My Fat Tuesday Pancakes.

It's Fat Tuesday, Pancake Tuesday, Shrove Tuesday or Mardi Gras.  

Whatever you call it it's time to make some yummy pancakes before you give up things you love.   Luckily this is not my religion so I don't have to give anything up but I do love some yummy pancakes so in honour of those celebrating Shrove Tuesday I made a batch of these delicious Heart Shaped Pancakes.

I kicked up a basic recipe a touch to make these pancakes.  Here's a recipe you can use to make some:

Ingredients:

Dry:

1 cup Flour

1 Tbsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

Wet:

1 cup of buttermilk or (Milk with half of a lemon juiced)

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 large egg

*Coconut oil for cooking you can use butter or oil.

Topping:

Half a pack of frozen stawberries

Maple syrup

Chocolate chips

Icing sugar (Optional)

Directions:

I mixed the wet and dry ingredients in separate measuring cups to make it a lot easier for cleanup and to make the pancakes.   

Using a 4 cup measuring cup mix all the dry ingredients.  In a 2 cup measuring cup mix all the wet ingredients well.

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredient measuring cup and mix until the flour is combined.  Don't over mix.  Leave a few lumps which will form bubbles in the pancakes.  You can let the mixture rest for a bit while you prepare the topping.   Using frozen preferably sliced strawberries place into a small saucepan and pour over a couple of tbsp of Maple syrup and if needed you can add water if you want it thinner but since the strawberries are frozen they will release water when they are cooked.  Simmer on medium heat until the strawberries are soft and the mixture is like a syrupy jam consistency.   Keep warm on low heat and move on to making the pancakes.

Heat a frying pan on medium heat until warm and add a teaspoon of coconut oil and swirl around the pan until melted.

You can either pour the pancake mix from the measuring cup or use a large spoon for more control.  Or you can even put it into a squeeze bottle if you have one.   To form the heart use a tablespoon of the mixture to form one side of the heart and then another tablespoon to form the other side.  If you do them separately it will form a line around it.   Let it cook until bubbles form on the top of the pancake and then flip with a spatula and cook on the other side for about a minute to brown the other side.   If you need to make a large batch you can put them on a cookie sheet and keep warm in a low oven and cover with tin foil.

To serve place the pancakes on a plate and then add chocolate chips and then spoon the strawberry syrup on top and then sprinkle with icing sugar if you like.   The heat of the pancakes and strawberry sauce should melt the chocolate chips.

And inhale the lot of them and enjoy every minute because you won't be having any for a while..:)  

INFO about Fat Tuesday.

Shrove Tuesday (known in some countries as Pancake Day) is a day in February orMarch, preceding Ash Wednesday (the first day of Lent), which is celebrated in some countries by consuming pancakes.

This moveable festival is determined by Easter. The expression "Shrove Tuesday" comes from the word shrive, meaning "confess".^[1] Shrove Tuesday is observed by many Christians, including Anglicans, Lutherans, Methodists and Roman Catholics,^[2]who "make a special point of self-examination, of considering what wrongs they need to repent, and what amendments of life or areas of spiritual growth they especially need to ask God's help in dealing with."^[3]

Being the last day before the penitential season of Lent, related popular practices, such as indulging in food that one sacrifices for the upcoming forty days, are associated with Shrove Tuesday celebrations, before commencing the fasting and religious obligations associated with Lent. The term Mardi Gras is French for "Fat Tuesday", referring to the practice of the last night of eating richer, fatty foods before the ritual fasting of the Lenten season, which begins on Ash Wednesday. ( Source Wikepedia)