versatile, schmersitile pancakes

I get tired of buying baking mix because it's expensive for the amount you get, and I've been wanting to find a good made-from-scratch pancake recipe that DIDN'T use baking mix but was still fluffy and tasty ... so here goes. Pancakes are fantastically versatile, as I will get into later ...

2 c. flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

4 eggs, well beaten

2 c. buttermilk (or 2 Tbsp. vinegar or lemon juice with enough milk added to make 2 cups)

Combine dry ingredients.

Combine wet ingredients.

Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients.

Mix but do not over-beat.

Pour by 1/4 cup-fuls onto hot, greased griddle or pan and cook for a few minutes until the edges are dry and the top is bubbly. Flip and cook for a couple more minutes.

Pancakes ... can you get any more versatile than that? Breakfast? Sure, that's expected. But what about the peanut-butter-and-jelly pancake sandwich for lunch? (I've done that, and my employee laughed at me). There's also the Pancake Burrito (ay, caramba), the Hotdog in a Pancake Bun - Complete with Mustard and Ketchup (I advise the use of fresh pancakes, as 2-day-old ones are crumbly and do not hold the hotdog well), and the PancakeSlicedIntoBreadstick Pasta Accompaniment. Do you have any others?

My quest for versatility in food is stemming from my search for the perfect summer "occasion" dress. Though thus far I have been unsuccessful, I have hope that I will either be able to find said dress, or make it.

Here are my criteria:

1. black

2. comfortable

3. versatile

4. will STILL be in style next summer

5. on sale

Should be easy, right? NOT AT ALL. I dragged my new friend Mary Katherine across town with me last Saturday in search ... all we got was wet. I just have this dream of a perfect occasion dress for the 2009 season, and I just might be losing hope of finding it.

This is how it all started ... if we were together at any event over the past two summers, you might recall my '07-'08 summer occasion dress, a lovely brown deal with large white swirls and a twirly skirt, as my friend Lauren would say. Off the top of my head, I remember wearing it to 4 weddings, 2 graduations, 3 rehearsal dinners, 2 dates with my husband, and 1 Sunday at church. Versatile? Absolutely. Comfortable? You bet. Still in style? Yes, except that I still have the same friends, and I'd like for them to know that I do indeed have more clothes than my one awesome brown swirly twirly dress. So, I'm beginning my 2009 Search For The Great Occasion Dress. I shall keep you posted as I seek my dream versatileschmersitile dress.