Friday, September 10, 2010

Good to the Last Drop

The last sunny day of "Summer." I have always considered myself a devoted lover of the Pacific Northwest, but I have to say I have not been impressed by the weather lately. Or by most of the weather we had in the three month period preceding Autumn. I got a few red tomatoes, but my pumpkins never materialized and the carrots can hardly claim to be doing anything close to thriving. Most of my garden just sat kind of sadly in the dirt, wondering what I expected it to do with the long overcast days and weeks of drizzle. Then BAM!it's 95 degrees! for three days and then- just kidding! we didn't mean it! drizzle is what we meant! more drizzle! So it might as well be actual Fall, because we've been practicing all Summer.
We still managed to get in some beach time while the getting was good, and I really do love where we live. It's beautiful here even when it's gray, which is a hard trick to pull off in most parts of the world.
As soon as the weather turned cold, we all promptly got colds. Matteas had the worst of it, and one night requested "not soup, just broth" for dinner. I caramelized some vegetables, threw in some sprigs of thyme, some garlic and a pinch of cayenne(he likes it spicy) and simmered the whole thing with some organic beef stock. He drank every drop and was a noticeably happier boy afterwards. I realize that I'm turning my children into food snobs, but it's hard not to enjoy how much pleasure a bowl of well-made broth gave my sniffling little boy. Plus it was actually good for him, not sodium-laden bilge water from a can.
And since we seem to be moving into a stretch of weather that requires a slightly more substantial breakfast, I thought now would be a good time to share my World Famous Pancakes. Maybe not WORLD famous, but famous enough among the people who have had breakfast at my house. It is my most requested recipe which I find funny, because there are only four ingredients. And they are gluten free, provided you use certified gluten-free oats. Which I don't, because Jack isn't that sensitive. I started making pancakes this way out of necessity when we found out Jack couldn't eat wheat, but now I do it out of preference. These pancakes are light enough to still eat like pancakes, but also have a delightfully satisfying chew and pack enough fiber that they won't leave you feeling like you ate a big brick of sugary starch for breakfast. They are divine. Jack likes his with butter and brown sugar, while my favorite topping is cherry preserves and sour cream. They freeze beautifully, so make a whole batch and have a pancake breakfast ready in your freezer.
Oatmeal Buttermilk Pancakes
Makes about 12 5-inch pancakes
4 cups oats(not quick-cooking)
4 cups buttermilk
6 eggs
1 tsp. baking soda
The night before, combine the oats and buttermilk in a bowl. Stir until all the oats are saturated, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
The next morning, beat the eggs with the baking soda and then stir the egg mixture into the oats. Cook on a non-stick surface over medium-high heat. The batter is a little sloppy, so I recommend keeping the pancakes small, about five inches across. You're welcome.

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