Spiced Up Pancakes

When making regular old pancakes, add a dash of ginger, cinnamon or cloves to the mix (not all three at once). It gives the batter a little kick and makes for some really exotic and tasty cakes!

Softening Brown Sugar

You know when you have a bag of brown sugar that you only use once in a while to make special stuff like cookies or frosting, and when you pull it out you find that it's all in hardened chunks?

Well, here's a tip for you: put as much as you think you'll need into a microwavable bowl, cover the bowl with a dampened but not dripping paper towel that's been folded in half and microwave for 30-60 seconds. The sugar will be very hot when done but it should also be nice and soft.