Rabbits and Socks. Superbowl.

It being the Year of the Rabbit, I Can Haz Cheezeburger, has a whole bunch of bunny pix which are very funny. This one I thought was particularly funny.

If you want to see some more, go to http://tinyurl.com/69qfdr8

My DVD of Pride and Prejudice arrived yesterday from Amazon.com with, guess who? Colin Firth. That was pretty quick only about a week. Actually I was doing well because I bought some Simcan socks which are made for people with diabetes. I complained because they were hurting me, they sent me three replacement pairs of three different types, all of which arrived yesterday too. I have been wearing these socks for a while so not sure why the ones I bought were too tight.

Well, I have to go start food prep y’all, so that’s yer lot for today. I am not going to give recipes for the Superbowl tomorrow. Most people know what they want to stuff themselves on, I probably won’t be watching unless I try and get the half time ads which are usually excellent. Mind you they are having a few problems in Texas with the snow and ice, particularly with the snow accumulated on the superdome roof a lot of which descended on workers yesterday. Texas doesn’t get snow by the way, but they sure have their fair share right now and people from Wisconsin are having trouble getting there because of the weather and cancelled flights. Stay home, watch on TV, its warmer.

The word pancake to me conjures up a different picture to me than to North Americans, to me pancakes are what they call crêpes over here. However, knowing the enjoyment of pancakes and syrup for breakfast, here is a healthier version from Eating Well. We have flaxseed with our cereals every day, so always have it in house.

Healthy Pancakes

From EatingWell: Summer 2004, The EatingWell Diabetes Cookbook (2005)

EatingWell reader Kathy Moseler of Barrington Hills, Illinois, contributed this convenient recipe to our Kitchen to Kitchen department. The pancakes are made with 100 percent whole-wheat flour and get an additional fiber boost from flaxseed meal.

6 servings, 2 pancakes each Active Time: 30 minutes Total Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups whole-wheat flour
• 1 cup buttermilk powder, (see Note)
• 5 tablespoons dried egg whites, such as Just Whites (see Note)
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 tablespoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup flaxseed meal, (see Note)
• 1 cup nonfat dry milk
• 1/2 cup wheat bran, or oat bran
• 1 1/2 cups nonfat milk
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preparation

1. Whisk flour, buttermilk powder, dried egg whites, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Stir in flaxseed meal, dry milk and bran. (Makes 6 cups dry mix.)
2. Combine milk, oil and vanilla in a glass measuring cup.
3. Place 2 cups pancake mix in a large bowl. (Refrigerate the remaining pancake mix in an airtight container for up to 1 month or freeze for up to 3 months.) Make a well in the center of the pancake mix. Whisk in the milk mixture until just blended; do not overmix. (The batter will seem quite thin, but will thicken up as it stands.) Let stand for 5 minutes.
4. Coat a nonstick skillet or griddle with cooking spray and place over medium heat. Whisk the batter. Using 1/4 cup batter for each pancake, cook pancakes until the edges are dry and bubbles begin to form, about 2 minutes. Turn over and cook until golden brown, about 2 minutes longer. Adjust heat as necessary for even browning. Variations Chocolate-Chocolate Chip Pancakes: Fold 1/2 cup cocoa powder and 3 ounces chocolate chips into the batter. Blueberry: Fold 1 cup frozen blueberries into the batter. Banana-Nut: Fold 1 cup thinly sliced bananas and 4 tablespoons finely chopped toasted pecans into the batter.

Nutrition

Per serving : 272 Calories; 13 g Fat; 2 g Sat; 6 g Mono; 8 mg Cholesterol; 27 g Carbohydrates; 12 g Protein; 5 g Fiber; 471 mg Sodium; 336 mg Potassium

1/2 Carbohydrate Serving

Exchanges: 2 starch, 1 very lean meat, 2 fat (mono)

Tips & Notes

• Notes: Buttermilk powder, such as Saco Buttermilk Blend, is a useful substitute for fresh buttermilk. Look in the baking section or with the powdered milk in most markets.
• Dried egg whites are convenient in recipes calling for egg whites because there is no waste. Look for brands like Just Whites in the baking or natural-foods section of most supermarkets or online at bakerscatalogue.com.
• You can find flaxseed meal in the natural-foods section of large supermarkets. You can also start with whole flaxseeds: Grind 2/3 cup whole flaxseeds to yield 1 cup.

Have a great weekend.