The Hancock-Henderson Quill, Inc.
Thinking Out Loud
Mother's Day
2021 Mothers Day is Almost Here - May 9th
Maybe I'm becoming jaded as I age, but the commercials for Mother's Day make me giggle. Who truly believes jewelry, flowers and breakfast in bed on one Sunday morning in May is what I want for Mother's Day? I like the idea of being spoiled for a day. Who wouldn't? When the kids were younger, my idea of being spoiled was someone else doing the cooking and dishes. This year, I'm spoiling the kids with a cook out to celebrate having three of the four kids home at the same time. Austin will be traveling around Brazil with college friends before he starts his summer internship. He's excused to miss Mother's Day with a trip of a lifetime.
I know the purpose of the commercials is to sell things, but I don't need anything purchased to be spoiled. If you really want to spoil me for Mother's Day, spoil me by appreciating the little things in life. Spoil me by caring for people, friends and strangers alike. Spoil me by giving your all. This is how you spoil me for Mother's Day every day.
Before my nephew was old enough to go to school, one of his favorite books to read was "Hey, Pancakes!" He would make this recipe to spoil his parents with homemade pancakes in bed. He spoils me with them when he comes up to visit. This is one of my favorite pancake recipes.
1 egg
1 1/4 cup buttermilk
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1 1/4 cup flour
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
In a medium-sized bowl, using a fork, mix together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a small bowl, beat the egg with the buttermilk and vegetable oil. Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour in the wet ingredients. Stir gently until just blended (the batter will be lumpy).
Heat a pan and add a little butter. When the butter sizzles, pour a few spoonfuls of batter into the pan. When the top of the pancake is bubbly, flip it. Fry the other side until the pancake is cooked all the way through (just a minute or so). Serve immediately with your favorite topping.
This next recipe is where fruit cobblers and caramel rolls collide. You put it together the night before and throw it in the oven to bake the next morning. I've taken this to dairy families who are in a morning rush with family events and don't have time to make much for breakfast. The only hard part is flipping it out of the baking pan. I use a flat cookie sheet lined with wax paper for easier clean up.
6 large eggs
1 cup milk
2/3 cup fruit juice (apple or orange for a kick)
1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
1 Tbsp. cinnamon
Pinch ground nutmeg
Pinch salt
6 cups stale bread cut into cubes
1/2 cup melted butter (one stick)
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 cups fruits (raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, peaches or pineapple)
In a large bowl, stir together eggs, milk, juice, vanilla, spices and salt until blended. Add the bread cubes and toss to coat. Let stand 30 minutes until bread absorbs moisture. Lightly butter a 9- by 13-inch pan. Add melted butter to pan and sprinkle brown sugar evenly over butter. Arrange fruits over sugar. Place bread mixture on top. Press down gently. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Uncover and bake for about 45 minutes or until cooked through. Invert to serve on platter or flat cookie sheet. Cut into rectangles. Makes eight servings.
If you want something with a wow factor and still easy to make, this is the recipe. My friend Jill Gablenz shared this recipe with me when our kids were little.
3/4 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
1 1/2 tsp. sugar
3 Tbsp. butter
4 eggs
1/2 cup flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup milk
1 Tbsp. powdered sugar
Maple or blueberry syrup, I prefer blueberry
Rinse berries, drain. Sprinkle with sugar. Spray a 10-inch oven-proof skillet or glass pie plate (I use a glass pie plate) with no-stick cooking spray. Don't miss this step. You do need to coat the pan with spray and also use the melted butter in the next step. Melt butter in small bowl in the microwave or directly in the oven proof pie plate. If melted in the pie plate, rotate to coat pan sides but reserve about two of the 3 Tbsp., of melted butter for next step in the mixing bowl. If melted in the small bowl, I just add it in to the batter, but use a little bit to coat the pan first. It helps the pancake rise.
In a medium mixing bowl, beat eggs and then add flour, salt and milk. Stir/whisk until smooth (there can be a few lumps). Stir in the reserved 2 or 3 Tbsp., melted butter. Gently fold in blueberries; pour into skillet or pie plate.
Bake at 425 for 20-25 minutes. Watch it after the first 20 minutes, depending on how fast your oven bakes. Bake until puffy, crisp and browned. Make sure you don't miss the moment you take it out of the oven.
The pancake will be nice and high, but quickly deflates, similar to a soufflé. Dust with powdered sugar, cut into wedges and serve immediately with warm syrup. Jill sprinkles extra blueberries on the slices.
Serves 4, but she and her son have been known to eat a whole one between the two of them.
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As their four children pursue dairy careers off the family farm, Natalie and Mark are starting a new adventure of milking registered Holsteins just because they like good cows on their farm north of Rice, Minnesota....questions or comments, please e-mail Natalie at mnschmitt@jetup.net.