Pancakes

My youngest sister is a breakfast person.

She is someone who can wake up, brush her teeth, and hit the kitchen ready to make a proper meal. I, on the other hand, am a brush my teeth, drink some water, drink some coffee, think about eating three hours later kind of person. I like breakfast foods, though I tend to do savory over sweet. I’ve never met an eggs benedict I didn’t like.

A couple months ago, though, while we were both at my mother’s house, my sister woke up and made pancakes and everything changed for me. I’ve never been a big pancake lover, especially since I think there are a lot of bad mixes out there (though also some terrific ones—my sister and her boyfriend love Dean and Deluca’s Honey and Oat pancake mix). I remember liking my mother’s, but my dad took over Sunday brunch at some point and from there on out we always had eggs and potatoes (delicious eggs and potatoes, all made to order, I should note). My sister made pancakes with fresh raspberries that morning, and ever since then, I find myself craving pancakes often.

So I took to my Betty Crocker cookbook to see what I could find. I have been making her Sweet Milk Pancakes and adding fresh fruit—usually blueberries and raspberries. Any leftover batter I have, I use to make small-ish pancakes that I then freeze for Baby E to sometimes have for breakfast. They take about a minute to defrost in the microwave, so they’re a really easy option. You can make them either by beating the eggs white first which makes them a bit fluffier/lighter, or you can keep the egg together which makes them a bit denser, more crepe-like in my opinion. I’m torn over which I prefer.

The most recent time I made them, I really messed up the first batch, pictured here. I didn’t let the skillet get hot enough before adding the batter.

I also recommend my sister’s great advice on making pancakes: keep a stick of butter on hand. Not only for regreasing the skillet, but also for the cakes themselves as they come out. She also taught me to eat them as they’re ready, which is perfect when I serve them for just J, Baby E, and me. If you have guests over, you can keep your oven warm and place them between the folds of a warm kitchen towel.

Enjoy the recipe here!