I must admit, I usually go to the pancake supper at church on Shrove Tuesday rather than make my own. It’s an Episcopal tradition! (OK, OK, I’m pretty sure Catholics and Lutherans claim it too)
Why? Well, back in the old days people really took the whole “giving things up for Lent” concept seriously. (Lent starts Ash Wednesday and continues until Easter-a total of 40 days) Tuesday was the day that the family used up the last of the “fat” (ie butter and sausage) and other rich ingredients such as eggs and milk (in the pancakes) before the season of fasting began. If you want to know more, you can read about it at Shrove Tuesday-Wikipedia and Lent-Wikipedia.
So I’m not cooking pancakes for supper tonight, but I do have a “hack” on my favorite pancake recipe that I would love to share. Make up your typical pancake batter (I use the recipe out of my trusty Betty Crocker Cookbook) but add 1tsp of vanilla, and double the sugar. Usually that means going from 1 TBS of sugar to 2 TBS of sugar, we aren’t talking about adding an additional cup or anything here.
I just love the additional zing of sweetness and sugar that gives it. Princess prefers hers this way with just a touch of butter on top-she says they are sweet enough that she doesn’t even need syrup. Buddy has to dip EVERYTHING in syrup. . . .
And since I mentioned giving things up for lent-as long as I can remember, I’ve given something up for Lent each year. This isn’t done out of excess of religious reasons, but rather as a test of my personal character. I just like to see if I can really do it (and I usually do). I’ve done such insane things as giving up caffine (owww-the headaches those two years), giving up all baked goods, and giving up chocolate. I usually try to make it something that will have some sort of positive net effect on my life *
This year I am seriously working on ridding myself of those extra pounds that have crept around my waistline-so my lenten goal is to give up going for seconds, and to give up baked sweets**. And I have promised myself that I won’t overcompensate by taking a larger inital portion.
So what are your lenten goals? If you don’t have any, maybe this would be a good time to either add a new frugal habit, or get rid of an old unfrugal one. After all, it’s only for 40 days. But then again, they say you can make a new habit by doing something for 28 days. . .
*in the case of caffine, I thought 40 days would give me a good time frame to evaluate wether it was adding to my migraines-once the withdrawal headaches stopped of course. No noticeable difference if you were wondering
** Last year I gave up the baked sweets and lost 3 lbs without otherwise changing my diet!
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I’m giving up soda (a.k.a. “pop”) this year. I don’t know how I got on the soda wagon again after so many years of not drinking it, but I don’t like neither the expenditure nor health effects and so it’s outta here (for Lent and hopefully beyond). I view this as both a test of personal strenght and also a “sacrifice” – however small – since I do enjoy a cold diet coke in the middle of a long afternoon. No more, though.
We were set to go to our church’s pancake supper tonight but my son is feeling unwell so I will likely make some at home. Question from one Episcopalian to another: where do you come down on the meat-on-Fridays thing? I’m taking a little poll…
The pancakes are good and all yummy!! We made blueberry ones!! Ok for a moment of truth who did you vote for??? Please tell. Did you vote for Billary or Mc Cain or who?? Who do you think would put this country ahead and be the most frugal if you could comment???