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Speedway diner celebrates 40th anniversary

Pancakes. History. Family. What more could you want out of a breakfast diner?! For 40 years, “Lizzie B” of Charlie Brown’s Pancake & Steak House has been serving her customers just that, and this weekend, she’s celebrating and inviting you to join her!

It all happens Saturday, July 18 from 4 to 8 p.m. at 1038 Main Street in Speedway. Here are a few details!

• Festivities include live music by local performers and a DJ, vintage cars, food and beer trucks, free hotdogs, chips and water and brief remarks by restaurant owner Elizabeth Glover.

• Guests are invited to bring their own blankets and chairs.

Today, in the Indy Style kitchen, “Lizzie B”, along with Chef Holly, made their famous pancakes and later, pineapple upside-down cake!

Here are the recipes!

1. Charlie Brown’s Pancakes (makes 12 pancakes)

* Owner asks that her detailed pancake recipe not be disclosed to the public. Below is her general recipe without trade secrets.

Ingredients: 3 Cups Buttermilk, 3 Eggs, 3 Cups (Special) Flour, 1/3 Cup Melted Butter, and ½ Cup Whole Milk

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, mix the buttermilk, eggs, flour, butter and whole milk until smooth.

2. Heat a griddle or frying pan over medium heat. Scoop then pour approximately 2 ounces of batter onto the griddle.

3. Brown on both sides, then serve hot.2. Pineapple Upside-Down Cake

Ingredients: 1 Can Crushed Pineapples, 1 ½ Cup Brown Sugar, 1 ½ Cup of Maple Syrup and 1 Box Yellow Cake Mix, 7 Tbsp. Softened Butter, 4 Eggs and 1 Tablespoon f Water

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease 13×9-inch pan with shortening or oil spray.

2. Strain pineapple from can, reserving the juice for later. Spread crushed pineapple evenly over the bottom of the pan. Add brown sugar and maple syrup on top of pineapple so that pineapple is evenly saturated.

3. In a separate bowl, mix reserved pineapple juice and a tablespoon of water with yellow cake mix. Add eggs and softened butter and mix slowly with spatula.

4. Once cake mix is blended, evenly pour batter into pan on top of the pineapple.

5. Bake 26-31 minutes. Cake is done when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool in pan for 15 minutes.

About Charlie Brown’s Pancake & Steak House

• Charlie Brown’s opened on July 10, 1975, off Crawfordsville and High School Roads in the building that is now Hardees.

o Moved in 1988 across the street to building that is now El Rodeo

o Moved in 1996 to today’s location at 1038 Main Street

• The ’50s-style diner is filled with racing memorabilia – from framed autographed photos and Indy 500 relics on the walls to a signed IndyCar quilt over the waitress station.

o The restaurant is known for being the place to spot IndyCar drivers. They even have their own favorite seats.

• Charlie Brown’s serves breakfast cuisine and home-style fixings. Crowd favorites include their famed pancakes topped with apples, blueberries or strawberries and Larry’s Haystack, which features two sausage patties, two eggs with cheese, grilled onions, hash browns and sourdough toast, topped with gravy. The diner is equally known for its lunch and dinner fare, including hand-breaded pork tenderloins, sirloin steaks, and grilled chicken breasts and fish.Fun Figures:

• Customers a year – 102,025. The weekly number doubles during the week of the Indy500!

• Gallons of pancake batter a year – 6,240

• Pancakes a year – 399,360

• Gallons of gravy a year – 7,280

To learn more about this fun, family diner, visit www.facebook.com/pages/Charlie-Browns-Pancake-and-Steak-House/172931879414783.