I’ve been needing some comfort lately, specifically because the show I work on’s first season is ending soon and I will beunemployedfunemployed(got to stay positive, right?….right.)in a few days. This is normal for the industry I work in, and *hopefully* I will be working on a pilot in a few weeks, I just have to be patient and see what comes. But for someone like myself who is at best a planner, and at worst a compulsive scheduler, the thought of just not having a job and not knowing when the next one will come or what it will be sends me into a bit of a panic. And by a bit of a panic I of course mean that my amygdala sends pure adrenaline and terror coursing through my veins.
This is a screen cap of my personal calendar; not even my work one, mind you. I like to think of it as my rainbow of assuredness. |
But I had a good stress cry about it last weekend with Jeremy that served the twofold purpose of 1) really helping me release my anxiety and 2) cleaning his shirt with my excessively salty tears (salt has antiseptic qualities! I learned this while researching how to clean my cast iron skillet.) And on the bright side, this (hopefully) brief period of unemployment will give me more time to garden, cook, hike, and focus on some projects I’ve been wanting to start for a while now but just never had the time for.
So yeah. I just wanted something tasty that would make me feel all nice and cozy inside, and breakfast really does that for me (head’s up: there will probably be a lot of breakfast posts in the coming weeks), so I made apple pancakes. I used this buttermilk pancake recipe as the base but added some applesauce and cinnamon and then made an apple toffee maple syrup with a splash of apple pie white balsamic. And guys, it was prettttty amazing.
The pancakes were light and fluffy but still rich from the buttermilk and with a hint of apple. The apple toffee maple syrup was sweet, thick, cinnamon-filled, and had the most pleasant tinge of balsamic. I probably could have eaten only these pancakes for days on end and been totally okay with that happening. But there were only enough to last me and Jeremy one day, and then they were gone.
But they were easy enough to make, so I’m just going to whip them up again this weekend. And maybe a bit more often than that since I’ll have the time on my hands 😉
Buttermilk Apple Pancakes with an Apple Toffee Balsamic Maple Syrup
Ingredients
Buttermilk Apple Pancakes
- 3 Eggs
- 3 Cups Buttermilk
- 3 Cups Flour
- 1/2 Cup Apple Sauce
- 1/3 Cup Butter melted
- 1/4 Cup Milk
- 3 Tablespoons Sugar
- 3 Teaspoons Baking Powder
- 1 and 1/2 Teaspoons Baking Soda
- 1 Teaspoon Cinnamon
- 3/4 Teaspoon Salt
- 1/2 Teaspoon Nutmeg
Apple Toffee Maple Syrup
- 1 Apple peeled, cored, and cut into eights
- 1 Cup Maple Syrup
- 1/2 Cup Brown Sugar
- 1/4 Cup Heavy Cream
- 3 Tablespoons Devo Apple Pie White Balsamic
- 1/2 Teaspoon Cinnamon
Instructions
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First, make the syrup. Mix together the maple syrup, brown sugar, cream, cinnamon, and white balsamic in a frying pan over medium heat and bring to a boil. Add the apple slices to the pan in a single layer so that they do not overlap. Lower the heat to medium-low and continue cooking for about 20-30 minutes until the apples begin to look sightly translucent, flipping the apple slices about halfway through cooking. Feel free to shake the pan back and forth a bit every 5 minutes or so to mix up the juices, and scrape along the bottom of the pan with a flat-bottomed wooden spoon to keep any of the sugar from hardening to the bottom of the pan. When it is done, set it aside to cool and thicken and bit while you make the pancakes.
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To make the pancakes, mix together all of the dry ingredients in a bowl and set them aside. Then mix together the wet ingredients in a separate medium-sized bowl until well blended. Heat a lightly greased griddle over a medium-high heat, when you flick a drop of water onto it and it sizzles and evaporates you know that the griddle is ready for pancake-making. Stir together the dry and wet mixtures until just blended. Scoop about 1/2 cup onto the griddle for each pancake. Cook until golden brown on each side, about 3-5 minutes.
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Serve immediately with the apple toffee maple syrup.
Apple pie balsamic vinegar?! Whoa. I tried a peach basil white balsamic vinegar last summer that I still think about from time to time. That was on the same day my boyfriend tried white truffle oil, and everything tasted like truffles to him for the rest of the day. White truffle oil is now banned in our house.
I really need to structure my days better–I get to the end of most days and feel like I didn't accomplish anything. Writing down a schedule would really help, but the thought of organizing my life like you've done here has my stomach in knots. I don't think I could handle seeing all the things I need to do in one spot! Enjoy your time off! Something new will surely come your way 🙂
I have yet to try white truffle oil, I have heard mixed things about it and don't know if the price tag would be worth the risk, you know? Especially after hearing about your poor boyfriend haha. Everything tasting like truffles?? That is intense!
And I'm definitely looking forward to having more time to just relax and enjoy loafing around the yard. Thanks for the positive thoughts 🙂 I've sent out all my feelers so hopefully I'll get a call about something in a couple weeks, fingers crosssd!
Bookmarked!!!!!
Haha, thanks lady!
OMG that maple syrup!! How awesome does this sound (and look!)??
Sues
Thank you Sues! 🙂
i thought i was an organized planner…i was wrong. you, my dear, are in a class all your own in that department!
these pancakes look sensational, mostly because of that stellar sauce. i love your pictures!
did guys with kids get renewed or is this your way of telling us it got the ax?
Haha, it is still up in the air. We definitely could get a second season, but we won't find out for several months. Fingers crossed, though!
Gorgeous stack of pancakes!
Thanks Erika!
Holy cow, your calendar makes me want to be a better person. (I just barely survive on hand-written lists for my job-work tasks only, and the rest gets lost in the swirling chaos that is my brain!)
I often underestimate the cathartic power of a good cry and some serious comfort food, but they work such wonders. And these pancakes look amazing! I love that you used applesauce in the pancake batter and saved the apple pieces for the topping. I find giant pieces of things in pancakes a bit frustrating, because I just want to seriously DIG IN to the pancake stack without having to really chop through stuff, and then have the option to incorporate tasty bits from the rest of the plate as I eat. (The sap house/breakfast joint where I used to waitress in high school made apple pancakes with an apple flavored batter, plus actual apples in the pancakes. After I'd graduated I would go in for breakfast when I was home on break, and always order "an apple pancake without apples." The waitresses would look at me like I was nuts.) And I can't get over that apple toffee maple syrup with the apple pie white balsamic. Ahhh!
These are GORGEOUS. I can't even remember how I found your site but so glad I did. I rarely follow anymore but couldn't pass you up. I thought it was only the food but maybe psychically I new you were an obsessive planner. The first week I met my now husband (what began as a long distance relationship), he set up a google calendar for us. I new he was the one.
cheers……wendy
This pancake looks delish. I love apples so the cooked apples looks yum. Your calendar is so organized. I'm sorry to hear about the fun-ployment but hopefully you'll find something even more fun soon!
Hi! I'm absolutely fall in love with your site, recipes and photos.
Now want to ask about calendar you use for organizing. What's the name of this app?
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