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Simple, inexpensive and loved by kids the world over, pancakes are the perfect blank canvas with which to get experimental in the kitchen with your kids and try cooking up some super effective (and super delicious) pancake art. Image Credit: Instagram/ @my_mama_made_that
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Consisting of just three base ingredients - flour, milk and eggs - this core recipe can be adapted with varying degrees of baking agents to go flat or fluffy, depending on whether you want crisp and creative French-style crepes, or puffy and pillowy American-style pancakes. Image Credit: Instagram/ @my_mama_made_that
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The great things about pancakes for kids is that they can be presented with fresh, healthy ingredients to get children excited about eating their five servings of fresh fruits or vegetables... Image Credit: Instagram/ @my_mama_made_that
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Or they can be combined with fun and indulgent toppings for a special weekend treat. Image Credit: Instagram/ @my_mama_made_that
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The versatile and simple-to-cook foodstuff can of course easily be shaped and decorated to make all sorts of tempting and incredible patterns and pictures. Image Credit: Instagram/ @my_mama_made_that
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One mum who has become an expert at so-called Pancake Art is Danielle de Luna, a mum of two kids aged 3 and 6, who shares her foodie fun on Instagram under the account @my_mama_made_that. Image Credit: Instagram/ @my_mama_made_that
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The American stay-at-home mum told Gulf News that she perfected her Pancake Art during lockdown after the pandemic hit. Image Credit: Instagram/ @my_mama_made_that
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“My background is in sculpture and architecture and I have always loved cooking,” says Danielle. Image Credit: Instagram/ @my_mama_made_that
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“I had made a few pancake art pieces before the pandemic, but after school was cancelled I got more into it. Our mornings were much more relaxed so I had time to make more pancake designs.” Image Credit: Instagram/ @my_mama_made_that
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Danielle says that food art is an easy, functional way for her to be creative, while also feeding her kids. “They also love it and love being surprised.” Image Credit: Instagram/ @my_mama_made_that
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Danielle creates pancake designs for every occasion and season – from birthdays to Christmas to Halloween. Image Credit: Instagram/ @my_mama_made_that
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The pancakes can even serve as a teaching tool, like this ‘Sight Words’ design, which she made to help her little ones with their learning. Image Credit: Instagram/ @my_mama_made_that
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Danielle says the tools she uses for making her pancakes are very simple. Image Credit: Instagram/ @my_mama_made_that
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“I have my go-to American pancake recipe and I use a reusable piping bag. Everything else is just making shapes.” Image Credit: Instagram/ @my_mama_made_that
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Danielle has also become an avid collector of cookie cutter molds, to help her cut the pancakes into interesting shapes: “I love molds, cookie cutters, seaweed shape cutters, sandwich cutters etc.” Image Credit: Instagram/ @my_mama_made_that
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She applies her artistic skills to other kid-friendly food forms too (like bento boxes or these waffles) and she says that her pancake experiments have also improved her photography skills: “I have never been a good photographer but trying to document what I make has forced me to learn more and get better.” Image Credit: Instagram/ @my_mama_made_that
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Danielle strives to make her pancake art as healthy and nutritious for her kids as possible – while also presenting them as a creative and special treat. Image Credit: Instagram/ @my_mama_made_that
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“I usually try to use fruits for décor, but I also use fresh whipped cream and chocolate pens for some of the details.” Image Credit: Instagram/ @my_mama_made_that
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During the pandemic, with her kids off school and nursery, cooking has been a great way for her family to bond and served as a fun, constructive activity. Image Credit: Instagram/ @my_mama_made_that
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“My kids go to French school so they have had a tutor for French, and I'm the English teacher and art teacher. But we also do a lot of cooking together.” You can follow Danielle on Instagram @my_mama_made_that. Image Credit: Instagram/ @my_mama_made_that