Palacinkas

When I was growing up, there were few things that could make me wake up early on a Saturday morning: bowling, cartoons, and palacinkas. The first two weren't even a guarantee.

My neighbor, Elaine would make this tasty breakfast item and invite us over. Palacinkas (pronounced pala-chink-uhs) are the Slovakian version of crepes, but way more fun to say! The trick to this dish is to eat them hot off the skillet. If you're wanting a nice sit down, together meal with the family, you may want to try a different recipe.

When Josh and I were visiting Omaha before we made our move to Germany, I begged for this recipe. I thought it was some secret family recipe and I was prepared to barter if I had to. Instead, Miss Elaine kindly dropped it off to me and wished us a safe journey. Well that was easy.

Somehow, with all the moving we've done since arriving here, I misplaced that sacred recipe. A few weeks ago I was going through a box of books looking for something to read, and I found it. I've been wanting to try it ever since, but I was nervous because I've never made them before and I didn't want to mess them up, especially since Josh had never had them before.

Josh called to let me know that he had to work late last night and I thought this was the perfect time to try them. I get a little anxious when I try new recipes with Josh. If he doesn't like it the first time, we probably won't try it again. So, if I mess them up, he'll never know. But this is something I've tried and know can be good, if I do it right. No pressure.

I'm totally going to toot my own horn on this one. These palacinkas turned out fantastic! Josh got home shortly after I had finished eating so I whipped him up his own plate. He raved about them, and said we'll definitely have these again soon!

Palacinkas:
1 1/2 c. flour, sifted
1/3 c. sugar
3 eggs
1/2 tsp. vanilla
milk

Beat all ingredients together, adding milk last. I added about 1 1/2 cups milk, you want the batter to be on the thin side. Heat a skillet to medium-high heat, melting butter (or using cooking spray) in the skillet. Add about 1/2 cup of batter to the skillet. Move the skillet around to coat the bottom of the pan. When the top has a dry look, flip it (the edges curl a little too). The other side will only need a few seconds. Remove to a plate.

You can spread anything on your palacinkas. Jam, marmalade, fresh fruit with some cream cheese. I keep it simple: a little butter, syrup, roll it up (I recommend only adding syrup to the side you start the roll on, otherwise it gets messy), and sprinkle with a little powdered sugar. Voilà.

Cole loved it too, he pigged out and ate an entire one by himself (I kept his plain). What's great about this recipe, is you can make it the night before and refrigerate it until you need it. We had leftovers and got to enjoy more palacinkas this morning!