Blueberry Pancakes

I hate the phrase "But we've always done it that way!" especially when uttered in the workplace! Nothing stagnant in the world of work ever moves forward, at least not very quickly, and the workplace needs to be fluid, in my humble opinion.
That being said, I make these pancakes the same way I've always made them, because they are YUMMY! Some of you will turn up your noses at my shortcut of using Bisquick, but before you go all Downton Abbey on me, give them a try. They beat the stuffing out of pancake only mixes, and take 1/2 the time you'd take if you had to measure and combine flour, butter or shortening, baking soda or powder and salt. That's all Bisquick really is, a pre-mixed base for making biscuits, pot pie toppings, shortcakes etc. I always make my Strawberry Shortcake using Bisquick and Dick's dad, the undisputed KING of BISCUITS, told me it was the best he'd ever eaten. He was a wonderful man, and not just because he loved my cooking and my sons. He was so handy, and could fix lots of things. He had a wonderful sense of humor and loved to play cards and games. We miss him.

Blueberry Pancakes with bacon -- perfect breakfast or dinner! 

On to the pancakes! Your kids will love you for making these, believe me. So will your grandfather.... and your husband, or your wife, and your dad.... Here's to you, Gramps!

Blueberry Pancakes
makes approx. 14 3" pancakes

2 cups Bisquick Baking Mix
1 2/3 cups low fat milk
2 extra large eggs
1 teaspoon melted butter
1 Tablespoon (approx.) vegetable oil
1 pint washed and drained fresh blueberries

Drain the blueberries well and turn them out onto a paper towel or clean kitchen towel to dry. Mix together the Bisquick, milk, eggs and melted butter. Beat the  mixture until all the large lumps are broken up. Pre-heat a large non-stick skillet over medium high heat. Add a few drops of vegetable oil and pour about 1/3 cup of batter into the pan. Wait about 15 seconds and then drop 6 - 8 blue berries onto the surface of the pancake. Wait until the edges of the batter begin to bubble and break open and the pancake is set before turning it. You do have to watch pancakes carefully -- they've gotta' brown and set without burning. Add another drop or two of oil about every 3 pancakes. That will give them the crusty edge that looks so pretty and tastes so good! Serve with your favorite syrup. 

Shrove Tuesday, Fat Tuesday, Lent, Mardi Gras, etc ...Pancakes!

Blueberry Pancakes! Delish!

Happy Fat Tuesday! Pancakes are the best! Recipe HERE - Enjoy! 

Mixed Berry Cheesecake Trifle

A beautiful additon to your table, Mixed Berry Cheesecake Trifle

A few years ago, on an impulse, at one of those at-home-buy-stuff parties, I bought what I thought would be a small punch bowl and pretty stemmed glasses to match it. I learned pretty quickly, that is was a VERY small punch bowl, and much better suited for dessert. Now, I am not much of sweets eater, and rarely eat dessert, but my husband's family really can't leave the table without dessert. How they all stay so thin is beyond me, but such is the inequity of life.

Since I had bought this pretty bowl, with matching serving pieces, I had to come up with something to put in it. Something tasty yet pretty enough to do my impulse purchase justice, thereby validating my shopping. I started out with a few layered jello-type salads, but they were SO big, I had to have a boatload of company to make them. So, I began researching layered desserts. Watching my girl Nigella one morning, way back in the days when she was on the Style Network, I discovered Trifles. A trifle is basically a fruit, cream, cake and liquor concoction, layered into a deep bowl with high sides. The bowl is traditionally glass, the better to show off the layers. Nigella was making an Italian Trifle, which featured mascarpone cheese. Back in 2003, in Richmond, VA no one carried mascarpone cheese except one International grocery store, which was on the other side of town. Since I was still travelling with my small boy fraternity back in those days, I decided to come up with an alternative. It's not so "haute" cuisine as the original, but I promise, it's tasty! I also cut way back on the liquor in my trifle, as I had several under 21 eaters! This dessert is a winner, if I do say so myself.

Mixed Berry Cheesecake Trifle

1.5 lbs. strawberries, cleaned, hulled and halved

6 oz. blueberries, washed

1 loaf plain pound cake

1 pint whipped cream

a small jar of lemon curd

1 Jello No Bake cheese cake (plain) (1 1/2 c. cold milk)

3 oz. framboise or Lemoncello liquor

First, prepare your berries, whip your cream and make the cheesecake filling from the package, according to package directions w/the 1 1/2 cups cold milk. Slice the pound cake -- as thinly as you can -- into an even number of pieces. Make sandwiches of the pound cake -- 2 pieces with a little lemon curd spread in between.

Lemon Curd and pound cake

This is what you will use to line the bottom of your trifle dish. Cut them into halves or quarters as needed to line the bottom and a little ways up the sides. Save 3 or 4 to use in another layer. Drizzle about 1.5 oz. of framboise or lemoncello over the sandwiches, as shown below:

Drizzle the liquor over the pound cake.

The next layer will be a layer of fruit, half of the halved strawberries, half of the blueberries, drizzled with a little more of the framboise or lemoncello.

Top with lots of berries!

Next, spoon on half of the cheesecake batter and half of the whipped cream. Now do it again.

First, your remaining lemon curd sanwiches, cut into 3rds. Drizzle a little liquor, arrange the rest of the berries in a pretty pattern, pressing a few against the sides of the bowl, so that they show (be sure to save a few pretty berries for the very top!). Next, smooth over the other half of the cheesecake batter, the rest of the whipped cream and a sprinkling of the graham cracker crumbs from the cheesecake box. Finally a few choice berries for decoration. Voila! Isn't it pretty?

Finished Mixed Berry Cheesecake Trifle