18 for 2018 - family bucket list

We decided as a family to put together a bucket list for 2018.

It had to contain a stretch goal, something the cost nothing, something fun, something to challenge us and something taht we could do every month. They were the general rules anyway!

It too a while to come up with 18 but we finally did it, this is sperate from my create every week misssion!

If you prefer to read about the whole list, I wrote about it over HERE or you can sit back and watch the short video...

Let me know if you are doing something similar!

So far we have tried 2 new cafes, one is just a 10 minute walk up the road and we had no idea it was there. It's a great find as they also have a foot spa! I can see me spending a lot more time over there...

They also have a small shop where they sell oils, herbs and handmade goods, absolute gem of a find! The menu is limited but tasty.

The second new cafe is about 3km away, also very nice, everything sourced locally when they can. Bit of an odd menu but we all enjoyed it! No doubt we will be going back soon! I could probabaly bike over alough it means going along the scary main road, so to be honest, I probably won't!

That brings us onto pancakes, I tried THIS recipe, well I based it on that recipe, I made some tweaks. You have to cook them on a very low temperature otherwise they are still soggy in the middle!

I want to try them again, when I am sure I have it right I'll share my tweaked, Japan friendly version!

And the fun family photo - mision complete, New Years skiing in Niigata. The first day I wasn't feeling too good, the scond day was lovely, great snow, great weather!

Then day three was a right off, the weather was terrible, most of the lifts were closed so we gave up and came home early but at least we got a decent photo!

Pancake Tossing

Last Tuesday was Shrove Tuesday AKA pancake day and surprisingly, I actually remembered in time! Ebi-kun tried his hand at tossing the pancakes, he was really good and didn't drop any! Bonus.

Actually, I think he was having fun just tossing them! I did eventually get them onto the plate.

We decided to go for Dutch pancakes, with apples fried in butter, bacon and maple syrup - sooo good. We should have these more often!

And of course we had to have some traditional sugar and lemon pancakes for pudding.

Pink, Pink Pancakes…

A juicing update! Ebi-kun is totally hooked on these fresh juices, he can't get enough of them - no complaints here about that! I can't remember what was in this one but it was more veg based. He looks very grown up to me in this pic, my little baby, where did he go?

So, I tried using the fibre that is left over from the juice to make pancakes. The first lot didn't go over very well, it had quite a lot of veg in it but the suit based ones were popular, these were made with beets, looked great but the boys weren't fussed on them (didn't stop them from scoffing the whole lot, so they couldn't have been that bad!)

I used..

1 egg

1 cup plain flour

1 cup milk

Fruit fibre

baking powder

Make the batter as usual then add the fibre, put tablespoon dollops on a hot gribble or pan and you are done!

Lemon & Ricotta Pancakes ~recipe

Ebi-kun picked this recipe out and I have to share because they were so, so, so good! Yes, that good! We made them for breakfast on father's day, which was a change because usually daddy makes the pancakes at the weekend.

Recipe:

Makes 12 small pancakes

200g ricotta cheese

pinch of salt

50g caster sugar

25g melted butter

3 eggs, separated

zest of 2 lemons

50g plain flour

Sauce

200g mango (we used frozen)

2tbsp cointreau

little sugar (to sweeten if needed)

Banana or other fruit to decorate.

Make the sauce:

1. Stick everything in a blender and whizz until smooth. Put aside.

Make the pancakes:

1. Beat together the ricotta, salt, sugar, melted butter, egg yolk and lemon zest.

2. Fold in the flour.

3. Whisk the egg whites until stiff then gentle fold into the pancake mix.

4. Heat a pan or griddle and brush lightly with melted butter.

5. Place tablespoons of batter in the pan, with space between them, then they have bubbles on the surface, flip them over for a minute, then place on a place and keep warm whilst you cook the rest.

Try not to burn your finger or anybody else's in the process (lesson learned!)

6. Pile the pancakes on a plate, decorate with some sliced fruit and drizzle mango sauce around the edge.

7. Invite me round to try them out, just to make sure they are up to scratch :)

 Lovely start to the day, well except for the burnt finger incident, but he will live! Daddy was happy with his new t-shirts. The rest of the day, we did the usual, aikido, lunch, grocery shopping. Then the boys watched the recorded Japan Vs Brazil game. Nice to actually sit and chill for part of the weekend! 

Happy father's day Yasutoki, you really are a great dad!

What is the difference between a pancake and a crepe?

This year, I actually remembered it was Shrove Tuesday before the day, usually I forget until after it has passed so we end up eating pancakes late! For those who are not in the know, Shrove Tuesday is the last day before the start of lent and traditionally pancakes are eaten so you can use up all the rich food in the house before the fast starts.

It is also tradition to toss the pancakes, of course Ebi-kun wanted to try too - at least our dinner didn't end up on the floor! Did you know, pancake tossing has been going since at least 1445?

I imagine some people are looking and these and thinking crepe not pancake! I have done some googling and from what I can ascertain... crepes are thinner and larger than an English pancake, they usually have richer ingredients including sugar and or cream and are only cooked on one side. English pancakes are made with plain flour (no rising agent), egg and milk. They are cooked on both sides, although the second side usually only takes 30 seconds or so. 

Both crepes and English pancakes can be served with sweet or savoury fillings and are usually rolled or folded with the filling inside. Crepe is also the French name for pancake and they are cooked in a crepe pan. The Italians have crespella, the Brazillians panquecas, the Dutch pannenkoeken and Austria palatschinke they are all very similar to the crepe or English pancakes but sometimes have slightly different ingredients such as adding sweet wine to the batter.

American pancakes also know as hotcakes are a whole different kettle of fish, they are made using a rising agent and often buttermilk. They are smaller in diameter and thick and fluffy. They are usually served with sweet toppings such as butter and maple syrup and fruit. American pancakes are a closer relation to Scotch pancakes and pikelets than English pancakes.

Pancake lesson over!

We had ours with chicken and spinach in a garlic cream sauce...

Then, as in good tradition with lemon and sugar for pudding. Yum!

So, pancakes - how do you eat yours? Share in the comments section below.