Gadgets and goodies.

I'm not usually into kitchen gadgets.  I like simplicity and I do things the old fashioned way.  I don't even own a microwave.  On a recent trip to New York a friend of mine gave me a gadget for a gift.  It is called a Pancake Pen and it  includes a recipe for making Blini.  Blini are small, yeast-leavened, buckwheat pancakes that originally come from Russia. Classically they are served with sour cream and caviar or smoked salmon.  It's no surprise that I've never heard of a Blini until now.   The joy of the Pancake Pen is that it has a small spout at the end to control the amount of mixture that comes out and you can make all kinds of fun shapes, letters or just plain rounds.  A few days after we returned home from our travels I unpacked the Pancake Pen and made a special breakfast to celebrate our home coming.  Although I didn't go as far as serving caviar my very plain blinis were more creative than gourmet and every bit as appreciated.