pancake toppings

I thought I would share this recipe in honor of next week's big holiday. Ok, so it isn't a big holiday, but Tuesday February 24 is international pancake day and to our kids, odd little holidays like this one are great fun. We have a Valentine's Day tradition involving heart shaped pancakes, berry syrup, and candlelight for the whole family but it was preempted this year by what may become our new Valentine's tradition of serving dinner to our teens before their sweetheart dance. So, international pancake day may have to become the day for our tradition of making a pancake dinner with special toppings, and "the holiday where we all get to eat in the dark". Whether eating pancakes by candlelight or by the dawn's early light, here are the recipes to our favorite pancake toppings.

Ingredients:

berries, fresh or frozen -2 cups

apple juice or cider -2 cups

apple -1 medium

whipped cream -1-2 cups

from your pantry

sugar

cornstarch

cinnamon

nutmeg

cloves

BERRY SYRUP

2 cups berries

1/2 cup water

1 cup sugar

2 tbsp. cornstarch

1/2 cup water

Put all of the ingredients in a medium saucepan and cook on medium high heat until it boils. Boil one minute. (This may break up the berries. If you like some whole use only half the berries to begin with and then carefully stir in the other half after it boils.) Serve on warm pancakes with whipped cream.

APPLE SYRUP

2 cups apple cider or juice

1 cup sugar

2 tbsp. cornstarch

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

1/4 tsp. cloves

Put all the ingredients in a medium sauce pan and cook on med-high heat until it boils. Boil for one minute. Then add:

1 apple, peeled and sliced

Serve on warm pancakes.