My parents have returned to Michigan for the winter, but mom left behind the remainder of the pumpkin she cooked and used for pies during their stay.
So Autumn made the best of it over the weekend and dug out a recipe she had clipped a few years ago for pumpkin pancakes.
With a few tweaks to lower the fat content (by using a little more fresh cooked pumpkin, we were able to cut out the cooking oil) we were well on our way to a delicious breakfast.
Better yet, after the pancakes, we still have enough fresh cooked pumpkin left over to make about three loaves of pumpkin bread.
Here’s the original recipe from the January 2007 edition of Better Homes & Garden magazine:
Pumpkin pancakes
2 cups all purpose flour
3 tablespoons. packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 3/4 cups milk
3 eggs, lightly beaten
3/4 cup canned pumpkin
1/4 cup cooking oil
1. In a large bowl combine flour and other dry ingredients. In a second bowl combine eggs and remaining ingredients. Stir milk mixture into flour mixture until slightly lumpy.
2. Heat a lightly greased griddle or heavy skillet over medium heat. For each pancake pour 1 quarter cup batter onto griddle. Cook until golden; turn when tops are bubbly and edges are slightly dry (1 to 2 minutes per side). Makes 16 pancakes.
Another easy and inexpensive solution is to bake a batch of all-in-one breakfast muffins during the weekend. With about 20 minutes effort you can have a dozen breakfasts lined up (muffins freeze particularly well).