Pancake perfection

Have you ever made a pancake in your rice cooker?  Before this morning I would have likened that question with someone asking if I steam broccoli in my toilet. However, I tried this (not going to try the broccoli thing) and it rocks. The way I make pancakes has forever been changed. 

I saw a Facebook post about this cooking method. Usually when I see an idea like that I think, "Wow that looks like fun. I should do that sometime!" - then I'm distracted by something shiny and the idea dies there. I actually followed through with this one and did it within like a half an hour too.  Freaking miracle, I tell ya!

I combined my pancake mix with it's necessary ingredients, dumped it all in my rice cooker, pressed "cook" and left it.  A few minutes later Mr. rice cooker beeped to let me know my perfect pancake was ready for consumption. Note, I am not a food photographer or stylist. Clearly...

The kids thought it was fun, it tasted great and it was kind of pretty!  Apparently there are all sorts of crazy things you can do with your rice cooker. I might have found a new hobby.

The sensitive father

Like most kids, my kids are picky eaters. But because we live in Kansas City and because my husband recently purchased a new Smoker and has not stopped smoking things for more than a 5 minute period since, my children love BBQ. Gates sauce is a favorite in our household and my daughter will eat it on anything. It isn't normal how much our 5 year old likes it. She loves anything and everything BBQ'd and I know this because I think my husband has smoked every kind of meat known to mankind since he got his new toy.

Today we were driving past a graveyard (bet you are wondering how these are related) and my daughter was really fascinated by it and asked where her great grandfather's graveyard is. I looked at the hubs and kind of gave him the look of why don't you take this one. You see my husband's grandfather was cremated and I was just not sure of how to explain that to her in a delicate manner. I can now for certain tell you how NOT to explain it.

D: "Well honey, when they die some people's bodies are buried like the people in this graveyard."

E: Getting impatient. "I know that dad, I'm asking where Grandpa's grave is."

D: "He doesn't have a grave. His body wasn't buried, it was BBQ'd."

It's unfortunate that we live in the BBQ capital of the world. I'm pretty sure my daughter is never going to eat it again.