Sunday Brunch Series: BACON PANCAKES

The word of the weekend is BACON. Salty, crunchy, greasy, crackling, porky goodness. Not only did Bryan and I throw our cholesterol levels to the wind and attend an underground bacon dinner last night (review coming soon), this morning we're continuing the theme by making bacon pancakes. 

I rarely have bacon in the house and today was no exception. Luckily, we've got a Trader Joe's two blocks away... so I did what any slightly hungover Angeleno would do and DROVE to the store to buy bacon. That's right. I make no apologies.

To add to my laziness, I bought what has officially become one of my favorite time-saver products: Fully cooked, apple-smoked bacon strips. Just throw them in a hot pan and let them crisp up on one side, then flip 'em over and repeat. In two minutes, I had hot and crispy bacon pieces that would soon become the star in our hangover pancake brunch. Scrambled eggs and fresh-squeezed OJ rounded out the cast.

Making bacon pancakes is fast and foolproof. Just whip up your favorite pancake batter recipe (my favorites are my mom's pancake recipe, Kodiak Cakes and Trader Joe's multi-grain pancake mixes) and crisp up some bacon. Crumble the bacon strips into small pieces and set aside. Lightly grease and heat a pancake griddle over a medium flame. After a minute or two, sprinkle one or two TINY drops of water on the surface of the griddle. If the water sizzles and evaporates immediately, the griddle is ready. Ladle spoonfuls of batter onto the griddle. While the batter is cooking, sprinkle bacon pieces onto each pancake. When the batter begins to bubble (usually after 1-2 minutes), flip the pancakes and let cook until fluffy and browned. Transfer pancakes to a warm plate and cover with foil while you cook the rest of the pancakes. When you're ready to serve, top each pancake with butter, warm maple syrup and a few more sprinkles of bacon (because really, why not?).

That's it! No fancy gadgets, ingredients or instructions. Just some pancake mix and bacon strips and you've got yourself a heck of a bacon brunch. Indulge and enjoy!