pancakes Archives - Makin' it Mo'Betta

Copycat Sausage McGriddle Casserole & Krusteaz GIVEAWAY {#ad}

September 23, 2015November 6, 2015 Kim

I received a gift pack from Krusteaz to facilitate this post. No other compensation was received. All opinions expressed are my own.

This post is full of good things: breakfast food; an easy, kid-approved recipe; and a giveaway! My love for breakfast food is pretty well documented here on the blog. As is my love for casseroles, and breakfast for dinner…which makes an appearance pretty regularly around here. That’s why I am happy to partner with to celebrate National Breakfast Month, and give you some ideas to incorporate Breakfast Night at your house. How about tonight?!

My kids love pancakes. I love sausage and eggs. Since my oldest daughter’s favorite fast food breakfast item is the Sausage McGriddle (from Mickey D’s), this recipe was born. It could be called Breakfast Lasagna because of the layers, or Pancake Casserole, but whatever you call it, give it a try. It’s easy, it’s yummy, it’s filling and it’s just…fun. A little twist on dinner that brings everyone together at the table. Or, you know, you could serve it for breakfast too!

I made my pancakes with Krusteaz pancake mix ahead of time and stuck them in the fridge to make the prep for this even easier.

I was surprised how tasty it was when all layered and baked together.

Sausage, Egg and Cheese Pancake Casserole

12-15 pancakes (depends on size)

8 eggs

1 lb sausage (maple sausage, turkey sausage, or favorite)

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

maple syrup (optional)

salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Spray an 8 x 8 baking dish with cooking spray, set aside.
In a large skillet, cook sausage on medium high heat until done, crumbling/breaking into pieces as it cooks. Reduce heat to medium.
In a bowl, scramble eggs, season with salt and pepper. Add to skillet with sausage. Stir eggs in with sausage and cook until eggs are set.
Add pancakes in a single layer to bottom of baking dish. Make sure pancakes are touching or slightly overlapping. I used 5 pancakes for this.
Sprinkle 1/4 cup cheese over pancakes.
Add 1/2 the sausage/egg mixture to the pan.
Top with additional 1/4 cup cheese.
Drizzle with syrup, if desired. (Using the maple sausage and/or using maple syrup gives this a more authentic McGriddle flavor. Could also add syrup to pancake mix when preparing.)
Repeat layers, starting with pancakes.
Top with final layer of pancakes.
Sprinkle with remaining cup of cheese.
Bake for 15 minutes until cheese is melted.

Slice and serve!

So many Krusteaz products to help make breakfast easy!

Giveaway details:

One prize pack (not pictured) will be awarded to a Makin’ it Mo’Betta reader. It will include:

One box of Buttermilk Pancake Mix
One box of Belgian Waffle Mix
One box of Blueberry Pancake Mix
One Wild Blueberry Muffin Mix
A pancake pen (for pancake art!)
A spatula and
A coupon for FREE product

Enter via the Rafflecopter form!

Quick & Easy Pancake Syrup

October 2, 2014November 14, 2015 Kim

Sometimes you just know you have something in your refrigerator or pantry, just to go grab it and realize…nope, you’re out. This happened to me the other night when we had breakfast for dinner. We had fixed Belgian waffles, pancakes, Monte Cristo Waffle sandwiches…and there was no syrup. Then I remembered that I had wanted to buy real maple syrup on my last trip to the grocery store, and apparently it had been made with gold because it was outrageously expensive. I passed on it, but couldn’t bring myself to buy the imitation syrup either. With all the caramel coloring and other weird ingredients, I just left the aisle in disgust.

Well, it turns out, pancake syrup is pretty darn easy to make. Like 4 ingredients easy (and one of those is water). It also only takes about 5 minutes. I know a lot of people are very anti corn syrup right now, but I’m still on the fence. It obviously has it’s negatives, but I have 2 words for you…Pecan. Pie. Y’all have to remember I’m from the South, and pecan pie is a tradition. As is Karo syrup. So, I wasn’t too worried about making pancake syrup with it…especially since I’ve been eating that other artificial stuff for years.

Easy Maple Syrup

1/2 cup Karo® Light Corn Syrup
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
1/4 teaspoon maple extract

Combine corn syrup, sugar and water in a medium sized sauce pan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
Remove from heat and stir in maple extract.
Let cool to desired temp. (It will thicken as it cools)
Serve over pancakes/waffles, etc.

*I keep mine stored in the fridge

Recipe Source:

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Pancake and Sausage Muffins

February 24, 2014November 18, 2015 Kim

Did you know February is National Pancake Month? I couldn’t let the month go by without honoring my beloved pancakes, and what better way to celebrate than with a giveaway! Free stuff is fun, and free food stuff is mo’funner. Not only are we celebrating pancakes, but I have a new recipe that will make your busy mornings easier and tastier. The idea came for these Pancake and Sausage Muffins came from my Speedy Sausage Muffins recipe.

Pancakes and sausage….made portable! I know right?! Awesome. Even better is the fact that these are quick and easy to make with the help of Pancake Mix, and can be made healthier with turkey sausage. My girls loved them, as did I.

If you are not a sausage fan, I feel sure you could use bacon. Or, skip the meat and add in some blueberries (that’s next on my list. Krusteaz also makes a Blueberry Pancake Mix!), or go all cray and add chocolate chips! I’m also thinking you could add syrup right into the mix, which I didn’t do this time, but I think would work out fine…just cut back on the water used. I love versatile recipes!

Pancake and Sausage Muffins

1 lb. sausage (I used turkey sausage)

3 cups Krusteaz Pancake Mix

2 cups water

Cook sausage until browned and crumbled. Drain fat if needed. Set aside.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Whisk pancake mix with water, as directed on box. (Batter will be a little lumpy.)
Fold in cooked sausage.
Let batter sit for 5-10 minutes.
Scoop batter into greased muffin tins, filling about 2/3 full.
Bake until done (12-15 mins) – remember they will not brown like muffins….they’re pancakes!

Serve warm with syrup if desired or allow to cool and store in airtight container in fridge. I’m sure they can also be frozen, but ours didn’t last long enough to try it. I got 18 muffins from this recipe.

FOR THE GIVEAWAY-
My friends at Krusteaz will provide one winner with FIVE FREE Product coupons! Coupons are good for the above pictured pancake mix, plus much more! Check out their line of products . I am a fan of their fat free muffin and cornbread mixes too. To enter, complete the options in the Rafflecopter form. Shipping only available to US addresses.

Disclosure: Krusteaz has provided me and will supply the winner with 5 free product coupons. No other compensation was received. All content is my own unless otherwise stated.

Pillsbury Heat-N-Go Pancakes & Waffles {GIVEAWAY} #sponsored

September 9, 2013November 21, 2015 Kim

It’s giveaway week here on the blog! I’ve got several things lined up to giveaway over the next 2 weeks, so I hope you will keep checking back, and entering any and all that look good to you! First one up this week is designed to make your life a little easier. With 3 kids, I know how hard it can be to get a decent meal on the table when this child has to go to this practice, and that child has to be at that game, and the other child needs to be read too, and so and etc. knows that too, because they keep coming out with great products that make meal times easier. For example, the new Pillsbury Heat-N-Go Pancakes and Waffles…

Individual bags of pancakes or waffles with the flavor baked right in! The pancakes come in

Maple Burst’n
Blueberry

The waffles are available in

Maple Madness

Your kids can get a hot breakfast in seconds without the mess. No need to add extras to these little gems, just heat-n-go. Not only are they super convenient, each serving has 14g of whole grain, 0g of trans fat and no high fructose corn syrup. And hey, they don’t have to be just a morning thing – we like breakfast for dinner, and there are several nights where dinner has to be eaten in a hurry to get my girls where they need to go.

Pillsbury feels so confident in their product that they are offering a Money Back Guarantee! If you are unsatisfied with the product, all you have to do is visit . So, head on over to Wal-Mart to pick up your own packs of Heat-N-Go pancakes and waffles or enter to win this handy prize pack…

PRIZE PACK:

10 VIP Coupons to try each of the three flavors
Double-walled stainless steel tumbler (includes infuser for tea)
Insulated Bag (holds up to 24 cans)
Retail Value: $60

Please enter via the Rafflecopter form. If viewing in an email, you will need to click through to blog post to enter.

Due to shipping and coupon restrictions and product availability, this giveaway is only for US residents.

Disclosure – I received the same prize pack as listed above.

2-Ingredient Pancakes {Weight Watchers friendly!}

August 29, 2013November 21, 2015 Kim

This will be the shortest recipe post ever…b/c it’s seriously just 2 ingredients. Or if you are like me and have to add stuff…maybe 3. So, we could spend some time discussing , and how it was added to the Oxford dictionary. Seriously?! I didn’t know the “dance” had a name. Or we could discuss how Miley Cyrus apparently has made the word famous by her embarrassingly ridiculous performance on the MTV Music Video Awards. Or we can just cringe and hope all that goes away very soon. I’m sure my girls have already watched in on YouTube. *shudder*

Yeah, let’s move on before everyone loses their appetite. And, if you don’t know what I’m talking about, then just Google it or get on Twitter b/c it’s (unfortunately) errrywhere. Poor Billy Ray.

Speaking of everywhere, I’ve spotted this recipe on Pinterest many times, but was first inspired to give it a go after seeing it at . Something this simple, and being so low in points was something I had to try. Even though I don’t like bananas. Yep, one of the two ingredients is bananas, but I decided to give it a go anyway. (Because I was really wanting pancakes but didn’t want to use up a half a day’s points on them!)

All you need is a ripe banana, 2 eggs, and a blender (or food processor). I also added cinnamon to help cover up the banana flavor 🙂

2-Ingredient Pancakes

1 ripe banana

2 eggs

cinnamon (optional)

Blend ingredients until smooth in a blender or food processor.

Pour onto a heated, greased/sprayed griddle or skillet.

Cook until it appears almost set, then flip and finish cooking on the other side.

Serve with choice of toppings. I used sugar free maple syrup. I got 6 pancakes from this batch and calculated it as 4 points. If you use Egg-Beaters, the points would be even lower!

Notes:

Yes, these taste like bananas. However, I think adding a little more spice and some nuts would make it more of a banana nut bread flavor, which I would be okay with (of course, nuts add points if you are doing Weight Watchers).
I think I would also like them with chocolate chips (duhhh!)
These are very thin pancakes, but you can eat SIX without guilt 🙂
I personally prefer the texture better after they cooled a bit – less egg-y, sponge-y.
They could be used like a crepe, and wrap things in them.
I tried this with pumpkin instead of banana and it didn’t work well..however, I think it’s doable, I just have to play with it. If you try it and it works, let me know.
Even though I didn’t love them, I would make them again. Maybe with chocolate chips a blueberry topping.

Anyone else out there dieting? Does it suck for you too? Actually Weight Watchers really hasn’t been too bad. I’ve been doing it for several weeks now and I’m down 13 lbs. I’d like to lose 9 more. My pants today are baggy, so it’s worth it 🙂

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Easy Oven Pancakes (freezer friendly)

January 4, 2013November 24, 2015 Kim

Yes, I’ve been playing with my blog again. I just can’t get satisfied with the layout! So bear with me please 🙂 In the meantime, I bring you pancakes. In the oven. Brilliant! I mean, who really enjoys standing over the griddle flipping pancakes? Well, my 11 y/o daughter does…she is the pancake expert of the family. However, me…not so much. I have things to do, blogs to read, Pinterest to browse. Or, more likely, dishes to wash, a table to clear, yadayada. So, when I saw this idea, on Pinterest of course, I had to give it a try. Since we often have breakfast for dinner, we had these one busy weeknight. I loved the ease and convenience of it.

All you need is your favorite (or easiest) pancake recipe. On this particular night, we went with the easiest, which is the recipe on the back of the Bisquick box! I headed over to for the deets, since that is one of the places I had seen this done.

Easy Oven Pancakes

2 cups Heart Smart Bisquick Mix

1 1/4 cups skim milk

1 egg (we used Ener-g Egg Replacer)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Mix above ingredients together until blended and pour into a greased 12 x 15 or 11 x 14 jelly roll pan (any large flat pan with sides).

Bake for 12-15 minutes or until done. It’s like one huge rectangle pancake!

Cut into squares and serve however you like your pancakes.

NOTES:

I doubled the above recipe because I didn’t think I would have enough batter for my pan. This was unnecessary and I ended up with thicker pancakes than I would have liked. I recommend any pancake recipe that calls for about 2 cups flour/mix.
These can be cut into squares and frozen just like regular pancakes. Just microwave and serve!

TIPS:

For a quick and easy blueberry topping (first picture), take frozen blueberries, cover with any pancake syrup and microwave until warm. Pour over pancakes, top with walnuts if desired! It is a little thin so it you want a thick blueberry sauce, you can heat blueberries on the stove with a little sugar until the blueberries begin to pop and sauce thickens.
If you are looking for a healthier pancake, you might want to try my Vegan Pumpkin Spice Pancakes, Whole Wheat Pancakes or if you need an egg free/dairy free pancake recipe, this one has worked well for me!

I am linking this recipe up with: , , , , ,

Healthier Pancakes for Father’s Day

June 15, 2012November 30, 2015 Kim

My little man loves pancakes, but with an egg allergy, I have to make them from scratch. I have been fooling around with the recipe for years now, always trying different versions.

This one is a healthier version using white whole wheat, but taste like ‘regular’ pancakes! They would be perfect to serve for a Father’s Day breakfast, easy enough for the kids to help out, and tasty enough that the whole family will enjoy. At least ours did!

(This recipe can easily be made vegan as well.)

Whole Wheat Pancakes

3/4 cup milk* (plus 1 Tablespoon)

2 T. white vinegar

1 cup white whole wheat flour

2 T. sugar*

1 t. baking powder

1/2 t. baking soda

1/2 t. vanilla extract

1/4 t. sea salt

1 egg (or egg replacer, like Ener-G; flax/chia egg)

dash of cinnamon (optional)

Combine milk and vinegar and let sit for 5 minutes or so in a medium size bowl. (Makes “buttermilk”)

Mix flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt (and cinnamon if using) in a large bowl.

Add egg (or egg replacer) and vanilla to ‘buttermilk’, whisk together.

Mix wet ingredients into dry ingredients and mix together.

If using an egg replacer, cook immediately. If using an egg, let batter sit for 5-10 minutes while griddle/pan is preheating.

I like to use my griddle, so I can cook several at once. Spray pan/griddle with a little cooking spray and spoon batter onto hot pan. Flip when bubbles form around edges of pancake. This recipe makes about 9 four inch pancakes, so often I double it. Leftovers freeze well.

*NOTES – could use Almond or Soy milk if desired. Sugar could be replaced with stevia or sweetener of choice. I needed an additional tablespoon of milk once my batter was mixed (noted in ingredients), but if you use a regular egg, that may or may not be necessary. Finally, for a pancake with the crispy, buttery edges – use butter instead of cooking spray to cook pancakes. Not as healthy, of course, but I’m sure delicious!

I wouldn’t mind having this served to me!

and this little fella enjoyed them. Several of them 🙂

Do you have special plans this weekend?!

I’m linking up with , , , ,

and don’t forget to enter these great giveaways!

Prize Package from Simply Cranberry!

NuNaturals Flavored Liquid Stevia

Oatmeal Cookie Pancakes

May 17, 2012December 8, 2015 Kim

My daughter wanted to make breakfast one Saturday morning. Not one to stifle their creative interests (and loving the idea of someone making me breakfast), I told her to check out things I have and see what she wanted to make. She decided on these (healthier) by Finding Joy in My Kitchen. And yes, this is the picture from yesterday’s What Is It Wednesday! Everyone guessed it was some type of pancake. I’ll have to make it harder next week.

Oatmeal Cookie Pancakes

slightly adapted from

1 1/2 C white whole wheat flour
1/2 C old fashioned oats
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 T brown sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. cinnamon
pinch nutmeg
1 egg (we used Ener-G egg replacer)
2 1/2 C skim milk w/2 T. vinegar – (let sit for 5-10 minutes to make) buttermilk
1 T maple syrup
4 T applesauce
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 C dark chocolate chips

Directions

Mix 1 1/2 C white whole wheat flour, 1/2 C oats, 2 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp baking soda, 1 T brown sugar, 1/2 tsp salt, 3/4 tsp cinnamon and a pinch of nutmeg. Stir well.

In a second bowl, combine the egg or egg replacer, 2 C buttermilk (skim milk/vinegar), 1 T maple syrup 4 T applesauce and 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract. Stir well.

Stir together the wet and dry ingredients until just moist; the batter will be slightly lumpy. Allow the batter to sit for 5-7 minutes.

Pre-heat your griddle (to around 350 degrees), and spray with cooking spray. Scoop pancakes onto the hot griddle. (about a 1/2 cup)

Drop chocolate chips onto the pancakes. Cook until bubbles form around the edges and a few in the center. Then flip. Cook until lightly browned.

Someone was quite proud of herself. And she did a GREAT job.

Someone else was quite a fan!

He insisted that I not cut them up, so he was two fisting those pancakes in as hard as he could!

Linking up this recipe at ,