Well they say that summer is here – heh heh – I wore a silk shawl and a raincoat on Thursday. Did you hear that – a COAT – in mid-June. Who ever heard of such a thing! But truly, it is the grilling season and the good folks at Wilton Armetale wanted to send me a griddle to try out. I said, “SURE, I know that brand well!” When my husband and I got married some 33 years ago (eee gads!), we received so many Wilton Armetale pieces – several different sizes of platters, bowls, and other serving dishes. At the time, we had never heard of them. (what did we know?) They must have had a marketing initiative and became all the rage. They were pretty – looked like pewter but no need to polish. We still use those same pieces today. 
So now, I guess they figured out that the material is a great conductor of heat and are positioning this griddle as a “cook and serve” piece. For cooking it is terrific, but I personally don’t see the need to bring a hot grill pan to the table. No matter, this is an excellent griddle. I love the size – it spans two burners so you can cook six big pancakes at a time! Which is exactly what I did the first time out. You can also use this on your outdoor grill for things like asparagus and other vegetables. The smooth surface is a nice alternative rather than having grill marks, when you don’t want them.
I’d like to share with you this pancake recipe from AllRecipes.com. I looked for an easy one as I’m not about to be whipping egg whites and folding them in on a Sunday morning, as my brother Steve does. He LOVES making breakfast, and we get to be the lucky receivers/eaters when we are all together. I love to eat a great breakfast without spending too much time making it and then get on with the day filled with an already too big list of things I need to do on a weekend, if you know what I mean. This recipe produced super light and fluffy cakes – give it a go tomorrow morning and let me know how it works for you!
My mother always served us our pancakes with melted butter and warmed maple syrup. She would say, “Well how can you put a cold pat of butter on your pancakes – it’ll take some time to melt and then everything will get cold. You need warm melted butter and warm syrup – not cold syrup from the refrigerator.”
I know, we were spoiled, and I have kept up that tradition. 🙂
GOOD OLD FASHIONED PANCAKES – serves 4 – adapted from AllRecipes.com (they say this serves 8, but I think not)
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 tbs. white sugar
1 1/4 cups milk
1 egg, lightly beaten
3 tbs. butter, melted
In a medium bowl, lightly beat the egg and combine with the milk and melted butter. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Make a well in the center and pour in the liquid mixture; mix until smooth. Let rest for 5 minutes to let the baking powder activate.
Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake. Brown on both sides and serve hot.
