The Perfect Pancake

2 ts Baking powder

1 t Sugar

1 t Salt

1 1/2 c Flour

2 Eggs

1 1/2 c Milk

3 tb Melted vegetable shortening

-(margarine can be -substituted in a pinch)

Sift baking powder, sugar, salt into a bowl. Add eggs, milk and shortening (shortening can melted in microwave at high for approximately 2.5 minutes). Mix all ingredients and scrape bowl. Heat fry pan or griddle to medium high. (Lightly grease pan or griddle with Pam or margarine.) Use 1/4 cup of batter for each pancake. Cook until bubbles form on the uncooked surface or the edges become dry. Turn pancake until golden brown on underside and serve. Option: The amount of milk can be varied to change the thickness of the pancakes. However, please note that the batter will rise during cooking so experiment by adding more milk as you cook to the remaining batter on your first batch. *********** The Pancake: There is rarely anything more satisfying than good pancakes, possibly because we rely so heavily on egg dishes for breakfast. Once you have your basic recipe almost anything can be added for any variation under the sun. Chopped apples, berries, nuts, even chopped chocolate can grace this simple dish. *********** The Problem: Most recipes call for a cooling period in the fridge for a number of hours which forces you to pre)predict what the family wants for the next day's breakfast or to cut the cooling time and produce pancakes the size and texture of bar coasters. Many run to Bisquick or Aunt Jemima for a commercial solution. Here is a batter which will produce better pancakes in less time, with more fun, to more acclaim, at a greatly reduced cost.