Buttermilk Obsession

I am newly obsessed with Buttermilk.....let's just add that to the list of things I never thought I would write on my blog.  Weird.  We've had 4 snow days this week (Yay!) and flooding at church (Boo!) which has led me to a weird place of bored hyperactivity.  I really wanted to be at church with the cleaner-uppers but couldn't, so I got busy at home.

This tree is right outside our dining room window - beautiful!

I heart Snow Days

Right before this storm came, I bought a half gallon of buttermilk.  The date ran out on the second day of our snow in, but I hadn't yet used it!  Now, you must understand buttermilk has never really been my friend.  I avoid it for the most part and skip over recipes requiring it with an aloof eye roll.  But a couple of weeks ago I was so hungry for my Pappy's Pancakes that I bought buttermilk and made them for the first time in years and decided it's worth it to buy a little carton once in a while.....just for pancakes.  So back to my "about to go bad" buttermilk.  When added to my tense need to DO something I began searching for something to make with this stinky stuff and found some new yummies.  I made my Pappy's Pancakes, some buttermilk syrup (recipe here), a buttermilk pound cake, and pineapple sherbet (recipe here) - all with a half gallon of icky buttermilk! 

The pound cake wasn't really anything to write home (or on a blog) about, but the others were pretty wonderful.  Here are some pictures and the pancake recipe.

Pappy's Pancakes with Bananas and Buttermilk Syrup

Buttermilk Syrup

Pappy's Buttermilk Pancakes
(I remember standing next to him while he made these on an electric griddle - probably right in the middle of my Grandmother's way.  He would make them barely done for me....)
In a medium mixing bowl stir together:
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
Measure and pour 2 cups of buttermilk (our new hero) into the dry ingredients, beat 2 eggs gently in the buttermilky measuring cup and pour it in over the buttermilk, then add in 1/4 cup canola or vegetable oil.

Mix very gently just until the dry ingredients are nice and wettish.  I let my pancake batter sit while I fry the bacon and make the Buttermilk Syrup - which you will want and which can cool a bit while you make pancakes.  When you are ready spoon batter onto a hot griddle.  Let it cook for a few minutes.  It will bubble up a little bit, but not like thinner batters - so don't wait for bubbles to come up and pop.  Flip and let cook on the other side.  Do these pancakes very last so that they are hot and wonderful.  If you have an adorable little granddaughter, let her stand right next to you and serve hers a little goopy like she likes it with butter, rolled up like a fat tortilla.

I would love to hear what new things you've discovered on your Snow Days!


P.S. Tomorrow Carly and I are going to go all "Little House on the Prairie" and pour our hot buttermilk syrup in the snow - pretty sure it's gonna taste like the best caramel ever.