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Dancinig Deer Delights

Christy — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 16:16:16 +0000

As someone who loves to bake, I’m not all that fond of pre-packaged baked goods. The cookies are always too crispy and the brownies too chewy. But one notable exception is Dancing Deer Baking Co., a local company, whose Molasses Clove Cookies are so chewy and flavorful that I have often selected them over a chocolate option. That, for me, is one of the highest compliments you can pay to a non-chocolate dessert. If this sounds a bit familiar, it should. They were part of my 40 Days of Giveaways last spring and I raved about them then, as well. In fact, I asked them to participate because they are one of my absolute favorite things.

This holiday season, Dancing Deer offered me some new treats to sample. Naturally, I said YES.

Sweet Lemon Squares – These were by far my favorite goodie of the bunch, although I was skeptical at first. The Sweet Lemon Squares were just the right amount of chewy with a slightly crispy sugary coating on top that melted in my mouth. While the lemon flavor is pronounced, it’s not like the tartness of a lemon curd or pudding. It’s more like a dense lemon blondie. Yum! I wished I had a big tin of just these, but luckily for my waistline, I only had a couple.

Salted Caramel Squares – I expected these to be the best of all, but I was slightly disappointed. They were certainly delicious, but the caramel and salt flavors melded too closely together. Rather than a gooey caramel brownie with a surprising salt, it tasted more like a salty caramel-y brownie. Like, I said, they were good, but I wasn’t "wow’ed." These were Big Guy’s favorite, though, so they might be yours, too.

Cranberry Orange Cookies – I’m not a huge cranberry fan, so I passed these on to my parents for their opinion. This is a whole grain cranberry and orange cookies with white chocolate chips. My mom had told me that cranberry white chocolate cookies were one of her favorites, so much so that she had just baked a batch of her own for Christmas. The Dancing Deer cookies had steep competition, but my mom liked them a lot. She said that the orange and cranberry went together perfectly and created a wonderful Christmas-y flavor. In fact, she said that the next time she bakes her cookies, she’s going to add some orange zest. Her only complaint was that she thought they could use a bit more of the white chocolate.

Since we deal with food allergies in our house I should mention that, like most gourmet bakeries, the items are not really safe for those with severe nut allergies. They’re all processed in the same space (although not necessarily on the same equipment)Fortunately, we had enough kid-friendly desserts for the kids, and Big Guy and I (and my parents) got the Dancing Deer treats all to ourselves. These are a seriously lovely gift for someone and I’m not just saying that because they sent us free samples. I’m kind of hoping someone who loves me will send me more of the Lemon Squares (along with the Molasses Clove Cookies and some Chocolate Chunk Brownies) for… I don’t know, Valentine’s Day? My birthday? Mother’s Day? Or just for no reason at all.. P.S. I just discovered that they also have shortbread cookies. How did I miss that? And doesn’t Maple Pecan Nugget Shortbread sound divine?

Dancing Deer is a pretty cool company, anyway. Their products are all-natural with no preservatives and they strive for environmentally friendly packaging where possible. The company is employee-owned, in that employees are all stakeholders, which I always find results in a superior product. And they have a strong philanthropic component to their business. Lastly, they’re local to the Boston area, which automatically makes them wicked awesome.

Disclosure: Dancing Deer Baking Co. sent us the samples mentioned above for review purposes. There was no promise of a positive review (although anyone who has ever mentioned Dancing Deer to me could have guaranteed a positive review) and the opinions above are my own (with help from Big Guy and my mom). Pictures are courtesy of Dancing Deer.

Day 16 – Win a Mother’s Day Cookie Bouquet from Dancing Deer

2011… a Year in Pictures

Christy — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 04:47:40 +0000

This was a crazy busy year full of all of my favorite things… family, travel, tech, and fun. These are just some of the highlights of my activities this year.

CES 2011 in Vegas… Danny Gokey Concert

A LOT of Snow

Trip to Disney as the Traveling Mom Food Allergies Blogger

A new room for my girly little girl

A 40th Birthday! (Yikes)

A trip to NOLA for the Mom 2.0 Conference (Thanks, Microsoft!)

Lots of baking…

Forward with Ford

Visit to GE with the lovely Charlene

Family travel

More family travel

And more…

BlogHer San Diego (with some of my favorite Boston Parent Bloggers)

Bug’s First Day of Kindergarten

A Hurricane (yeah, this is the only picture I got!)

Big Guy Turns 40 (Bug turns 6)

Freak October Snowstorm (haven’t really had any snow since…)

A visit with Walter Wick

Gaming with PlayStation Family

Happy, albeit sick, holiday season…

Pink and Purple Guns

Christy — Sat, 26 Nov 2011 15:38:00 +0000

When Big Guy and I decided to have kids, I had some ideas about how I wanted to raise them. My husband had fewer opinions, but seemed on board with the things that were most important to me. I know that you can’t really be prepared for what it’s like to have kids, but now, more than six years later, I’m pretty sure I’ve really screwed up the plan.

We have a few big philosophies, but these in particular stand out:

1. Giving girls the space to be what they want without pressure to do “girl” things. Ah, nature vs. nurture. Do girls like pink and purple because of genetics, or because everyone behaves like it’s a foregone conclusion? Do they play with dolls and favor social play because they have learned to do so from the people in their lives? I think it’s a little of both, but it was important to me to create a space where my daughter could choose her own path. We shied away from the pale pink and purple clothes that many purchase exclusively. We went instead with neutral pastels and bold colors like turquoise, plum, and red. We made sure she had equal access to blocks and cars as to dolls and and play kitchens. It’s challenging, quite honestly, because many family and friends around us still believe that girls prefer dolls over trucks. They give her everything “girly,” while Bug gets all of the engineering toys. I believe that sends a message to both of my children about what they should like and what their roles should be.

2. Guns. I am not a violent person and I don’t believe that violence is generally the best solution to any problem. Big Guy and I have struggled a bit more with this particular area. Not that my husband believes in guns or violence either, but we’re gamers and sci-fi fans, and weaponry plays a role in our hobbies. We both fondly remember Star Wars from our own childhoods and wanted to share them movies with our own kids. But it’s a slippery slope. Is a light saber a gun? Yeah, kind of. And I’m sure my husband thought I was a lunatic when I was furious with him for purchasing a Toy Story 3 Lego set with green army men. Once Bug started school, it became virtually impossible to avoid the influence of guns and a battle culture, even if we hadn’t been great about dealing with it in the first place. This past Halloween, Bug decided to go as a Clone Trooper (they were good guys before they became Storm Troopers). And when I balked about getting him a toy blaster, he counseled me, “It’s just a piece of plastic that makes noise. It’s not REAL.” This is where I had to make a choice. Do I blindly hold onto this rule, or do I make an occasional exception, but use it as a chance to talk more with my kids about the subject. I went with the latter, although it’s an uneasy decision for me. Still, Bug reminds me frequently that his battle play is pretend, while I continue to request less violent games. Lady Bug is younger and it’s hard to tell what she understands and what she doesn’t. This makes the whole situation far more complicated.

There are plenty of other decisions we have made as parents that are the same as some families and different than others. It’s not about right or wrong; it’s about making the choices that we feel comfortable with and that seem best for our family.

That brings us to today. LadyBug is making out her Christmas wish list and it has two items on it. The first is a My Little Pony play set with a slide. For the record, Hasbro doesn’t currently make any. The second? A pink and purple gun. And it is those minutes of parenthood in which you know, without any doubt whatsoever, that you have failed your children.

The good news? Guns are not typically girly, so there aren’t many toy gun options in pink and purple. Sadly, there are more pink toy guns in production than My Little Pony slides. LadyBug is going to have to come up with a new list and I have a whole new parenting challenge ahead. How do I explain that Santa doesn’t really make either of those toys?

Halloween 2011

Christy — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 02:26:00 +0000

We were without power until almost 3pm on Halloween, after the freak snowstorm that threatened to ruin Bug’s 6th birthday. And, while I don’t usually pay much attention to our electric company (largely because we rarely lose power ), I want to send a huge thank you to them and all of the employees who worked all day and night in order to get power restored. So, Kudos to RMLD for your hard work and for restoring power in time for Halloween festivities!

That said, here are my Clone Trooper and Snow Princess. Lady Bug was thrilled with her glow wand, but has requested “a gun” for her birthday. Lovely, right? And I’m not sure who designed that Clone Trooper costume, but next time could you leave room for the kids’ noses? I mean, maybe you could let a Real Child try on the costume before you start the manufacturing process.

We have a whole new meaning behind “checking the Halloween candy.” Remember how you had to hand it all over to be inspected for razor blades and such? We don’t really do that here, although I suppose I should check it a bit more closely. We’ve got a pretty friendly neighborhood, so I’m more trusting than I might be somewhere else. Anyway, we have to separate out all of Bug’s candy and it breaks my heart every year. It’s not the candy that’s really the issue – we always have plenty available for him to swap and he’s got more than he needs anyway – it’s just sad to me to see how many things he can’t eat. I easily pulled out half of his candy (maybe more) for nuts and possible nuts. We snag Lady Bugs nut candy, too, although she can keep the stuff that is just a possible contamination. They’re too young to take the chance that he won’t accidentally grab something from her bucket.

By the end of Halloween, we were all exhausted. Two days without power (and heat), the Halloween party, the birthday party, an impromptu slumber party at my in-law’s house (where it was warm!) was draining. We all snuggled on the couch for “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown.”

Big Guy didn’t even make it that long…

I don’t really love the costumes, but I enjoy all the decor, music, and ambiance around Halloween. And it has special meaning, because we brought Bug home for the first time on Halloween night. It was our first Halloween in the house, but we had all of the outdoor lights off. The kids saw us in the house and started shouting, “Give us candy!” We shouted back, “We just came home with a newborn!” Luckily, we had a stash of candy on hand, but it’s still a memory that makes me smile. Here he is in his first costume just home from the hospital:

And LadyBug’s first:

Halloween HEXBUGs Crash Our Boston Bruins Birthday Party!

Christy — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 16:28:26 +0000

As Halloween approaches, it’s time for some creepy crawly fun. We had the chance to host a HEXBUG Halloween party this past weekend. We wove it into a Boston Bruins celebration for Bug and Big Guy’s birthdays, but the HEXBUG Nanos definitely had a starring role with the kids. We had some new glow-in the dark track (very cool) and a variety of new HEXBUGs, including the Larva and the HEXBUG Halloween Zombie Nanos. The Boston Bruins branded HEXBUG hex cell was my own doing. They unfortunately don’t sell them that way!

Radio Shack has the limited edition HEXBUG Halloween Zombie Nanos, and you can bet that they’re going to be selling out. These adorable HEXBUGs come in a black or orange coffin and have a glow-in-the dark exoskeleton. They retail for $5.99 and are only available from Radio Shack. Don’t wait to pick up a couple of these. They’re really nice gifts for your kids, and a nice way to swap out some candy for something without sugar!

We also had a chance to take a look at the new HEXBUG Larva up close. Admittedly, these guys creep me out, and have since I first saw them. But once we had the time to play with them, I also decided they’re pretty cool. They have a sensor that causes them to change direction when they approach an obstacle. It makes them decidedly creepier, since now they seem to have some intelligence, but they have grown me. I hope HEXBUG makes one in the future with an LED or a glow-in-the-dark shell, because they would be perfect for a disturbing haunted house display.

Here’s what Larva looks when it’s just roaming around:

Our red HEXBUG Larva. And, yes, it is a little noisy on the hardwood floor.

So, there you go. Our HEXBUG Halloween party was a hit. The kids were all thrilled to go home with HEXBUGs of their own. My kids, of course, believe that you can never have too many HEXBUGs and I am inclined to agree. Shh… don’t tell, but we’ll be surprising another bunch of kids with HEXBUG fun at Bug’s friend birthday party at the end of the month. We love to share the HEXBUG goodness!

Disclosure: We received a HEXBUG Halloween party kit from BSM Media and InnovationFirst. There was no promise of a positive review and the opinions contained in this post are my own.

A Party, a Dress, Tapas and a Goddess Giving Birth

Christy — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 05:22:07 +0000

This weekend marked the official end of my 40th birthday celebration. Quirky Fusion readers will party on with 40 Days of Giveaways, but I’ve done all the partying I need to do. Last year, when I told my husband that I wanted a party for my 40th Birthday, my hopes weren’t all that high. Honestly, Big Guy is good at a lot of things, but party planning isn’t one of them. Thankfully, my mom and sister stepped in and gave him some much needed guidance (i.e., took over). And although he never claims any of the glory, I know my dad did a ton of work, too. It takes a village to host a birthday party…

Since I had given up my original request for a surprise party, they decided to keep the location a surprise. It was fun speculating where we might end up, but it did cause me some anxiety when deciding what to wear. In the end, I stumbled across a dress that I simply fell in love with. I decided that it was simple enough to be OK in a casual environment, but formal enough that I felt special wearing it. And I found a pretty necklace that matched perfectly. Win-win!

The party was held at Café Madrid in Chelmsford, MA. They serve Spanish and American food with a nice selection of tapas. They’ve got a great party room in the back with a large screen, dance floor and bar. I loved the location. The room was a nice size and very private. I wasn’t thrilled at first that they had the hockey game on during the party, but Big Guy is a HUGE hockey fan and it didn’t end up detracting from the fun for me. Plus, the Bruins won in double overtime, so everyone was in good spirits at the end of the night! The food was delicious, but a little heavy. I’ll definitely return to try their food for dinner sometime.

I’m going to be honest. I was a little concerned that no one would show up. That’s a post for another time, but it was in the back of my mind. Needless to say, there were people at the party and I love each and every one of them. My mom, who used to teach third grade, devised a crazy activity that involved acting out different memorable moments from my life. I had to guess what activity each group acted out. I love that my friends and family were willing to act like complete lunatics in order to help me celebrate. I can’t tell you the last time I laughed so hard. The award goes to my dear friend, Melanie (The Coupon Goddess), who re-enacted the birth of both of my children on the floor of the restaurant without thinking twice. Her team won for the best re-enactment, which was funny, since they collectively knew me for the shortest amount of time.

My mom outdid herself in terms of the finer details of the event. There was a slideshow with pictures from infancy on up and it was fun to look back on so many good times. It also proved to those who have been hearing me say it for the past couple of years, that Lady Bug looks almost EXACTLY like me as a baby. Eerie. But a good thing, because when she was born I’m pretty sure I said that if I hadn’t seen her being born, I wouldn’t believe she was mine. My mom also remembered that I wanted custom M&Ms for our wedding, but had to nix them for budget constraints. She came through with my own special birthday M&M mix.They said, “Celebrate Christy!” and “40 great years!” The last custom M&M had my face printed on it, which is both creepy and cool. Be forewarned that you look at lot chubbier when your face is plastered on an M&M.

My husband was a bit more of a silent partner in this whole extravaganza, but he did remember that the most important part of a birthday party (other than the fabulous guests) is the cake. Our friends at Cakes for Occasions did a great job with a Mickey Mouse cake in three flavors: opera, red velvet, and a white cake. Much thanks to my in-laws for picking it up and delivering it safely to the event! Luckily (or not, if you ask my waistline), we brought a lot of cake home. The only flaw is that the black frosting stains everything, so we all had grim-looking smiles by the end of the night. Despite my paranoia, though, none of it ended up on my dress!

My father-in-law did a great job of taking pictures of all of the festivities and I got some pictures in, too. Here are some of my favorites:

40th Birthday

VIEW SLIDE SHOW

DOWNLOAD ALL

It was a fantastic night and I had a blast. Can’t you tell?

A Fabulous 40th Birthday Week Indeed

Christy — Sat, 23 Apr 2011 15:52:50 +0000

I’ve been so busy that I never posted about my birthday! It started the weekend before with a delicious red velvet cake from BJs. Now, given that I have a bakery nearby that I adore, you may be wondering why I would buy a store-bought cake. Well, there are two reasons. First, I knew that I was already getting a Cakes for Occasions cake for my upcoming birthday party tonight. On a side note, for some reason my husband used an invitation that said it was a surprise, even though it isn’t (I don’t have details, but I know it’s on Saturday – unless it’s the BIGGEST, CRAZIEST surprise ever, which I doubt). So everyone is skulking around, pretending they don’t know I’m having a party and that they won’t see me. It’s kind of funny. Anyway, second, have you TRIED their red velvet cake? Because, really, it’s delicious!

The kids were excited to celebrate. Well, Bug was. Lady Bug was in a crabby mood.

The night before my actual birthday, Big Guy brought me my favorite Indian food, a new Jack Johnson CD, and a fun singing card that sings “Happy Together” (one of my favorite songs). Bonus points for him!

I flew out first thing on my birthday (left the house at 4:15am) to head to New Orleans for the Mom 2.0 Conference. I was a day early, but that gave me plenty of time to enjoy the city. Melanie treated me to a delicious lunch. Here I am, tired, but happy.

We went to Mother’s Restaurant with Miss Britt, HerBadMother, and Zchamu. There was a bit of a wait, which gave me plenty of time to waiver between jambalaya and gumbo. Jambalaya? Gumbo? Jambalaya? Gumbo? In the end, the summery climate pushed me away from the stew-like gumbo to the delicious jambalaya. I got it with red beans and rice (and, yes, that’s sausage IN the red beans and rice) and french fries. Sadly, the meal doesn’t look quite as yummy in photographic form, but you can just trust me that it was.

When Big Guy lamented that he wasn’t quite sure what to get me as a present, I suggested that it might be nice to have something delivered to the hotel ON my birthday as a treat. Here’s what the hotel sent:

I had no idea what they were, but they didn’t really look all that appealing to me. They’re unnatural colors, and kind of hard, and at least one of them has a fruity filling. I called Big Guy to find out what he had sent and he had no idea what those were either. They were supposed to send chocolate truffles. Of course, because my husband has at least some idea of what I like! So, I called the hotel and found out that these strange little things were macaroons (they don’t look like any macaroon I’ve ever had, but whatever). I thanked them, and then kindly asked where the #@*$ were my truffles. The Ritz-Carlton in New Orleans (which will have a separate post entirely) is a class act. They immediately sent me this bowl of chocolaty-goodness:

Yummm. Anyway, I went back out later for dinner with a cadre of smart, talented, and fabulous bloggers who are too numerous to name at this point. We enjoyed our dinner on a balcony above Bourbon Street and I had my first hurricane of the trip.

After that, I wandered back to the hotel, did a little work, and then settled in for a long night sleep. It has been a fantastic birthday so far, and I’ve got a little more celebrating to do tonight. Off to start getting ready…

Day 16 – Win a Mother’s Day Cookie Bouquet from Dancing Deer

Christy — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 03:09:37 +0000

This contest is now closed. Please check back for more great giveaways. This is Day 16 in the 40 Days of Giveaways.

Photo Courtesy of Dancing Deer

I have a general rule about cookies: they need to have chocolate in them or I’m simply not interested. Dancing Deer Baking Co. has broken that rule with their Molasses Clove cookies. Chewy, sweet, and a little spicy, these cookies are divine. And then there’s the Chocolate Chunk brownies. A fudgey brownie with chocolate chunks? Mmmm. But I digress. Dancing Deer Baking Co. is local to the Boston area AND their ingredients are all natural. You can bet that no matter what you sample, you’re going to end up with happy taste buds.

As spring slowly finds its way into New England, there are two things that stand out: first, the return of our flowers, and second, Mother’s Day. Dancing Deer wants to celebrate both of those by giving one reader a Mother’s Day Cookie Rose Bouquet. [Note to Big Guy, Lady Bug and Bug: YUM!] I mean, what mom wouldn’t want a dozen (edible) roses?

Want to win?

PLEASE TAKE A MOMENT TO READ THE TWO RULES. IF YOU’RE CONFUSED, JUST ASK!

The Prize: A Cookie Rose Bouquet with a Dozen Cookies

To Enter (once per person/household):

Leave a comment on THIS post (right down below) telling me what other Dancing Deer product you’d like to sample.
Make sure you enter the correct email address in the email spot on the comment form so I can reach you. Please DON’T put your email in the actual comment.

Details:

Contest will end at 11:59pm Eastern on April 27, 2011. Entries received after that time will not be valid.
U.S. addresses only (sorry, international friends!)
Adults (18+) only
Winners will be chosen via random.org. Winner must comply with all rules mentioned here, or a new winner will be selected. I will have the final decision in this matter.
I will email the winner who will have roughly 48 hours to respond and claim their prize.

Bonus Entries:

Subscribe to this blog via email/RSS (once) – Already a subscriber? That counts!
Blog about this contest using the full url *no shortened links* (once)
Tweet about this contest (max 1 per day)
Fan/Like Quirky Fusion on Facebook (once) – If you’ve already “Liked” us, you can claim this one!

To claim bonus entries, please post one comment on this post per bonus entry (include permalink or tweet url).

Questions? Contact me.

Disclosure: This giveaway is sponsored by Dancing Deer Baking Co. This is not a compensated post and the opinions are my own.

A Sweet Afternoon at Turtle Lane Maple Farm

Christy — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 19:33:59 +0000

My kids love maple syrup. At least they think they do. We have some Mrs. Butterworth syrup that the kids and Big Guy use on their pancakes. When I have the choice, I prefer REAL maple syrup. You know, from a tree, as nature intended. So, now that we have a glimmer of spring, I decided that it was time for a return to Turtle Lane Maple Farm.

Turtle Lane Maple Farm in North Andover, MA, is owned by Farmer Paul and Farmer Kathy, and their four kids. In fact, it resides in their back yard! It started as an experiment in 2003 and has grown into the hobby that beats all hobbies. In addition to their full-time jobs and the joys of parenting, Paul and Kathy have tapped maple trees all over the area (in their backyard, but also with permission on public land) and they spend their weekends at this time of year boiling sap, making and packaging products to sell, and teaching the rest of us all about maple syrup and its origins.

We set out through the mud into Paul and Kathy’s backyard where their sugar house stands. We visited a few years ago and the house was… well, a shack. Their new sugar house is more like a small cabin with all of the equipment necessary to make maple syrup that can be sold in local markets.

In a free hour-long presentation/tour, Paul explains the process of tapping trees, collecting sap, filtering it, boiling it, etc., in fine detail. There are some excellent science and math lessons in there for those who are paying attention! He shows the equipment being used and weaves in some historical information on maple syrup and maple sugar, as well. During the tour, Kathy passes around a variety of samples, including sap, mid-boiled “syrup,” and the final product. We also tasted some of their maple sugar products, but I don’t want to give away all of their surprises. The highlight of the shack (other than the delicious syrup) is a professional evaporator that slowly boils sap down to syrup. You’ll want to keep an eye on young kids in there because that evaporator is very hot.

When we arrived at the shack, there were already 15-20 people there, and more straggled in over the next 45 minutes. Guests are welcome to stop by while they are boiling (as mentioned on their website), but they do ask that large groups (15 or more) make a reservation. You can also pop in and buy some maple sugar candy, maple cream (no cream here… it’s all sugar), maple sugar or, of course, maple syrup in a variety of shades/flavor intensities.

Bug, who is five and a half, learned quite a bit during the presentation, although large portions went over his head. Lady Bug (3) wasn’t at all interested until the samples came out. This is a great activity for elementary and middle school kids, although you shouldn’t be surprised if they want to start making their own syrup at home! It’s also fun for adults who are curious about the process. I learned a lot, and it was my second time visiting. We came home with Grade B syrup (I like to have as much maple flavor as possible!), some maple cream, and some maple sugar candies (Oh, who am I kidding? My family gobbled those up in the car!)

Turtle Lane Maple Farm is open for tours for as long as there is sap to boil, but it’s basically the month of March. Check their website to see when they will be boiling each weekend. They also have opportunities to volunteer with preparations in January and February. You can follow their Facebook page to keep up-to-date. North Andover is about 30 miles outside of Boston, so this is a great family activity, especially paired with another local attraction, like a hike through Harold Parker State Forest.

Cinnamon Roll Pancakes | recipegirl.com

Christy — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 17:49:54 +0000

I love cinnamon rolls. I love pancakes. Recipegirl recently posted the yummiest looking recipe to combine the two. Cinnamon Roll Pancakes with cream cheese glaze:

Cinnamon Roll Pancakes | recipegirl.com.

Updated on 3/6/2011:

We made the pancakes today. I thought that we had done something wrong, but it turns out that hers had these crevices in them, too. Yeah, ours aren’t as fancy… that brown sugar mix was HOT, so I was just trying to get it on the pancake! I think the butter from the cinnamon mix is simply absorbed into the pancake and you’re left with these caramelized sugar canyons. They were super-yum, but I didn’t heed her warning that one would be enough (indeed, Big Guy did eat more than one), but we had them with sausages and even on a good day I couldn’t have had more than two. Note that Big Guy makes the pancakes pretty big (especially for the last batch!). We didn’t use any syrup. Even Lady Bug, who wasn’t a fan of the cream cheese glaze (not shown), didn’t need any syrup.