Hey, what ever happened to the corner school bus stop? It seems like the school buses pick up and drop off the kids house-by-house now – at least that’s what they do where I live. If you’re late to something, and get stuck behind the arse end of one of these, fuhgettaboutit.
When I went to school you got your bus pass and your home room assignment in the mail in late August. That told you what street corner to stand on to wait for the school bus and what room to report to when you got to school. Come the first day of school all us neighborhood kids would Pez on out of our houses, one by one, and walk down to the corner bus stop together – our new stiff Sears & Roebuck corduroy pants a-zip-zip-zippin along as we walked. When we got to the corner there were already kids there.
The corner bus stop was a social network. The girls stood on one side huddled in a circle, snapping their gum and hugging books close to what someday would become their chests. The boys on the other side, horsing around, telling dirty jokes, and checking to see if any of the girls were looking.
Come the afternoon the bus would deposit us all back onto the same corner from which it picked us up that morning. During the winter months, if there was snow on the ground, we’d pelt the side of the bus with snowballs as it pulled away. The driver would slow down and give us a stern look in the side-view mirror – as if he was going to stop and take prisoners. Of course, he never did.
The next day we’d get up and do it all over again.
I can’t remember the last time I saw a kid throw a snowball at a school bus. It’s sad really. Oh well… enough of that… let’s cook something!
Cream Cheese & Jelly Crepes
I think Bisquick® is one of the greatest inventions since the wheel. Inexpensive and versatile, you can do just about anything with it… pancakes, waffles, muffins, casseroles, fried chicken, other stuff.
Just the right amount of Bisquick dusted into a beaten egg will produce a fast and excellent Crepe which you can then fill with your imagination.
This recipe uses Raspberry Jelly and Cream Cheese reminiscent of the cream cheese and jelly sandwiches I used to love as a kid. But honestly you could stuff just about anything in these babies and they’ll be good, so get creative.
If you have kids, make these up for an after school snack and stuff with their favorite fillings; you’ll move up a notch or two on the parental approval scale.
What You’ll Need
… For the Crepes
Large eggs
Vanilla extract (imitation is fine)
Bisquick®
Salt
Powdered sugar
… For the FIlling
Raspberry jelly (or jam) – room temperature
Cream cheese (the real stuff, not the neufuggel)
What to Do
Crack an egg into a shallow bowl. Add a small pinch of salt and 1/4 teaspoon* of vanilla extract. Beat with a fork until thoroughly mixed.
Measure out a level 1/2 teaspoon* of Bisquick and dump it into a small bowl or cup. Stir the dry flour up with the tines of a fork to break it up smooth so that you don’t get a lot of lumps when it gets added to the egg.
Now start beating the egg mixture again and gently tap in the Bisquick. Continue beating for another minute, breaking up any large lumps of flour – if any appear.
Hiss a little non-stick cooking spray into a small non-stick skillet (about 8 inches in diameter is perfect) and put a medium heat under it. We’ll want the pan to heat up for a minute or so before adding the egg. Just as you start to smell the oil from the cooking spray add in the egg mixture. It will cook fast! Grab the handle and give the pan a slight tilt-a-whirl so that the egg coats the bottom of the pan as evenly as possible.
Cook for about 40 seconds on one side then flip the crepe over and cook another 30 seconds on the other side. Remove the crepe from the pan and let it cool for about 30 seconds or until you can handle it.
Put a schmear of cream cheese across the inside front edge (the edge closest to you) of the crepe, then spread some jelly on top of the cream cheese. Roll up the crepe into a cigar, leaving the ends open; dust it with a little powdered sugar and serve.
My Cost per Crepe Approx. 55 cents.
* Use real measuring spoons (not stirring spoons) for this recipe. Too much liquid will cause the crepe to tear when you try to roll it… too much flour and you’ll have a pancake instead of a crepe. GMN