PETER PANCAKES

What an awful picture for such a delightful meal!

The Background.

Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day. In the morning I always choose the egg beater/egg white omelet, toast, and bacon over something syrup-y. When eating breakfast-for-supper though, for some reason I enjoy pancakes or french toast. Heather digs real maple syrup, and I think I have finally put aside my heated Hungry Jack days to join her in the syrup actually tapped from trees. Maple syrup is a whole food, right?!

This recipe is from the cookbook Crazy Plates: Low-fat food so good, you'll swear it's bad for you by the Podleski sisters. I wish that I could take some credit for it, as the cakes are light and airy and have a lovely depth in flavor. The Canadian sisters have two other great cookbooks titled Looneyspoons: Low-fat food made fun and Eat, shrink, and be merry. Despite terrible puns, the cookbooks are fantastic and worth purchasing. I even found myself grinning in some of their cheeze quips (e.g. Bon-bon Jovi).

The Story.

Thanksgiving of 2011 was the first time Heather visited Goshen. I was a bit anxious about her coming to my hometown and staying in the house I grew up with, just as as most people are when they bring home someone for a holiday. Truth be told, I had never brought anyone home for a holiday before, and I was especially nervous about bringing home a woman.

Regardless of romantic intention, all visitors to my childhood home need to know that food rules in my parent's house.

Mom's fav: Gma Betty's eggnog pie

Growing up, my Mom cooked week nights. We usually had a pasta night, a stir-fry night, a taco night, and a steak night. Other dinners consisted of meals of a meat, potato and a vegetable. Like most people my age, in elementary school my family ate beef multiple times a week, but as I grew older mom starting cooking chicken a lot more. As she gets older she cooks less and less, but she will still go out of her way to ensure others have high quality food. Mom makes turkey roasters full of beef vegetable soup for teachers every year (one time she walked into the teacher's lounge as a hungry teacher up-ended the roaster to get the last drops of soup). She feeds the red hatters at her house, even if they tell her not to. She has been known to take chicken noodle soup to her tenants when they are ill. It isn't just serving; she enjoys eating too. She eats slowly and savors every bite. Meals literally take twice as long if my mother is present. She takes a bite of food, closes her eyes and rolls the food around in her mouth before she even chews. If it is dessert you can be sure she will let out a happy-dessert-sound. It would be cute if she were not my mom.

See the wishbone in the middle? 

Although dad did not cook on a regular basis, his meals were always "special," creatively turning leftovers into new meals on the weekend and carving holiday turkeys as a work of art (the wishbone always in the center of the display). He helped develop my palate by placing a plate/bowl of food in front of me and not letting me eat my meal until I could correctly identify at least four spices (salt and pepper did not count). This was fantastic practice, and I feel fortunate that he did this. I also distinctly remember one lovely Sunday morning when I woke up to my dad cooking pancakes on the indoor grill-turned-griddle. The cakes were good, I am sure, but what I really remember is that he added melted butter and cinnamon to the maple syrup. At the age of 8 I thought this was brilliant both for the flavor and the time saving element. Then I dipped my bacon in the syrup; it was like ecstasy. I have no idea how I have lived to be 32.

We are equal opportunity eaters and we thoroughly enjoy food cooked by others too. I recently realized that my mother eats at the County Seat for breakfast just about every day. She likes to sit at the counter and watch the owner work the small grill for three rooms full of hungry men who are in a rush to get to their jobs. It is a daunting task. My dad annually barters his hair services with a Mennonite woman for our now-traditional Christmas morning Swedish tea ring. Every year my mother fills the freezer with the most amazing cheese balls (in true midwestern spirit they are made by a sorority and sold in a church). My earliest memory is sitting at my kitchen table with chopsticks in one hand and a kleenex in the other. The chopstick in my hand were to eat, of course. The kleenex was to dab my watery eyes and dripping nose; the dishes were very spicy. My parents had invited a few visiting professors to Goshen College (from China) to cook at our house. The professors cooked chicken and peanuts, dumplings, and "40 clove garlic soup" (which should never be cooked in a house with hardwood). Even at my young age I knew the food was amazing and wouldn't allow something as silly as water pouring out of my face to prevent me from eating.

Over Thanksgiving break of 2011 mom, Heather, and I went to the County Seat for breakfast...every morning. Heather ordered pancakes...every day. The only change to this schedule was the day the County Seat was closed (the owner's sister was being honored for her military service). On the last day we were in town Mom, Dad, Heather and I went to IHOP, where Heather ordered...pancakes. I suppose a change of scenery is still a change.

The Drs McMerk

Heather is not a big person, and when pancakes are placed in front of her you can almost see her adjust her mental state to go into eating mode. Heather rarely has problems in competition with a stack of flapjacks. She almost always wins regardless of the size of the stack. This achievement was not lost on either my mother or father. My mom noticed the robotic-like methodical cuts and bites of cakes at the County Seat, marveling that Heather could finish the monstrous oatmeal cake. At IHOP my dad actually stopped eating his own food to watch Heather eat pancakes. He crossed his arms and laughed while watching Heather devour the plate. Mom and dad like to watch people enjoy food.

Before Christmas mom called me and said that she had been thinking about getting Heather a Christmas gift and asked if she could run it by me before she bought it. She wanted to give Heather an electric skillet for pancakes. While I was at home for Christmas mom asked me to go with her to the Essenhaus to pick up pancake mix and a bottle of real maple syrup. Mom also picked up a pancake ornament for the tree for her.

And that is when I realized that my mother was communicating through food as she always did. When my mother gifted pancakes to Heather she was really welcoming her back into her home.

The Recipe.

PANCAKES:
1 & ½ cups All-Purpose Flour
½ cup Whole Wheat Flour
1 & ½ tsp Baking Powder
½ tsp Salt
½ tsp Baking Soda
1 & ¾ cups Buttermilk
2 Tbsp Reduced Fat Butter
1 large Egg , beaten
1 Tbsp Honey
½ tsp Vanilla
½ cup Bananas, mashed


SAUCE:
2 cups Strawberries, diced
⅓ cup Orange Juice
1 Tbsp Cornstarch
¼ cup Sugar

Directions: Combine flours, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk together buttermilk, butter, egg, honey, and vanilla. Add wet ingredients to dry; mixed until moistened (batter is crazy thick). Fold banana in. Drop by ½ cup on a griddle/large pan on medium-high heat (spread batter to make 4 inch circles).

STRAWBERRY SAUCE: Combine OJ and cornstarch in a medium saucepan. Add sugar. Cook and stir over medium heat until liquid has thickened and strawberries have softened (6-7 min). Let cool slightly.

The Process.

These pancakes lend themselves to additions. It is easy to add ingredients to the batter itself, or to add to each cake after it has been dropped on the griddle. Pecans, blueberries, and chocolate chips are our favorite additions. We also like to add melted peanut butter to the batter or use it instead of the strawberry sauce or syrup.

The Future.

I plan on taking Heather back home (the Mennonite Relief Sale is our next planned Goshen event) and take her to the pancake breakfast.

BALSAMIC GOAT CHEESE SANDWICHES

The Background.

It is the middle of April, and I am feeling the pull of spring, which, in my world, means sandwiches.

I believe this recipe is from a back issue of Cooking Light, but I would not place any money on that bet.

The Story.

Beginning of date

Heather's and my first date is a point of contention. Heather says I asked her out on our first date. I say I asked her to go on a hike.

Heather and I met in an interview. I was interviewing her for a mentorship position (i.e. screening her for mental health) and asking her personal questions about potential addiction, sexual orientation, and suicidality. Not exactly first date material. But handy, in a way.

The way Heather tells it, she fell in love with me at first sight (despite the strangeness of our first interaction). She tells me that was "playing the field" at that point in her life, and that after meeting me she went back to her lab and told her labmate that she found the woman she was meant to be with. I figure that is pretty impressive for a hard scientist to make that sort of commitment to a hypothesis. I was (and still am) a bit more stubborn.

I had recently embarked on a hiking endeavor. About 4 times a week I was venturing out to the beautiful foothills of central PA. The last hike I had been on resulted in a serious shaming by an elderly couple. They told me to both get a hiking partner and a higher pair of shoes to protect myself from the elements and from snakes. The couple was right. I needed a hiking partner.

Middle of date

And Heather was in my office.

I asked Heather (via email) to walk the Jackson Trail with me. She agreed and I picked her up to drive to the top of Tussey Ridge where she kept suggesting we stop to look at the beautiful vistas. I was thrilled to have a hiking partner, and frankly, I had a lot of nervous energy to burn, so I wanted to keep moving. Thank goodness Heather still helps me stop to appreciate the beauty all around.

I had invited Heather to come hiking with me, so of course I provided sandwiches. Heather says that a picnic makes it a date. Ok. It was a date. At least it was after the stars came out and the sandwiches were long gone.

The Recipe.

Balsamic turkey goat cheese sandwiches

Ingredients:
4 ounces Semisoft Goat Cheese
French Bread
2.5 cups Sliced or shredded Cooked Turkey
3 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
12 Basil Leaves
12 slices English Cucumber

Directions:

Cut a "V" in the bread, then layer the turkey in the bottom part of the bread. Crumple the goat cheese evenly over the turkey and place under the broiler for a few minutes. Drizzle the turkey with balsamic vinegar and top with basic, cucumber, and the top of the bread.

The Process.

I am so proud of the way this looks!

I made my own bread for this. I know that the US (and certainly my kitchen) does not have the correct type of oven for baguette, but I really wanted to try. The bread I made for this sandwich was not it. Not only was this recipe not a good baguette (no holes!) but it also did not have a good crust. I did research and followed directions suggested. After the flour was mixed in I let it rest for 15 minutes, then I incorporated the salt and kneaded for 2-3 minutes. I watched multiple videos to be able to form the perfect baguette. I threw water in my oven floor right before baking it. But the bread was not a baguette. Nor did it have nice holes in it. And while it was pretty on the outside, smelled good, and sufficed for sandwiches, I will be the first to say that it was the least flavorful bread I had made.

If you have a good crusty baguette recipe (or tips in making big holes in crusty bread) please do share!

The Future.

The original recipe called for shredded turkey. This would be brilliant. Lunchmeat is something that I need to put behind us, but I find it difficult to justify making a turkey breast for a turkey sandwich. This will, on the other hand, should be a leftover Thanksgiving/Christmas sandwich!

BIRTHDAY BANANA FRENCH TOAST

The Background.

I don't "cook" breakfast very often, but thought that my birthday was a good day for an exception. I found this recipe and have kept in my "to try" list for more than five years. My 32nd birthday seemed like a great day to try it!

The Story.

I have a number of memorable birthdays. Having a birthday on April Fools Day provides for a few good stories for sure (one involving a class take over by a sort of Russian CIA who had an important message for me from "Russian Embassy"). This story is about turning 30.

"Bookends" of my identity"

When I turned 30 I had a bit of an existential crisis. Although I was very happy with where I was in my life, I felt like I had to fight silly expectations in order to achieve my contentedness with my life. Turning 30 without being married with children really went against the (conservative Indiana) way I was brought up. I was in a loving relationship that was moving toward lifelong partnership, had great friends, and had a PhD waiting for me around the corner, but I was still aware that I did not yet have that white picket fence that I had anticipated for myself (never mind my backyard was a beautiful gameland preserve). It really felt like a cross roads for me, which, of course, it was not. It was a good reminder of all that was important in my life though.

Gift rom Samantha

I thought about letting my 30th birthday slip by without a big acknowledgment, but decided that would be depressing, so I had a party. With balloons. And streamers. Friends from various times and places in my life came to join me celebrate, trade favorite books, and eat sort-of-food (e.g. Cheetos, giant cake with chocolate ganache, and make-your-own-hot-pockets from college sandwich presses). I asked everyone to bring a copy of their favorite book, and we did a round of White Elephant so that everyone left with someone else's favorite book. I got the list of books (as well as some very thoughtful and unexpected gifts!)

Gift from Heather

I had been working on making a list of 100 things that make me irrationally happy; they were mostly small, simple things. I made a collection of some of those favorite things to pass on in swag bags (cheap graduate school style) and thought that that my 32nd birthday would be a perfect time to revisit some of those happy things. Here is a abridged version of my "happy" list.

Irregular paperclips, The smell of laundry/Drier sheets, Yoder's Tiny Tender Popcorn, Letters, Plantation mint tea and Constant Comment decaf, Homemade caramel, This American Life, Homemade cinnamon rolls, Radio Lab, glow in the dark green slime, Freaks and Geeks, Play-doh, Little Miss Sunshine, helium balloons in primary colors, The smell of rain on asphalt, and French toast made with homemade cinnamon bread.

The Recipe.

INGREDIENTS
2-3 medium Bananas, sliced
¾ cup Milk
1 & ½ tsp Cinnamon
½ tsp Cardamon
4 slices Whole Wheat Bread
½ tsp Vegetable Oil

DIRECTIONS:
Blend (in blender) banana, soy milk, cinnamon, & cardamon. Place in shallow bowl.
Dredge both sides of bread in the milk mixture, scraping off excess batter.
Cook 4-5 min on both sides over medium low heat.

The Process.

Dredging whole wheat

I reviewed a lot of similar recipes before creating this one. One of the (many) comments about this vegan recipe was that the bread got really soggy in the middle, so I was conscientious about taking off excess batter, which worked out very well. I was fortunate that I happened to have leftover stale homemade bread (cinnamon raisin to boot!). This recipe would not have worked with fresh bread - it would have been too soft and fragile.

There certainly was a balance between cooking the french toast long enough to avoid the "sog" while avoiding over crystallization of the banana.

I thought about getting the vanilla soy milk that would make this recipe truly vegan, but decided that I would be happy with my local skim milk in the glass bottle. I might be interested in trying soy later to see what it happens, but for such a small amount of the ingredient, I decided to avoid the inevitable leftovers.

We place extra french toast (and pancakes)  in baggies in the fridge. The next day I pop the leftovers in the toaster for fresh french toast!

The Future.

I might be interested in trying soy later to see what it happens, but for such a small amount of the ingredient, I decided to avoid the inevitable leftovers.

Next time I will definitely serve this with Sauteed bananas. Recipe below:

Ingredients:
2 medium Bananas, peeled and cut on diagonal (¼ inch slices)
2 tbsp Sugar
1 tsp Lemon Juice (Fresh)
1/2 tsp Cinnamon
4 tsp Light Butter

Mix and add sugar, lemon juice and cinnamon to banana slices.
On med. high heat, add  butter. When it bubbles, add banana mixture and saute (stirring frequently) until slightly caramelized (2-4 min)