Crepes with Kids!

Sometimes it is so nice to wake up in the morning and realize that you have no place to be.  The car can sit in the driveway all day.  Children don't have to be brought to school at an ungodly hour and you can stay in your pajamas for as long as you want.  No one is coming over, because no one else has to be anywhere and your house is definitely not a destination.  That happened yesterday.  The planets aligned and my alarm clock didn't go off.  It was a perfect day for a hot warm filling breakfast from my kitchen.

My newest acquisition in my kitchen is a new crepe pan.  The idea of crepes has always fascinated me.  I love that they are thin, not too sweet and can be filled with anything.  Last year when my husband and I took our annual mecca to Traverse City I fell in love with crepes.  We went to a small French bakery and they served crepes fill with smoked salmon, capers, creme fraiche, onions, field greens and dill.  It was probably the best breakfast I ever had.  So I decided to introduce my children to the world of crepes.  One mangled, non-circular crepe at a time.

Crepes take talent.  A lot of talent.  Crepes take patience.  A lot of patience.  Crepes take practice.  A lot of practice.  There also is the timing, temperature of the pan and the speed that you put the batter in the pan.  Half of our first batch went into the garbage or the dog (one was happier than the other).  After the talent, the patience and practice you soon get to see some crepes appearing.  It does get easier.  I promise.

There are a million crepe recipes out there.  I found one that was easy to prepare, did not require a wait time and can be made with ingredients that can be found at home.  A lot of recipes for crepes require the recipe to refrigerate for an hour or more.  I will attempt that at some point, but when you have hungry kids, time is of the essence.  Speaking of the hungry kids, they decided they wanted something sweet to put inside of the crepes.  What better than warm homemade applesauce and some fresh whipped cream!

Crepes

Ingredients

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted

Directions

1. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour and the eggs. Gradually add in the milk and water, stirring to combine. Add the salt and butter; beat until smooth.
2. Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each crepe. Tilt the pan with a circular motion so that the batter coats the surface evenly.
3. Cook the crepe for about 2 minutes, until the bottom is light brown. Loosen with a spatula, turn and cook the other side. Serve hot.