Kosher-Style Pork Cracklins

It's extremely icy and snowing in Austin, and the weather will probably last a few days. I planned out some meals and made some last minute shopping trips, so we are cooking and eating to our tummies' delight.

Mmmm... pancakes! I especially enjoy them when they are not your typical plain buttermilk pancakes! Over Thanksgiving, I discovered a recipe for "Multigrain Pancakes Worth Eating" in Cook's Illustrated. Sweet!!

My big concern was trying to figure out the order in which to make the pancakes and the topping, as they both required a bit of attention and time. Jay solved the problem by making the pancake batter while I worked on the topping. I think in the future if I was cooking alone, I would make the batter first, and then the topping, leaving the topping on low heat while cooking the pancakes.

These pancakes are fantastic. I'd even say they have topped my formerly favorite gingerbread pancakes from The Omelettry! The topping was excellent, too. I used walnuts instead of pecans, though. I'm also not sure if I was supposed to put them in the topping or just sprinkle on top. The instructions simply said "Serve with toasted nuts."

The most interesting ingredient in the pancakes is museli!

• Multigrain Pancakes Worth Eating, Apple, Cranberry, and Pecan Topping (Cook's Illustrated, November & December 2006, p. 14)