break the fast

About once a week or slightly less, a friend and I get up ridiculously early to eat breakfast together. I'm not sure how it started, exactly, but it's not at all uncommon for Mandy to stumble into my apartment at an ungodly early hour on a weekday. We slowly come alive as the french press works its way through our veins. By that time, the bacon is cooking and we're pulling pancakes off the griddle one by one, smothering them with over-easy eggs.

It's almost as satisfying as getting together for dinner. Sadly, there's no wine, but the morning seems somehow sacred--like we're the only two people in the world who are awake, and we can gab about our jobs or other silly drama and then leave for work completely sated. I take great satisfaction knowing that I've already done something fun in my day by the time we all get to work on a Thursday morning. Not to mention, I've eaten a meal far superior to my everyday oatmeal or coffee in a rush out the door.

This recipe comes from the venerable smitten kitchen. I have had great success with Deb's recipes, especially the desserts. The whole lemon tart converted at least two of my co-workers to the ways of lemon love, and the crust did not shrink even a little. Really, her genius is commendable.

So, oatmeal pancakes. Making these only too slightly longer than the regular pancake mix + egg method, and they're far more healthy, not to mention much more delicious. The only thing I added was two tablespoons of ground flax seeds. And then I used ANOTHER sk recipe for the drizzle on top. These pancakes were also eaten with warmed peach preserves and received high compliments.




I started eating this pancake immediately after pulling it from the griddle, and then remembered that the whole point of making these again was so I could take photos. Whoops.


avec cranberry syrup


yummy pancakes with yummy typewriter. note what appears to be a clean desk in the background.

Oatmeal pancakes
from the smitten kitchen

The only change I made was to add two tablespoons of ground flax seeds to the batter. I probably added a little more butter to the pan than was absolutely necessary, but the pancakes got so crispy-delicious around the edges that I couldn't quite help it.

Cranberry drizzle
from the smitten kitchen

1/3 cup sugar
3/4 cup thawed frozen cranberries, chopped
1/2 cup water

Cook the sugar in a dry saucepan with a heavy bottom. The sugar will start to brown and get crumbly as it melts. Whisk it as it starts to melt and turns a caramel-y color. Add in the cranberries and water (the caramel will "seize," getting hard and starting to steam). Simmer over low heat, stirring, until the caramel is completely dissolved. Pour syrup through a sieve lined with cheesecloth, into a heatproof bowl. Press down on the solids as the sauce drips through.