Silver Dollar Pancakes

Learning to make silver dollar pancakes can be so much fun! These pancakes are a little bigger than the silver dollar coins in the United States that were made before 1979, or two to three inches in diameter. They are made by frying a small spoonful of the batter for each pancake. Silver dollar pancakes make a perfect breakfast, especially when they’re drizzled with maple syrup.

To make the pancakes, you first have to gather all the ingredients and have your materials ready. You will need 1 1/4 cups of flour, 2 tablespoons of sugar, 3/4 teaspoons of salt,  2 teaspoons of baking powder, 1 1/3 cups of milk, 3 tablespoons of salad oil, a stick of butter, and one egg. In addition you will need a medium-sized bowl to mix the ingredients, a mixing spoon, measuring cups, measuring spoons, a stove, a plate, pancake turner, and a griddle or pan. Mix the flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder together in the bowl with the mixing spoon. Then, add the salad oil, milk, and egg into the mixture. Keep stirring until the mixture is smooth. Next, preheat the griddle on the stove, and spread some butter onto the pan to prevent the pancakes from sticking on to the pan. When the butter starts to sizzle, pour the batter onto the griddle by spoonfuls. As the pancakes start bubbling, carefully flip them over. When the pancakes start to brown or become more firm, put them on a plate. Finally, spread the pancakes with butter, drizzle some maple syrup on top, and enjoy!

As, you can see, learning to make silver dollar pancakes can be so much fun! It’s really important to follow the recipe and have all the ingredients closely. Otherwise, this may lead to undesirable results. Don’t be discouraged if your first or second attempts are unsuccessful. With practice, your silver dollar pancakes will smell, look, and taste amazing!

Pancake Adventure

Mmmm.... who doesn’t love silver dollar pancakes with warm maple syrup for breakfast? I tried to make them for the first time one morning when I was eight years old. It was quite an adventure!

First, I opened the cookbook, and gathered all the ingredients and materials that were needed. I mixed together 1 and ¼ cup of flour, 1 teaspoon of sugar, 2 tablespoons of salt, and 2 teaspoons of baking soda. So far so good, or so I thought... Next, I stirred in the milk, egg, and salad oil. Just when I was about to pour a cup of salad oiI into the bowl of pancake mix, I hesitated. One cup of salad oil seemed a little bit too much just for a few pancakes. I re-read the recipe and discovered that only 3 tablespoons of oil were needed. Whew! It was a good thing I read the recipe carefully!

Finally, it was time to cook the pancakes. I melted some butter on the pan, and waited impatiently as the pancakes sizzled and filled the house with an amazing aroma. All my brothers were lining up to taste the pancakes. They didn’t even mind that some of the pancakes had inadvertently landed on the floor while I was flipping them.

As they took their first bites, their eager smiles quickly faded, replaced with contorted frowns. “Why on earth were they spitting up the pancakes?”  I wondered. As I took my first bite, I understood. BLAH!  Even drenched with maple syrup, the pancake tasted AWFUL!

As I reread the recipe again, the mystery was solved. I had put 1 teaspoon instead of 2 tablespoons of sugar. Also, I added baking soda instead of baking powder; and to top it off, I put in two tablespoons instead of half teaspoon of salt. Ooops...

I learned a few lessons that day. I found out that just a few mistakes in following a recipe can drastically change the taste of pancakes. Furthermore, my experiment confirmed the saying, “Looks can be deceiving.” It was hard to believe, that something that smelled and looked so delicious could taste so dreadful! Next time, I’m sure they’ll turn out much better. After all, we all know that “Practice makes perfect!’

Middle Ages began after Western Rome collapsed, but relics stayed
Feudalism was introduced and changed Rome’s ways
Christianity became the recognized religion as it rose to power
Guilds, trade and commerce developed; common law
There were castles and manors, but many homes were small
Magna Carta, Bubonic Plague, and Hundred Years War.

End of the Roman Empire in 476 C.E started the medieval times
Rome’s influence continues into modern days
Murals, mosaics, cameos, frescoes, are here to stay
Domes, vaults, cathedrals, the magnificent Colosseum and Pantheon
The ideas of roads, bridges, and aqueducts live on!
Philosophy and modern languages effects are felt, though Rome is gone!

Feudalism Developed, and monarchs made demands
Charlemagne, crowned Holy Emperor unified Christian lands!
Lords managed and defended their land, living in their manors
Knights followed the code of chivalry, squires carried banners
Livestock, and farming- being a peasant and serf was tough!
Serfs paid taxes, head money, and tallage- life was simply rough!

In Medieval times, Christians were persecuted for their beliefs
Yet Christianity became the recognized religion of the Romans 395 C.E
Monasteries provided hospitality to refugees,
Monks devoted their lives to prayer, faith, and study
Sacraments were an essential part of gaining true salvation
Christians went on pilgrimages to show extraordinary acts of devotion.

Europe’s towns began as centers for trade,
Merchants, guilds and journeymen too
worked and traded, commerce grew
Bubonic plague, a deadly disease, was spread by disgusting fleas.
Trial by ordeal or combat were used to prove innocence or guilt
People watched mystery and miracle plays put on by guilds.

V“A jury formally accuse a person of a crime,” Henry II demanded
“Put your seal to the Magna Carta, King John!” the angry barons all commanded
Commoners were included in the government during King Edward’s time.
During the wars, the French, horse mounted knights had heavy armor and crossbows
The English army had lightly-armored knights, foot soldiers, and archers with longbows.
The political changes, bubonic plague, and the Hundred Years’ War ended Feudalism

After the fall, remaining Romans went to Constantinople instead
The city was advanced, but many lived in poverty begging for bread
Chariot teams were upset at Justinian, They fought until 30,000 were dead!
Justinian built a better city than before; new bridges and roads; revised laws more
Christianity was the very foundation of the Byzantine Empire
Eastern Orthodox Church and Roman Catholic Church clashed, leaders were fired!

Legacy of ancient Rome influences our world today
In Western Europe, the Roman Catholic Church played a central role
As trade and commerce grew, towns too began to grow
The decline of feudalism was caused by three key events
A schism formed because of the churches’ many disagreements.
The influence of the Roman Empire is here to stay!

My Skiing Adventure

Snowflakes were falling in the FREEZING fresh mountain air. Nope, it wasn't Christmas, it was spring break and I was skiing for the very first time at Squaw Valley, Lake Tahoe! You should have seen my ski outfit! I looked like Neil Armstrong! I was wearing a gigantic ski jacket, ski pants, a helmet, goggles, skis, and ski boots. I was so excited to learn how to ski that I wanted to run to my class but all that stuff I was carrying only allowed me to walk 1 mile per hour.

Everyone was going up the pony lift, a ski lift that brings you up a hill or mountain when you grasp onto a handle. I have never been on one and didn’t know how to use it. When I tried to reach the handle to grab it, I almost fell on my face. That would have been very embarrassing if I did. I enjoyed the fun ride until I realized I didn’t know how to get out of the pony lift. I saw people let go of the handle and slide down the hill perfectly, so I did the same except I didn’t slide down the hill perfectly. Instead, as I let go, I slipped and landed on my posterior and slid down the whole hill exactly like that. After a few rounds on the lift, I finally knew how to get on and off of it perfectly.

We next took the gondola, is a tram that takes you up to the mountains. The gondola rocked precariously back and forth as it traveled. This made me so motion sick that I immediately threw up after we got off the gondola. I rested for a few minutes and felt better afterwards. Then, we went on a real ski lift.

This time, you could sit down next to someone while you went up. I liked this lift much better than the pony lift. The things I found disturbing was the distance between me and the ground, and the fact that I didn’t know how to get off the lift...again. Also, I was terrified that there were no seatbelts! As the end of the lift was approaching, I thought, “What if I take the lift back down? That would be pretty fun!” I decided to attempt to get off the right way.

As it turned out, I didn’t die and I made it safely on the ground! I skied down the steep hill with my class. Every second ,it seemed that I would fall in the snow. There were so many people skiing too and it was hard not to run into them if you were skiing for the first time. We went up and down again and again. Finally, class was over. I’m sure if I ever want to ski ever again, but if I do, I will bring a barf-bag next time!

Stitches

For more than a year, EVERY day seemed like it was Halloween. It began seven years ago, when I was riding a bike during recess in kindergarten. I fell on the left side of my forehead, and ended up with a vertical gash just outside of my eyebrow, between my eyes. Yikes! There was soooo much blood gushing from the wound!

My mom took me to the emergency room. The doctor said that I should get stitches. I was scared and nervous. The doctor’s assistant showed me what they were going to do to me with a model doll. They stitched the doll’s head with a needle and thread. It looked very creepy and frightening!

Uh oh, now it was my turn! The doctor put an eye mask on me and spread some sort of numbing medicine on my head so I wouldn't feel the pain as much. He slowly stitched the first stitch, which didn't hurt that bad. Then the stitched the second, which stung a little more and finally the third one. OUCH!!! The third stitch stung the most! It was 100 times more painful than the second stitch!

It was finally over, or at least I thought it was. I looked in the mirror and saw a big vertical scar with three horizontal stitches sealed with surgical superglue. Great, just what I wanted, a big scar on my forehead.

After a week,  I scratched my forehead a couple of times. It was really itchy for some reason. I kept on scratching and heard my mom call me up for dinner. I washed up and ran to the kitchen.

When I came up, she immediately screamed, “What did you do to your face?!?!?! What were you thinking?!?!?! You look like Frankenstein!!!”  I pretended to be clueless of what she was talking about. I explained that I scratched my forehead just a few times. I kept on insisting that there was no problem.

“It’s my face and I can do whatever I want with it!!!!” I told her.

I looked at the mirror and to my horror, my mom was right (as usual), I really did look like Frankenstein!!! My stitches were ripped off leaving deep openings where the stitches use to be. Oh, I wished that I never scratched or “ripped” (as my mom says) my stitches. If only I didn’t fall off the bike...Yes, it’s my face now... If only it was just a dream, but it was not...

Every day for about 2 and a half years, it was Halloween. I walked around with a scar every day looking like Frankenstein. It took a few years for the scar to heal and gradually fade. Every once in awhile, when I forget sunscreen and stay in the sun too long, the frankenstein scar will magically appear. So, no matter how hard they itch, never ever scratch your stitches.

Do Rodeos Promote Cruelty to Animals?

Rodeos promote cruelty to animals. Many animals are often injured and sometimes killed in rodeo events. Injuries may include sprains, bruises, and damage to limbs and neck. Furthermore, riders often use spurs that dig into the animals, and hand-held prods inflicting electric shocks to pain. Finally, rodeo animals are often subject to poor transporting conditions such as overcrowding, inadequate feeding, watering, and ventilation. There is no doubt that rodeos promote cruelty to animals!