Back to School Breakfasts
It is hard to believe it is back to school time again! We know how hard it can be to get back onto a school schedule so we’ve compiled a few of our favorite fast and easy breakfast recipes to help get you out the door on time. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, hopefully these ideas will also make it the easiest meal so that everyone gets to school with a full tummy!
Freeze and Go Breakfast Burrito
We love these burritos because you can pack your freezer full of them and have them ready to pop in the microwave on any morning you are running late! Simply cook large quantities of your breakfast favorites such as scrambled eggs, sausage or bacon, and potatoes. Combine all cooked ingredients plus green chile if you have adventurous kiddos, and cheese in flour tortillas, roll them up, wrap in foil and plastic baggies, and freeze. In the morning you can toast or microwave these burritos and be ready to go in less than two minutes!
Mason Jar Breakfast Parfait
These are so easy to prepare ahead and will last a whole week in the fridge. Use a large mason jar and fill in alternating layers with your favorite yogurt, fruit medley, and granola. Screw the tops on the jars to keep the parfait fresh and store in the fridge. They’ll be ready to grab and go in the morning!
Banana Bread in a Jar
This breakfast is oh-so-yummy and comforting in the morning. We recommend preparing the mixture and filling the jars the night before. Then in the morning you microwave each jar for 2 ½ minutes and you have individual servings of delicious, warm banana bread for breakfast!
Ingredients:
- 1/4 c. Coconut Milk (Unsweetened)
- 1/4 c. Almond butter (You can use cashew butter as well)
- 1/4 tsp. Baking powder
- 2 tbsp Nutiva Coconut Flour
- 2 tbsp Brown Sugar
- 1/2 Ripe Banana (Mashed)
- 1/5 c. Dark Chocolate Chips
- Sprinkle of shredded pecans
- Pinch of shredded coconut
Combine dry ingredients and wet ingredients in separate bowls. Add wet ingredients to dry and mix thoroughly. Pour into individual mason jars and top each with chocolate chips, pecans and coconut. Store in fridge and microwave for 2 ½ minutes when you are ready to eat!
Keep Out the Winter Chill with These Classic Comfort Breakfast Foods
Weekends are meant for relaxing, spending time with the family, and enjoying a good meal. But after a busy week, who wants to add to the growing list of things to do with making pancakes. Going out for pancakes is a great alternative, but where can you find all the classic comfort breakfast foods you crave, without having to search for the new food trends? Our menu is pure classics. We have a great mix of all the comforts of breakfast balanced with a few new flavors to keep it interesting. You won’t want to miss these delicious meals and comfortable atmosphere for the whole family.
Try these classic comfort breakfast foods:
Belgian Waffles
A Saturday morning without Waffles is like wet socks, unfortunate and disappointing. Our waffles are the perfect thing to make your weekend special. We have the classic Belgian Waffle, but we also have extra flavors to cheer it up and make your breakfast sing. Try coconut, blueberry, or bacon waffles.
Pancakes
It wouldn’t be the Pancake House without pancakes. Our diversity of pancakes are just right for what you’re craving, from buttermilk to buckwheat and even chocolate chip. If classic pancakes are what you crave, we have the breakfast for you!
French Toast
No one can forget the all-time favorite French Toast. Our bread and eggs are combined in just the right way to make you think of Grandma’s French Toast. No need to burn any bread or break any shells. We will do the cooking and serve you up some sourdough French toast or maybe you’d prefer a seasonal berry French Toast. We have all the flavors you’d enjoy.
Kids in the Kitchen
With school out for summer, there is no better time to slow down and have your kids help you create your family’s meal. Be it breakfast, lunch, or dinner, getting the kids involved in cooking helps build positive relationships with food, encourages healthy eating, and is a wonderful bonding experience. Not to mention all the measuring and counting of ingredients might help keep their math-minded brains active! 
Cooking with kids will most likely be a bit messy, but it doesn’t have to be hard. We found a couple fun, delicious, and kid friendly meals that you will enjoy preparing - and eating - together!
Tiny Pancakes*
Inspired by a spanish breakfast staple called a tortillita, these versatile little pancakes can be a perfect meal for breakfast or dinner! Described as either an eggy pancake or a floury omelette, you can add just about any type of savory “toppings” to your taste. Add veggies and protein to make it a complete meal! We love them with ham and cheddar or tomato, spinach and parmesan.
INGREDIENTS
- 1 egg
- 2 teaspoons water or milk
- 2 tablespoons flour
- Salt and pepper
- Olive oil
PREPARATION
- Beat together 1 egg, 2 teaspoons water or milk and 2 tablespoons flour. Stir in 1/3 to 1/2 cup of any of the suggested ingredients, finely chopped; season with salt and pepper (or sugar if you are making sweet pancakes). Add a not-too-thin layer of olive oil (or butter) to a large skillet over medium heat. When hot, spoon in 8 pancakes, and cook, turning once, until golden on both sides, 2 or 3 minutes per side.
Granola Breakfast Muffins*
These hearty breakfast muffins are easy to make and include a delightful “crunch” from the granola. Eat them fresh out of the oven or freeze half to save for another day.
Ingredients
- 1 cup granola
- ½ cup low-fat milk
- 1 cup golden raisins
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 large or extra large eggs
- ¼ cup mild honey, such as clover
- ½ cup buttermilk or plain low-fat yogurt
- ¼ cup canola oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
PREPARATION
- Preheat the oven to 375ºF with a rack in the middle. Oil 12 muffin cups. Combine the granola and milk in a bowl and let sit for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, cover the raisins with hot water and soak for 15 minutes. Drain and dry on paper towels.
- Sift together whole wheat flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- In medium bowl, beat together the eggs, honey, buttermilk or yogurt, canola oil and vanilla. Quickly whisk in the flour, then fold in the granola and raisins. Combine well
- Spoon into muffin cups, filling each about 3/4 full. Bake 20 to 25 minutes, until lightly browned. Cool in the tins for 10 minutes, then unmold and cool on a rack.
For both these recipes there are plenty of options for kids to get involved. Let them measure, stir, pour, crack eggs and get their hands dirty. Cooking can be a very fun activity for everyone and you never know if you might have a budding chef in your household! From all your friends at the Original Pancake House in Denver, have a wonderful summer!
*Recipes courtesy of The New York Times
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
Make it at Home: Bacon Pancakes Recipe!
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 bacon pancakes 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!
Peanuts & Cracker Jacks: Funny Food Superstitions of Major League Baseball
Baseball season is in full swing across the country! We love to take our family to Coors Field each summer t
o cheer on our Colorado Rockies and check out the fun and crowds in downtown Denver. On a recent trip to the ball park, we got to talking about Major League Baseball players and their superstitions. Many players have a special song that they play before each at-bat, or a routine that they follow before each game. One of our favorite (now retired) Rockies players, Todd Helton, used to start a game with a full beard. If he didn’t get a hit by the fifth inning, he would shave his beard to a goatee. If he still didn’t have a hit by the seventh inning, he would shave his beard entirely!
We also learned that some players have a special food or meal that they must eat before every game. Hall of Fame third baseman Wade Boggs used to eat chicken before every game. Retired Chicago Cubs pitcher Lee Smith used to sleep through the first four innings of every game and have his teammates wake him up before the fifth inning with a cheeseburger. Drew Storen, relief pitcher for the Washington Nationals, had a grilled cheese sandwich and glass of milk every day during the 2011 season.
Our favorite superstitious player is C.J. Wilson who plays for the Los Angeles Angels. On the days that he is scheduled to pitch, Wilson eats a very specific breakfast. His game day menu includes a vegetable omelet with an English muffin. However, he is allergic to butter, so his English muffin has to be served without! Next time C.J. is in town, we hope he joins us for breakfast in Denver. We would be happy to serve him a lucky veggie omelet and English muffin without butter.
To all the superstitious Major League, Minor League, and Little Leaguers, we wish you luck this baseball season. We are happy to serve you a lucky breakfast before any game, just swing on in to The Original Pancake House!
What is a Swedish Pancake?
At The Original Pancake House, Swedish pancakes are one of our favorite menu items. Lacy and sweet, and served with lingonberry sauce and whipped butter, these pancakes are always a special treat. For those of you who have never tried a Swedish pancake, let us entice your taste buds!
Though called a pancake, Swedish pancakes more similarly resemble a traditional French crepe. They are very thin pancakes and are most often served folded or rolled with sweet toppings. Swedish pancakes are known for their richness. High in egg and butter content and low in flour, these pancakes are lighter, fluffier and airier than other forms of pancake. To make Swedish pancakes, we prepare the special batter, spoon onto a hot griddle into a thin layer, and flip, much the same way one would prepare a crepe.
Because Swedish pancakes are especially sweet, they are usually served with lingonberry, any other fruit preserves, or even yogurt. Lingonberry sauce is a traditional Swedish condiment as the berries are quite plentiful in the mountains and forests of the country. Lingonberry sauce is most similar in flavor to a cranberry – slightly sweet and slightly sour – and makes a great accompaniment to sweet Swedish pancakes.
The next time you join us for breakfast in Denver, be sure to try out our Swedish pancakes with Lingonberry sauce. We promise you will enjoy this special treat from a land faraway!
Presidential Breakfasts
In honor of President’s Day, we decided to take a look into the morning routine of President Barack Obama as well as a few of the former Presidents of the United States. What our presidents eat is influenced by family heritage, personal preference, physical condition, and social obligation. Take a look at the unique gastronomic portraits of a few of our past presidents!
Barack Obama
: President Obama starts his day with a very hearty breakfast! A typical morning repast includes four to six eggs, potatoes, and wheat toast. Every now and then, Obama enjoys fruit, bacon, and oatmeal.
George W. Bush:
True to his Texas roots, former President George W. Bush loves huevos rancheros and biscuits!
Bill Clinton:
Clinton is known for his unhealthy eating habits and thus it comes as no surprise that his favorite breakfast treats include cinnamon rolls and Egg McMuffins.
George H.W. Bush:
George H.W. Bush was famous for his vocal dislike of broccoli. We do not have much record of what he did like, however, except that he frequently requested corn pudding at many a State Dinner!
Ronald Reagan:
The Reagans were very health conscious in their breakfast habits. Typically, former President Reagan started the day with bran cereal, skim milk, fresh fruit, and decaffeinated coffee. Once a week, Reagan enjoyed a single egg scrambled, poached, or soft-boiled. Reagan usually supplemented his morning repast with whole wheat toast or a home-made muffin.
Jimmy Carter:
Jimmy Carter stuck with his southern roots when it came to morning meals. He preferred ham with redeye gravy, baked grits, and cornbread for breakfast.
Gerald Ford:
Gerald Ford had breakfast habits that are Original Pancake House approved! Ford preferred waffles with strawberries and sour cream, and German apple pancakes!
At the Original Pancake House, we have plenty of breakfast options for both presidential tastes and presidential appetites! Next time you are out for breakfast in Denver, join us for a Gerald Ford-approved apple pancake or Barack Obama’s favorite eggs, potatoes and toast!
What’s cooking? The Original Pancake House Denver chefs share their favorite home recipes!
The chefs at The Original Pancake House Denver are up early every morning to create delightful breakfast treats for our customers. Pancakes, crepes, waffles and omelets are hand-crafted and cooked to perfection by our hard-working team. So what do our chefs do when they head home for supper? They cook, of course! Here are a few of their favorite recipes to make at home. Read on as these dishes will warm you up on the coldest winter days!
Ceviche Recipe by Guillermo Jimenez
Ingredients
2 lbs. tilapia
5 tomatoes, diced
1 small onion, diced
1 carrot, shredded
2 cucumbers, diced
1 jalapeno, diced
1 bunch of cilantro
8 lemons, juiced
Salt to taste
Directions:
Bring a pot of water to a boil. Place tilapia in boiling water for 3 minutes. Once tilapia is cooked, shred the tilapia into a bowl and add the fresh lemon juice. Stir to coat. Place tilapia in the refrigerator for an hour. After an hour, add remaining ingredients and salt to taste. Allow the mixture time to marinate. Enjoy on a tostada with sliced avocado.
The Original Pancake House Denver Chefs’ Homemade Salsa
Ingredients
4 tomatoes
1 jalapeno
1 onion
1 clove of garlic
Directions:
Grill or boil the tomatoes and jalapeno until soft. Once soft, place all ingredients into blender and puree. Add salt and pepper to taste.
We appreciate Guillermo and The Original Pancake House chefs sharing their kitchen secrets with us! We are lucky to have such a talented team in the back of the house to bring you our much loved breakfast recipes. What winter recipes are a staple in your home? Share them with us on Facebook @OPHDenver.
All About Pumpkins!
Halloween is just around the corner and pumpkins abound on almost every front porch in our Denver neighborhood. With this healthy gourd on our mind, we came up with a few ways to incorporate pumpkin into your breakfast recipe repertoire. Read on to learn how you can make pumpkins part of a perfect fall morning with these pumpkin breakfast foods.
Pumpkin Pancakes
We have our own secret pumpkin pancake recipe at Original Pancake House Denver, but here is a variation to try at home. Simply grind the oats with a blender or coffee grinder and combine with the remaining ingredients. Cook pancakes following the standard process and top with pecans and warm syrup!
Ingredients
½ cup oatsl
6 egg whites
¼ cup grams pumpkin puree
2 tsp baking powder
½ tsp pumpkin spice
Splash of vanilla extract
Pumpkin Spice Oatmeal
This healthy fall recipe couldn’t be easier and tastes just like a fresh-baked pumpkin pie! Cook oatmeal according the package instructions. Once water is absorbed and oatmeal is nearly ready, stir in pumpkin puree and fall spices. Top your oatmeal with syrup, yogurt or toasted pecans.
Ingredients
1 cup steel cut oats
1/2 cup pureed pumpkin
2 tsp cinnamon
1 large pinch nutmeg
1 pinch cloves
1/4 tsp cardamom
2 Tblsp maple syrup
Yogurt & toasted pecans (optional but delicious)
Pumpkin Yogurt Parfait
Another healthy fall breakfast treat, this parfait is guaranteed to be a family favorite! This recipe is so easy you could even make it for the family before work and school. Combine granola, pecans and crushed gingersnaps to make the parfait topping. Mix one half of the pumpkin spice with the yogurt and the other half with the pumpkin puree. Alternate layers of yogurt, pumpkin, and toppings and breakfast is ready!
Ingredients
1/4 cup low-fat granola
2 tbsp. pecans, chopped/pieces
2 gingersnap cookies, crushed
1/3 cup 100% pumpkin puree (not pie filling!)
1/3 cup. fat free vanilla Greek yogurt
1/8 Tsp. pumpkin pie spice
And of course we recommend you stop by Original Pancake House Denver for one of our favorite breakfast dishes and try Sara’s Pumpkin Pancakes! Ours are filled with rich pumpkin, molasses and fall spices, then topped with warm butter or fresh whipped cream. We can’t think of a better way to start the day!
Quick and Easy Back-to-School Breakfast Recipes
With August underway, gone are the mornings of leisurely breakfasts we all enjoyed over summer vacation. But even with the hustle and bustle of fall schedules, it is still important to start the day off with a nutritious and filling meal! Here are few quick and easy breakfast ideas that will start your busiest mornings off on the right foot.
Peanut Butter Toast: Packed with protein, peanut butter provides energy for hours! One of our favorite “on the go” breakfasts includes a couple slices of toasted bread topped with a generous spread of peanut butter. To make this meal even more delicious add honey, bananas or even raisins.
Pancakes: Don’t have time to go out for pancakes at your favorite Denver breakfast spot? No problem! Make a large batch of pancakes over the weekend and either freeze or store them in the fridge. Pancakes reheat beautifully in the microwave or toaster oven within just minutes. Add a bit of fresh fruit, syrup and butter and you’re ready to eat!
Incredible Eggs: Eggs may seem like a weekend staple, but they are quick and easy to prepare any day of the week. Hard boil eggs the evening before if you are very short on time. A hardboiled egg makes a great meal when served with a banana and a slice of toast. Fried eggs are also quick and easy; they cook within just a couple of minutes and will satisfy hunger pangs throughout the morning.
Oatmeal: Nutritious and delicious! Slow-cooked traditional oatmeal can be made a night in advance, or quick cooking oats make a speedy morning meal. Simply add a bit of fresh fruit or brown sugar and you are ready to roll!
And remember, The Original Pancake House Denver will be here to serve you a splendid breakfast when the weekend comes around or when the kids are out of school!
Important Ingredients: 5 Reasons to Love The Original Pancake House
We recently came across this article profiling the most important restaurants in America. The author noted that it wasn’t the fanciest, trendiest or most popular ones that made the list, but the ones with consistently good food, unique recipes and happy customers.
Even without any breakfast restaurants topping the list, we’re confident that we have all the ingredients necessary for an important restaurant:
- 15-Ingredient-Made-From-Scratch Pancake Batter: You can’t find stuff this good in stores, folks. And we’re not giving away our recipe either.
- The Dutch Baby: If a pancake and a crepe had a child, it would be The Dutch Baby. Oven baked and served with whipped butter, lemon and powdered sugar, this is one of our favorites.
- Salty and Sweet: There’s a reason people don’t mind a little syrup getting on their bacon. It’s the perfect combination, and if you haven’t tried it yet, our Bacon Belgian Waffle will win you over.
- Breakfast for Lunch: More commonly known as brunch, this is the most important meal of the weekend. Anyone care to disagree?
- Green Chile: Coloradoans love their green chile, and we have some of the best in the country – Mark Schlereth’s Green Chile Sauce. It’s gluten-free and has become the official green chile of Coors Field and Pepsi Center. Try it on one of our omelettes, or with your bacon and eggs.
And when the most important stop of someone’s day is having breakfast at our Cherry Hills or Denver Tech Center location, well, that just tops the list. We invite you to come in and try one (or all!) of our important ingredients, and find your own reason to love The Original Pancake House.