PrissyCook

If you’re anything like me around the holidays, your schedule is full, your days are busy and you’re enjoying the hustle and bustle of the season. The other night I was out for sushi and guess what was on the radio all ready…you guessed it…Christmas music.

And this is the time of year when my spice rack gets a lot of use. Nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger, cloves go in almost everything I cook. I never really thought about spices going bad. It wasn’t until I saw an episode of Good Eats, that I had ever considered that the tin of cinnamon I’ve had since 1996 couldn’t possibly still be good.The thought of replacing all my spices (and the expense) doesn’t sound like a good time to me either. But there was some good advice that I think I can incorporate from this point forward.

• Buy smaller quantities. There’s really no purpose in buying Sam’s Club bulk spices. Not unless you’re feeding a small army on a regular basis.
• Check the ingredients. A lot of the ‘pre-made’ season blends have a higher sodium content. If you can’t live without your Creole seasoning like me, just note that you shouldn’t add more salt to the dish. There’s enough already in there.
• Keep these in your pantry. Cinnamon, Cumin, Pepper Corns, Sea Salt, Ginger, Nutmeg, Chili Powder.

Spices in mind I whipped up a breakfast this morning with something else that is ALWAYS in my pantry: Lots of canned pumpkin. Today, I made a batch of Pumpkin Pancakes. These have more baking powder than other pancake recipes I’ve tried. That made the fluffier and lighter.

No pictures of these guys either. I was towards my last batch when I finally got a few cakes that weren’t butchered. I’ve been dating the idea of getting a griddle, but I haven’t made any commitments yet. Until then, I’ll have to deal with tasty, but not pretty pancakes.

Pumpkin Pancakes
Serves 6/ 10 min Prep/ 20 min Cook

2 cups all purpose flour
4 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp. ground allspice
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups solid pack pumpkin
3 eggs
1 cup milk
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp. vanilla extract
4 oz. chopped pecans (optional)

PREPARATION:
Sift dry ingredients and set aside. Using a large bowl, combine pumpkin, eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla. Add dry ingredients and stir until blended; stir in pecans just before ready to cook.

A medium heat greased griddle is best for cooking pancakes.

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