If You Give a Kid a Pancake…

…you're guaranteed some smiles! What a wonderful group of children in this class. I do believe I'm having at least as much fun as they are! Today's menu was German Oven Pancakes with strawberries, bananas, apples, and blueberries and Chocolate Banana Smoothies made with chocolate soy milk and a dollop of peanut butter. Everyone enthusiastically mixed their own batter and cut their fruit into bite-sized pieces. Peeling the apples gave them the most trouble. Some cried uncle, but many of them persevered. A couple were even surprised to learn that they'd been using the peeler upside down all these years!

They were a bit skeptical about pancakes that cook in the oven, but the first time we opened the oven door to check on them they couldn't believe their eyes. What started out as about a quarter inch of batter in the bottom of their mini pie pans turned into beautiful, golden pancake puffs that were bursting up and over the tops of the pans. When they came out of the oven they collapsed (as they should) into pancake bowls. As soon as they were cool enough to handle we filled them with fruit and yogurt. I think my friend Clemmie inhaled hers because one minute it was sitting on the plate in front of her and the next it had disappeared!

We wrapped the leftovers in aluminum foil swans and got busy with the blender. The smoothies were the perfect end to a wonderful morning in the Highfield kitchen.