It has happened to most of us. Someone says, “What’s for dinner?” and you realize that 1) it is that time and that 2) you have no idea what’s for dinner.
Even the most organized, best prepared cook will one day find herself staring into an empty cupboard just before dinner time. Maybe it’s the end of the week and you’re out of grocery money. Or maybe you’ve stayed in your pajamas all day and you just don’t want to give up now by getting dressed just to go to the grocery store. No matter what the reason, you may want to try a “silly supper.”
Silly Supper = What to make for dinner when you don’t have any food in the house!
Here is one idea - Pancakes!
You must have a box of Bisquick hiding in the back of the pantry? If not, here’s all you need to make some simple pancakes:
- 1 cup flour
- 2 tbsp. sugar
- 2 tsp. baking powder
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 egg
- 1 cup milk
- 2 tbsp. vegetable oil
Don’t be afraid to get creative! You’re the cook — you can do whatever you want! Once, I was out of milk, so I used French vanilla flavored coffee creamer in my pancakes! My family raved about my new “secret ingredient!”
There are a few other ways (other than coffee creamer) to snazz up your pancake supper. You must have half a package of frozen fruit in the freezer, right? Or a few leftover chocolate chips? Of some nuts you can crush up? Or some shredded coconut? Or some orange flavoring? Want to make it really silly? Add some food coloring! Silly suppers can be fun!
Think you can’t do pancakes because you have no syrup? Don’t panic. You can make a syrup good enough to fool the kids with just a few simple ingredients:
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup water
Bring sugars and water to a boil and cook, stirring continuously, for two minutes. Remove from heat.
Don’t want to make syrup? I once topped my impromptu pancakes with a dollop of whipped cream. You can also use fruit, or even make a fruit syrup by cooking all the ingredients above, only adding some fruit (and maybe a pinch of thickener such as corn starch).
So stop staring at the empty cupboard and tell the family to get ready for an adventure!
Posted by Robin
