It’s Saturday.  And that can mean only one thing:  Big Breakfast.  It is the one day of the week that I put my whole heart into my favorite meal of the day. 

Growing up, my mother was master of the morning meal.  She believed in good hot food to start the day.  If I wanted cold cereal, I had to beg.  (Seriously, how awesomely backward does that sound?)  Volleyball practice at 7:00 am?  Mom was up at 6:00 am, taking breakfast orders.  Show Choir contest bus leaving at 5:00 am?  Mom was cooking at 4:00 am.  No matter what, we always had hot breakfast.  It is with deep fondness that I recall the aromas and visions of my mother’s breakfast table. 

Pancakes.
Biscuits and gravy. 
Cinnamon rolls. 
Grilled cheese sandwiches.
Eggs fixed every-which-way-we wanted and toast.
And so on…

I am not as entirely amazing as my mother, but I still love to give my stellar family the best possible start to their day.  And this morning was definitely BIG BREAKFAST day.  Pancakes, sausage, blueberries, milk, and of course, coffee.  I admit that I haven’t quite mastered Mom’s pancakes (with those delightfully crispy, buttery edges), but they are still pretty darn good… and so easy. 

I only burned one today (which is definitely good for me) and the smoke alarm didn’t even go off!  (Which may actually be a bad thing.  Mental note:  check smoke alarm batteries later.  Okay, not-so-mental note, but anyway…).  Flipping hotcakes, supervising the syrup bottle, and keeping stickiness confined to the table can be a smidgen distracting.  On pancake day especially, I wouldn’t mind having a couple of extra arms.

I usually double or triple the recipe and freeze the leftover pancakes.  If I am careful to make them the right size, I can pop them into the toaster like an Eggo waffle and eat homemade pancakes all week!  And since I’ve got kids, there is nothing better than using a pizza cutter to quickly cut pancakes into bite-size pieces to get them on the plate in a hurry (because there is nothing worse than cold, floppy pancake).

I make my own pancake mix and store it in an air-tight container in the cupboard.  Most mixes available in the store contain unhealthy additives and hydrogenated oils, so this is a better alternative.  To make a whole-wheat version, substitute whole-wheat flour for white flour, and brown sugar for the white sugar.

Enjoy!

Pancake Mix

7 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1/4 c. baking powder
1 T. plus 1 tsp. salt
2/3 c. sugar

1.  Combine ingredients in a large bowl.  Stir to mix thoroughly.  Store in an airtight container at room temperature.  Makes about 8 1/2 c. mix.

Pancakes (from Pancake Mix)

1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 c. milk
2 T. butter, melted or 2 T. cooking oil
1 1/4 c. Pancake Mix

1.  In mixing bowl, combine egg, milk and butter.  Add Pancake Mix and mix until dry ingredients are just moistened.  Batter should be slightly lumpy.  If batter seems a little thin, add more mix.  Makes about 7 standard-size pancakes.  Double or triple as needed.