Flourless Chocolate Nut Cake

Ingredients

Cake

10 large eggs, at room temperature, separated

3 ounces unsweetened baking chocolate

1/2 cup (3 ounces) chocolate chips

heaping 1/4 teaspoon salt

2/3 cup (4 5/8 ounces) granulated sugar, to mix with the egg yolks

2 cups (8 ounces) diced pecans, finely ground; or 2 cups (5 ounces) pecan meal

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 cup (1 3/4 ounces) granulated sugar, to mix with the egg whites

Glaze

1 cup (6 ounces) chocolate chips

1 tablespoon (1/2 ounce) butter

1 teaspoon espresso powder

3 tablespoons (1 1/2 ounces) heavy cream

Directions

1) Lightly grease a 10" tube pan or angel food pan. For best results, cut a piece of parchment or waxed paper to fit the bottom of the pan, and grease the paper. Preheat the oven to 350°F.

2) Separate the room-temperature eggs, putting the whites and yolks in separate large bowls.

3) Melt the two chocolates together, stirring till smooth, and set aside.

4) Beat the egg yolks till smooth and lemon-yellow. Add the salt and 2/3 cup sugar, and beat again till thickened and lightened in color.

5) Stir in the melted chocolate.

6) Stir in the nuts. They should be processed as fine as possible; they'll probably be a bit pasty.

7) Beat the egg whites and vanilla till foamy.

8) With the beater going, sprinkle in the 1/4 cup sugar, beating till soft peaks form.

9) With the mixer at low speed, gradually fold the whites into the yolk mixture, mixing gently till no streaks show.

10) Spoon the mixture into the prepared pan.

11) Bake the cake for 35 to 40 minutes, till a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove it from the oven, and set it on a rack. Loosen the edges, and let it cool in the pan for 1 hour. Loosen the edges again.

12) Invert the cake onto the rack, and prepare the glaze.

13) To make the glaze, combine all of the ingredients in a microwave-safe bowl or saucepan, and heat till the chips are very soft. Stir till smooth.

14) If the glaze isn't pourable, add more cream to thin it out. Pour over the cake. It's OK if the cake is still warm when you glaze it.

Yield: 10" cake, about 16 servings.

Best Foods for Healthy Hair

Eggs

Eggs are rich in biotin, a B vitamin essential for hair growth and overall scalp health. People ask me about biotin for hair health all the time — usually, they've heard about it on a shampoo commercial or read a magazine article that recommended biotin supplements. Because our bodies make their own biotin in the intestines, and it is plentiful in many common foods, deficiency is very rare. But in those few cases in which people are very ill and don't have use of their intestines, biotin deficiency causes hair loss. So yes, biotin is important for hair health, but you don't need to take supplements. Just eat a balanced diet that includes some high-biotin foods: eggs, peanuts, almonds, wheat bran, salmon, avocados, and low-fat cheese.

Spinach

This leafy vegetable is excellent for your body for many reasons, not the least of which is hair health. The power players here are folate and iron. Folate is a B vitamin that aids the creation of red blood cells, and iron (which spinach is high in) helps the red blood cells carry oxygen. With iron deficiency, a condition known as anemia, cells can't get enough oxygen to function properly. The result can be devastating to the whole body, causing weakness, fatigue, and maybe even hair loss. One large-scale study found that premenopausal women who had severe hair loss were more likely to have low iron reserves (as measured by a test for a form of iron called ferritin) than women with sufficient reserves of iron. Women of childbearing age are more likely to experience iron deficiency because they lose a significant amount of iron in the blood that's shed during menstruation. Before menopause, women may want to consider taking a multivitamin that contains iron.

Lentils

Along with tofu, soybeans, starchy beans, and black-eyed peas, lentils are a great vegetarian source of iron-rich protein, which I recommend for two reasons. First, protein is necessary for all cell growth, including hair cells. Hair gets its structure from hardened proteins called keratin. Without enough protein for keratin, hair grows more slowly, and the individual strands that do grow are weaker. Second, the iron found in animal foods (called heme iron) — such as lean beef, turkey, chicken, or pork — is more easily absorbed by the body than the iron in plant foods (non-heme iron). So, if you are a vegetarian, it's especially important to fill your plate with the most iron-rich plant foods. Additionally, you should combine your iron-rich vegetables with foods high in vitamin C, because vitamin C improves the body's ability to absorb non-heme iron.

Bell Peppers

Red, yellow, and green bell peppers are a colorful, delicious source of vitamin C, which is necessary for hair health for many reasons. Besides helping the body use non-heme iron — the type found in plant foods — to ensure that there is enough iron in red blood cells to carry oxygen to hair follicles, vitamin C is also used to form collagen, a structural fiber that helps our bodies (quite literally!) hold everything together. Hair follicles, blood vessels, and skin all require collagen to stay healthy for optimal growth. Even minor vitamin C deficiencies can lead to dry, splitting hair that breaks easily.

Sweet Potatoes

Beta-carotene in foods is converted to vitamin A in the body, and vitamin A is necessary for all cell growth, including hair. A deficiency can lead to dry, dull, lifeless hair and dry skin, which can flake off into dandruff. Be aware that you can have too much of a good thing when it comes to vitamin A: Too much can cause hair loss. My advice is to add more beta-carotene-rich foods like sweet potatoes, carrots, kale, butternut squash, cantaloupe, dark green lettuces, asparagus, and pumpkin to your meals rather than take vitamin A supplements. If you should choose to take a multivitamin, check the label to make sure that your brand supplies no more than 50 percent DV of vitamin A in the form of retinol. Retinol is listed on supplement labels as palmitate or acetate, and should never exceed 2,000 IU. The other 50 percent or more should come in the form of beta-carotene (or carotenoids), which is converted to vitamin A only as we need it.

Oysters

The mineral zinc is involved in tissue growth and repair — and that includes hair growth. It also helps keep the oil glands around the hair follicles working properly. Low levels of zinc can cause hair loss, slow growth, and dandruff. But the amount you get from eating foods rich in zinc — such as oysters, crab, clams, liver, lean beef, most nuts and seeds, peanut butter, wheat germ, fat-free yogurt, and cheese — is plenty to keep your tresses gorgeous. Aside from a multivitamin that provides up to 100 percent DV, I don't recommend taking extra zinc supplements because excess zinc can inhibit the body's ability to absorb copper, a minor but necessary mineral.

(www.joybauer.com)

Peach-Mango Popsicles

Makes 6 to 8

It doesn’t matter if you’re 2 or 102, the sweet-tooth appeal of homemade fruit popsicles is universal.

Ingredients

1 cup puréed mango (from peeled fruit)
1 cup puréed ripe peaches (from peeled fruit)
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons sugar
Lime or lemon juice to taste
6 to 8 popsicle sticks

Method

Combine fruit purées in a medium bowl. Heat water and sugar, stirring until sugar dissolves. Add to purées with lime or lemon juice to taste. If you have popsicle molds, fill them, leaving some room at the top to allow for expansion, set the lids in place and insert the sticks through the holes. If you don’t have popsicle molds, fill small cups or empty yogurt tubs about 3/4 full, stretch plastic or foil across the top and make a small slit to insert sticks. Freeze until firmly set, 3 to 4 hours. To remove the pops, first remove the lids or wrap, then squeeze the sides of the molds, twisting them slightly, to dislodge the pop. If necessary, rinse the outside of the molds under hot water first.

Top 10 Superfoods

Blueberries

Did you know that much of the power of blueberries lies in their color? That deep-blue hue is a by-product of flavonoids — natural compounds that protect the brain's memory-carrying cells (neurons) from the damaging effects of oxidation and inflammation. Since blueberries are one of the best sources of flavonoids you can find, it's no surprise that this superfood has been shown to help preserve memory function. Blueberries, like other berries, also have a high water content, which makes them hydrating for your skin and other cells of the body.

Sardines

You may be surprised to find out that ounce-for-ounce sardines contain just as much heart-healthy omega-3 fat as salmon! Not to mention that they're extremely low in contaminants, eco-friendly (so no need to worry about overfishing), packed with high-quality protein, and super affordable. If you buy canned sardines with the bones you'll get a hefty dose of calcium, too.

Spinach

Popeye was definitely on to something — eating spinach even before we knew about superfoods! Spinach is filled with antioxidants, including vitamin C and beta-carotene, as well as lutein and zeaxanthin — a duo that acts like sunscreen for your eyes and guards against macular degeneration. One cup of fresh spinach leaves also provides almost double the daily requirement for vitamin K, which plays an important role in cardiovascular and bone health. And of course you can't forget that spinach is a great vegetarian source of iron, which keeps your hair and nails strong and healthy. Use fresh spinach leaves as a base for salad or sauté it and add to an omelet.

Pistachio Nuts

Nuts offer a nutritious package of protein, fiber, and heart-healthy unsaturated fat, making them one of nature's perfect foods. Pistachios are especially rich in phytosterols and soluble fiber — two natural plant compounds that have been shown to lower total and LDL ("bad") cholesterol levels. Pistachios are my nut of choice when it comes to weight loss. Twenty-five pistachios will cost you only 100 calories (per nut, they're the least caloric of all) and because they're in a shell, eating them will slow you down!

Dark Chocolate

Believe it or not, chocolate is a healthy treat, as long as you choose wisely. Dark chocolate is rich in flavonoids, antioxidants that have been shown to lower blood pressure, improve blood flow, and boost overall heart health. Choose chocolate that is at least 70 percent cacao or cocoa to optimize the antioxidant power and health benefits. Dark chocolate may even boost your mood. While there's no scientific explanation for why, the rich taste and sensuous mouth-feel of a decadent piece of dark chocolate may be to thank. Just be sure to keep your portions in check — one ounce of dark chocolate has about 150 calories.

Red Bell Peppers

A little known fact: one red bell pepper has twice as much vitamin C as an orange. Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant that helps clear your body of free radicals and keeps your skin and blood vessels healthy and strong. The vitamin C in bell peppers may also help prevent arthritis or slow the progression of the disease. Red bell peppers also deliver beta-carotene and lycopene, two more antioxidants that have been associated with decreased risk of eye diseases like cataracts. And, thanks to their high water content, bell peppers of all colors are a high-volume, low-cal food that's very figure-friendly.

Beans

Beans are a fabulous source of vegetarian protein and fiber, two nutrients that help you stay full and satisfied. The protein and fiber in beans also tempers the rise in blood sugar that occurs after a meal, which can help stabilize mood. The fiber in beans also helps keep you regular (every half cup serving adds another 7 g of fiber to you daily total) Beans are low in fat and a good source of magnesium and potassium, nutrients that work together to lower blood pressure and keep your heart and blood vessels healthy. Added bean bonus: They're inexpensive! So stock up on canned, no-salt added varieties and add them to soups, salads, stews, and more!

Egg Whites

Egg whites are a versatile low-calorie, fat-free, high-quality protein choice. For only 17 calories you get 4 g of protein per egg white — talk about lean protein! Egg whites can help you maintain strong bones, muscles, nails, and hair. Plus, all that protein will help you stay satisfied for hours after a meal. Egg whites can be eaten hard-boiled on their own, enjoyed as a topping for salad, or substituted for whole eggs in egg salad; they can also be used as the base of a vegetable omelet or in place of whole eggs in baked goods.

Oats

You've probably heard that it's good to eat oats if you have high cholesterol. That's because whole grain oats are one of the best sources of soluble fiber, which, in addition to lowering cholesterol, helps keep blood sugar levels under control. Trade in your cream of wheat or sugary breakfast cereal for a bowl of wholesome oats topped with berries and chopped nuts for extra nutrition!

Pumpkin

Pumpkin is good for a lot more than carving jack-o'-lanterns on Halloween — it's loaded with nutrients that will help your heart, bones, eyes, and skin. Beta-carotene and potassium are the two standouts here: Beta-carotene is an antioxidant that helps rejuvenate skin, protect your vision, and may even reduce risk of arthritis. Potassium is a mineral involved in lowering blood pressure and maintaining healthy bones. Use fresh or canned (no-sugar-added) pumpkin in stews, soups, pies, or pureed as a side dish — or add a scoop to some nonfat vanilla yogurt for a yummy snack. 

(www.joybauer.com)

Raspberry Mousse

Serves 8

A simple yet elegant dessert that you can make up to a day in advance for special occasions, whether for those with special diets or not! Serve it nice and cold for the best results.

Ingredients

1/2 cup berry blend 100% juice

1/2 cup 365 Everyday Value® Vegan Cane Sugar

1/4 cup cornstarch

1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt

2 cups (from 2 6-ounce packages) fresh raspberries, divided

14-16 ounces silken tofu (refrigerated variety), drained

1 1/2 ounces dark chocolate, shaved with a vegetable peeler

Mint sprigs, for garnish (optional)

Method

In a medium pot, whisk together juice, 1/2 cup water, sugar, cornstarch and salt and bring to a simmer over medium heat, whisking often. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook 30 seconds more, whisking constantly; remove pot from heat. (Juice mixture will be very thick.) In a food processor, purée 1 1/2 cups raspberries and the tofu until creamy and smooth. Add juice mixture and process until well combined. Spoon mousse into small dishes or a serving bowl, cover and chill until very cold, 4 to 6 hours. Garnish with chocolate shavings, remaining 1/2 cup raspberries and mint. Serve immediately.

Moist Chocolate Cakes (Gluten-Free)

Ingredients:

1 cup unsalted butter or CF-margerine

8 ounces (1 cup) semisweet chocolate chips

5 large eggs

1/2 cup sugar (Ultrafine Bakers Sugar works nicely here)

pinch of salt

4 tsp white rice flour

12 paper muffin cups

small carton fresh raspberries

powdered sugar (for dusting)

Preparation Method:

Heat oven to 450 degrees.

Melt butter and chocolate in double-boiler. This is my crafty version of a double-boiler because I don't have a real one. Simply put a few inches of water in the pan, place a heat-proof bowl over the top and away you go. It works well.

Continue stirring butter and chocolate until melted; remove from heat and set aside.

In a separate bowl, beat the eggs, sugar and salt until the sugar has dissolved. It would be ideal to use a hand mixer. If you don't have a hand mixer handy, simply use your hand to mix her.

Now combine the egg mixture with the chocolate mixture. Beat until smooth.

Stir in the rice flour, just until combined. Don't over stir. These things are touchy.

Line the muffin tin with 12 muffin cups. Spray the cups with vegetable cooking spray. This will help in your presentation later, if you're trying to be fancy with it.

Divide batter evenly into the cups.

Bake for approximately 8 to 10 minutes, or until batter puffs just a bit but the center is not entirely set.

In the meantime, grab some fresh raspberries and granular sugar. Wet the raspberries slightly and roll them around in the sugar to coat.

Carefully unwrap the baking cups from the cakes and transfer to desert plates. Top with the sugar coated raspberries and dust with a light covering of powdered sugar. Serve immediately.

(dancewhileyoucook.com)

Blueberries With Lemon Cream Recipe

Servings
Quick Meal
Contains Dairy
Vegetarian




Ingredients:

4 ounce(s) cream cheese, reduced-fat, or Neufchatel
3/4 cup(s) yogurt, low-fat vanilla
1 teaspoon honey
2 teaspoon lemon zest, freshly grated
2 cup(s) blueberries

Preparation:

1. Using a fork, break up cream cheese in a medium bowl. Drain off any liquid from the yogurt; add yogurt to the bowl along with honey.

2. Using an electric mixer, beat at high speed until light and creamy. Stir in lemon zest.

3. Layer the lemon cream and blueberries in dessert dishes or glasses. If not serving immediately, cover and refrigerate for up to 8 hours.

Foods That Boost Your Memory

Eating certain foods can help make life's little details unforgettable.

Age, stress, quality and length of sleep, medications, and of course, nutrition can all influence how well your memory functions. Physiologically, good memory depends on your total number of brain cells (neurons), the smooth flow of communication between the cells and the health of the cells.

In many ways, overall health can strongly affect memory. For example, the health of the body's cardiovascular system can affect the performance of brain cells. Every cell in the body needs a steady supply of oxygen and nutrients to stay alive and work properly. Because oxygen and nutrients are carried in the bloodstream, anything that impedes blood flow can negatively affect brain cell function. Simply put, a healthy heart makes for a healthy brain. So it's important to keep blood pressure and cholesterol levels in check and to exercise regularly and not smoke.

A heart-healthy diet is therefore crucial to general health as well as to the health of memory, and compelling research has linked specific foods and their nutrients to the enhancement or preservation of memory. These "brain" foods contain flavonoids, which are chemical compounds that give fruits and leafy green vegetables their color. Two important flavonoids that appear to support memory function are anthocyanins and quercetin (both are found in apples, blueberries, and red onions, to name just a few sources).

Other nutrients that have been found to improve memory are folate and omega-3 fatty acids. Take a look at the following list for a rundown of the best foods for boosting brainpower.

Berries

Berries have some of the highest concentrations of antioxidants among fruit, and all berries are rich in healthy anthocyanins and flavonols(a subgroup of flavonoids),which may help protect against the breakdown of brain cells. Some encouraging animal studies have suggested that diets rich in flavonoids may help reverse memory loss in humans.

Blueberries in particular have received a lot of attention because they are one of the best food sources of flavonoids. In fact, a British study revealed that eating plenty of blueberries can enhance spatial memory and learning.

Fresh berries are available at farmers' markets, local supermarkets, and health food stores. During off-season months, frozen berries are a good substitute and just as nutritious.

Leafy greens

Leafy greens like spinach, kale, collard greens, mustard greens, and turnip greens are loaded with folate (folic acid is the synthetic form of this nutrient that's found in supplements and fortified foods) — which seems to have a direct effect on memory. In a study done at Tufts University in Boston, researchers followed 320 men for three years and tracked their blood levels of homocysteine — an amino acid that has been linked to a higher risk of heart disease. The participants who had high levels of homocysteine showed memory decline; those who ate foods rich in folic acid, however, which directly lowers homocysteine levels, demonstrated a protective effect against memory decline.

An Australian study also found that a diet featuring plenty of foods rich in folic acid was associated with faster information processing and memory recall. After just five weeks of consuming adequate amounts of folic acid, women in the study showed overall improvements in memory.

Fatty Fish

Healthy fats are important for a healthy mind. Research suggests that when it comes to food and memory, fish should be the star of the show — specifically, fatty fish like salmon, sardines, herring, and mackerel and the generous amounts of omega-3 fats they provide. In fact, a study published in the Archives of Neurology in November 2006 found that subjects with the highest levels of omega-3s were significantly less likely to be diagnosed with dementia than subjects with the lowest levels.

Another, earlier study, conducted by researchers at the Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, followed more than 3,000 men and women for six years to see how diet affected their memory. Those who ate fish at least once a week had a 10 percent slower memory decline than those who did not eat fish, a difference that gave them the memory and thinking ability of a person three years younger.

Strive to eat three 4-ounce servings of fatty fish per week. If that's not realistic, consider using fish oil supplements.

Coffee

There's good news for coffee lovers: About two years ago, researchers from the University of Innsbruck in Austria found that caffeinated coffee can temporarily sharpen a person's focus and memory. After giving volunteers the caffeine equivalent of about two cups of coffee, they used magnetic resonance imaging to observe that the volunteers' brain activity was increased in two locations, one of which is involved in memory. Volunteers given no caffeine showed no increase in brain activity.

Another study, published in a leading neurology journal, found that the effects of caffeine may be longer lasting in women. This four-year-long study involved about 7,000 participants who all went through baseline evaluations for cognitive function and blood pressure, cholesterol levels, and other vascular issues.

The researchers reevaluated the participants at the end of two years and again at the end of four years; they found that women 65 and older who drank more than three cups of coffee per day (or the caffeine equivalent in tea) had about a third less decline in memory over that time than the women who drank one cup or less of coffee (or the caffeine equivalent in tea) per day.

The results held up even after the researchers adjusted them to take into account other factors that could affect memory function, such as age, education, baseline cognitive function, depression, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, medications, and chronic illnesses. The researchers speculated that this caffeine-memory association was not observed in men because it's possible that the sexes metabolize caffeine differently.

One thing to keep in mind, though, is that unfiltered coffee (such as espresso, as well as coffee made in a French press) contains compounds that can raise cholesterol levels, especially in people who are already battling high cholesterol. To be safe, stick with filtered coffee, and of course, be moderate when adding milk and sugar! 

(www.joybauer.com)

Smoothie

Ingredients

2 cold oranges, peeled and cut into sections
1/2 chopped mango, chilled
1/2 cup sliced frozen (unsweetened) strawberries
1 medium carrot, peeled and shredded
1/2 cup plain, nonfat yogurt, chilled
2 tablespoons wheat germ
2 tablespoons ground flaxseed
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon granulated sugar

Place all ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth.

Yields 2 1/4 cups

Chelow Kabab or Kabab Koobideh

4 Servings

500 grams ground lamb or beef

2 large onions (grated)

1 large egg (beaten)
(my mum makes it without egg)

4 medium tomatoes

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1 tablespoon sumac (optional)

Directions:

Mix meat, onions, egg, salt and pepper well and leave in the refrigerator overnight (or for several hours (or you can also make it right away, if you don't have much time or you forgot)).

Press the meat around long, thick metal skewers and shape evenly. Thread whole tomatoes on another skewer. Barbeque each side for about five minutes, turning frequently. If skewers are not available or barbequing is not possible, kabab-e koobideh can be shaped into long, thin portions on aluminum foil and grilled at high temperature in the oven. The oven should be pre-heated and the kabab should be placed as high as possible near the source of the heat. The tomatoes can be fried in a pan on the stove.

Serve with hot Polow (Chelow) or on middle-eastern bread. If serving with rice, some sumac may be sprinkled on top. If the kabab was made in an oven, the juice from the kabab can be poured on rice or bread.

(In my family we always put an egg yolk on the rice as well as a little bit of butter and then we put a little bit of rice on top before we serve it)

Gluten-Free Cheesecake with Pecan Nut Crust

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Gluten Free Nut Crust Supreme

2 cups Pamela’s Gluten Free Baking Mix

½ cup dark brown sugar

2/3 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces

1 cup finely chopped pecans

Spray cheesecake pan lightly with vegetable oil spray. In a medium bowl stir together the flour mix and brown sugar. Cut in the butter until fine crumbs form. Stir in the nuts and pat into your pan. The crust will be “crumbly” but will hold together once pressed into the pan. This will be more than enough for one large cheesecake and perhaps for a second smaller pie. Though it tastes so good on it’s own you may just end up eating it!

Barbara’s Classic Gluten Free Cheesecake

4 – 8 oz bars of gluten free cream cheese, softened

1 cup of granulated sugar

2 eggs

¼ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon gluten free vanilla

Mix all of the ingredients with a beater until smooth and pour into the unbaked crust. Place in preheated oven for 30 minutes.

While that is baking, prepare the topping.

2 cups gluten free sour cream

¾ cup granulated sugar

½ teaspoon of gluten free almond extract

Juice from ½ a lemon

Mix the topping ingredients in a bowl. After the first 30 minutes of baking, remove the cheesecake and spoon the topping onto the cheesecake. Be careful not to overfill the pan. Return the cheesecake to the oven and bake for an additional 10-20 minutes. You may want to place a piece of foil under the cheesecake just to catch any drippings. Cooking times can vary dramatically depending upon the amount of topping you choose to use. Watch to see when it starts to solidify but don’t let it stay in so long that the crust begins to burn.

(aglutenfreeguide.com)

Gluten-Free Lemon Pancakes

Celebrate summer any time of the year: lemon and cornmeal give these pancakes a bright citrus flavor that tastes great with blueberries, raspberry jam, maple syrup, or simple butter and honey.

• 1/2 cup (2 5/8 ounces) potato starch 
• 3/4 cup (3 5/8 ounces) cornmeal (whole-grain preferred)
• 3 tablespoons (1 ¼ ounces) sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/8 teaspoon xanthan gum 
• 2 large eggs
• 3 tablespoons (1 ½ ounces) melted butter or vegetable oil
• 3/4 to 1 cup (6 to 8 ounces) milk
• 2 tablespoons grated lemon rind or ½ teaspoon lemon oil

Directions:

1) Whisk together the first six ingredients and set aside.

2) Beat together the eggs, melted butter or oil, milk, and lemon. Whisk into the dry ingredients. The batter should be thinner than regular pancake batter; if it's not, stir in an additional 1 to 2 tablespoons of milk, or enough to thin the batter.

3) Preheat your griddle to medium-high; if you have an electric griddle, set it to 350°F. Grease the griddle.

4) Pour about 2 tablespoons batter at a time onto the griddle. Cook the pancakes for 1 to 2 minutes, until their tops are bubbly, their edges look dry, and their bottoms are golden brown.

5) Turn over and cook for an additional 1 to 2 minutes. Serve hot, with butter and syrup.

Yield: 18 medium pancakes (3" to 4").