Helen Farro's Pancakes

My mother-in-law, Helen Farro, taught me how to make pancakes in l970. Pancakes are a signature meal in this house. John always makes the Christmas morning pancakes, and he often makes them for Lilly on Sundays. Nowadays, I make a double batch to put some in the freezer. (Warren does not like to wait for his breakfast.)

I could make pancakes with one hand tied behind my back. My mother-in-law, Helen, taught me her recipe -- and it goes something like this:

2 cups of flour
2 tsp. of baking powder
2 tbl. sugar
dash of salt
2 eggs
1/3 c. oil
Start with 1 1/4 cup of milk -- and add more milk until it's the right consistency.

Like so many good cooks, Helen knew technique was just as important as recipe. These tips will help you, too:

• Never over-beat pancake batter. (Lumpy is okay.)
• Rest the batter for 30 minutes.(at least)
• It's okay to have the batter too thick, (it's easy to add milk but impossible to add flour)...
• Heat the griddle to 375 degrees, and make a test pancake.
• Do not flip until the air bubbles start bursting

We have a 30" restaurant grill in our kitchen, and I can cook a dozen pancakes at once. IT IS A DREAM.  Oh, yeah, pancakes have always been part of the deal here at the Farro house.

Which is why it is awesome to discover a GAME CHANGER after all these years. I am proud that I was open to a NEW IDEA -- even though I believed my pancakes were perfect.

It happened one Sunday morning.  Lillian said, "could you put coconut in my pancakes, Grandma?" She recently discovered coconut. (she got an Almond Joy for Trick or Treat).

I INSTANTLY knew coconut was a great idea. AND WHY DIDN'T I EVER THINK OF IT??

I made the pancakes in the normal way -- but sprinkled a lot of coconut on the batter as the first side was cooking..

When I flipped the pancakes, the coconut got all toasty and crisp...

COCONUT PANCAKES ROCKED THE HOUSE. THEY WERE AMAZING. We ate them like we always do -- real butter and syrup.  Great idea, Lilly!!  Your Great-grandmother would be VERY proud...

There were a few leftovers -- and they were a delicious snack. It did occur to me that with a bit of Nutella -- I'd be having an Almond Joy moment!! (sinful, I know)