Atop the aerial ladder of a bright red fire engine, a firefighter wrangles a hose. From the spout pours not water but syrup, pumped from an enormous bottle. The stream of viscous liquid is aimed at a giant stack of pancakes 9 feet high.
“Pancake Breakfast” is one of the dozens of floats expected to roll through Pasadena on New Year’s Day in the annual Tournament of Roses Parade. It was built by volunteers from Sierra Madre, a small foothill town that narrowly escaped the worst of the Eaton fire, which destroyed swaths of Altadena in January.
The design is meant to honor first responders and their role in protecting the town, referencing the community pancake breakfasts that for decades have been a common practice in many towns and cities to raise funds for equipment, training, and fire safety programs while also helping to build ties between residents and firefighters.
But some residents in Altadena have said the design — and particularly the audio feature, in which a firefighter asks for more syrup — is upsetting, because during the destructive fires many hydrants in their neighborhood ran dry.
“To depict anything where we are running out of liquid is maybe a little tone-deaf this year,” Shawna Dawson Beer, the author of a community blog about Altadena, told Fox 11.
“I think unfortunately this speaks to something that we fire survivors have experienced all year and that is a lot of action being taken on our behalf,” Beer said. “Ultimately, all of these folks with the best intentions and biggest hearts just need to actually talk to the survivors.”
Evelyn Shaffer, treasurer at the Sierra Madre Float Assn., which holds a contest each year to select the design of a float to be featured in the Tournament of Roses, found the float quaint and the Dalmatian standing watch by the red engine “just adorable.”
Three active-duty firefighters from Sierra Madre will be standing atop the float on the day of the parade, she said.
“I really regret that anyone had any distress over the float,” Shaffer said, adding that she felt that not all the information shared on social media was “fully accurate” and that descriptions of the float’s audio did not capture the whimsical tone.
She said that, in response to criticism in recent days, the audio dialogue had been removed.
“We don’t want anyone upset. This was not our intent. We took all the dialogue off,” Shaffer said. “So now you have the lovely glugging of the syrup on the soundtrack. That’s it.”
Shaffer said members of the association vote each year on some 40 float design submissions that are in line with a theme put forth by Tournament of Roses officials. The theme of the 137th Rose Parade is “The Magic in Teamwork.”
It’s one of only five floats in the upcoming Rose Parade that are built by volunteers from the communities sponsoring them.
“We are very proud of the design because it’s an homage to our first responders,” Shaffer said.
Shaffer said she hoped the changes made would allow people to enjoy the float.
Lead builder of the float, Kurt Kulhavy, told KCRW last week that the aim of the design was to honor firefighters without re-traumatizing those who lost homes and loved ones. They opted for a lighthearted approach.
News of the controversy online spurred some to speak up in favor of the design.
“I was [a]ffected by the fires. Im not offended. There are much bigger issues in the world. I think the float is cute. Geez,” one Instagram user commented.
But a member of the Sierra Madre float association, Dave Andrews, said in a post on Facebook last week that he was not a fan of the design and did not vote for it because it “seemed inappropriate.”
He said he had been dismayed when he later heard the soundtrack of what he described as a “fake fire call” in which a fire engine is being dispatched to a pancake breakfast because they are running out of syrup, and that he and others had raised concerns to the board.
In a post on Sunday, he applauded the float association for removing the dialogue.
“Even though some people perceive [me] as the bad guy for speaking my mind, I respect them for making a compassionate choice,” Andrews said. “Bravo to Sierra Madre for listening.”
Top your favorite sweet breakfast recipe with liquid gold, aka buttermilk syrup, the best syrup on earth!
It is the best topping for pancakes, waffles, french toast and just about anything else you can imagine. It’s thick, sweet, buttery and totally divine. It tastes like you are pouring buttery caramel all over your breakfast. Think Kneaders or Magleby’s syrup for all my Utah readers.
This is one of those recipes that I grew up with and I don’t know why, but it took me years to remember it and bring it back with my family. It’s absolutely the best syrup around and trust me, you have to try it yourself to understand. It’s not at all buttermilk-y in taste, but creamy, light, sweet, and oh so amazing. It tastes like a caramel sauce but lighter. I can barely stand to not lick my plate when breakfast is over just to get ever last bit. Ok, I do…I lick my plate clean and I am not ashamed!
Ingredients Needed for Buttermilk Syrup
All you need is 6 ingredients to make this homemade buttermilk syrup and most of them are pantry staples. Here is what you will need…
Butter: unsalted is preferred and it creates the base for the syrup
White Sugar: just regular granulated sugar
Buttermilk: makes the syrup extra creamy
Vanilla: adds flavor
Corn Syrup: enhances the caramel flavor
Baking Soda: The secret ingredient that may seem odd but trust me! It can’t be skipped!
The measurement for each ingredient can be found in the recipe card at the end of this post.
How to Make Buttermilk Syrup
Making this buttermilk syrup recipe at home takes less than 10 minutes and can totally be done simultaneously while you are cooking pancakes or waffles. Here are the basic steps…
Melt: Get the butter melting in a large saucepan on the stove top over medium heat. Add the sugar, buttermilk, vanilla and corn syrup and stir everything to combine.
Boil: Allow the mixture to come to a rolling bowl and then remove the pan from the heat and add the baking soda stirring it in to combine.
NOTE: The syrup will foam up quite a bit (see picture below to see the amount of foam, this is totally normal) so make sure your pot is big with plenty of room. I will sometimes hold my pan over the sink when I add the baking soda just in case it foams over. We don’t want a sugary mess all over the stove top! There’s nothing worse!
Simmer: Place the pan back over the heat and whisk for about 30 seconds to allow everything to incorporate. Then it is ready to serve!
The complete instructions can be found in the recipe card at the end of the post.
Tips and Variations
This recipe is quite flexible and can be customized to your liking. Experiment with the flavors your family loves best! It can also be used in a variety of ways too…not just on top of pancakes or waffles.
One way to change things up is to try different extracts. Rather than vanilla, add coconut extract (hello syrup of the gods!! Try our Coconut Buttermilk Syrup Recipe) or do half vanilla and half coconut. You can also try almond extract, orange extract, etc.
Spices can also be added to it. Add 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon for an extra layer of flavor. A little cloves or nutmeg would also be so delicious!
Swap the white sugar for brown sugar for an extra deep caramel/molasses flavor.
Buttermilk is made by adding a lactic acid bacteria to regular pasteurized milk.
Sour milk is made by adding vinegar and lemon juice to regular milk to make it sour. Either one will work for this recipe
What is a Buttermilk Substitute?
You can substitute sour milk for buttermilk in most recipes. So making sour milk is your best substitute for buttermilk, though it won’t be quite the same as if you use real buttermilk.
Make sour milk by adding 1-2 tablespoons lemon juice or vinegar to 1 cup of milk and stir. Let it sit for a 5 minutes or more.
How Long Will Buttermilk Syrup Last?
Store it in a jar or airtight container, and place in the fridge.
Buttermilk syrup will stay good, for about 1-2 weeks in the fridge.
Reheat buttermilk syrup in the microwave or on the stove top.
If someone made me pick my favorite recipes for breakfast, this easy homemade syrup would have to be on the list! It tastes like heaven on anything! Homemade buttermilk syrup is a breakfast staple in the Cheney house!
All our AMAZING SYRUP recipes:
Servings: 10
Prep Time: 2 minutesmins
Cook Time: 6 minutesmins
Total Time: 8 minutesmins
Description
Top your favorite sweet breakfast recipe with liquid gold, aka buttermilk syrup, the best syrup on earth!
Prevent your screen from going dark
In a large pot or saucepan over medium heat add the butter, sugar, buttermilk, vanilla and corn syrup.
1/2 Cup Butter, 1 Cup Sugar, 1 Cup Buttermilk, 2 teaspoons Vanilla, 1 Tablespoon Corn Syrup
Heat until everything is well combined and bring to a boil.
Quickly remove the pot from the heat and add the baking soda, place back over the heat, stirring constantly. The syrup will grow large and threaten to boil over which is why a large pot is essential. If it gets too close to the edge remove from the burner and continue stirring to bring it down.
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
Stir for 30 seconds over the heat (I often just take mine off so I don’t risk boiling over) and serve immediately.
Oh, mama! We made this cinnamon roll pigs in a blanket recipe for breakfast the other day and it’s our new go to breakfast!
For this recipe we wrap a cinnamon roll around a sausage link to make the most delicious sausage dunkers. We will teach you how to make a maple butter sauce for dipping them in too. The combination of sweet and savory in a breakfast recipe is totally my jam! Remember our cinnamon bread bacon stuffing at Thanksgiving?
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Johnsonville Italian Sausage. The opinions and text are all mine.
What are Pigs in a Blanket?
Pigs in a blanket are an appetizer or breakfast food consisting of small sausages wrapped in pastry.
I think everyone has heard of “pigs in a blanket” right? I certainly have and then when Cade and I were talking about what to do for our next post with Johnsonville, we knew we wanted to make a kid friendly Christmas breakfast recipe and I suddenly realized I don’t know anything. Then I said, what about our own version of pigs in a blanket, you know with the pancakes.
And Cade informed me that most pigs in a blanket recipes are actually hot dogs or franks in crescent dough or puff pastry. What?! All these years and I didn’t know! Well, this is still our breakfast take, cinnamon roll pigs in a blanket dunkers with a maple butter sauce.
That’s right, maple butter sauce. Cinnamon Rolls. And of course, breakfast sausage links.
Ingredients for Cinnamon Roll Pigs in a Blanket
For the sausage dunkers, all you need is 2 ingredients! So simple! For the maple butter sauce, you’ll need just a handful of ingredients, most of which you’ll have already at home. Here is what you will need:
Grands Cinnamon Rolls
Johnsonville Turkey Fully Cooked Breakfast Sausage: we chose to use precooked sausages to save on time but you can cook your own sausage if you prefer
For the Sauce
Maple Syrup: get the real stuff…Grade A
Buttermilk: adds some acidity to balance out the sweetness and adds creaminess
Butter: use salted if you have it
Brown Sugar: adds rich flavor and sweetness
Corn Syrup: helps thicken the sauce
Cinnamon: adds warmth and flavor to the sauce
Vanilla: adds flavor
The measurements for all the ingredients can be found in the recipe card at the end of this post. Keep scrolling for all the details.
How to Make Breakfast Pigs in a Blanket
Your family’s new favorite breakfast recipe is just a few easy steps away! You honestly could not get an easier recipe. Here are the basic steps:
Prep: preheat the oven and line a baking sheet with parchment paper
Unwrap: open the tube of cinnamon rolls and unroll them all, slice each cinnamon roll “rope” in half to make two pieces
Assemble: wrap each sausage in one half of a cinnamon roll
NOTE: If pieces of the cinnamon filling falls off, pick it up and press it into the dough wrapped around the sausage.
Bake: place the wrapped sausages on the prepared baking sheet and bake as directed
NOTE: While the pigs in a blanket are baking, prepare the sauce.
Drizzle: using the cream cheese frosting that came with the cinnamon rolls, drizzle over the top of the golden brown dunkers
Serve: dunk in the maple butter sauce and enjoy!
For the Sauce
Boil: add all the ingredient to a saucepan over medium heat, whisk to combine and bring to a boil
Simmer: once boiling, reduce heat and allow the sauce to simmer for a minute, then serve
The sauce is totally optional, but we are obsessed with it! Now do you really need it? No, these are great without anything added, but I’m a sauce person as is Cade. We love to dip, dunk, and drizzle so it was only natural to have a syrup to go with these dunkers. You could also use any variety of dipping sauces like regular maple syrup or our buttermilk syrup.
The complete instructions for making this recipe can be found in the recipe card down below. You can print or save the recipe there as well.
Can I Use Uncooked Sausage Links?
We chose to use the fully cooked turkey breakfast sausages because on Christmas morning I do not want to worry about cooking, I just want to spend the day in jammies watching movies, playing with the kids and eating, a lot. Including these cinnamon roll pigs in a blanket dunkers!
So you can use uncooked sausage links (pork or turkey) if you want, but they will need to be cooked before wrapping them in the cinnamon rolls.
Can I Make My Own Cinnamon Rolls?
Yes, absolutely! You can of course make them from scratch or use store bought and the can be with or without the cream cheese frosting. I’m personally ALWAYS about from scratch (our homemade cinnamon rolls are the BEST!), but I decided to bust out store bought just to make life easier on all of us.
How to Keep Pigs in a Blanket from Getting Soggy
My best tip for keeping pigs in a blanket from getting soggy to eat them all! Haha! Such a perfect solution, right? Ok, in all seriousness, once the pigs in a blanket are baked, set them on a cooling rack and then don’t cover them with foil or anything that would trap heat and moisture in. If you need to keep them warm for a while, leave them on the baking sheet keep them in the oven on low heat.
Can Prepare Pigs in a Blanket Ahead of Time?
You can totally prep or even make these the night before. You can even completely bake them the day before, then stick them in a baking dish with foil over the top and reheat for 10 minutes at 350.
They can also be made ahead of time without baking them. Assemble the pigs in a blanket and place them on the baking sheet and then cover and store in the fridge until ready to bake.
How Long Can Pigs in a Blanket Sit Out?
For food safety, cooked pigs in a blanket should not sit out for more than two hours. Harmful bacteria can begin to form after two hours and sausage dunkers that have sat out that long should be discarded.
Can You Freeze Cinnamon Roll Pigs in a Blanket Dunkers?
Yes, after they are completely cooled, wrap tightly and freeze up to 2-3 months.
Watch How These Sausage Dunkers are Made…
We are sure that your family will love the flavorful sausages tucked in those sweet blankets and dipped in that buttery maple syrup. Johnsonville is making my life so stinking easy this holiday season and I’m loving it! If you’re looking for a breakfast the whole family will love, especially the kiddos, try this cinnamon roll pigs in a blanket recipe!
More Sweet Breakfast Options:
Servings: 12
Prep Time: 15 minutesmins
Cook Time: 20 minutesmins
Total Time: 35 minutesmins
Description
Turkey breakfast sausages wrapped in cinnamon rolls and dunked in a killer butter maple sauce! Perfect for holiday breakfasts!
Prevent your screen from going dark
Heat the oven to 350 degrees.
Place parchment paper on a baking sheet and open the cinnamon rolls, separating each roll and unrolling the dough.
1 Package Grands Cinnamon Rolls
Cut each cinnamon roll “rope” that you just created into two pieces.
Wrap each sausage with the dough, picking up any of the cinnamon filling that falls off and pressing it into the wrapped sausages without cinnamon on the outside.
Place the maple syrup, buttermilk, butter, sugar and corn syrup in a saucepan over medium heat.
1/2 Cup Maple Syrup, 1/2 Cup Buttermilk, 3 Tablespoons Butter, 1/2 Cup Brown Sugar, 1 Tablespoon Corn Syrup
Bring to a boil and add the cinnamon, and vanilla.
1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon, 1 teaspoon Vanilla
Turn down to a simmer for about 5 minutes, or until thickened slightly and then serve with the dunkers.
You can assemble the dunkers a day ahead on a baking sheet, wrap with saran wrap and refrigerate. Alternately you can completely bake everything and then store in the fridge in an airtight container. When you are ready to serve just place in a baking dish with foil over the top and warm in a 350 degree oven for 10-15 minutes. The syrup can be made up to one week ahead and stored in the fridge in a mason jar.
![Cinnamon Roll Pigs in a Blanket Dunkers [+ Video] – Oh Sweet Basil](https://reportwire.org/wp-content/uploads/cinnamon-roll-pigs-in-a-blanket-cinnamon-roll-dunkers-recipe-14.jpg)
