Red Velvet Cupcake Murder (Hannah Swensen, #16)(48)

1 small apple (I use Fuji or Gala—if you use

Granny Smith or any other tart green apple,

you’ll have to sprinkle the apple slices with sugar

before you add them to the pancakes)

1 Tablespoon lemon juice

? cup all-purpose flour

? cup quick-cooking oatmeal

2 Tablespoons white (granulated) sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

? teaspoon baking soda

? teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

? teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

? cup buttermilk or regular whole milk

2 teaspoons vegetable oil

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vegetable oil (for frying the pancakes)

2 teaspoons salted butter (for frying the pancakes)

Hannah’s 2nd Note: I’ve made these with buttermilk and with regular whole milk. Both ways are very good. If you want to try the recipe with buttermilk and you don’t have any in your refrigerator, you can easily make a substitute. Just pour 2 teaspoons of lemon juice OR 2 teaspoons of white vinegar into a measuring cup and fill the cup to the three-quarter mark with whole milk. Just let it stand on the counter for 5 minutes and it will be ready to use in this recipe.

Peel and core the apple. Cut it into very thin slices, place them in a bowl, and sprinkle them with the lemon juice. Toss them around a little with your fingers so that all the slices are coated with the lemon juice. (This will keep the apple slices from browning while you make the pancake batter.)

Place flour, oatmeal, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a food processor and process with the steel blade for 10 seconds.

Add the vanilla extract, buttermilk, vegetable oil, and egg to the dry mixture in the food processor. Process for 30 seconds or until everything is smooth and well blended.

Heat two teaspoons salted butter and one teaspoon vegetable oil in a frying pan over MEDIUM HIGH heat, or until a small amount of water sizzles and “dances” on the surface of the pan.

Use a quarter-cup measure to scoop out the batter and pour it onto the surface of the pan for each pancake.

Place 5 or 6 slices of apple on the top of each pancake. Push them down slightly into the batter with your fingers, but be very careful not to burn yourself!

When the outside edges of the pancakes show little holes where bubbles have formed and popped, but not filled in with batter again, flip the pancake over and brown the other side. If you can’t tell if there are holes on the outside edges, just lift one edge of the pancake with your spatula and peek to see if it’s golden brown on the bottom. If it is, flip it over. It it’s not, give it a minute or two longer, and then flip it over.

Fry the second side of the pancake until it’s golden brown.

Serve the Oatmeal Apple Pancakes hot off the pan with butter and syrup.

Hannah’s 3rd Note: If there are any apple slices left over, sprinkle them with sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg and use another teaspoon of butter to fry them until they’re tender. Just put them in a bowl and you can serve them as a side dish with your pancakes.

Lisa’s note: I’m going to try these with well-drained crushed pineapple in the batter. I’m also going to try them with banana slices instead of the apple slices. Banana and oatmeal is a wonderful combination!

Yield: approximately 6 quarter-cup pancakes

Chapter Sixteen


Hannah had just finished transferring her wet clothes from the washer to the dryer when her phone rang again. She took a half-second to set and turn on the dryer and then rushed back to the living room to answer it. “This is Hannah,” she said, sinking down on the couch.

“And this is Michelle,” Hannah’s youngest sister answered. “Can I come and stay with you for a couple of days? I’ve got a little time off before my work-study program starts, and it’s lonely at our house. Everyone else has left on summer break.”

“Of course. You know you’re always welcome. What day are you coming?”

“I’m here. Mother picked me up at the Quick Stop and Sean said we just missed Andrea. Mother will drive me to your place if that’s okay with you.”

“It’s fine with me. Have you eaten?”

“Not yet, but I’ve got a couple of energy bars with me, so you don’t have to worry about that.”

“It’s no worry. I’m already fixing night lunch for Andrea, Norman, and Mike. It’s easy to add you and Mother to the mix.”

“Oh, good! Mother hasn’t eaten either. Can we pick up anything on the way?”

Hannah thought fast. “Some orange juice. That’s a natural with breakfast sausage and my Oatmeal Apple Pancakes.”

“You got it. How about dessert?”

“I’ve got cookies and French vanilla ice cream in the freezer.”

“That sounds good. I’ll pick up some toppings to go on the ice cream. There’s no way Mother can eat a whole meal without chocolate so I’ll get hot fudge.”

“Good thinking.” Hannah glanced over at Moishe, who was staring at her intently. “Is Mother wearing silk stockings?”

“Yes. But why did you want to . . .” Michelle stopped speaking and laughed. “I get it! I’ll pick up some kitty treats so Mother can placate Moishe. We’ll see you in less than an hour.”

Hannah hung up the phone and sighed. It didn’t do any good to have a cold glass of lemonade if she didn’t get the chance to drink it. It was a good thing she made it fairly strong so that all she had to do was pour it in a larger glass and add fresh ice. She had just accomplished that and was on her way back to the couch when the phone rang again.