The Perfect Pancake with Homemade Good-Enough Syrup

I find it presumptuous when I run across a pin on Pinterest claiming that this is the "best ever {insert food name}".  Then, if you make it and it's far from the "best ever"...it's devastating.  Well, maybe that is a little bit of exaggeration but it is annoying.  Just know that I wouldn't make any claim about food that isn't completely and factually true. This pancake recipe is perfect.  (And the syrup is just so-so...honesty is the best policy).  It is so perfect that I accidentally switched the formula powder and the milk powder when I cooked this and served them to overnight guests.  The pancakes were still gobbled up and no one blinked an eye.  Even my picky middle child didn't say a thing.I stole this recipe from a close friend and a good 'ol country boy named Matt.  Matt's family and our family moved overseas at the exact same time. In fact, we flew on the same planes together over 6 years ago.  He told his wife not to take many carry-ons so they wouldn't be bogged down while traveling, then he ended up hauling all of my families stuff.  I packed 8 carry-on duffle bags.  Eight!  And they were heavy. Poor guy.  He didn't even complain.That wasn't our families' first overseas adventure together.  Both of us couples (before marriage) traveled to Southeast Asia on a short-term trip to teach business and English.  He has that kind of servant-heart that repairs a local friend's electricity (even though he was unfamiliar with 220 watts).  Another friend had to stand over him with a 2x4 waiting to knock him off his stool in case he started to get electrocuted.  As a gift of "thank you", the national friend made Matt lay down to receive a traditional massage including a therapeutic cupping.  So here is Matt, a good 'ol Southern boy, lying half naked on a table being massaged and cupped by a middle-aged Asian man.  The jokes lasted long after the impressions of the those cups dissappeared.Anyway, that dude can make a mean pancake.  Light. Fluffy. Perfect.[yumprint-recipe id='2'] Now, this syrup is far from perfect.  But when you live overseas and you happen to run across a bottle of Log Cabin Imitation Syrup that costs well over $10...then this syrup is good-enough.  I saved my last overpriced syrup bottle so that I could store this homemade concoction.  If you don't have maple extract, you can use just plain vanilla flavoring.  It won't be mapley but it will be good-enough.  And that's what we are going for.[yumprint-recipe id='3']Next time you see Matt, thank him for his perfect pancake recipe.