Everyday Pancake and Waffles

Myyyyyy goodness! Found on Food Network with 50 ideas for pancakes! You'll never eat pancakes the same way. And I love pancakes, so I think this is a great website. :)

1. Basic Pancakes Whisk 1 1/2 cups flour, 3 tablespoons sugar, 1 tablespoon baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Whisk 1 1/4 cups milk, 1/2 stick melted butter,2 eggs and a little vanilla, then whisk into the flour mixture until just combined. Ladle 1/4 cupfuls onto a hot buttered skillet and cook until bubbly. Flip and cook until golden on the bottom.

2. Blueberry Pancakes Make Basic Pancakes (No. 1); sprinkle with blueberries before flipping.

3. Chocolate-Chip Pancakes Make Basic Pancakes (No. 1); sprinkle with chocolate chips
before flipping.

4. Whole-Wheat Pancakes Make Basic Pancakes (No. 1) with 3/4 cup each all-purpose and whole-wheat flour. Top with chopped almonds and berries.

5. Corn Cakes Make Basic Pancakes (No. 1) with just 1/2 cup flour; add 1 cup yellow cornmeal with the flour. Top with honey.

6. Blue Corn Cakes Make Basic Pancakes (No. 1) with just 1/2 cup flour; add 1 cup blue cornmeal with the flour. Top with dried apricots warmed in honey.

7. Oat Pancakes Make Basic Pancakes (No. 1) with just 3/4 cup flour; add 1/2 cup ground oats and 1/4 cup wheat germ with the flour.

8. Lemon-Strawberry Cakes Make Basic Pancakes (No. 1) with just 1/2 cup milk. Add 1 cup cottage cheese and 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest with the milk. Top with strawberries and honey.

9. Blini Make Basic Pancakes (No. 1) or Buttermilk Pancakes (No. 13) with 3/4 cup each all-purpose and buckwheat flour; omit the butter. Cook by tablespoonfuls. Serve with sour cream, smoked salmon and chives.

10. Berry-Topped Pancakes Toss 3 cups mixed berries with 2 tablespoons sugar and 1 tablespoon lemon juice; let sit while you make Basic Pancakes (No. 1). Top the pancakes with the berries and their juices.

11. Cocoa-Banana Pancakes Make Basic Pancakes (No. 1) with just 1 cup plus 3 tablespoons flour; add 1/3 cup cocoa powder with the flour and use 2/3 cup sugar. Add 2 mashed bananas and 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips to the batter.

12. Bacon-Apple Pancakes Make Basic Pancakes (No. 1); add 1/4 cup crumbled bacon and 1/2 grated apple to the batter.

13. Buttermilk Pancakes Whisk 1 1/2 cups flour, 3 tablespoons sugar, 1 teaspoon baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon each baking soda and salt. Whisk 1 1/4 cups buttermilk, 1/2 stick melted butter, 2 eggs and a little vanilla, then whisk into the flour mixture until just combined. Ladle 1/4 cupfuls onto a hot buttered skillet and cook until bubbly. Flip and cook until golden on the bottom.

14. Cherry-Topped Pancakes Cook 2 cups pitted cherries, 1/2 cup sugar and 1 tablespoon water over low heat until syrupy. Make Buttermilk Pancakes (No. 13); top with the cherry syrup.

15. Rum-Raisin Sundaes Make Buttermilk Pancakes (No. 13); add 1/4 cup plumped raisins to the batter. Heat 1/4 cup syrup with 1 tablespoon rum and 1/4 cup raisins. Top the pancakes with ice cream and the rum syrup.

16. Peach Corn Cakes Make Buttermilk Pancakes (No. 13) with just .3/4 cup flour; add 3/4 cup yellow cornmeal with the flour. Omit the butter. Add 1 cup chopped peaches to the batter. Top with peaches warmed in syrup.

17. Rhubarb Pancakes Simmer 1 cup chopped rhubarb with 1/2 cup sugar until soft. Cool, then drain; reserve the syrup. Make Buttermilk Pancakes (No. 13); add half of the rhubarb to the batter. Top with strawberries and the remaining rhubarb and syrup.

18. Yogurt Pancakes Make Buttermilk Pancakes (No. 13) with 1 1/4 cups plain yogurt instead of buttermilk.

19. Banana-Spice Cakes Make Buttermilk Pancakes (No. 13) with 3/4 cup sour cream plus 3/4 cup milk instead of buttermilk; add a dash of cinnamon to the batter. Add sliced bananas before flipping. Top with sour cream and brown sugar.

20. Bourbon-Bacon Pancakes Make Buttermilk Pancakes (No. 13) with 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour and 1/4 cup rye flour. Add 1 tablespoon bourbon to the batter. Heat 1/2 cup syrup, 1 tablespoon bourbon and some crumbled bacon for topping.

21. Red Velvet Pancakes Make Buttermilk Pancakes (No. 13) with just 1 cup flour; add 1/2 cup cocoa powder with the flour. Use 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar instead of granulated and omit the butter. Tint the batter with red food coloring. Top with sweetened mascarpone or whipped cream cheese.

22. Dutch Baby Mix 4 eggs, 1 cup milk, 2/3 cup flour, 1/2 stick melted butter, 3 tablespoons sugar and a little vanilla in a blender. Melt some butter in a cast-iron skillet. Add 1 sliced pear, then the batter; bake at 375 degrees F, 35 minutes. Dust with confectioners' sugar.

23. Pumpkin Pancakes Make Buttermilk Pancakes (No. 13) with just 1 cup buttermilk. Add 1/2 cup pumpkin puree and 1/4 cup mini chocolate chips to the batter.

24. Sour Silver Dollars Make Buttermilk Pancakes (No. 13) without baking powder. Use 3/4 cup sour cream plus 1/4 cup milk instead of buttermilk and butter. Cook by tablespoonfuls.

25. Lemon Stacks Make Buttermilk Pancakes (No. 13) with 3/4 cup sour cream plus
2/3 cup milk instead of buttermilk and butter. Add the zest and juice of 1 lemon to the batter. Cook by 2 tablespoonfuls; layer with lemon curd and top with whipped cream.

26. Pancakes with Apricots Simmer 1 cup chopped dried apricots, 1 tablespoon apricot jam, 1/2 cup water and 1 teaspoon honey until the apricots are plump. Make Basic Pancakes (No. 1) or Buttermilk Pancakes (No. 13); top with the apricots.

27. Tropical Pancakes Simmer 3/4 cup agave nectar, 1 vanilla bean (split and seeds scraped), 1 strip orange zest and 1/4 cup orange juice until syrupy, then stir in 1 cup diced mango and pineapple. Make Basic Pancakes (No. 1) or Buttermilk Pancakes (No. 13); top with the fruit syrup.

28. Crepes Mix 3 eggs, 1 3/4 cups milk, 1 cup flour, 5 tablespoons melted butter and a pinch of salt in a blender. Pour a thin film of batter into a small hot buttered nonstick pan; cook until set, then flip and cook 30 more seconds.

29. Crepes Suzette Make Crepes (No. 28). Melt 1 stick butter in a medium skillet. Stir in 6 tablespoons orange liqueur and tilt to ignite. When the flame dies, add the crepes, 1 tablespoon sugar and 1 strip each orange and lemon peel. Warm through.

30. Swedish Pancakes Mix 3 eggs, 2 cups milk, 1 1/2 cups flour, 6 tablespoons melted butter, 1 tablespoon sugar and a pinch of salt in a blender. Cook as directed for Crepes (No. 28). Serve with berries or jam.

31. Shortcut Muesli Pancakes Prepare a boxed pancake mix, substituting 1/2 cup finely ground muesli for 1/2 cup of the mix. Add 2 extra tablespoons milk or water. Cook as directed. Top with yogurt.

32. Blintzes Make Crepes (No. 28). Mix 1 1/2 pounds farmer cheese, 2 eggs, 3 tablespoons confectioners' sugar, and some lemon zest and cinnamon. Spoon onto the crepes and fold each into a packet. Cook in a hot buttered skillet until crisp; top with jam.

33. Shortcut Apple Pancakes Prepare a boxed pancake mix. Add 1/4 cup applesauce and 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon to the batter; cook as directed.

34. Shortcut Lemon-Poppy Seed Pancakes Prepare a boxed pancake mix. Add 2 tablespoons sugar and 2 teaspoons each grated lemon zest, lemon juice and poppy seeds to the batter; cook as directed. Top with lemon marmalade.

35. Shortcut Cranberry Pancakes Prepare a boxed pancake mix. Add 1/4 cup sugar, 1 teaspoon grated orange zest and 1/2 cup chopped fresh cranberries to the batter; cook as directed. Cook 3/4 cup cranberries in 1 cup syrup. Spoon over the pancakes.

36. Classic Waffles Whisk 2 cups flour, 4 teaspoons baking powder, 2 tablespoons sugar
and 1 teaspoon salt. Mix in 2 eggs, 1 1/2 cups milk, 5 tablespoons melted shortening and
4 tablespoons melted butter. Cook in a waffle iron until crisp.

37. Bacon-Pecan Waffles Sprinkle 12 strips bacon with brown sugar and bake at 400 degrees F until crisp; cool, then crumble. Make Classic Waffles (No. 36) with 1 3/4 cups flour and 1 extra tablespoon shortening. Add 1 cup candied bacon and 1/2 cup chopped pecans to the batter. Top with more bacon and nuts.

38. Spice Waffles Make Classic Waffles (No. 36) with 1/4 cup sugar; add 3/4 teaspoon pumpkin-pie spice to the batter.

39. Chicken and Waffles Make Classic Waffles (No. 36). Top with butter, syrup, fried chicken and hot sauce.

40. Banana-Split Waffles Make Classic Waffles (No. 36) with 4 tablespoons peanut oil instead of butter. Top with ice cream, peanuts, bananas, whipped cream and chocolate sauce.

41. Almond Waffles Make Classic Waffles (No. 36) with 1 3/4 cups flour and 1 extra tablespoon shortening. Add a little vanilla and 1/2 cup sliced almonds to the batter.

42. Waffle Sandwiches Make Classic Waffles (No. 36). Cool and cut into rounds. Make into
sandwiches with ice cream. Dust with confectioners' sugar.

43. Pistachio Waffles Make Classic Waffles (No. 36) with 1 3/4 cups flour and 1 extra tablespoon shortening. Add 1/3 cup chopped pistachios and 2 tablespoons orange zest to the batter. Top with honey, pistachios and orange zest.

44. Waffle French Toast Whisk 4 eggs with 2 cups milk. Soak thick slices of white bread in
the mixture, 5 minutes, then cook in an oiled waffle iron until crisp.

45. Ham-and-Swiss Waffles Make Classic Waffles (No. 36) with 1 1/2 cups flour and 1 extra tablespoon shortening. Mix in 1/2 cup each diced ham and grated gruyere; season with pepper.

46. Wild-Rice Waffles Make Classic Waffles (No. 36) with 1 cup all-purpose flour and 3/4 cup
whole-wheat flour. Add 1/2 cup cooked wild rice to the batter.

47. Morning Glory Waffles Make Classic Waffles (No. 36) with 1 3/4 cups flour and 1 extra
tablespoon shortening. Add 1/4 cup each shredded carrot and apple, a pinch of cinnamon and a sprinkle each of currants, chopped walnuts and coconut to the batter.

48. Belgian Waffles Dissolve 1 packet yeast in 3 cups warm milk. Whisk in 2 sticks melted
butter, 1/2 cup sugar, 3 egg yolks, 2 teaspoons vanilla, 1 teaspoon salt and 4 cups flour. Cover and let rise 1 1/2 hours. Stir. Beat 3 egg whites until stiff, then fold into the batter. Cook in a waffle iron until crisp.

49. German Chocolate Waffles Make Belgian Waffles (No. 48) with 1 cup sugar and just
3 1/3 cups flour. Add 2/3 cup cocoa powder and 1/4 cup melted coconut oil to the batter before rising. Top with coconut ice cream, toasted coconut and caramel.

50. Figgy Waffles Make Belgian Waffles (No. 48). Top with yogurt, fresh figs and honey.

Ideas Swap

Found this website online.

If you need ideas, this is the place to go.

It's really fun. Try it!

The Idea Swap

Persuade me that you can persuade me

I ran into an article about the power of persuasion. I have always been interested in this topic because it seems that it comes in handy in all sort of situations. Either trying to woo the opposite sex [or same sex, why not?], convincing agencies to hire you, argueing with a friend about a point, explaining to your mom something bad that you did, giving a lecture in a class, or just about anything; you need to learn about persuading. I find myself losing most arguments with anybody because I don't know how to use the power of language to influence other people. Maybe I do, but I don't ever notice it. But these points are gonna be handy to me one day; and I am sharing them with you. ((I'm pretty much copying and pasting the article. But just so you know, I didn't write it and the article doesn't say who wrote it. I am just sharing it with you))

20 Simple Steps to the Perfect Persuasive Message

Perfection is hard to achieve in any walk of life and persuasion is no different. It relies on many things going just right at the crucial moment; the perfect synchronisation of source, message and audience. But even if perfection is unlikely, we all need to know what to aim for.

To bring you the current series on the psychology of persuasion I've been reading lots of research, much more than is covered in recent posts. As I read, I noticed the same themes cropping up over and over again.

Here are the most important points for crafting the perfect persuasive message, all of which have scientific evidence to back them up.

1. Multiple, strong arguments: the more arguments, the more persuasive, but overall persuasive messages should be balanced, as two-sided arguments fare better than their one-sided equivalents (as long as counter-arguments are shot down).
2. Relevance: persuasive messages should be personally relevant to the audience. If not, they will switch off and fail to process it.
3. Universal goals: In creating your message, understand the three universal goals for which everyone is aiming: affiliation, accuracy and positive self-concept.
4. Likeability: ingratiating yourself with the audience is no bad thing—most successful performers, actors, lawyers and politicians do it. Likeability can be boosted by praising the audience and by perceived similarity. Even the most fleeting similarities can be persuasive.
5. Authority: people tend to defer to experts because it saves us trying to work out the pros and cons ourselves (read the classic experiment on obedience to authority).
6. Attractiveness: the physical attractiveness of the source is only important if it is relevant (e.g. when selling beauty products).
7. Match message and medium: One useful rule of thumb is: if the message is difficult to understand, write it; if it's easy, put it in a video.
8. Avoid forewarning: don't open up saying "I will try and persuade you that..." If you do, people start generating counter-arguments and are less likely to be persuaded.
9. Go slow: If the audience is already sympathetic, then present the arguments slowly and carefully (as long as they are relevant and strong). If the audience is against you then fast talkers can be more persuasive.
10. Repetition: whether or not a statement is true, repeating it a few times gives the all-important illusion of truth. The illusion of truth leads to the reality of persuasion.
11. Social proof: you've heard it before and you'll hear it again—despite all their protestations of individuality, people love conformity. So tell them which way the flock is going because people want to be in the majority.
12. Attention: if the audience isn't paying attention, they can't think about your arguments, so attitudes can't change. That's why anything that sharpens attention, like caffeine, makes people easier to persuade. And speaking of attention...
13. Minimise distraction: if you've got a strong message then audiences are more swayed if they pay attention. If the arguments are weak then it's better if they're distracted.
14. Positively framed: messages with a positive frame can be more persuasive.
15. Disguise: messages are more persuasive if they don't appear to be intended to persuade or influence as they can sidestep psychological reactance (hence the power of overheard arguments to change minds).
16. Psychologically tailored: messages should match the psychological preferences of the audience. E.g. some people prefer thinking-framed arguments and others prefer feel-framed arguments (see: battle between thought and emotion in persuasion). Also, some people prefer to think harder than others.
17. Go with the flow: persuasion is strongest when the message and audience are heading in the same direction. Thoughts which come into the audience's mind more readily are likely to be more persuasive.
18. Confidence: not only your confidence, but theirs. The audience should feel confident about attitude change. Audience confidence in their own thoughts is boosted by a credible source and when they feel happy (clue: happy audiences are laughing).
19. Be powerful: a powerful orator influences the audience, but making the audience themselves feel powerful increases their confidence in attitude change. An audience has to feel powerful enough to change.
20. Avoid targeting strong beliefs: strong attitudes and beliefs are very difficult to change. Do not directly approach long-standing ideas to which people are committed, they will resist and reject. Strong beliefs must be approached indirectly.

Change minds

You should be aware that many of these factors interact with each other. For example when the message is strong but the source is dodgy, the sleeper effect can arise.

Argument strength is also critical. The basic principle is that when arguments are strong, you need to do everything to make people concentrate on them. When they're weak, it's all about distracting the audience from the content and using peripheral routes to persuade, such as how confidently or quickly you talk.

Weaving all these together is no mean feat, but look at most professionally produced persuasive messages and you'll see many of these principles on show. Incorporate as many as you can for maximum effect.

Reference to Orwell's 1984

It's strange, it's eerie, it's Tim Burton

Couple days ago I went to the Tim Burton Exhibition at the TIFF Bell Lightbox in downtown with a friend and it was Incredible!!

Tim Burton exhibition started on November 26th, 2010 and runs until April 17th, 2011.

The exhibition contains his sketch works for his films, a few his early drawings, his early works, few short films, aside projects he has worked one, a really cool glow in the dark maquette, few sculptures, and costumes that were use for some of his films. I must say it was really cool to look at his artwork. I find it fascinating how his creative mind works. Most of his drawings are so eerie, weird, but in a cool sense. Like, how could you come up with THAT!? Lots of monsters drawings, but they were all cute and funny. Colours here and there. Some drawings are very complex with lots of details, whereas others look like a 5-year-old drew it. It's so cool how his imagination works and it looks like it has no limits. I wish I was that creative.

I have always had a fascination with Tim Burton. I love most of his movies and I just love his style. I even wrote an essay about him for my first year's film course. What I like about his style is that the pictures are a distortion of reality, like houses look crooked, exaggerated facial expressions, checkers and stripes patterns, and lots of curls. I first fell in love with his artwork with Nightmare Before Christmas, I was obsessed with Jack and I had his face on my backpack, my door-stopper, etc. Then the rest is history. I also love that Johnny Depp is in a lot of his movies. He just fits in so perfectly in Tim Burton's style. Same with Helena Bonham Carter. On top of that I love Danny Elf's music composition.

Here is a list of films he directed and/or produced (bold = favourites):
- Alice in Wonderland (2010)
- Batman (1989)
- Batman Forever (1995)
- Batman Returns (1992)
- Beetlejuice (1988)
- Big Fish (2003)
- Charlie and The Chocolate Factory (2005)
- Corpse Bride (2005)
- Ed Wood (1994)
- Edward Scissorhands (1990)
- Frankenweenie (1984)
- James and the Giant Peach (1996)
- Mars Attacks! (1996)
- Pee-Wee's Big Adventure (1985)
- Planet of Apes (2001)
- Sleepy Hollow (1999)
- Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007)
- The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
- Vincent (1982)

Here is the short film for Vincent. I like it cuz It's narrated by Vincent Prince himself and the story rhymes:


Do you like Tim Burton? If so, what is/are your favourite movie(s)? Comment!

Chew on life's big questions

First off, HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! It's 2011, yo! Best wishes to my fellow readers =D
Already first year blog entry!

Jacob told me today that Rainn Wilson (Dwight Schrute from The Office) has a book called "Soulpancake", apparently it's a #1 best seller these days. So I went to google to see what it's about. Then I realized it's a website www.soulpancake.com/ and Rainn Wilson (one of the founders of the website) wrote a book based on that website. Both the book and the website ponders about life's biggest questions. Their slogan is "chew on life's big questions". People can sign up and can discuss, kinda like in a forum, about anything: religion, life, secrets, self, , etc.

Reading so many questions made me ponder on my own life questions:

1. What is my purpose in life?

2. If God exists, what does he look like? (Some might argue that He's not physical, but I've always wondered) Bonus if he looks like Morgan Freeman in Bruce Almighty.

3. Does the government control everything?

4. What's the purpose of the existance of mosquitos?

5. How BIG is the universe?

6. Would it be possible the existance of a parallel universe to this one? (So like me in this parallel universe is a tall white guy who loves cabbage)

7. When do we learn to lie?

8. Is the phrase "more money, more problems" true?

9. Do our souls leave our bodies when we dream?

10. Is our knowledge limited?

11. Which is the better , male or female?

12. Is it possible to not be racist?

13. Do humans control technology or does technology control us?

14. Does karma exist?

15. How much personal space do you need?

16. How much private information about yourself are you willing to give out on internet?

17. How big is cyber space?

18. What would the world be without religion?

19. What happens to you after you die?

20. Do "soulmates" really exist?

21. What is love and how do you know you are in love?

22. Who makes the rules for society?

23. What makes something beautiful?

24. Does the way the stars are positioned the way you were born affect on your personality? Like horoscopes

24. Which came first, the egg or the chicken?

25. What really happened to the dinosaurs?

26. Could there be an universal language?

27. Could human archieve absolute happiness?

28. Do ghosts really exist?

29. Is time machine ever possible?

30. Will there ever be a zombie apocalypse?


Those are only a few of my questions. What are YOUR life's big questions? Comment!