For oatmeal, there isn’t a particularly great brand
There totally is! It’s called “Bob’s Red Mill”, and they have both rolled oats (my favorite) and steel-cut. I highly recommend their stuff.
French toast is my favorite thing to make
I also like French toast quite a bit. Challah is a great suggestion; here’s another one: brioche! Get a soft, buttery brioche, slice it thick, and you’ll get fantastic French toast out of it.
Also, try adding just a bit of nutmeg to the mix (but don’t overdo it).
The key is to find the right [pancake] mix
With a bit of advance planning, you can get the best of both worlds—the deliciousness of homemade from-scratch pancakes, and the convenience of a ready-made mix. The trick is to make your own pancake mix! Here’s a simple recipe—but of course you will want to substitute real butter for the vegetable shortening (yuck!).
And here’s one of my own favorite NYC breakfast-food places (I would definitely be very sad if it closed down):
It’s on 3rd Ave. and 73rd St. in Bay Ridge (that’s in Brooklyn! not uptown Manhattan).
Let me tell you, ladies & gents, I have eaten (and made!) a lot of crepes in my life. The ones they serve at the Crepe Factory (which, despite the name, is actually a cozy little hole-in-the-wall place that would struggle to fit a dozen people at once) are the best.
Get the ice cream crepe (strawberries, bananas, Nutella, vanilla ice cream, whipped cream):
Or, if you want something savory instead of sweet, get the Chicken Cordon Bleu crepe (you actually get two of these—good for sharing!).
Excellent post!
Some comments/additions:
There totally is! It’s called “Bob’s Red Mill”, and they have both rolled oats (my favorite) and steel-cut. I highly recommend their stuff.
I also like French toast quite a bit. Challah is a great suggestion; here’s another one: brioche! Get a soft, buttery brioche, slice it thick, and you’ll get fantastic French toast out of it.
Also, try adding just a bit of nutmeg to the mix (but don’t overdo it).
With a bit of advance planning, you can get the best of both worlds—the deliciousness of homemade from-scratch pancakes, and the convenience of a ready-made mix. The trick is to make your own pancake mix! Here’s a simple recipe—but of course you will want to substitute real butter for the vegetable shortening (yuck!).
And here’s one of my own favorite NYC breakfast-food places (I would definitely be very sad if it closed down):
Crepe Factory
It’s on 3rd Ave. and 73rd St. in Bay Ridge (that’s in Brooklyn! not uptown Manhattan).
Let me tell you, ladies & gents, I have eaten (and made!) a lot of crepes in my life. The ones they serve at the Crepe Factory (which, despite the name, is actually a cozy little hole-in-the-wall place that would struggle to fit a dozen people at once) are the best.
Get the ice cream crepe (strawberries, bananas, Nutella, vanilla ice cream, whipped cream):
Or, if you want something savory instead of sweet, get the Chicken Cordon Bleu crepe (you actually get two of these—good for sharing!).