Foodie Thursday

Today I'm going to write about pancakes.
Not clothes, design, style, celeb fashion, positive thoughts, inspiration, nor designers.
Just plain 'ole easy-as-pie pancakes.
Something you should know about me (in case you want something, feel the desire to make me incredibly happy, or want to sabotage me by making me gain twenty pounds): I love pancakes.

'Tis true. Pancakes are my favorite food. Chocolate chip pancakes, to be specific. With no maple syrup please, just the cake.
A few case in points: After I returned for a weekend visit after first leaving for college many moons ago, I knew my mom missed me terribly after waking up to breakfast: chocolate chip pancakes.
While living in Manhattan, I often ended not-so-great days at the diner down from my apartment. Alone. With a magazine. Eating chocolate chip pancakes.
I successfully talked my roommates into having a pancake bar for dinner this summer. And thought about it the entire day preceding at work.
If I'm babysitting and need to make the kids like me, we make tie-dyed pancakes with M&M's.
So imagine my complete, utter, astonished delight when, while perusing my favorite food blog (which is comical in itself since I'm not Rachel Ray in the kitchen and often only have time to eat frozen/packaged/a five-year-old's favorite foods. But hey, a girl can dream/practice.), that the darling behind How Sweet It Is not only shares my sweet tooth, but pancakes as well. Observe:

Red Velvet Pancakes: For those of you who want to impress a sweetheart early on Valentine's Day, wouldn't these be the perfect treat? (ten bonus points if you can shape them like hearts)

Whole Wheat Cinnamon Bun Pancakes: I wish I'd had these when there was eight inches of snow on the ground last month. 

White Chocolate Coconut Pancakes: Sounds to me like a sweet summer treat....

Mini Mocha Chip Pancakes: With a steaming cup of coffee....

And the grand finale pancake that I fell in love with, that I'll be whipping up for every birthday/bad day/Saturday morning to come... Cake Batter Pancakes:

Have you ever tried a pancake bar? A little unconventional, it's the perfect setting for a get-together filled with laughter and conversation. Have an early brunch or a breakfast-for-dinner kind of night, which is my personal favorite. Gather everyone in to the kitchen to mix up their favorite batter and serve their own stacks (plus, it's always fun to see who the best pancake flipper is). Pancake mix is not only super inexpensive, but goes a very long way. And you can virtually top/mix in any ingredient with plain pancake mix and ensure a delicious outcome.  My personal favorite options are chocolate chips, strawberries, coconut, pecans, bananas, blueberries, sprinkles, white chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, and cinnamon. So go ahead, get creative (and obviously try out a few of the above recipes, then let me know what you thought!)  And don't forget the milk, or mimosas.