Something for everyone

Happy Shrove Tuesday and Happy Mardi Gras!

And just like the day the two different holidays associated with it represent the two fellas of our focus on OMG.

Shrove Tuesday - is all about the pancakes and who is the Pancake Man?

Jakey Jake.

He's talked about pancakes, has been seen out eating pancakes (even in NYC recently) and talked about that G's celebrate with pancakes.

While Jake surely loves a tall stack dripping

you know he goes for the Dutch Baby

 And Mardi Gras is about everything over the top, big flashy jewelry, hell just flashing in general, hot and spicy, jolly drinks, having a great time and losing your shirt

Who does that sound like?

Something for everyone.

Full Stack

We can't let National Pancake Day go by without this commentary on Jake's pancakes from Ramona.



Remember Jake had made pancakes the morning Maggie got her Oscar nomination for Crazy Heart and it was not pancake perfection. Far from it.

But do you remember the pre-Oscar party for Crazy Heart ?

Jake looks like he's got his arm around a full stack then.

Guess People would say the big blue [dot] is just a blueberry then huh.

Full Stack

For some today is Mardi Gras which can end up you losing your shirt for beads and others it's Shrove Tuesday which means pancakes.

So what's a guy like Austin to do?

Shirtless Pancake breakfast/dinner? Guess that depends on who's flipping his stack.

You're making pancakes?

A full stack? With whipped butter and maple syrup?

And who's shirtless?

Gonna get me some pancakes.

"Who wants a pancake, Sweet and piping hot?..."

Just in case, the Pancake Man can make this for this Dutch Baby.

Buckwheat Pannekoek (Dutch Pancakes)with Apples and Cacao Nibs
Recipe adapted from Phillip Kirschen-Clark, Vandaag, NYC

Yield: 6 pancakes

INGREDIENTS

1½ cups sugar

½ cup buckwheat flour

½ cup pastry flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

14 extra-large eggs

3 Honeycrisp apples (or other sweet-tart apple), cored and finely diced (about 5 cups)

¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons cacao nibs (optional)

¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup, preferably grade B, plus more for serving

¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter


DIRECTIONS


1. In a medium bowl, whisk the sugar with the buckwheat flour, pastry flour, baking powder and salt.

2. In a blender or food processor, pulse the eggs until lightly beaten. Add the flour mixture and blend until smooth. Let the batter rest at room temperature for 30 minutes or refrigerate overnight (see Note).

3. Meanwhile, divide the apples between two bowls. Add half of the cacao nibs to each bowl, and add the maple syrup to one of the bowls. Preheat the oven to 450˚.

4. In an 8-inch nonstick skillet, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter over medium heat, swirling the skillet to coat. Add a sixth (about ⅓ cup) of the apple-cacao-nib mixture (that wasn't mixed with the syrup) and cook for 30 seconds. Pour ¾ cup of the batter into the skillet and warm for 30 seconds.

5. Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake the pancake until lightly browned on top, about 8 minutes. Flip the pancake onto a plate and top with a sixth (about ⅓ cup) of the apple-cacao-syrup mixture. Repeat with the remaining batter. Serve the pancakes hot, with additional maple syrup for drizzling, if desired.

Note: The batter can be covered and refrigerated overnight after Step 2. Pulse the batter briefly in the blender before using.


Crazy Tree is barking up the same tree tonight. (ie repeat) So if you want to experience BrookeDavis'(TM)Bachelorette Party again now's your chance.

And Jake in NY? Looks like he was in the city to celebrate his brother in law Peter's 40th birthday.

Didn't Jake say that his family always celebrates with pancakes?

When Shrove meets Source Code.
And Two Wheel Tuesday

Full Stack

Jake gave Maggie some sound advice about the Oscar race:

"There isn't actually anything at the end of the rainbow," "It's a lot of fun and enjoy it in that spirit. If you make it mean too much more than that, you'll probably go astray."

And with today being Shrove Tuesday,(Pancake Day) feel like we must pass on some advice ourselves. The rainbow is your own journey. But pancakes we got to step in. Because when uncle cred can't save them, that's bad, really bad, you got things stack up against you.

So Jake, listen up? Here's some pancake advice.

Go Fresh - Use the freshest ingredients you can get your hands on. And maybe not go for the scratch, and just break down and use a mix like the rest of us.

Don't Batter the Batter - Don't over mix. Pancake batter should be mixed just until the wet and dry ingredients are combined. Don't worry about lumps. You want them. They'll cook out on the griddle.

Get a Griddle - Cast iron or electric griddles make great pancakes because they heat evenly and give you plenty of room to work.

Go Easy on the Greasy - A light coating of oil or non-stick spray at the start is all you need for most pancakes.

Ladle with Care - Using a quarter-cup ladle held very close to the griddle, pour the batter gently so that it spreads in even circles.

Keep it Neat - Don't let pancakes merge into each other, and avoid moving them while the first side is cooking - they'll brown more evenly if you leave them alone.

Flip with Finesse - Pancakes are ready to flip when their surface is covered with bubbles, their edges look dry and a peek at their undersides reveals a golden brown color. Turn them gently, barely lifting them off the griddle.

Finish with a Flourish - Presentation makes all the difference. Warm the plates. Serve pancakes with real maple syrup, warmed slightly, and softened or whipped butter. Garnish with fruit or nuts.

Know When to Hold 'Em - Keep pancakes warm by placing them on a cookie sheet between layers of cloth towels. They'll hold in the oven at 250°F for up to 10 minutes till you have the whole batch done.

Of course you could just go out for a Rooty Tooty Fresh and Fruity and be done with it.


Or maybe head over Ikea get you Swedish on.



Shrove Tuesday gets its name from the ritual of shriving, when the faithful confessed their sins to the local priest and recieved forgiveness before the Lenten season began.
Historically, Shrove Tuesday also marked the beginning of the 40-day Lenten fasting period when the faithful were forbidden by the church to consume meat, butter, eggs or milk. So if you had these things what do you do? Use up the milk, butter and eggs no later than Shrove Tuesday. So you add with the addition of a little flour, and do you get... pancakes..

"... as fit as a pancake for Shrove Tuesday." William Shakespeare (All's Well that Ends Well)

Who would have thought that The Bard was a pancake kind of guy.

And to all the pancake deprived. Happy Mardi Gras!

Let it Roll!

Too much Gras in my Mardi. Or maybe too many pancakes for Shrove Tuesday. Or mayb e because the cable people had to come out again!
Thanks for your patience.

Today is all about living it up one last day before many start Lent. It's the time to have fun and not worry. The time for reflection starts tomorrow.

So Laissez les bon temps roulez!

From what we know it seems like Austin can enjoy a good party, and from the pictures so can Jake when he has the right company. Would it be the Pantless Prince with a Santa hat or the " 'scuse me while I lose my shirt" southern gentleman who would get the king's ransom of the beads? Would love to see Jake be the monarch at the Orpheus Krewe Parade. Take note Bruck - Prince of Persia - celebrating Mardi Gras next year ---a Persian float. But who would he throw more beads to?
There is something to be said about Mardi Gras and its debauchery and celebration - no one is worried about anything. There is nothing that can't wait. Sometimes we need days like that, where you stop and let it all go even if it's for just one day you can get back to all the dramas that life brings later.

So put it all aside, and enjoy. Just for one day - or may half of one by the time this post is done. Cause tomorrow -it will be all there for you to find.

And the King Cake? I think Jake and Austin would have no problem making one of those. They already know how to hide the baby.