Happy Friday!! And guys, this truly is a happy one because it's impossible to read or cook Molly Yeh's recipes from Molly On The Range:  Recipes and Stories from an Unlikely Life on a Farm without breaking into a huge grin. They and she are just pure fun!! As are these Scallion Pancakes and Maple Syrup Slaw. Crispy, chewy and joyously spicy, these scallion pancakes balanced out by the cooling slightly sweet maple slaw, this is a not-to-be-missed treat and the epitome of Famous Friday celebration. If you're looking to bring sunshine and happiness into your kitchen, Molly's your girl!!

Besides this cookbook, Molly is the genius behind the blog My Name is Yeh, which is where I first discovered her. The blog features fun, unique, homey and trendy food plus great stories about Molly's transplanted life with her husband (Eggboy--long story) on his family's sugar beet farm in North Dakota. Molly, half-Jewish/half-Chinese and originally from the midwest and then from NY, is a truly adorable funny soul and the cookbook is a great read. Plus it's filled with recipes like Challah Waffles & Brunch Brisket, Honey Ricotta Blintzes with Caramelized Onions, Funfetti Cake, Tahini Blondie Ice Cream Sandwiches and Tater Tot Chicken Pot Hotdish (a North Dakota specialty) that you will want to run into the kitchen to start whipping up. If your guilty Chinese take-out pleasure is scallion pancakes, you are going to adore this homemade version.

You start by making a very simple dough, rolling it out, topping it with a mixture of sesame oil, scallions and hot pepper flakes and then rolling it up into a jellyroll and then a spiral which you then roll out again and fry until the outside is golden brown. It sounds complicated, but in reality is very easy.

Meanwhile, you make a super simple maple-y carrot slaw.

When the pancakes are done, you slice them into wedges, top with toasted sesame seeds and more scallions and serve with the slaw. Hot, salty, chewy, crispy, spicy, sweet...I could go on and on with the adjectives but you just have to try these for yourself. These little fried goodies are perfect for casual get togethers or as a special brunch or light dinner. Whenever you make them, I guarantee they are going to get gobbled up!!

The weekend's looking busy around here what with our renovation (have to pick out those paint colors-BAH, I'm, so bad at it!!) and more hockey, of course. Do you have any fun plans? Are you thinking of cooking up anything wonderful? I am definitely experiencing kitchen withdrawal symptoms and would love to hear what you've got going on culinarily or not-culinarily too!! Have a great weekend and I'll see you next week with more yummy stuff (I may attempt some toaster oven baked cookies-let's see how that goes) as we hopefully head into warmer weather around these parts!

Molly's Scallion Pancakes and Maple Syrup Slaw-Famous Fridays

Makes about 8 servings

Prep Time for Slaw:  10 minutes, plus at least 30 minutes to chill; Prep Time for Pancakes:  About 30 minutes for the dough and then another 20 minutes to roll out and fry

Ingredients

For the Slaw

• 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1/2 cup rice vinegar
• 4 cups shredded carrots

For the Pancakes

• 2 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 cup water

For the Pancake Filling

• 3 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
• Black pepper
• 5 scallions, very finely chopped
• Crushed red pepper flakes

Assembly & Serving

• Flavorless oil, for frying
• 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
• 1 scallion, finely chopped

The Recipe

1.  To make the slaw:  Place the soy sauce, syrup and vinegar in a large bowl and mix together. Add the carrots and toss well. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to 1 day.

2.  To make the pancakes:  Place the flour, salt and baking powder in a large bowl and whisk together. Stir in the water to form a dough. Lightly flour a board or work surface, turn the dough out onto it and knead for about 10 minutes, until the dough is smooth and still slightly sticky. You may have to add more flour--I added at least another 1/4 cup as I kneaded. Cover the dough with a slightly damp towel and let rest for 20 minutes.

3.  Divide the dough into 4 equal pieces and cover the pieces you're not working with with the damp towel. Using one piece of the dough, use a rolling pin to roll out to a 7-8-inch round. Brush with a thin layer of sesame oil and sprinkle on a bit of pepper, 1/4 of the scallions and a pinch of crushed red pepper. Roll it up tightly like a jelly roll and then coil the roll into a spiral. Then use the rolling pin to roll out the spiral into a flat 7-8-inch round. Repeat the process with the remaining dough.

4.  Pour about 1/8 inch of oil into a large skillet and heat over medium-high heat until very hot and shimmering. Fry the pancakes in batches for a few minutes per side until they are golden brown. Transfer to paper towels to drain.

5.  To serve, cut the pancakes into wedges and top with the toasted sesame seeds and reserved scallion. Place a large scoop of the slaw on the side.

Enjoy!

Note:  Recipe adapted from Molly on the Range by Molly Yeh. I stuck pretty closely to the recipe but left out the teaspoon of fresh minced ginger from the slaw and used less hot pepper flakes in the filling.