pancake day

You can call today Mardi Gras, Fat Tuesday, or Shrove Tuesday, but I prefer the tastier sounding Pancake Day. In celebration, tonight we will be dining on -- you guessed it: pancakes. The recipe that I'll be using comes from a charming wordless picture book that I hope you are familiar with called Pancakes for Breakfast by Tomie DePaola. (If you've never heard of it, may I suggest that you head to your nearest library as soon as possible to get your hands on a copy.) It tells the story of a woman who wakes up one morning with a craving for pancakes and so sets about making some, despite the several obstacles she encounters.

I say it's wordless, but it's only mostly so, for in the opening pages the recipe the woman uses is shared.

Though we became acquainted with this book several years ago, it wasn't until last month that I tried this recipe. I altered it slightly, adding a bit of vanilla, because a wise person once told me that everything tastes better with a little vanilla. These pancakes are more dense and crepe-like than your typical light and fluffy buttermilk variety, but they are amazing, and I can easily understand why the woman in the story was so desperate to eat some.


Pancakes
adapted from Pancakes for Breakfast by Tomie DePaola

2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
3 tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
3 eggs
2 cups milk
3 tbsp melted butter
1 tsp vanilla

Sift all dry ingredients into a bowl. Beat eggs lightly. Pour eggs and milk into the flour mixture. Mix with a large spoon only long enough to blend. Batter should be lumpy. Stir in the melted butter and vanilla. Cook on a hot griddle.