Mulled pancakes

    Aldi has been really great this past year or so about selling more and more gluten-free products. This being Aldi, of course, they do have a tendency to bring them out as special items, then they go away, and then they come back. The good part is that thus far they have come back. One thing that comes and goes is pancake mix. Sometimes it's marketed as such; currently it's sold as gluten-free flour, but the only recipe on the box is for pancakes. (Note to Aldi: That makes it pancake mix.) Thing is, though, whatever they call it, it's terrible. Everything else they sell (as far as I know; a lot of it has dairy or soy so I can't sample) as gluten-free is great except this.
    I know it seems like another stupid thing to complain about, but you've got to realize that in Gluten-Free World, everything costs more. A LOT more. And while it might feel reasonable to pay a premium for something exotic like say gluten-free lutefisk (if there's any gluten in actual lutefisk, just don't tell me), it's super extra annoying to pay extra for something as simple and dumb as pancake mix. The great thing about Aldi's GF offerings is that they are generally priced to move, although still not cheap.
    Mind you, if I used regular milk instead of unsweetened almond milk, the pancakes might be better. But I don't know. There's a consistently nasty aftertaste that more sweetness probably wouldn't help. Regardless, the other day I had a baking apple surplus to requirements so I cored it, threw it in the blender and added it to the pancake mix recipe. I also added some honey, some Ceylon cinnamon and some cloves. It made for runny pancakes, but they were much improved. Today, I did the same only without the apple. I'd like to say they were the best darn pancakes I've ever eaten, but that would be a stretch. However, they were perfectly acceptable pancakes with no nasty aftertaste and I'll take that all day every day. See how easy it is to make me happy?
    (I could write out the recipe, but I winged it. I followed package directions, halved, adding about a tablespoon of honey and perhaps a teaspoon each of cloves and Ceylon cinnamon. And I mention it because if you ever run up against a pancake mix that doesn't taste so good, or if you're working with unsweetened almond milk, this will likely help, gluten-free or not.)