Free pancakes at IHOP next Tuesday

IHOP's National Pancake Day normally occurs on Shrove Tuesday -- aka Pancake Tuesday in the U.K. -- but because many states were holding presidential primaries on Tuesday, IHOP moved it back a week.

So take your appetite to IHOP next Tuesday for a free short stack of buttermilk pancakes. Instead of paying for the flapjacks, guests will be invited to donate to Children's Miracle Network programs at affiliated hospitals around the country. In Seattle's case, it's Children's Hospital and Regional Medical Center. The free pancakes will be offered from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Last year, pancake lovers donated more than $625,000.

Why Pancake Tuesday? According to legend, families would try to use all of their dairy products before the Lenten fast, and making pancakes was a good way to do it.