Catching up on Easter Weekend

Good evening, dear Reader. We have now crossed into May and I have yet to still catch up on my April foodie experiences. With this said, I begin this relatively brisk post with another "from scratch" pancake recipe, or rather, my "cakes in a pan."

Taking a spin off my original pancake recipe, the primary difference between the two is the separation and beating of the egg whites (in an attempt to make "fluffier" pancakes). I'm not entirely confident I achieved the fluffier aspect, but they certainly achieved some structured height. To add to the theoretical lightness of the batter, and because I had more culinary tools to work with, I began by sifting 1 c flour and 1 packed tsp each baking powder and light brown sugar.

To this dry mix, I added a liquid mix of egg yolk beaten into 1 tbsp canola oil, a few drops of vanilla extract and 1 c milk. In a separate bowl, I used a fork to "foam" the egg whites to soft peaks and then quickly folded it into the batter.

After adding a handful (or two) of chocolate chips, I cooked the pancakes, while making a reduction of triple berry jam and orange juice (with a pinch or two of granulated sugar). Topping it off with powdered sugar, there is no doubt this sweet concoction is a bright way of starting a morning.

Dinner on the evening of the aforementioned pancakes brought my family and I to a new restaurant which recently opened in Lathrup Village: Salvatore Scallopini. Reasonably priced and well portioned, Salvatore's culinary offerings bring a taste of Italy to the suburbs.

Among the more memorable dining options are the baked pasta combination plate (above, stuffed shells and eggplant parmesan) and their tiramisu, the texture of which is fairly light and cuts through any sense of heaviness following a pasta course.

On Easter Sunday, I had a great Steakhouse Mac & Cheese (new to the menu, and with hickory smoked bacon!) at LongHorn Steakhouse in Allen Park, before joining Lauren and her family for Easter dinner (photos above). Speaking of photos, this brings us to my return to campus after the Easter weekend at home, and another round of on-campus cooking; for other photos Easter weekend food photos, click here.