Operation Pancake

You may be wondering why I chose the title, "Operation Pancake." I mean, pancakes are easy. An alternate title could be, "Operation Cruise Breakfast." Let me explain. Everybody loves pancakes. Everyone, except me. I can't eat them. The mere thought of them, makes me cringe. I owe this all to my dad actually. When I was younger, there was a time when he used to make them for breakfast almost every morning. Either that or oatmeal. There are only so many pancakes that I, as a young girl could take. I know, I'm weird. Most kids would be happy with pancakes every morning. But years later, I avoid them if I can. If I'm at home and my dad is making them, I'll eat one or two tiny ones. So, for me to make pancakes is a Big Deal.

Needless to say, I've never made my own pancakes before. Why now? Last week I was fortunate enough to go on a cruise. However, it was not a romantic cruise with my husband, but it was with my parents and aunt. Brian couldn't come. While I was away, I ate more food than I want to admit and had a wonderful, relaxing time. Brian meanwhile, was hard at work. Not fair right? So upon arriving home, I decided I would bring a little of my vacation to him. I'd do all the cooking and cleaning. And he wouldn't have to lift a finger at home for the next few days.

Something that Brian really loves is having a big breakfast on weekends. Normally we don't. If we do, he'll usually make it. One of the things that cruise ships do very well, is the food. There's buffets, 24 hour room service, formal dinners, etc. And it's all delicious. For Brian, I wanted to recreate the breakfast buffet. And, because HE likes pancakes, I wanted to make some. Therefore, "Operation Pancake" was born, AKA "Operation Cruise Breakfast".

Now, like I said before, pancakes are simple to make. I've been frying and flipping them for years. (I always take over when I'm home so the pancakes don't turn out too big or burnt. My dad likes big portions and always multi-tasks when cooking.) Making the batter is easy and requires no special equipment. And as long as you're familiar with the heat settings of your stove, you can avoid burning them, usually. The tricky part though, is avoiding burning while you're cooking and preparing other things at the same time. Multi-tasking, I need to get better at this. I was making eggs, hash browns, sausage and fruit and trying to set the table, etc. And my first batch did burn. For those who have never made pancakes, there is a trick to deciding when to flip them. When the batter is bubbly, and the pancake is no longer sticking to the pan, it's ready. Pretty simple right? And you can determine how light or dark you like them. The recipe, which I found on allrecipes.com was fantastic. (It is attached at the end.) The pancakes turned out light and fluffy. So much so, that I ate one and a half. Woohoo!

A finishing touch was the silverware rolled up in linen napkins and some bright, happy flowers. After breakfast, I asked Brian if he was full. (Full because there was so much good food and he wanted to eat it all.) He said "yes". Mission accomplished!

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Good-Old-Fashioned-Pancakes/Detail.aspx