Double Chocolate Pancakes

I am one that likes to follow recipes when I bake and not tweak recipes if I can help it.  I like to go for those tried and true or family recipes that have been passed down over the years.  Experimenting in the kitchen is just not something I like to do on a regular basis.

However, I decided to step out of my box and try something different for breakfast and tweak my Mom's buttermilk pancakes recipe to make them their double chocolate pancakes.  Those pancakes that IHOP has that my boys have been asking me for a while to make some for them.  I have been putting it off because I really had not found a recipe that seemed doable. Now I can say I have found a recipe and to think I had the recipe already on hand and was just too afraid to tweak it!

Double Chocolate Pancakes

1 ¼ cups flour
1 tbsp. sugar
2 tbsp. + 2 tsp. cocoa powder
1 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
2 tbsp. veggie oil
1 egg
1 ¼ cups buttermilk
1/2 - 3/4 cups mini chocolate chips

Mix together the dry ingredients including the chocolate chips.  Add in the veggie oil, egg, and buttermilk to the dry mixture.  Once the mixture is moist and smooth, pour onto a hot griddle to cook.

Normally, I do a triple batch of pancakes so before I tweaked the recipe today I already had the recipe written down as a triple batch which actually made adding the cocoa powder and chocolate chips easier.

Double Chocolate Pancakes
(triple batch)

1 3/4 cups white flour
2 cups whole wheat flour
3 tbsp. sugar
1/2 cup cocoa powder
3 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. salt
6 tbsp. veggie oil
3 eggs
3 3/4 cups buttermilk
1 3/4 cups mini chocolate chips

Mix dry ingredients together including chocolate chips. Add in veggie oil, eggs, and buttermilk to dry mixture.  Once the mixture is moist and smooth, pour onto a hot griddle to cook.

Review: My kids loved these pancakes with butter and maple syrup on them. One commented that they could eat them just plain.  Another commented that adding a dusting of powdered sugar would be good.  My hubby even enjoyed them and he said they tasted like he was eating a chocolate fudge poptart only with maple syrup on it.  Definitely a hit here!

This post is linked to: 

• Friday Food at Mom Trends!
• Foodie Friday at Designs by Gollum!
• Food on Friday at Ann Kroeker!
• This Week's Craving at Mom's Crazy Cooking!
• Tempt My Tummy Tuesday at Blessed with Grace! 
• Tasty Tuesday at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam!
• Tuesdays at the Table at All the Small Stuff!

Veteran's Day Tribute

As a wife of a Persian Gulf War veteran and a relative of veterans of WWII, Korea and Vietnam, I want to say thank you to those men, and women that are serving our country. I also want to say thank you to the families of those who served our country and gave their lives.

Coupons to Support Veterans

There are some high value coupons that you can print at the Believe in Heroes website. Each of the companies(All, Sweet Baby Ray's, Heinz, Minute Maid, Ocean Spray, & Motts to name a few) represented in the coupons has donated to and supported the Wounded Warrior Project to help wounded veterans. 

Weekly Shopping Trips 9/25-9/30

This week's shopping trips was my major shopping for this pay period. Despite the sale ads not being that great I was able to get several things for cheap or free and use coupons that were going to expire.

I did two trips to Meijer this week and did very well. I got some free candy bars, cheap taco seasoning and taco sauce, along with some cheap cottage cheese and breaded fish.

Along with my Meijer trips, I went to Walgreens, Target, Family Fare, and Duthler's.

The Walgreens and Target trip were to get some non-grocery items that were on sale there that I could use a few of my expiring coupons.

Walgreens:

• 2 bottles OxiClean spray 
• 2 tubes Aspercreme 

Total OOP: $7.74

Total Savings: $13.65

Target: 

• 1 Cascade PowrPacs
• 2 bottles Clorox bleach
• 20 ct. Tide Stain Release
• 1 bottle Aussie shampoo = Free after cpn
• 1 bottle Herbal Essence shampoo = Free after cpn
• 1 tube Neosporin
• 20ct Bandaids

Total OOP: $12.63

Total Savings: $12.22

Family Fare: 

• 8pk Bounty paper towels
• 24 cups Yoplait yogurt
• 6 lbs apples
• 6.95 lbs ground beef
• 1 dz. eggs

Total OOP: $34.04

Total Savings: $30.44

Duthlers: 

• 2 half gallons Chocolate Milk

Total OOP: $2.66

Total Savings: $2.70

Grand Total OOP: $57.07

Grand Total Savings: $59.01


This post is linked to:

• Shopping Round-up at The Grocery Cart Challenge!

Meijer Shopping Trips (9/25-9/30)

1st trip:

• 8 candy bars
• 2 Pepsi 2 liters 
• 2 bags Chex Mix 
• 4 boxes Pizza Rolls 
• 2 boxes Eggo waffles 
• 1 jar Dole Peaches 
• 3 Warm Delight Brownies 
• 1 Juicy Juice 64 oz  

I used a $2 off next shopping order Cat that I had along with coupons that were going to expire today and MPerks.

My total out of pocket: $15.60
My total savings: $22.08

Here is one scenario from my 1st trip to Meijer:

2 Hershey Bars $1.58
2 Hershey Aerated $1.58
4 Reeses $3.16
Total $6.32
I used 2- B1G1 coupons(8-28 Smartsource insert) for the Hershey Bars/Aerated so that knocked $1.58 off or what would be equal to 2 free bars and then got 3 bars free due to the deal of Buy 5 get 3 free. So I got 8 bars of chocolate for the price of 3 bars which equals $2.37.

2nd trip(the bigger of the 2):

• 1 head of lettuce 
• 2 Ortega seasoning mixes
• 2.18lbs apples 
• 6 dozen eggs 
• 4 bags frozen corn 
• 2 loaves Texas Toast 
• 1 box onion soup mix 
• 4 cans tomato sauce 
• 2 small bottles Ortega taco sauce 
• 2 containers cottage cheese 
• 2 boxes brownies 
• 2 bags Gorton's fish fillets
• 2 bags BC cookie mix 
•  4 boxes Gogurt 
• 2 boxes pie crust 
• 2 bags Tostitos 
• 2 bags Tyson chicken nuggets 
• 4 bags Ore Ida potatoes 
• 4 boxes GM cereal 
• 4 Tombstones pizzas 

My total out of pocket: $76.97
My total savings: $74.03

Just to give you a couple of scenarios from the 2nd trip:

2 Ortega taco seasonings $1.32
2 8oz bottles Ortega taco sauce $2.82
Used 2-$1.00/2 internet printable 
Used 1-$1.00/4 Mealbox cpn 
Total: $1.14 for all 4 items! or 29 cents/item!

2 bags Gorton Fish Fillets $9.98
Promo buy 2 get $2.00 off instantly
used 2- $1.00/1 peelie Q (found on Ortega products back along the way)
Total: $5.98 for 2 bags

2-24 oz Daisy Cottage cheese $4.98
used 2-65¢/1 tearpad Qs(found those a few weeks ago)
used $1.00/2 Mealbox cpn
Total: $2.68 for 2 or $1.34 each!

Grand Total OOP: $92.57
Grand Total Savings: $96.11

I am very pleased with my results this week.