Yummy Cinnamon Pancake Recipe

Everything I know, I learned from my ex-mother-in-law. Well, not quite, but she did teach me a lot in the kitchen, including how to make these delicious, homemade cinnamon pancakes!

My kids absolutely love this recipe because it is so versatile. Today I can make cinnamon pancakes, tomorrow we can have blueberry pancakes (or as my son calls them... 'blue-cakes'), and the next day a sweet, chocolate chip pancake treat - all using the same recipe!

Usually I serve this as the evening meal, since I am not a morning person. It's one meal I can guarantee the kids will eat, since they love the oddity of having breakfast for supper!

I am not proficient in the kitchen at all, but I've yet to ruin this recipe. It makes a lot of pancakes, and leftovers can be reheated in the toaster. I have tossed the extra cakes in the freezer as they keep well.

Basic ingredients:

2 cups flour

2 Tbsp. sugar

1 Tbsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. cinnamon, to taste (I usually use 1 tsp.)

2 eggs

1/4 cup vegetable oil

2 cups milk

1/2 tsp. vanilla

To mix: Sift the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and cinnamon) into a medium bowl. Lightly beat the eggs and add to the bowl. Stir in the vegetable oil and the vanilla, leaving the milk for last. Slowly pour in the milk, stirring as it is added. But don't overstir! Batter should be slightly lumpy.

At this point, add in the extras, if you choose. Variations I've used include 6-8 ounces of blueberries or raspberries. Make sure to mash the raspberries before adding to the batter. I didn't and had very sloppy pancakes! I've also added ½ cup chocolate chips.

Other optional ingredients I haven't tried yet, but my ex-M-I-L swears are great: 1 thinly sliced banana, 6-8 oz. sliced strawberries, a small can of sliced peaches in the light sauce (include the sauce), or a baby food jar of applesauce.

To cook: Heat a nonstick pan "to the point where a few drops of water 'dance' across the pan." Using a 1/4 cup measuring cup, dip out batter and pour it slowly into the pan. She said to cook each side about 2 minutes, but I don't time mine. On the first side, I watch for bubbles to appear in the batter as it is cooking. When the bubbles start to pop, that's when I flip.

To serve: Top with maple syrup, fruit syrup (blueberry is a favorite), or peanut butter.