at this point, my reader is (readers are?) likely expecting yet another of my doom and gloom political rants. True, today’s posting decidedly starts out in negative territory, but if you’ll stick with me… there truly is a sweet payoff… a literally sweet payoff... by blog’s end.

Just yesterday, I had planned on doing my weekly grocery shopping… BUT… after checking the decidedly dark blue and grey clouded skies… after checking my shopping list that decidedly contained far too many perishables… I decided it unwise to head off to the store. And minus the key ingredients of eggs and fat free milk, there went this morning’s plans for my once per week, pancake breakfast.

To explain my foregoing the shopping rationale a bit further… I did not want to stock up with perishable consumables when storms are about to hit; storms packing a destructive wallop that could knock out the electricity… and cause a consequent hit in my wallet.

SIDEBAR #1: True, it IS far better getting that figurative sick feeling while tossing spoiled food into the garbage than to risk eating it and getting that literal sick feeling due to food poisoning.  

But, getting back to the destructive Michigan weather, our summer storms involve tornadic force winds, large hail, torrential rain and severe thunderstorms… in the winter it’s gale force winds, heavy sleet, ice and snowstorms. Indeed, when these global warming intensified storm fronts slam into an aged and archaic electrical power grid (and related deteriorating infrastructure) the net result oft becomes a powerful recipe for failure… as in power failure.

SIDEBAR #2: I am fortunate that I can both heat tap water and cook with natural gas; all that equipment working independent of electricity.

Fortunately, Wednesday’s storms had not knocked out my power. And it was while feeling the appropriate gratitude that the proverbial light bulb switched on over my head. Yep, just as I was reaching for the oatmeal container, I suddenly recalled a vegan pancake recipe I had seen while reading an online newspaper. By its very nature, no milk or eggs were required! Admittedly, I did have doubts that the finished product could ever come close to the taste I was accustomed to, but I figured… hey… what the hell… give ‘em a try anyway.

SIDEBAR #3: Pancake recipes have been evolving in my family for as long as I can remember. Half a century ago, Mom’s original recipe had included a whole stick of butter, whole milk, two or more eggs and way too much salt! As the decades progressed, to make these more heart smart, I have totally cut the sodium, switched to fat free milk, tried the egg whites only route and subbed in applesauce for the butter. OK, I’ll fess up… there have been occasions where I’ve reverted to one whole egg and butter, BUT, as for the latter, I cut that per batch content down to only half a tablespoon. 

To Cliffs Notes the rest of today’s story, I went online, found the desired pancake recipe (which is simplicity itself) and stirred them up. Within half an hour the finished batter hit the griddle. With my heated double boiler housing the end product, with hot coffee poured into my mug, I was now ready to pull up a chair at my dining room table. The maple syrup was now flowing… and… well… I have to say… these turned out to be the best damned pancakes I have ever eaten!

While Michigan’s violent weather and aged power transmission equipment are a recipe for failure, with these pancakes I’ve found a recipe for success. Needless to say, I no longer need to depend on any perishable ingredients to have my cake and eat it, too! I guess I should’ve said, have my pancakes and eat them, too! Even the brand of syrup I use does not require refrigeration.

For me, the evolution of the pancake confection has reached the peak of perfection! I know I’ll never miss the butter, eggs and milk and neither will my heart and vascular system! And I’m sure, once you taste test these pancakes, too, you’ll wholeheartedly agree with me.

Best of all, you don’t even have to wait for a power failure to try this totally delicious, empowering PANCAKE RECIPE!