Change of Plans

I made my weekly menu a mere 5 hours before dinner...how can it change so much in 5 short hours?!

Kids...it's always their fault right?...being on Christmas break the kids are stir crazy so when Madison invited a friend over to spend the night and then I extended the invitation to her friends younger brother so Wilson would have a friend...
how'd that change my dinner menu you might ask...I have a very strict policy with OUR kids, that I'm not a short order cook, that they might not LOVE what I've made for dinner, but I always make sure there is something on the table that they will eat...
Well, 2 new kids at the dinner table changes everything...
When asked, "What's for dinner?" about an hour before dinner time, I stated, "Potato Soup" and heard a chorus of, "NO," "do we have to," "YUCK," you get the idea...so even though I rarely change my dinner plans for my own picky kids, why make an entire meal when only two of the six people present will eat it...so they vetoed my plans...
(bummer too, it was Potato Soup weather today)
And they decided Pancakes for dinner...
well, actually they decided McDonalds for dinner, but when not one of the kids wanted to pay for it, they settled on pancakes...
and then, much to my chagrin, my husband suggest that I run to the store to buy his dad's secret pancake recipe...

(I have a HUGE desire to conquer the homemade pancake...
I have been working on it weekly for almost 5 years, every Saturday (almost) I wake up and prepare pancakes from scratch...
I know I can do it...
I have made some pretty good pancakes in the past 5 years...
I would venture to say, some Darn Good Pancakes...
regular...whole wheat...low fat...buttermilk...
pumpkin...blueberry...oatmeal...apple-butter...
but it never fails...
we visit the in-laws...
and my father-in-law breaks out the good ol' Krusteaz Buttermilk pancake mix...
and my husband reminds me that I just haven't reached Krusteaz perfection yet!)

so because I did need to run to the store anyways...
and because I love my husband...
and yes, because I just can't make a pancake as good as Krusteaz (YET!)...
I brought home a bag of the ChambersMade secret family pancake recipe mix...

But just because I can't leave good enough alone...I did some doctoring of the perfectly good Krusteaz...

ChambersMade Krusteaz Buttermilk Vanilla Pancakes
2 cups Krusteaz Buttermilk Pancake mix
1 1/2 cups water
and 2 tsp vanilla (because vanilla makes almost everything better)

Mix together; batter will be lumpy, and pour onto hot griddle (375) cook 1 1/4 minutes per side....
serve with little smokies sausage and orange juice....