Celebrate Shrove Tuesday with chocolate chip and bacon pancakes

Shrove Tuesday, or Pancake Tuesday, is celebrated around the world on the day before Ash Wednesday. Consuming pancakes is one of many 'mardi gras' (Fat Tuesday) traditions of feasting before the fasting season of Lent begins.

They say that breakfast is the most important meal. I say that it’s also the yummiest. Given the choice, I’d eat breakfast all day long every day. I could just kiss the genius who invented brunch, giving the world a valid excuse for eating breakfast at lunchtime. And, some times it just feels right to have breakfast for dinner. As kids, some of our favorite nights were the ones when our mom cooked up Chocolate Chip Coconut Pancakes for dinner. We seriously felt like we’d hit the dinner jackpot.

Over here, we find plenty of excuses to host Sunday brunch, be we don’t have dinner for breakfast nearly as often as I’d like. (My hubby’s just not as enthusiastic about it as I am.) But, tonight, there’s a frozen pizza in the freezer for Mr. Anti-breakfast-for-dinner and I’m making Chocolate Chip Bacon Pancakes for myself and the kids! (Sorry, hubby.) And, yes, I said Chocolate Chip Bacon Pancakes. It’s like eating a chocolate covered pretzel, only meatier. Clearly, this isn’t the kind of dinner you’d make often, but it’s a fun treat every once in a while. Tonight feels like that kind of night.

The following recipe is a basic buttermilk pancake recipe.  You can substitute the chocolate and bacon with just about anything that strikes your fancy. So, if the idea of chocolate and bacon, married in perfect pancake harmony, doesn’t float your boat, try cherries with a bit of vanilla, or bananas and pecans, or blueberries.

Buttermilk Pancakes with Chocolate Chips and Bacon

2 cups of flour
2 cups of buttermilk
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons of butter, melted
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup bacon, cooked until crisp and crumbled

1. In a bowl, combine the buttermilk with the melted butter and beaten eggs. Slowly blend in the dry ingredients and stir until large lumps disappear.

2. Stir in bacon and chocolate chips (or your filling of choice).

3. Preheat a skillet or griddle over medium heat. Grease with a little butter. Pour about 1/4 cup of batter per pancake and cook until small bubbles start to appear on the top and the edges are cooked. Flip and cook for a couple more minutes, until cooked through.

Note: As you complete each batch, you can place the pancakes in a 200 degrees F. oven, to keep warm until all the batter has been cooked.

Editor's note: to make buttermilk, stir 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or white vinegar in 1 cup of milk. Let stand at room temperature for 5 to 10 minutes.