Rodeo Pancakes

Growing up in San Antonio I went to the rodeo just about every year around this time of the year.  Well, maybe not the actual rodeo where the cowboys are riding bulls and competing but I remember walking around the fairgrounds and the stockyards looking at the animals.  Sometimes we got to go to the actual rodeo and go to a concert, like Ricky Van Shelton or Alan Jackson or Reba, to name a few (I realize I just let some of you know how old I might be).  Then in high school for at least one year the dance and drill team got to be escorts and seat everyone at the rodeo so we got to see quite a few shows that year (one being Linda Ronsdant, not my fave).  I'm pretty sure that ended when Ms. Cantu left Madison.  I digress, I've been watching a lot of my San Antonio peeps (I moved after college) update their Facebook statuses with postings about the rodeo and this year I actually miss it.  This morning I started to think "How can I teach my kids a little about the rodeo?"  Ah ha!  I'll make pancakes and use the cowboy cookie cutters!  I was so excited, much more than my kiddos.  I told my four year old all about the rodeo and compared it to the State Fair, which is probably better to some but it's bigger and more crowded (but I do love it).  I think my four year would LOVE the rodeo all because of her current favorite shoes...cowgirl boots!  Don't be confused, they're not cowboy boots because she's a GIRL and they're white and PINK.  Back to the pancakes...I just used my regular stand-by Aunt Jemima whole wheat mix, warmed my pan, sprayed the pan and cookie cutters (have to be metal) with PAM, placed the cutters on the pan and filled with 1/4 cup of batter.  After they started to bubble I flipped the whole thing including the cutter over and then after they were finished I used an oven mitt to remove from pan and gently pushed the pancake out with a fork.  My kiddos prefer whipped cream rather than syrup so I put a little on each pancake and they were delish!

Cowboy pancake

Cowboy hat pancake