What better way to warm up on a cold winter morning than with hot chocolate and pancakes?! On Friday, Jan. 28 in the Elizabethtown College Bowers Center Demonstration Kitchen, Assistant Director of Health Promotion and professor Joni Eisenhauer whipped up some blueberry lemon pancakes and hot chocolate for students to stop by and try.
By 11:05 a.m., plenty of students were lined up at the counter to sample the two. Both vegan and non-vegan options were offered and were delicious. The vegan pancakes were made with flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, oat milk, lemon juice, lemon zest and blueberries. Starbucks’ Dark Hot Chocolate mix, oat milk and a little bit of vanilla extract are to thank for the vegan hot chocolate, which was the perfect temperature to rid us of the frosty chill that has lingered in the air this week.
Others agree. “Woah,” senior Maggie Harbord said upon taking her first sip of hot chocolate. She went on to have a second cup, as it was just that good. “I literally could drink this all day… it’s not too sweet at all,” she said.
Despite coffee being my drink of choice, I will admit, I would choose the hot chocolate. Unfortunately for Harbord, she was unable to add the pièce de resistance: whipped cream with cinnamon.
“The store did not have any non-dairy whipped cream topping,” Eisenhower explained. “Normally [I would have] coconut milk or almond milk whipped cream, but they were all out.”
Oat milk would not be utilized in non-dairy whipped cream, I learned, because it would be too thick. However, the oat milk was perfect for the cocoa and vegan pancake recipes, both of which were emailed out to students who signed up to receive recipes and future event announcements.
“I’ve been meaning to come to the demos since last semester, but so far, I haven’t really had the time,” junior Dori Hall said. “I’m really glad I got to stop by this morning, everything was delicious. I hope I’ll be able to make more of them in the future.”
Around noon, we were joined by junior Gabriella Stawinski, who often crafts and shares recipes with students in the demo kitchen on various weeknights. She is a Student Wellness Advocacy Group (SWAG) employee. The two talked while Eisenhower finished making the rest of the pancakes before letting Stawinksi take over for the second hour.
As Stawinski was preparing more hot chocolate, one of her coworkers, junior Kate Santangelo, stopped by to visit. She had never had vegan pancakes before, but she tried both options and really enjoyed them. “If you hadn’t told me they were vegan, I never would have known,” Santangelo said. “I thought [both pancakes] were very similar. They were both delicious!”
This event was just one of many being held in the Demo Kitchen this semester. On Feb. 23rd from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., students can stop by to participate in the “Chocolate IQ” event, and on March 24th, the “Kombucha Floats” event will be held from 3 to 5 p.m. These two events do not require pre-registration.
Other events currently scheduled for this semester are as follows:
Feb. 7: Cat Cow & Casseroles
Yoga @ 8 a.m., Breakfast @ 9 a.m. (Please register for yoga as you would our other fitness classes.)
Feb. 10: “Soup”er Bowl, 5 to 6:30 p.m.
Feb. 23: Chocolate IQ, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
March 14: Cranes & Grains
Yoga @ 8 a.m., Breakfast @ 9 a.m. (Please register for yoga as you would our other fitness classes.)
March 18: Nutrition Day (details to be determined)
March 23: Plant Based Recipes, 5 to 6:30 p.m.
March 24: Kombucha Floats, 3 to 5 p.m.
April 4: Yoga & Yogurt
Yoga @ 8 a.m., Breakfast @ 9 a.m. (Please register for yoga as you would our other fitness classes.)
April 12: Farmers Market Favorites, 5 to 6:30 p.m.
If you’d like more information about upcoming events and how to register, you are encouraged to follow @EtownRecWell on social media and to check out their website at https://www.etown.edu/bowers-center/events.aspx.
