Cranberry-Pear Pancakes

In the Pantry Challenge video series, Lauren Braun Costello -- chef, author and food stylist -- shows busy moms how to make meals using ingredients they already have in their pantries, solving their unique cooking challenges. In this episode, Lauren shows Silu N., a mother of two, how to make a hot and nutritious breakfast using dried cranberries.

Making pancakes is relatively simple. To begin, Lauren mixes together flour, sugar, baking powder (this is what makes the pancakes fluffy), cinnamon and salt. Then she adds the wet ingredients: Buttermilk (you can use regular whole milk if you don't have buttermilk on hand), beaten eggs, melted butter and a little vanilla. Then it's time to mix, but she cautions not to overdo it -- just 20 or 30 strokes is plenty. Over-mixing will lead to tough pancakes.

She stirs in dried cranberries and sliced fresh pear, then uses a measuring cup to ladle out the batter -- this keeps the pancakes a consistent size. Once the pancakes are cooked, they can be eaten immediately, or frozen on a sheet tray and then transferred to a resealable plastic bag. To reheat, just pop them in the microwave and you've got an instant breakfast.

Get the Recipe for Cranberry-Pear Pancakes.