I love to cook and I love to eat -- and neither of the two would be complete without one word.
Butter.
Case in point. One morning last week I was making pancakes for breakfast. I used to hate pancakes, and I use that word seriously because they really had no appealing virtue to me whatsoever. (I wish more foods had no appealing virtue to me whatsoever...the kitchen wouldn't call my name nearly as often all day long and I could shed what I feel to be my winter-heft-accumulation a bit easier.)
But then, if I didn't like food so much, I would be missing out on so much too. So, oh well.
With pancakes, I kind of have a standard recipe that has become a favorite, but decided to use another one that I remembered being really yummy too. I whipped up the batch, cooked them on the skillet, and after getting the kids all situated with theirs, started into my own plate. And I was thinking to myself, "These aren't that good. Why did I remember these being so good? Why, again?"
It wasn't until I heard beeping and realized that I had never put the melted butter in. It was still sitting on the round tray inside that lovely warming box of a microwave.
And then I came to this new revelation: butter is the reason I love pancakes.
And I was honestly so disappointed at that point because my pancake was hardly worth eating. It was a total blah pancake. (And I'm not exaggerating.)
The peanut butter and syrup on top were its only redeeming qualities.
The recipe I make all the time actually calls for vegetable oil, but I always use butter and they are so much better.
Saute anything in butter and it's fabulous.
Butter on toast. Butter on top of already butter-in-the-batter pancakes. Butter on vegetables. Straight liquid heavy whipping cream poured over pie or baked apples.
Butter on hot baked bread.
I even remember eating lunch at my great aunt's one day. We were out on her deck eating sandwiches that were divine. And guess what? She had spread butter on both pieces of bread on each sandwich before actually assembling the sandwiches. And they were so good.
Next time you make pancakes, try substituting the vegetable oil or shortening with butter and unlock the love. It is a cooking love affair. Seriously.
I figure if you're gonna eat the calories, you might as well eat them right.
It makes eating so much more fun.
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