Family Meal Plan: Breakfast Buffet with Sweet Pancake Tacos and DIY Topping Extravaganza + Fruity Smoothies

Breakfast Buffet with Sweet Pancake Tacos and DIY Topping Extravaganza

Happy & Healthy Cooking,

Fun-Da-Mentals Kitchen Skills

• blend :

  to stir together two or more ingredients until just combined; blending is a gentler process than mixing.

• chop :

  to cut something into small, rough pieces using a blade.

• fry :

  to fry in a pan in a small amount of fat.

• measure :

  to calculate the specific amount of an ingredient required using a measuring tool (like measuring cups or spoons).

• pour :

  to cause liquid, granules, or powder to stream from one container into another.

• stir :

  to mix together two or more ingredients with a spoon or spatula, usually in a circle pattern, or figure eight, or in whatever direction you like!

History of Pancakes!

• Archaeological evidence suggests that pancake varieties are probably the earliest and most widespread foods made from cereal grains. Prehistoric societies mixed dry, carbohydrate-rich seed flours with available protein-rich liquids, usually milk and eggs, and baked the resulting batters on hot stones or in shallow earthenware pots over an open fire. These early pancakes formed a nutritious and highly palatable foodstuff.  
• Pancakes are a universal food found in some variations from Africa to Asia to Europe and South America. 
• Globally, there are at least 100 types of pancakes. To name a few, they include crepes, blinis, latkes (potato pancakes), pajeon, æbleskiver, crumpets, galettes, okonomiyaki, milcao, and Dutch baby pancakes.
• A pancake is usually a flat, round cake prepared from a batter and cooked on a hot griddle or frying pan. In some countries, it's thinner, more like a crepe, and in the United States, it's usually thicker and more fluffy. 
• Most pancakes are quick breads; however, some use a yeast-raised or fermented batter.  
• Pancakes can be sweet or savory. Depending on the region, pancakes may be served at any time, with various toppings or fillings, including jam, chocolate chips, fruit, syrup, or meat. 
• In different parts of the US, pancakes may be called flapjacks, griddle cakes, hotcakes, or slapjacks. 
• One man (and giant pancake fan!) ran a marathon while tossing a pancake every 2 seconds for a continuous 3 hours, 2 minutes, and 27 seconds!

Let's Learn About Breakfast!

• The English word "breakfast" is made up of two words, "break" and "fast." Since breakfast is the first meal of the day, eaten in the morning, we are essentially "breaking" or ending our overnight "fast." (A "fast" is when you abstain from eating or drinking or both for a period of time.)
• In the United States, breakfast varies from hot or cold cereal to eggs, bacon, hash browns, and toast to pancakes, bagels, or pastries. 
• In ancient times, in Egypt, breakfast consisted of falafel or "fūl," made from cooked fava beans. In Greece, they ate barley bread or pancakes made from spelt flour, topped with cheese, honey, and sesame. Romans ate bread, cheese, nuts, olives, and raisins. Roman soldiers ate porridge made of roasted barley or spelt.
• Breakfast was not always eaten during the European Middle Ages unless you were sick, a laborer, a child, or an older adult. Most people would have two formal meals, one at midday and the other in the evening.
• In 15th-century Western Europe, meat was often included as part of the breakfast meal. Breakfast in Eastern Europe consisted of bread, pastries, and fruit, and by the 16th century, coffee was introduced to breakfasts in Europe.
• A full breakfast in the United Kingdom and Ireland may include bacon, baked beans, black pudding, eggs, hash browns, mushrooms, sausage, toast, and grilled tomatoes, served with tea or coffee.
• A continental breakfast is often served at hotels. It typically consists of cold and hot cereal, coffee and tea, hard-boiled or scrambled eggs, fruit and fruit juice, muffins, pastries, toast, and waffles.
• Breakfast varies greatly across continents and countries. Meal options include beans, bread and jam, cheese, eggs, flatbreads, fruit, pancakes, pastries, porridge, rice, and soup.
• Breakfast is considered an essential way to start the day, especially for schoolchildren. It can help boost brain power, increase energy and productivity, jump-start metabolism, regulate blood sugar levels, and manage appetite and weight.