The Morning After: Orange Pancakes with Berry-Orange Sauce

We're back! Mark and I have been extremely busy over the past few months which unfortunately has caused us to neglect our blog. We got in engaged (Yay!), we fostered a dog, and we refinished our hardwood floors. We still ate during that time (obviously), but most of our time had been dedicated to others things. Now that the dust has settled (literally), we have more time to focus on one of the things we enjoy most, eating.
For those of you that know me well, know that I have a bottomless pit of a stomach. Last night Mark and I hosted Thanksgiving dinner with his family and we ate A LOT of food. We had lemon and herb roasted Cornish hens, collard greens, roasted Parmesan cauliflower, jambalaya dressing, cranberry chutney, and caramel pecan pumpkin pie. We averted a major disaster after the roasting pan didn't fit into our oven and we had to improvise with a baking sheet. The fat from the cornish hens spilled over the baking sheet and dripped onto the coils which filled the house with smoke!
When I woke up this morning I was STARVING and I wanted to reward myself (and Mark) for planning and hosting a successful Thanksgiving dinner. Mark usually isn't hungry in the morning and it often takes some coercing to get him to eat. I asked Mark if he wanted breakfast and our conversation went like this:

Me: Babe, are you hungry?
Mark: No, I am good right now.
Me: Well, I am making breakfast, so you're hungry.
Mark: Ok
Me: Get excited. Are you excited?
Mark: YEAH!

I enjoy cooking pancakes because they are easy to make and the varieties are endless. We had an orange that we didn't use for our cocktails and it inspired me to make orange pancakes. After a quick Google search I stumbled upon a recipe for Orange Pancakes with Berry-Orange Sauce by Iowa Girl Eats. I had all of the ingredients to make the pancakes, so it was an easy decision.

For the berry-orange sauce, combine 1 cup of frozen mixed berries, 2 tablespoons of orange juice, 1 teaspoon of orange zest, and 1-2 teaspoons of sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a bubble then reduce heat and cook until thickened. I added a pinch of flour because my sauce was a bit too runny. Remove from heat and place a lid on top to keep warm.

To make the orange pancakes, combine 1/2 cup each of buttermilk and orange juice in a bowl and set aside for a few minutes. Next whisk in 1 egg, 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil, and 1/2 teaspoon of orange zest.

In a separate bowl add 1 cup of flour, 2 tablespoons of sugar, 1 teaspoon of baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda, and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and fold with a spatula to combine.

Heat a teaspoon of butter in a pan over medium heat. Pour 1/4 cup of batter into the pan and cook until the pancake starts to bubble on top. Flip and cook until both sides are golden brown. Repeat until batter is gone.

Top the pancakes with the orange-berry sauce, give the closest person a high-five, then eat!

Ingredients:
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup orange juice
1 egg
2 tablespoons of butter or vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon orange zest
1 cup flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

Berry-Orange Sauce:
1 cup frozen mixed berries
2 tablespoons orange juice
1 teaspoon orange zest
1-2 teaspoons sugar

Directions:

1. Combine ingredients for the Berry-Orange Sauce in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a bubble, reduce heat and cook until thickened. Add flour if needed. Remove from heat and cover with a lid to keep warm.
2. Combine milk and orange juice in a bowl and set aside for a few minutes. In a separate bowl add flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Whisk egg, vegetable oil, and orange zest into the milk and orange mixture. Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl with the dry ingredients and mix until combined. 
3. Heat pan over medium heat and add butter. Pour 1/4 cup of batter onto pan and cook until the pancake bubbles. Flip the pancake and cook until both sides are golden brown. Repeat until batter is gone. Top pancakes with Berry-Orange Sauce.

-Michelle