Comfort food - Carrot Cake Pancakes and Love

When I make breakfast for my teens before they go to school, they actually sit down, eat and start their day well.  But often I'm very tired in the morning and we all just scrounge the kitchen eating maybe an apple, and unfortunately, sometimes they don't eat at all- throwing me an "I'm not hungry" as they bolt out the door.  Not surprisingly those days are often not good ones for them, or me, as the mom-guilt settles in.

This week I have worked only afternoons so I've been able to sleep later AND make breakfast.  Ah, the ideal world.  Yesterday I picked up this delightful new cookbook at my library, "Joy the Baker Cookbook, 100 Simple and Comforting Recipes."  Like me, Joy excels at finding ways to make every meal more like dessert.

So this morning I made Carrot Cake Pancakes (doesn't that just sound wonderful?). 

Imagine 

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Something really wonderful!

My girls loved them.  I loved spending the extra 10 minutes all together to start the day.  When we used to homeschool, we spent all day together, every day.  Honestly, sometimes that made me crazy, but I do miss them most days.  10 minutes isn't much, but knowing they are fed well and feel well loved in the morning matters.

Thank you Joy the Baker for the inspiration.  Please do check out her blog, it's just delicious.

Here's the recipe, in case you need a "Simple and Comforting" recipe.  (I changed a few things - I'll give you my variation).

Carrot Cake Pancakes w/ Yogurt Cream Cheese Topping

Stir together 1 cup flour (I used 3/4 cup oat flour and 1/4 cup white flour), 1/2 tsp baking soda, 1/4 tsp baking pwd, 1/4 tsp nutmeg, 1/2 tsp cinnamon.  Make a well in the center and pour in 1 cup buttermilk (see note at bottom), 1 egg, 1/2 tsp vanilla, 2 tbsp brown sugar.  Mix up, then add 2 cups finely shredded carrots and 2 tbsp chopped walnuts (opt).  Mix well and cook on a buttered griddle.
For the topping, stir together yogurt cheese (or softened cream cheese) with a couple tablespoons real maple syrup and a sprinkle of cinnamon.  Spread over hot pancakes and add more syrup if you like.
How to make yogurt cheese:  Take plain, whole milk yogurt (store bought or homemade) and tie up 2 cups in a dense cheese cloth or plain lightweight dish cloth (the big flour-sack type you can buy for cheap at Wal Mart work great).  Bring all the corners up and tie w/ some string.  Hang the string from under a cupboard and let drain over a bowl.  Lots of whey will drain out.  Let it drain overnight and in the morning you will have nice thick smooth yogurt cheese that you can you use in place of cream cheese.

You can use the whey in place of the buttermilk (or part of the buttermilk) in this or any recipe.  You can also use it in cream soups, bread recipes etc, just about any that calls for liquid milk or buttermilk.

Day 5 - Pancakes :)

My gift today is one of patience (well, sort of patience, still working on that one) and being a peacemaker in my family.  This is not a job I enjoy and one that I often just refuse to do.  But today, with much love, listening and reframing, I think can see some progress between two very hurt and angry people, who just happen to love each other very much.  Gifts are all about intention, and waking up to yelling today, I promised myself that I would help in whatever way I could, despite wanting to simply grab the dogs and leave for many hours.  The dogs and I will still have our little adventure, but I think a couple of hearts are feeling a tiny bit better because I chose to help.

Here's my gift to you today: 

Pumpkin Oat Pancakes 

(somehow everyone at my house is feeling better after a big plate)

2 cups ground whole oats (it will resemble flour)
1 tsp salt
1 1/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon

2 cups buttermilk or whole milk mixed w/ a tsp vinegar and/or part plain or vanilla yogurt (more yogurt results in a thicker batter)
2 eggs
1/4 cup oil
1/2 cup pureed pumpkin or canned

Mix dry ingredients and wet ingredients separately, then stir together.  Cook on a griddle and serve w/ butter and maple syrup.  (The oat flour results in a somewhat fragile pancake - a little trickier to flip than usual.  If you want easy to flip cakes, just sub some white or whole wheat flour for some of the oat flour).

Enjoy!