Authentic French Crepes

What?! Two blogs in one day?! I know, I know. Today is a special treat. But my friend Lauren has a blog as well, and she's inspired this post (check out her very entertaining blog...http://www.laurealism.com/).

Before I came to France, the only really French thing I knew how to make were crepes. I use that phrase loosely, because 60% of the time, they never turned out. This was a goal of mine...to perfect the crepe making process. Mission Accomplished. Here's how to do it yourself:

*This recipe is VERY lenient. If you want more or less of something...put more or less of it in.

1) Spoon about 5 Tablespoons of flour into a mixing bowl. Add a pinch of salt...what the heck? You'll probably get about 8 crepes with this much flour.

2) Add 2 eggs and combine with a whisk. It will be yellow and blobby.

3) Add a little bit of milk (come on, don't skimp with Skim Milk) and incorporate. Then add some more. Mix. Then add some more. If you add it all in at one time, you are more likely to have lumps. Not a big deal though. In all, you'll probably end up with around 2 cups of milk. I'm really just guessing though. You don't need to measure anything. After pouring in the milk, it should be very liquid-y. VERY. This is good.

4) Use a non-stick skillet (or pan). Medium size. Put the heat on 90%. You'll probably want to add some more non-stick substance to the skillet. Butter, oil, Pam...whatever. You don't need to add very much of it. But you might need to add it often. It can be much more difficult if the crepes stick to the pan.

5) Laddle a scoop of the batter into the pan. It should be liquid enough to spread itself on the entire bottom. Sometimes you'll have to tilt the pan to cover every last inch. It should be pretty thin. Probably about 1 cm.

6) Use a spatula and start running the edge around the edge of the crepe. Once you are able to finagle it under the crepe, do so. Make sure the crepe can be moved around without sticking to the pan. This will probably take 30 sec. But it depends how hot the pan is.

7) I like the flip method. Have some fun and throw the thing into the air. You're probably going to make a lot of these, so you'll get the hang of it. Its also OK to lose a few in the process. If you are bashful, use the spatula to flip it. You'll leave it on this side for only about 10 sec.

8) Done. Now prepare.

Here are some suggestions for fillings. You can either roll them like a cigar or fold them to make triangles. Folding is more French. Sprinkle some powder sugar on top. That's good, right?

Nutella
Nutella and Peanut Butter (my favorite)
Butter
Jellies or Jams
Lemon juice and sugar
Sugar
Cream cheese
Maple syrup

Go crazy! Its more about what you put in the inside than the actual crepe. Check the internet for more.

I hope you can understand this. These are a lot of fun to make and taste fantastic! If you have any questions let me know. If I did a horrible job explaining this, let me know, too. Maybe I'll do an instructional video. Oh...I'd also like to know if anyone does use this recipe. Let me know if you come up with better fillings!