Cooking With Apples!
One of our favorite harbingers of fall is the August apple harvest. Apples are such a versatile, delicious, and nutritious fruit and work well in all sorts of sweet and savory dishes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner! At The Original Pancake House, we love to incorporate apples into our 
breakfast and brunch dishes, for example our Apple Pancake – stacked high with fresh sliced Granny Smith apples and cinnamon glaze – can’t be beat! And our golden brown Belgian waffle with fresh minced Granny Smith apples baked inside and lightly dusted with pure Sinkiang cinnamon sugar, whipped butter and warm homemade apple syrup is a memorable apple treat.
Here are a few of our favorite fall apple recipes to try out this season:
Slow Cooker Apple Cider – Perfect for that first cool fall afternoon!
Ingredients:
- 64 oz. apple cider
- 6 chai tea bags
- 2 Cinnamon sticks
- 1 vanilla bean, split
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- Apple slices for serving
- Cinnamon sticks for serving
Instructions:
Combine apple cider, chai tea bags, cinnamon sticks, and vanilla bean in slow cooker. Cook on low 3 to 4 hours. Discard tea bags; stir in lemon juice. Serve warm with apple slices and cinnamon stick.
Gruyere and Apple Tarts – These savory little tarts combine all the best flavors of fall with the 
perfect combination of sweet apples and savory cheese.
Ingredients:
- 2 tbsp. unsalted butter
- 1 small Yellow Onion
- 1 sheet frozen puff pastry
- 2 large Braeburn apples
- 4 oz. Gruyère
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a small skillet over medium heat, melt 1 tablespoon butter. Sauté onion until softened, about 5 minutes. Set aside.
- Meanwhile, on a work surface, roll out puff pastry to a 13 by 10 inch rectangle. Cut dough into four 6 ½ by 5 inch rectangles. Using a sharp knife, score 4 lines to create a ½ inch border all the way around each tart. Transfer to a parchment-lined baking pan.
- Divide half of onion mixture among tarts. Layer apples in 3 slightly overlapping rows on each. Top with remaining onion mixture and cheese. Dot with remaining butter. Bake tarts until apples are tender and cheese is golden, about 20 minutes.
Candied Yams & Apples – This warming side dish goes perfectly with any fall supper and couldn’t be easier to make!
Ingredients:
- 3 lb. yams
- 1 lb. Granny Smith apples
- 2 medium onions
- 4 tbsp. unsalted butter
- ¼ c. Honey
- 1 tsp. salt
- ¼ tsp. nutmeg
- ¼ tsp. cayenne pepper
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Toss all ingredients in a large bowl to combine. Transfer to a baking dish and bake, stirring occasionally, until yams are tender, about 1 hour. Increase oven to 500 degrees and bake until liquid evaporates and yams are browned, 10 to 15 minutes. Serve immediately.
Happy fall, Denver! We look forward to seeing you for breakfast in Denver soon!
Back to School Breakfasts!
Gone are the lazy days of summer and leisurely breakfasts. With the kids heading back to school, most families find themselves scarfing down a few bites of a hurried morning meal before rushing out the door. But just because the new school year might mean less time in the morning, it doesn’t mean you can’t make sure those few quick bites are nutritious and delicious! Here are a few of our favorite ideas for back to school breakfasts.
Monster Green Smoothie
This recipe is so simple; it may become your go-to for mornings on the run. And not only is this smoothie quick and yummy, but it will start everyone’s day with a big boost of healthy fruits and veggies!
Combine in blender or food processor:
- 2 cups liquid of choice (orange juice, milk, yogurt, etc.)
- 2 cups baby spinach
- 1 cup pineapple
- 1 cup frozen mango chunks
- 1-2 frozen bananas
Pour mixture into to-go cups for those days when you are running late and enjoy on the ride to school and work.
Nutella & Banana Sushi
Moms and dads can quickly wrap up this breakfast while simultaneously helping with forgotten homework and brushing teeth. Simply spread chocolate Nutella in a thin layer across whole wheat wrap. Place entire (peeled) banana in center of wrap and roll wrap around banana. Slice “roll” to make individual “sushi” bites. You’ll love this breakfast as it is easy to pop in a baggy and take in the car on the way to school for those days you are running late!
Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies
This recipe is another quick and easy breakfast that you can either make ahead or pop in the oven for a quick treat. And of course the kids will love the idea of eating “cookies” for breakfast!
Ingredients:
- ¾ cup plain quick cooking oats OR 2 packets low-sugar strawberries in cream oatmeal
- 2 very ripe bananas (mashed)
- 1 tsp cinnamon (if using plain oats)
- 2 tsp Stevia®, or your favorite sweetener (if using plain oats)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly coat a cookie sheet with nonstick cooking spray. In a small bowl, mix oats and mashed bananas. If using plain oats add in cinnamon and sweetener. Using a spoon, spoon small amounts of oatmeal mixture onto cookie sheet to form bite size cookies. Bake in oven for 10-12 minutes until cookies are golden brown. Serve immediately or store in an air-tight container.
And of course, for those weekend days when you have time to go out for breakfast in Denver, be sure to stop in and say hi to your friends at The Original Pancake House! We’ll be happy to do all the breakfast work for you so that you can enjoy a well-deserved morning off!
The Pancake House
At The Original Pancake House, we occasionally get letters from our customers letting us know about their experiences at our restaurant. We want to share this very special letter from one of our youngest customers, Sophia, a 4th grade student at Slavens School. Sophia’s 4th grade Language Arts teacher, Bo Sager, requested that each member of his class write about their favorite restaurant and then mail a copy of the letter to the owner of the restaurant. We are so touched by Sophia’s kind words and happy memories of breakfasts with us! Thank you, Sophia, for sharing your love of pancakes with us! We look forward to seeing you and your family again soon!
The Pancake House is a family friendly place. You can be loud without any rude comments. It is a cozy place it not too fancy but everyone is always nice. The Pancake House is an amazing restaurant.
You might guess what is on the menu. Pancakes of course. While there are other things on the menu, pancakes are their best. They are so good they must put buttermilk because they are full of greatness. They don’t only use the pancake batter for pancakes. They also use it for crepes. They put jelly, fruit, and chocolate on the crepes. Man the crepes are good. It feels like a party in your mouth. I do not like eggs at all. But the way they cook it makes it great. The best thing they make with egg is their omelets. You can ask for stuff like vegetables or bacon. Might I say that when you ask for bacon it makes it a 100 times better. If I didn’t get so full after this breakfast I would eat the whole egg omelet.
In one word to explain the service: great. They are quick to get you a table. In less than a minute they will have a server at your table. All of the servers are nice to you. They always make sure that you are taken care of and the food is good. This one time for my birthday I went to the Pancake House. They asked if it was my birthday and I said yes. 10 minutes later, they came with the most delicious crepe. It had jelly and strawberry on it.
The Pancake House is a great place. Their food is incredible and it’s at a fair price. So go now go to the Pancake House the best place to eat in the world.
By Sophia
Meet Karen Kinney!
You’ve probably seen Karen Kinney’s smiling face around the Original Pancake House each time you head out for breakfast at our Cherry Hills location. Karen was the Manager of our Denver Tech Center location for ten years before she transferred to Cherry Hills to become a General Manager this past October. We thought you might like to get to know the lady behind the smile. Read on to learn a bit more about our wonderful General Manager, Karen Kinney!
Q: Tell us a bit about yourself and where you are from.
A: My name is Karen Kinney, and I am from Canada. I was born in a small town in Alberta called Medicine Hat, and raised in British Columbia in a place called Invermere, just outside of the Banff National Park. I met my husband Troy skiing in Kimberley B.C. and moved to Spokane Wash. where we lived until moving to St. Louis Mo. for 2 years, and Clovis Ca. for 8 months, before settling down in Highlands Ranch where we have raised our 2 children.
Q: How long have you been with the Original Pancake House?
A: I started as a server for the Original Pancake House Denver Tech Center when my daughter was 4yrs old, and she is now 16 and works as a Host for our Cherry Hills location. Our son also worked for me at the DTC location as a Host while he was in High School. I became a Manager at DTC the same year I started working there and have been with the Franchise for 12 years now. I was promoted in September of last year and given the position of General Manager for the Cherry Hills location.
Q: What is your favorite part about working at OPH?
A: My favorite part of working for the Pancake House is the people! I love the staff and guests as they have become my family since my real family is in Canada still. They make me laugh, cry and smile with all of their stories, jokes and antics.
Q: What is your favorite menu item?
A: My favorite menu item is always changing; I eat something different every day! But interestingly enough before I started working here I did not like to eat eggs. Now I will crave a simple side of scrambled eggs almost every day.
Q: If you could have breakfast with anyone, living or dead, who would it be and what would you eat?
A: It I could have breakfast with anyone I suppose I would choose Lady Diana. She was such an amazing and poised person that had so much to offer in the short time she was with us. With her I would love to show off our delicate Dutch Baby and that would be my breakfast choice, along with a side of our infamous bacon, and hot tea of course!
Thank you Karen for sharing a little bit about yourself! The next time you are out for breakfast in Denver, be sure to say “hi” to Karen, she will always treat you as family.
Denver Broncos Super Bowl Specials!
At the Original Pancake House we are so proud of our Denver Broncos that we decided to salute these brave men as they face off against the Panthers in Super Bowl 50 this Sunday. We’ve come up with a couple of delicious Super Bowl Specials for this weekend only! If you are out for breakfast in Denver, come celebrate the Super Bowl 50 with these scrumptious orange and blue breakfasts! GO BRONCOS!
SUPER BOWL SPECIALS
Mile High Salute
A Denver scramble with peppers and ham over our home fried potatoes smothered in Tillamook Cheddar Cheese and Pork Green Chile Sauce. Served with three Bronco Orange pancakes topped with orange whipped cream and blue sprinkles. $12.95
Go Broncos Plate
Three of our made from scratch Bronco Orange pancakes topped with orange whipped cream and blue sprinkles. Served with two strips of Pigskin (bacon). $7.50
‘Tis the Season to Spread Pancake Cheer!
This time of year we like to think back upon the past twelve months a give thanks to all the amazing customers, 
staff, and friends who support us at The Original Pancake House and who help spread “Pancake Cheer” all year round. We also like to enjoy a bit of pancake cheer at home and bring the holidays to our breakfast table even on the days we can’t enjoy a breakfast out in Denver.
If you are making breakfast for a crowd this holiday season – try our favorite homemade Snowman Pancakes. Simply create your favorite pancake mix and spoon three dollops of the batter onto your griddle in the shape of a snowman. We like to add blueberries or chocolate chips for the eyes, nose, and buttons. You can even try sticking pretzels in the batter for the arms – just be careful when you flip the pancake! These sweet Snowman Pancakes are sure to bring smiles to your family and will certainly impress any visiting in-laws!
Also, don’t forget, if you are looking for a thoughtful and easy stocking stuffer or gift for co-workers, friends, or anyone you’d like to send an end-of-year thanks, we have gift cards! You can spread the gift of pancake cheer to those you love and check off almost every name on your list.
Warmest wishes for the holiday season from your friends at The Original Pancake House in Denver!
Spooktacular Healthy Breakfast Treats!
It’s the time of year when ghosts and goblins pop up everywhere, pumpkins abound, and everyone is excited for Halloween! To get in the mood, we like to make all sorts of fun Halloween breakfasts treats at home. Here are a few healthy ideas to add a little BOO to your breakfast!
Candy Corn Fruit Parfaits
- 1 can (11 ounce) mandarin oranges
- 1 can (20 ounce) pineapple chunks
- 2 6-ounce containers of low-fat vanilla yogurt
- candy corn pieces - for garnish
This is a fun and festive breakfast idea for the fall season - especially around Halloween. It’s ultra-fast to prepare and a healthy way to start the day. Fresh fruit could definitely be used in place of the canned fruit. Depending on the size of your glasses, this recipe makes 2 to 4 parfaits. Layer 1/3 of each glass with pineapple pieces, followed by an equal layer of mandarin oranges. Top each serving with a generous dollop of vanilla yogurt and a decorative piece of candy corn.
Terrifying Toast:
Trim a slice of toast to resemble a hand, foot or finger and then dollop strawberry or raspberry jam so it looks severed and bleeding. You can do the same thing with waffles and pancakes. For a quick, edible ghost, rip a small hole in a piece of toast to act as a mouth and then use chocolate chips or berries to make eyes.
Apple Monster Mouth!
These apple treats make a great Halloween-themed breakfast or snack – and they are healthy! To prepare, cut 
an apple into quarters and then take a slice out of each quarter. Next, poke in almond slivers for the teeth. Alternatively you can spread peanut butter in the inside of the “mouth” and use marshmallows as the teeth.
Every year at The Original Pancake House we like to dress up for the holiday, so if you join us for breakfast in Denver on the 31st, don’t forget to wear your costume! Have a safe and happy Halloween, Denver!
FALLing In Love With Apples
When golden fall leaves start to pop against bright blue skies, we know fall has arrived in Colorado. And when we think of fall at The Original Pancake House, we think of apples! Apples signify the beginning of harvest season and bring a delightful range of flavors to any fall meal. Our favorite fall breakfast in Denver is our Apple Pancake with oven baked fresh Granny Smith apples and pure Sinkiang cinnamon glaze. Read on to learn how to bring the flavors of fall to your breakfast table with this recipe for Apple Pancakes.
Apple Pancakes
2 eggs, well beaten
1 ½ cups of milk
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
¼ cup sugar
3 medium apples, peeled and coarsely grated
½ teaspoon cinnamon
Vegetable oil, for frying
Confectioner’s sugar, for dusting
- Mix the eggs with the milk in a large bowl.
- In a smaller bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and sugar together.
- Combine the wet and the dry ingredients and stir in the apples and whatever other flavorings you see fit.
- Heat a thin layer of oil in a skillet over low to medium heat. Drop large spoonful of batter into the pan and cook until golden brown underneath. Flip the pancakes and cook them for an additional two or three minutes.
- Either dust with powdered sugar and serve immediately, or keep on a tray in a warmed oven until you are ready to serve them.
From our kitchen to yours, we hope you enjoy this season of sweater weather! Bon Appetit!
Make it at home: Bacon Pancakes!
Bacon and pancakes are two of the most popular items people order when they go out to breakfast in Denver. 
What could be more delectable than a stack of warm pancakes and a side of bacon? The answer: Bacon Pancakes! We receive many requests for our Bacon Pancake recipe at The Original Pancake House. Read on to learn how to make this decadent breakfast treat at home.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup all-purpose flour, (spooned and leveled)
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
- 1 1/4 cups buttermilk
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 1 large egg
- 8 slices bacon
- Pure maple syrup, (optional)
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 200 degrees. In a bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In another bowl, whisk together buttermilk, melted butter, and egg. Whisk flour mixture into buttermilk mixture just until moistened, with small to medium lumps remaining.
- In a large cast-iron or nonstick skillet or on a griddle, cook bacon over medium-high until fat is rendered and bacon is browned on one side, 5 to 6 minutes. Flip and cook until golden and crisp on underside, 1 to 3 minutes. Drain bacon on paper towels; pour off all but 1 teaspoon fat from skillet (reserve for another use). Finely chop bacon into small bits and mix into existing batter.
- Heat skillet over medium. Pour 1/4-cupfuls batter into skillet. Cook until some bubbles appear on top of pancakes and a few have burst, about 2 minutes. With a spatula, carefully flip pancakes and cook until browned on underside, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a platter and loosely tent with foil. Keep pancakes warm in oven and repeat with remaining batter, adding more bacon fat if needed. Serve with pure maple syrup if desired.
From our kitchen to yours, bon appetit!
We’re nutty about Pecans!
At The Original Pancake House we go nuts for pecans! We love them in our Banana Praline Crepes, we enjoy the crunch they add to our Pecan Belgian Waffle, we can’t get enough of their toasty goodness in our Georgia Pecan Pancakes, and they certainly add a special something to our Banana Praline French Toast. YUM! To celebrate this special nut, we’ve collected a few fun facts about pecans.
Did you know?
- The name “pecan” is a Native American word that was used to describe nuts requiring a stone to crack. There are over 1,000 varieties of pecans. Many are named for Native American Indian tribes, including Cheyenne, Mohawk, Sioux, Choctaw and Shawnee.
- The pecan capital of the world is Albany, Georgia, which boasts more than 600,000 pecan trees.
- Pecan trees are native to North America and over 80% of the world’s pecan crop comes from the United States. Some of the larger pecan shellers process 150,000 pounds of pecans each day. That’s enough to make 300,000 pecan pies!
- Pecan trees only produce nuts every two years. Pecans come in a variety of sizes – mammoth, extra-large, large, medium, small and midget.
- The pecan pie was created by French people who had settled in New Orleans.
- The pecan is heart healthy and contains antioxidants, 19 vitamins and minerals and healthy fat. Pecans are also high in zinc and provide 10% of daily recommended value per serving.
- In 1995, Georgia pecan wood was selected by the Atlanta Committee to make the handles of the torches for the 1996 Olympic Games. The torches were carried in the 15,000-mile U.S.A. relay and in the lighting of the Olympic flame in Atlanta on July 19, 1996.
- About 78 pecans are used in the average pecan pie.
- Pecan trees can live to be over 200 years old. The largest and oldest trees can have a trunk that is three feet in diameter and can be over 150 feet tall.
- One ounce of pecans provides 10% of the recommended daily fiber intake.
All of these fun facts are making us hungry; time to get cracking on our next batch of Georgia Pecan Pancakes. Next time you are out for breakfast in Denver, come join us and try one of our delicious pecan breakfast dishes!
DIY: Homemade Granola
In the heat of summer, one of our favorite breakfast items is our homemade granola with milk or our Fiesta Bowl which includes granola with fresh fruit and yogurt. Granola makes a nice light breakfast when you are short on time or looking for a healthy start to the day. Here is one of our favorite homemade granola recipes. It is a great item to have on hand in the pantry when you don’t have time to join us at The Original Pancake House for breakfast out in Denver!
Homemade Granola
Ingredients
4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
2 cups sweetened shredded coconut
2 cups sliced almonds
¾ cup vegetable oil
½ cup good honey
1 ½ cups small diced dried apricots
1 cup small diced dried figs
1 cup dried cherries
1 cup dried cranberries
1 cup roasted, unsalted cashews
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Toss the oats, coconut, and almonds together in a large bowl. Whisk together the oil and honey in a small bowl. Pour the liquids over the oat mixture and stir with a wooden spoon until all the oats and nuts are coated. Pour onto a large cookie sheet pan. Bake, stirring occasionally with a spatula, until the mixture turns a nice, even, golden brown, about 45 minutes.
Remove the granola from the oven and allow to cool, stirring occasionally. Add the apricots, figs, cherries, cranberries, and cashews. Store the cooled granola in an airtight container.
We like to get the kids involved when we make this recipe; everyone enjoys stirring the granola and licking sweet and sticky oats off their fingers! From all your friends at The Original Pancake House, have a wonderful summer!
Top 5 Reasons to Take Your Family Out to Breakfast
Aside from being the most important meal of the day, breakfast with the family has many other important benefits for you and the kids. Here are our top five reasons to take your family out to breakfast in Denver.
- Time to talk.
Family meals give children and their parents time to focus on one another, talk about their days, and bond as a family. Further, studies show that family meals give children an opportunity to have conversations with adults, as well as to pick up on how adults are using words with each other, which may explain why family meals can help build a child's vocabulary.
- Expose kids to new foods.
Eating out together can be the perfect time to introduce new foods and expand your kids’ palates. After all, who can resist a delightfully fluffy omelet filled with garden veggies or a golden waffle topped with fresh berries? You might be surprised to find fruits and vegetables go right down the hatch when presented in a new way.
- Someone else does the work.
There are so many rewards of going out to breakfast! No last minute trips to the grocery store, no scrambling to get a healthy and filling meal prepared for starving tots, and no dishes! Let us do the hard work while you enjoy time with your family.
- Reduce stress.
Sharing a meal can help reduce stress by giving you a few moments to slow down and enjoy the coffee. When your hardest choice is between crepes and pancakes, you can really relax and enjoy a few moments of downtime.
- Treat yourself!
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day and The Original Pancake House has a plethora of scrumptious choices to delight your taste buds. We guarantee a hearty plate of Bacon and Eggs or a Dutch Baby will brighten your day so don’t be afraid to treat yourself!
We hope you have the opportunity to enjoy a special breakfast meal with your family in the near future. We will be happy to host and let you sit back, relax, and enjoy bonding with your kids. Stop in and see us at The Original Pancake House sometime soon!