Back to School Tips Giveaway – Going on Now!

Click  on our Back to School tab under our profile pic!  There you can enter for an opportunity to win!!

What do you have to do to win?    Give us your Back to School Tips. The Midstate Mills Social Media Group will choose the best each day!

What kind of tips?   Any type!

It can be on lunches

It can be funny:)

It doesn’t matter,  we want your Back to School Tips!

The prize?  — A four pack of our wondrous Pancake Mixes delivered right to your front door anywhere in the the United States of America.  Just in time for Back to School!

Click HERE to submit your Back to Scho0l Tip

Also check for our recipes for great back to school snacks using our fabulous products!  

 

 

Maple Pancake Muffins Great for Back To School Breakfasts, Lunches, and Snacks

 

Before your child goes back to school, here is a fun idea for breakfast, lunch and afterschool snacks all rolled into one simple muffin.

Muffins have the advantage in that you can bake them and have them ready for a quick breakfast, to add to their lunch box, without any preparation on busy mornings.

Muffin making is about as simple as baking gets.  The only trick to it is to mix the batter only until the dry and the wet ingredients are combined.  If you mix too much, the muffins are no longer tender and don’t rise up as much.  Then scoop into muffin cups, for mini-muffins use a cookie scoop.  If you don’t have one, a spoon is fine.

Have a pancake lover at your house?  Try a pancake muffin packed with maple flavor right from the mix when you use Tenda-Bake Maple Burst Pancake Mix.

Why not make pancake muffins for breakfast, school lunch box treats or after school snacks?  These muffins have added apple. So you can sneak in a bit of fruit in these muffins.

One other thing about muffins, they freeze well.  Place them in freezer bags and keep them until you need them.  Pack them frozen in their lunch, they will thaw by lunch time.

 

Maple Pancake Muffin

 

Makes about 24 mini-muffins

¾ cup (about 2 apples) shredded chopped and peeled apple (Granny Smith is a good choice)

1 large egg

¼ cup vegetable oil

½ cup firmly packed brown sugar

1 ½ cups Tenda-Bake Maple Burst Pancake Mix

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Coat mini-muffin tins with nonstick cooking spray or line with paper liners.

Combine shredded apple, egg, vegetable oil and brown sugar in a large bowl.  Mixing until well combined.

Measure in the pancake mix and stir just until combined.  Scoop into muffin cups and fill no more than 2/3 full.

Bake for 15 minutes for mini-muffins or until lightly browned and a toothpick inserted is clean when removed.

These are delicious served either warm or cooled.

 

 

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins – Back to School Breakfast To Go

Back to School Breakfast To Go

Wake them up.  Did those feet hit the floor?  Are you getting dressed yet?  Help them find their shoes, brush their teeth, and get their backpack essentials  With all that, who has time to make breakfast?

They need a good breakfast that is easy, cold cereal often seems to be the only solution.  Want something more special? Muffins are the other fast and easy breakfast you can on hand ready to go.

This recipe is banana bread in a muffin shape so it is a moist and delicious grab and go breakfast that is best eaten at room temperature.  Muffins freeze well, so you can wrap these individually and then thaw in the microwave so you can have them anytime.

We baked these using Tenda-Bake 7-Grain Pancake Mix.  The pancakes rise up high and light with the nutty goodness of 7-Grains.  For the muffins, they will never know they are eating whole grain oats, flax seed, graham flour and whole wheat.  We added chocolate chips to make them even more kid-friendly, but you can leave them off if you like.

This is perfect thing for when they are running out the door on busy back to school mornings.

 

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

Makes 12 muffins

 

1 cup mashed banana (about 3 bananas)

1 large egg

½ cup sugar

¼ cup butter, melted and cooled

1 ½ cups Tenda-Bake 7-Grain Pancake Mix

1 cup chocolate chips

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Coat muffin pans with nonstick cooking spray or muffin liners.

Mash the banana leaving it slightly lumpy.   Stir in the egg and sugar.  Then add the cooled butter.  Mix the liquids until well combined.  Add the pancake mix and stir just until combined.

Fold in the chocolate chips.  Do not overmix.

Spoon batter evenly into muffin cups so that muffin cups are no more than 2/3 full.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until lightly browned.  Cool for 10 minutes in pan, move to cooling rack to cool completely.

Muffins can be wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and then simply thaw overnight at room temperature when ready to serve. 

 

 

 

 

Maple Pecan Scones

 

“Scones are rather expensive when you buy them at a coffee shop, and are so simple to make at home. The difference between a scone and a biscuit is that scones generally include egg and are a bit sweet. Our Tenda-Bake Pancake Mixes already have the egg in them so they are the perfect scone mix! If you don’t have Maple Burst Pancake Mix on hand, this recipe will work equally well with Tenda-Bake Buttermilk Pancake Mix. ”

~ By Tendabake

 

Ingredients:
• 2 cups Tenda-Bake Maple Burst Pancake Mix
• ½ cup s chopped pecan
• 1/3 cup milk or water
• 2 tablespoons melted butter

Cooking Instructions:
Heat oven to 400°F. Coat a cake pan or baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray.

Combine pancake mix and pecans. Stir in milk or water. The dough will be very dry.

If you cannot use your hands to pack it together, add additional milk or water 1 teaspoon at a time.

Turn onto a lightly floured surface. Knead the dough 8 to 10 times to form it into a smooth ball. Pat into a round 2/3-inch thick. Slice into 8 slices using a knife that has been coated with flour OR cut using a 1 ½-inch biscuit cutter.

Place on pan so they are close but not touching.

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until golden brown. Brush the tops with melted butter.

Fred’s Favorite Pancakes

 

Breakfast at Grandma’s house was the biggest and best meal of the day, with fresh eggs from her chickens, bacon, and always – pancakes.  She cooked all morning, to the delight of her hungry grandchildren.

 

Why not make a simple version of this man-sized breakfast with Tenda-Bake Maple Burst Pancake Mix, for sweet maple flavor in every bite, along with bacon and eggs?

 

We named these Fred’s Favorite for our photographer, who couldn’t get enough of this pancake and said, “I could eat this three meals a day”.  We decided he was right – this would make a great dinner as well as breakfast.

 

Sadly, this is our last pancake recipe for pancake month. It has been fun to share so many recipes with you.  We hope you have some new favorites and have a few more you plan to try.  If you haven’t found our Tenda-Bake Pancake Mix in your store, ask for them or visit our web site at www.tendabake.com to order by mail.  You will be glad you did.

 

1 cup Tenda-Bake Maple Burst Pancake Mix

6 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled

1 cup plus 3 tablespoons half-and-half, divided

5 eggs, divided

2 tablespoons butter

1/4 teaspoon salt

 

Preheat oven to 500° F.  Place a 10 to 12-inch cast iron skillet in the oven to preheat.

 

Measure mix by lightly spooning into measuring cup and leveling off the top. Stir in the cooked crumbled bacon, 1 cup of the half and half, and 2 eggs. Mix just until moistened.

 

Remove pan from oven.  Add butter to the pan to melt.  Pour the batter over the melted butter.  Place in oven and immediately turn oven temperature down to 400° F.

 

Bake for 10 minutes or until pancake batter is set.  Remove the pancake from oven and cut a deep circle into the pancake about 1 ½-inches from the sides of the pan  (Pancake will not be done.)

 

In a mixing bowl, combine the remaining 3 tablespoons half-and-half, 3 eggs, and salt.  Whisk until thoroughly blended.  Gradually pour the egg into the cut circle in the pancake.

 

Return pan to oven and continue baking 10 minutes or until egg is set and the pancake is cooked through.  Slice and serve warm topped with maple syrup.

 

Makes 4 to 6 servings.

 

 

Cornmeal Mountain Pancakes.

In the Appalachian Mountains, people used what they had to make the dishes they longed to eat.  For many, corn meal was in more plentiful supply than flour so pancakes were often made with corn meal rather than expensive and difficult to obtain flour.  But  sometimes historic necessities become great recipes, this is one of those traditions worth keeping.

It is a simple recipe is as delicious as any pancake you will eat, just with a different texture, like cornbread.  I love it with syrup or honey and lots of butter on top.

 

2 cupa Tenda-Bake White or Yellow Corn Meal Mix

2 tablespoons butter, melted

1 to 2 tablespoons honey, sugar or syrup

2 egg, lightly beaten

2 ¼ cups buttermilk

 

 

 

Heat griddle to 350°F or heat skillet or griddle on stove over medium heat (water should sizzle and then evaporate).

 

Combine the corn meal mix, butter, honey (or sugar or syrup), egg and buttermilk.

Mix just until moistened. Batter should be thick and lumpy, BUT pourable, if batter is too thick, add more buttermilk (up to 1/3 cup).

 

Pour slightly less than ¼ cup batter onto hot, lightly greased or nonstick griddle or skillet.

Cook for 1 to 1 ½ minute on each side or until golden brown, turning when the bubbles on the surface begin to pop and the edges look dry.  Turn only one time or the pancakes will be tough.

 

 

Pancake Tips from our Fans!

All of These are tips* from some of the great folks that like our page on Facebook or receive our emails.  Thanks everyone that sent in their tips!

*These are not endorse or tested by Midstate Mills or any of its constituents.  Try these tips at your own risk:)

Jane:

When making blueberry (or other fruity pancakes), pour pancake batter on griddle, after a minute or two drop on the blueberries. Then flip and cook other side. Perfect every time!

John:

Using Tenda Bake Maple Burst Mix, make pancakes approximately 3 inches in diameter. Sandwich a fried chicken strip between them, and you have major YUM factor.

Tropical 7-Grain Pancakes. ~These things just scream for coconut syrup. Just mix a concentrated pina colada product into some light corn syrup and wow!

Amy:

OMG – My boyfriend was out of milk so he added melted vanilla ice cream instead of milk to your pancake mix when he made me pancakes a few weeks ago and they were CRAZY GOOD!!!

Lisa:

None can match yours!!!!!!!!!!!!

Alison:

My ultimate tips for the loftiest pancakes: just BARELY blend the dry & wet ingredients with a whisk not a spoon…don’t overwork. With the griddle at the right temperature & not undercooking the pancakes, gently flipping only once, PANCAKE PERFECTION!

Jon:

My best recipe tip for pancakes is be super nice to my wife the night before and hope she remembers in the morning and makes pancakes.

Jean:

My best pancakes are made on a well seasoned cast iron griddle.

Kristina:

Love chocolate chip banana pancakes with fresh strawberry syrup!

Amy:

I enjoy fixing pancakes on the weekend and freezing them to use throughout the week.

Marie:

I add a little vanilla to my batter before cooking.

Taleah:

I add a bit of vanilla to my batter. Adds enough sweetness that I find I use less toppings!

Sobeida:

I’m allergic to maple syrup but that doesn’t ruin my love for pancakes! I use honey to drench these yummy cakes.

Doug:

Instead of water to use as the mix-in liquid, I use fresh Blueberries and throw em in the food processor for a couple of pulses to let them de-juice and to chopped fine…. then I use the juice and such as the mixing agent…..fry as normal but the blueberry is completely through the pancake…a REAL Blueberry Pancake…same with Strawberries…… you may need to add a drop or two of water to get the consistency correct but it works well…

Chrystal:

A friend of mine told me to make pancakes with muffin mix. We tried it and loved it! Now it is so easy to get different flavors of pancakes that are quick to make…although i do feel like I am cheating.

Note: Though we think our Pancake mixes are the best for making fantastic pancakes we do make muffin mixes if you want to try Chrystal’s tip. Let us know how it turns out if you do.

Brandi:

Add uncooked quick oats to pancake batter – it gives it a nutty flavor, fluffy texture, and a bit more nutrition! Also great in homemade sourdough pancakes.

Vickie:

Add fresh blueberries…makes a yummy pancake.

Blueberry Hill Pancakes!

Today is Fat’s Domino’s Birthday so we decided to take off on “Blueberry Hill” for those of you old enough to sing the song.

Everyone talks about the benefits of blueberries to our health these days. They are the highest antioxidant fruit, rich in vitamins to boost your immune system.  They help reduce risk factors for cardiovascular disease.  They have compounds touted to prevent cancer.  If that isn’t enough, blueberries are high in fiber too.  Everyone forgets to talk about the fact they are yummy too.

Add blueberries to our Tenda Bake Buttermilk Pancake Mix with the buttermilk and egg already in it so all you need to add is milk or water and fruit, and you will have a great and healthy breakfast to start your day.

Blueberry Pancakes

Serves 4.

2 cups Tenda-Bake Buttermilk Pancake Mix

1 cup milk or water

1 cup fresh blueberries, thawed and drained
Blueberry Syrup
2 pints blueberries
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
1 Lemon zest
Cook all ingredients together until thicken.  Cool and Serve on Tenda-Bake Pancakes.

Heat griddle to 350°F or heat skillet or griddle on stove over medium heat (water should sizzle and then evaporate).

Measure mix by lightly spooning into measuring cup and leveling off the top.

Add the milk or water and mix just until moistened.  Batter should be thick and lumpy, BUT pourable, if batter is too thick, add milk or water (up to 1/3 cup).

Gently stir in blueberries to mix.

Pour slightly less that ¼ cup batter onto hot, lightly greased or nonstick griddle or skillet.

Cook for 1 to 1 ½ minute on each side or until golden brown, turning when the bubbles on the surface begin to pop and the edges look dry.  Turn only one time of the pancakes will be tough.

Serve with additional berries on the top if desired.

Makes 5-6 pancakes.

7-grain Pancakes with Honey.

 

Prepare Tenda-Bake 7-Grain pancakes and add your favorite nuts.

Turn and cook until done. Top with your favorite honey.

Maple Toasted Pecan Pancakes.

Tenda-Bake Maple Burst Pancakes are unique, to our knowledge no one else has them for consumers to make at home.  They are similar to fast food breakfast sandwiches, but made at home, they are more versatile.   We love the mix with pecans added for a sweet and nutty pancake.  Many consumers like the maple pancakes even without syrup, but have some on hand when you add the nuts.  We like to have extra nuts for topping as well as in the pancakes.

 

If you have never tried this mix, it is available at Southern supermarkets or on our web site at www.tendabake.com.

 

Serves 4.

 

2 cups Tenda-Bake Maple Burst Pancake Mix

1 cup milk or water

½ cup chopped toasted pecans*

 

Heat griddle to 350°F or heat skillet or griddle on stove over medium heat (water should sizzle and then evaporate).

 

Measure mix by lightly spooning into measuring cup and leveling off the top.

 

Add the milk or water and mix just until moistened.  Batter should be thick and lumpy, BUT pourable, if batter is too thick, add milk or water (up to 1/3 cup).

 

Gently stir in pecans.

 

Pour slightly less than ¼ cup batter onto hot, lightly greased or nonstick griddle or skillet.

 

Cook for 1 to 1 ½ minute on each side or until golden brown, turning when the bubbles on the surface begin to pop and the edges look dry.  Turn only one time of the pancakes will be tough.

 

Serve with additional pecans on the top if desired.

 

*To toast pecans, heat oven to 350 degrees. Spread pecans on a baking sheet with 2 tablespoons of melted butter.  Toast for 5 minutes or until lightly browned.