A Few of My Favorite Fall Things...

One of my favorite vintage magazine covers includes a few of my favorite fall things...

McCall's, September, 1944

...going to an orchard for apples and cider, seeing the sky a shade of blue that only happens in autumn, having a fun fall outing as a reason to wear cute overalls and braids.

This weekend, my mister and I will be off on our annual October excursion for apples, cheese, maple syrup, and hopefully a bit "leaf-peeping" (see this post about our swell lunch stop on last year's trip). At the moment, the fall foliage isn't too fabulous in this area. The recent rain knocked most of the leaves off the trees that had already turned, but I must say, I'm still hopeful.

Our autumn excursion always includes stops at Jayne's Orchard, LeRaysville Cheese Factory, and Back Achers Farm, as well as an interesting lunch spot. In past years, we've sometimes just stopped at a roadside rest to enjoy a snack of apples, cheese, and cider. Yum!

One of my most favorite fall things is seeing the asters in bloom. I love the purple petals with the yellowish-orange center. Here's one of the spots in my yard where I have asters blooming even as we speak...

Hope you're enjoying this autumn season too, wherever you may be!

Experiment...in...Pancakes!

Tastier than an Experiment in Terror, don't you think? Okay, okay, let's just say they're equally tasty. ;)

Yesterday, I bought a small jug of locally-made apple cider, thinking only of enjoying a nice cold glass of the autumn manna. Then, an idea came to me... Apple Cider Pancakes! Could it be done?

After searching a bit online, I only came up with apple cider pancake recipes that called for "pancake mix" or Bisquick. Well, I'm more of a "from-scratch" kinda gal, so I thought why not experiment with one of my tried and true vintage cookbook recipes.

I started out with the pancake recipe that I normally make for Sunday breakfast - Sweet Milk Griddle Cakes from my oft-used and well-loved The Lily Wallace New American Cookbook (copyright 1941, 1943, 1947, 1950).


Now, here's my Apple Cider Pancakes version...

2 cups flour
1/2 to 1 teaspoon salt (depending on your preference)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
2 tablespoons maple sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 cups apple cider
1 egg
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted

Mix and sift (yes, I do sift - makes a lighter texture!) flour, salt, baking powder, maple sugar, and cinnamon. Mix together beaten egg, cider, and melted butter. Combine with dry mixture and mix well. Drop by tablespoons or pour from a swell vintage batter bowl (the kind with a spout) onto hot griddle (greased well if it isn't cast-iron, otherwise grease lightly). Brown on both sides. Serve hot with butter and real maple syrup (I also think a ginger syrup, blackberry syrup, or cinnamon syrup would be tasty).


As much as I love my well-seasoned round cast-iron griddle, someday I'd like to have either a vintage stove with a "griddle in the middle" or a vintage six-burner stove that I can use a two-burner-sized rectangular griddle on. But, it'll do for now. ;)

Here come the bubbles...


Nicely browned, although I think the cider and/or the maple sugar make the pancakes a darker shade of brown than the usual milk/white sugar recipe...


Sage & Thyme Chicken Sausages (organic, even) for "on the side"....


Now that's a fine fall feast fit for family and friends...

Happy October!

Apple Cider: Jayne's Orchard, West Auburn, PA
Maple Syrup: Back Achers Farm, Rome, PA