Pancakes are not the easiest thing to make.

Here are a few tips on how to make them

INGREDIENTS

• 2 large eggs
• 1 1/4 cups whole milk
• 4 tablespoons melted butter
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 3/4 cups flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 tablespoon sugar

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Mix flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar: In a medium-size mixing bowl, whisk together all your dry ingredients
2. Mix milk, eggs, and melted butter: In a separate bowl, whisk together all of the wet ingredients until the egg is broken up.
3. Combine the wet and dry: Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Gently stir them together until you stop seeing flour. Be careful not to over mix, that will make the batter tough. Leave a few lumps for tender pancakes.
4. Preheat the pan: Place your pan over a medium-high flame and let the surface get hot. It’ hot enough when you sprinkle a few droplets of water over the surface and they evaporate.
5. Oil the pan: Moisten a paper towel with vegetable oil and lightly wipe the bottom of the pan. This will keep the pancakes from sticking.
6. Prepare the sacrifice: It is one of the great unsolved mysteries of the universe that the first pancake is always a disaster. Accept it and move on to pancake number 2.
7. For each pancake, gently pour 1/2 cup of batter into the pan, using a ladle or a measuring cup. Use the back of a spoon to spread the batter into a circle.
8. Wait: Watch the pancakes carefully. Bubbles will form in the batter. When they begin to pop, the pancakes are ready to be flipped. Turn over gently with the spatula and cook for about one minute on the flip side.

Recipe from food republic .com

What to use in a marinade

Marinades vary from recipe to recipe but they usually contain  – acids, oils and seasonings.

Acids

Acids tenderize meat by unravels its proteins by softening the surface and allowing flavours to be absorbed. Acids to choose from are vinegar, wine, sherry, citrus juice, yoghurt and buttermilk.

Yoghurt and buttermilk keep foods moist,  but a citrus-based marinade can “cook” raw fish.

OILS

The oil locks in the flavour of the food and helps prevent drying out. Some oils add flavour.  Some good oils to use for marinating are olive, sesame, peanut and infused oils (such as chilli).

Seasonings

Seasonings add unique flavours. Garlic, ginger and onion are some to name, but you can also use fresh herbs and chilli to spice things up, or honey and sugar to sweeten it up. Seasonings also include soy sauce, sriracha, citrus peel, mustard, salt and pepper, and herbs and spices.

Marinating basics

According to Taste.au

The longer food is left to marinate, the more flavoursome it will be. That is the general rule. You need to know that the ideal marinating time usually depends on what you’re marinating, the size of the ingredients and the type of marinade you are using.

For best results, follow these general guidelines and see our chart below.

• Small or tender cuts, such as lamb and beef fillets, chicken breasts and seafood, require shorter marinating times (usually two to four hours). Larger or tougher cuts such as leg, rump or shoulder will need longer (usually four to six hours).
• Be careful when using acidic marinades. Foods left too long in these blends can change colour and texture. Fish fillets, for example, can change in a matter of minutes.

Guide to marinating times

Dry Rubs

Not all marinades need to contain liquid ingredients – some consist of only dry ingredients, such as herbs and spices. These mixtures are often referred to as “rubs” (because they are literally rubbed onto the surface of your food). Once the rub is applied to your meat, chicken or fish, cover the dish with plastic wrap and place in the fridge to marinate.

Safety tips

• Marinades used for raw meat or poultry can be used to baste ingredients as they cook, or for a sauce, but they need to be boiled first. Place the marinade in a saucepan over high heat and boil for 5 minutes. This will kill any harmful bacteria.
• Marinate meat, chicken and fish in the fridge to prevent the growth of harmful bacteria.

INGREDIENTS

• 1-1/2 pounds ground beef
• 2 envelopes taco seasoning, divided
• 1 medium head iceberg lettuce
• 1 package (10 ounces) nacho-flavored tortilla chips, coarsely crushed
• 2 pints grape tomatoes, halved
• 2 cans (16 ounces each) kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• 3 cans (2-1/4 ounces each) sliced ripe olives, drained
• 1-1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 large sweet onion, chopped
• 2 cans (4 ounces each) chopped green chilies
• 1-1/2 cups Thousand Island salad dressing
• 1-1/3 cups salsa
• 1/3 cup sugar

INSTRUCTIONS