A Recipe and Rivalry

This weekend was full of all things Fall; comfort food, crisp air, bonfires and football. On Saturday morning, I made pumpkin spice pancakes for my husband. He did not have any complaints.

Below are two recipes: Martha Stewart's from scratch pancakes - and a very easy alternative that still packs a lot flavor.

                                              *I took this photo of the pumpkin spice pancake recipe that calls for Bisquick

Pumpkin Spice Pancakes

From Scratch (marthastewart.com):

whisk 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour; 2 tablespoons sugar; 2 teaspoons baking powder; 1/2 teaspoon each cinnamon, ground ginger, and salt; 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg; and a pinch of ground cloves.
stir together 1 cup milk, 6 tablespoons canned pumpkin puree, 2 tablespoons melted butter, and 1 egg;
Melt some butter in a skillet over medium heat; pour in 1/4 cup batter for each pancake.
Cook pancakes about 3 minutes per side; serve with butter and syrup.
Makes 8 to 10.


Easy Recipe Using Bisquick:

Follow directions on Bisquick box (2 cups Bisquick, 1 cup milk, 2 eggs) to create their pancake batter Add the following before mixing:
1tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
a pinch of ground cloves
(all spices can be substituted with 2 tsp of Pumpkin Pie Spice found in the spice isle at most grocery stores)
1/2 cup of pumpkin puree (I actually added a bit more than this and loved it)
on a greased skillet or griddle on low-medium heat pour out 1/4 cup of batter
let each side cook for about 3 minutes
(tip: wait for edges of pancakes to look dry before flipping)
Top with a sprinkle of cinnamon, sugar, butter and syrup

In a blind taste test my husband actually liked the Bisquick batch better (sorry, Martha).

On Sunday, Jake went to the Carolina Panthers vs. Green Bay Packers game. Jake's family lives in a town not too far outside of Green Bay, WI - so, he basically bleeds green. I am pretty neutral when it comes to sports, so this shouldn't be a problem. Except, my dad lives and breathes for the Minnesota Vikings (for those of you that are not big football fans, these two teams straight up hate each other).

This has made for some interesting banter and back-and-forth pranks between my dad and husband. All of which came to a head at our wedding, when I surprised Jake with a Packers groom's cake. Considering that my dad paid for the bulk of the event, I'm sure he appreciated the score board on said cake.

      Cake by: Just a Bite  Photos of Groom's cake by: Rhonda Danner Photography

Maybe it was love in the air or the array of craft beer on hand that led my dad to pose for this photo...

Yes, my husband is wearing a cheese tie. No, he did not wear it at the ceremony. Thanks for asking ;)