Pumpkin Blender Pancakes

I el-oh-vee-ee (that's LOVE) blender pancakes. That's right, blender pancakes. Do you know what I'm talking about? I'm talking about the number one way I use the many boxes of wheat I have stacked up in my closet. [Side Note: Why do I have boxes of wheat stacked in my closet? Because it is healthy, has a super long shelf life, and helps my family be self-reliant. You can read more about that here, if you want.] The basic idea is you throw whole wheat berries into your blender with some other ingredients, and whip up some pancake batter. Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy.

Some of my favorite things about blender pancakes:

1. They are WHOLE wheat. Like, seriously. The whole wheat berry.
2. They are quick.
3. I only have to wash the blender and one skillet.
4. The blender is perfect for pouring pancakes.
5. My kids love em.

So, its that time of year when I think basically everything should have some pumpkin thrown into it, and over the past few weeks, I have perfected my pumpkin blender pancake recipe. Here's how you do this.

First, take your wheat (see the recipe below), and put it in your blender. 

Hello there, wheat.

Introduce your wheat to some milk. I use skim to keep down the fat and calories, but you could use whatever you have in your fridge.

And start blending! It will take about five minutes (or faster, if you have a fancy shmancy blender) to blend up your wheat and milk to a nice creamy batter like this:

Then, add the rest of the ingredients (this is when the pumpkin comes in) and blend until everything is combined.

Finally, pour your batter onto a hot griddle or skillet right from the blender. I usually sprinkle a few mini chocolate chips onto the batter after I pour it into the skillet.

I like a bit of maple syrup on mine, but really, you don't need it. Yummm.

Pumpkin Blender Pancakes

Ingredients

1 cup whole wheat berries (I use Hard White Wheat, but Red Wheat should work well too)

1 1/2 cups skim milk

2 large eggs

2/3 cup pureed pumpkin

3 Tbsp sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1/8 tsp ground cloves

1/8 tsp ground ginger

1/8 tsp ground allspice

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 Tbsp mini chocolate chips (optional - do not blend!)

1. Blend milk and wheat in blender for five minutes or until smooth.
2. Add pumpkin, eggs, vanilla, sugar, baking powder, salt, and spices. Blend until combined.
3. Pour onto a greased griddle over medium heat. Sprinkle with chocolate chips, if desired. Cook until bubbles begin to pop. Flip pancake and cook for 1-2 minutes longer.
4. Enjoy!

Linking up at The Girl Creative and Nifty Thrifty Sunday at Nifty Thrifty Things.

Littlest Helper

I already shared this on facebook, but I couldn't help putting it here too. Do I not have the cutest little helper?

Handmade Gift Guide 2: Firefighter Dress-up

This gift idea is a lot like the Nightmare Before Christmas. 

Well...

It is in the sense that it is kind of a mash-up of Halloween and Christmas. As soon as I finished my son's Halloween costume, I realized that this costume was going to outlast the Trick or Treating candy. He wanted to wear it ALL the time, which didn't always coincide with my plans.

Dress-up clothes are fun gifts for kids, and as I perused the aisles of clearance Halloween costumes in the past week or so, I saw several that would make fun gifts.

This firefighter dress up cost me only a few dollars and a couple hours to put together. To make the jacket, I started with some black cotton I had in my scrap stash. I used one of my sons t-shirts as a guide to make a loose pattern, and sewed the shoulders, sleeves, and side seams, leaving the cuffs, collar, and hem unfinished.

Apparently, this is a firefighter face.

I used yellow duct tape to finish off the edges of the jacket and form the collar. Adding the duct tape gave my flimsy cotton fabric more substance and helped the jacket maintain its shape. It also saved me some stitching and added the look of reflective strips used on firefighter uniforms. Finally, I added velcro closures and a felt patch.

I made over a cheap, plastic firefighter hat (you can get one for free at Firehouse Subs!) by adding a felt number to cover the original logo.

And what is every firefighter's most important accessory?

An adorable dalmatian, of course! :)

Linking up at Thrifty Thursday at Saved by Love Creations, Get Your Brag On Link Party at Gluesticks, and 20 Below Thursdays at Christina's Adventures.

Handmade Gift Guide 1: Gifts from Posts Past

Do you have friends who, on November 1st, announce that they are completely done with their Christmas shopping? Maybe you actually are one of these miracle workers? Well, I have never been that on top of anything in my life. And this year, I decided I wanted to make most of my Christmas gifts, which means I am doubly behind.

BUT! It is all going to be okay. I've got all kinds of handmade gift ideas cooking up in my brain. And we totally have enough time to get this stuff done. Right? Right. So, right here around this little blog, we are going to focus on handmade gifts for the next month or so. To make it official, I even made a button (You can copy the code and paste it on your blog or site if you are really REALLY excited about all of this):




<center><a href="http://persialou.blogspot.com/search/label/handmade%20gift%20guide"><img vspace="none" hspace="none" alt="PersiaLou" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ap9Qhv62UY0/TrsLLuvmO8I/AAAAAAAAAgQ/S7TeqLQGcVQ/s1600/handmade+gift+guide.jpg" align="center" /></a></center>


To get us started, I decided to go through my old posts and see what ideas could make great holiday gifts. Here's what I found:

These are a great gift! Use your family history stories to make hardcover storybooks. The small size would make an wonderful stocking stuffer. I have been meaning to make more of these, and now I'm remembering how much I love them. Time to get on it!

Of course, a throw pillow is always a fun gift. I've made a few, but this felt lattice pillow has been a popular one.

How about a embellished tee? Or you could try stenciling this big bow on a bag.

Or, if you like to crochet, you could try out one of my free patterns:

A baby blanket covered in ruffly flowers? (She seems to like it!)

Or give my cozy buttoned cowl a try.

I've got lots of new ideas to share in the coming weeks! Be sure to follow along or like my facebook page so you don't miss any of the handmade gifting goodness!

I Tried It Tuesday: Cake Batter Rice Crispie Treats

Yes, I like chocolate. Especially dark chocolate. Especially dark chocolate with sea salt or toffee. BUT I am really more of a vanilla-cinnamon-caramel kind of girl, if you know what I mean. So, when I saw this recipe from Gimme Some Oven for cake mix rice crispie treats floating around pinterest, I had to try them. Right away.

Basically you just mix in a little bit of dry yellow cake mix in with the butter and melted marshmallows. Then throw some sprinkles in (don't you love sprinkles?) for good measure. I thought they were absolutely delicious. My husband claims they taste just like regular rice crispie treats. But, then, I wouldn't call him a discriminating rice crispie connoisseur. Have you tried them? Will you try them?

My little bowl and I think you should. :)

Linking up at Sugar Bee Crafts and Funky Polka Dot Giraffe.