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apple puffy pancake

Monday, January 2, 2012 by alana

 
Sadie and I have been talking about how we get in our own way.
It came about after another night of tucking into bed and wiping away tears after she had blown her time to read the current out loud with Daddy book (Breadcrumbs) by spacing out in her room while she put on one leg at a time of her pajamas really really slowly, and then made faces at herself in the mirror for a good 10 or 15 minutes before she finally got around to squeezing toothpaste on her toothbrush. There was a bit of needless shouting at her sister mixed in too, and by the time of tuck in, no one had gotten what they wanted. And so I sat there, pulling her covers up, and giving her dream magic, and I said some version of the sentence that I say so often.
Honey? You’re going to have to do the things that make you feel good and happy. You have to choose them. And you you know what you need to do to get there (in this case, quick getting ready for bed=lots of time for reading with Daddy), but the motivation to do the work has to come from you. We all have the power to choose.
“But Mom,” Sadie told me then. “I’m trying. I want the good thing, but I get mad and frustrated, and I don’t even know what I’m doing. Or I get distracted, and I forget that I want it. I wish I was better.”
Here’s the moment. This is the moment that I’ve been sitting with for days as I sit down to write the first words of this beautiful new new year.
We know what we want and we know how to get there, but so often, we don’t do it. We don’t follow the path to our goal. And in these first days of the year, the path solidifies again, and we can see it. With a new beginning, there seems to be a chance to say, “this time, I will choose it. I will follow the path to my goals with ease and inspiration. And this year I will (fill in the blank)…lose 10 pounds, meditate every day, spend less time on the computer,  be more social, be less social, plant that garden, write everyday, eat more vegetables, spend more time with my children, finish that novel, breath more, drink less, quit my job, get a job, read more… (feel free to continue the list with the resolutions that are flying through the air these days).
I’m not sure I know anyone who’s really solved this one. Or if they say they have, get a few drinks in them, and they’ll reveal the ways that they still stand in their own way. And I think that’s good! Otherwise, there would be nowhere to go, and no room for growth.
Rosie crawled into bed with me this morning, and she asked if I was still growing. God, I hope so. My pants might not be getting too short like hers, but hopefully still growing, too.
We had so many friends here for New Year’s eve and New Year’s day, and coming from the sullen cocoon of the week before, I felt so thankful to have my house filled with friends. We have a party every year where the kids take over, and the volume reaches a level where it’s hard to reflect on much of anything. But later in the night around the table (refilling mugs from the samovar filled with the grudge) and in the morning over eggs and walks to the river, a few ideas started coming into focus like little constellations in my thoughts. I realized that these ideas are my resolutions, and that really more than anything, I want to keep them with me, even as I stand in my own way and move forward in tiny steps, little by little.
The first is this: that we are all figuring these things out in our own time. That the process of making these tiny steps through it all is what makes us rich and wonderful. That even those who seem farther along still need support and love (not, dare I say, jealousy or judgement). And that the more we can contribute to the process of our friends (and even our children), the richer our own process becomes.
And the second? It’s a word that came up in many of my New Year’s eve conversations: grace. I’m no Christian, so it’s not that kind, and my ballet days are over, so that’s not it, either. It is, I think, a way of expanding around the highs and lows, so that it can all be part of me without yanking me around. Does that make sense? It’s a willingness to be spontaneous, to change the plan without grumbling, and to make the best of what comes, too.
That’s what I have right now.  A little bit of a new beginning, mixed in, I’d say, with an appreciation of the process. Am I standing in my own way? Absolutely. But I think I’ll sit down and have a drink with the me that’s doing it, and we’ll figure out how to do this year together.
Let’s start the year with breakfast. I’ve got a good one for you, an old recipe that I wrote about years ago, but I wanted to bring it up again. It’s one of my favorite special breakfasts, too- lovely to make and lovely to eat. And I’d be so happy to hear the ideas for the year that might be kicking around your head, too, if you’d be willing to share.
Happy New Year, friends. I’m looking forward to working on this one together.
 


Apple Puffy Pancake
inspired by a recipe from Moosewood Restaurant New Classics
serves 6

For the batter:
6 eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
2 tablespoons butter, melted, plus additional for greasing the pan
1/2 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
For the fruit topping:
2 tablespoons butter
5 to 6 cups apples (this is 4 to 6 apples, and any will do, but something firm like granny smith is great. That being said, I just use what I have.)
2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
For the syrup (But if you don’t have apple cider, this is great just with maple syrup, too.)
2 cups apple cider
3-inch cinnamon stick

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
Combine the batter ingredients in order in a blender. Blend for 10 seconds, and then let it rest for 10 minutes while you cook the apples.
Melt the butter  (for the fruit topping) in a 12-inch cast iron skillet (or other oven proof frying pan). Add the apple slices, cinnamon, brown sugar and nutmeg. Cook over medium heat, stirring often, until the apple softens, about 3 minutes. Remove the pan from heat.
Use a paper towel to spread additional butter on the sides of the pan. (The pan will be hot, so be careful.) Pour the batter into the skillet over the apples. Bake for about 30 minutes without opening the stove. When the pancake is puffed, golden, and solid in the center, it’s ready.
While the pancake bakes, combine the cider and the cinnamon stick in a small saucepan. Bring to a low boil, and let the cider reduce to a syrup until it is thick and sweet, about 25 minutes.
Serve in big steaming wedges, topped with the apple syrup.
 


 
 
 
 

Filed Under: apples, breakfast, Family Tagged With: Raising good humans

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Instagram post 2337331591407595410_13442450 Sending off my taxes today with intention and prayer that they will be used to support programs for the most vulnerable, and that my little contribution will join with others to help move us towards the country I know we can be. #taxmagic ✨
Instagram post 2335726864949371764_13442450 Goodies en route to @north_plain_farm today for pickup! Word about town is that LOTS of moolah was raised for BRIDGE in this little #bakersagainstracism bake sale. Thanks to North Plain Farm and @raisinporpoise for the organizing, to everyone who bought and bid, and most of all to BRIDGE for the essential work they do. (Want to learn more about BRIDGE? Head to the link in my profile.)
Instagram post 2332756427273440195_13442450 So technically you’re not supposed to send food when trying to find an agent, but I did it it. 10 years ago, my granola helped seal that deal, and he insisted I send it to publishers when we were selling The Homemade Pantry (another general publishing no no) That Landed-a woman-with-no-platform-a-book deal Granola is up for grabs in this amazing bake sale, as well as goodies by some of my very favorite bakers (@madeinghent , @raisinporpoise , and @thedooryard to name a few). Oh and maybe my favorite item in there are the magical @susanspungen ginger chocolate cookies I mentioned a few weeks back, made by Sadie herself. All of this is to support the work of @multiculturalbridge , and the order form is up in my bio. Get to it! #bakersagainstracism
Instagram post 2330317921708403058_13442450 My friend @afgoldfarb has been part of a team of people working on this vital project. The link to learn more and help out is in my profile.
Instagram post 2330131706816229761_13442450 I’ll be baking up a storm for this! Local bakers- there’s still room for more! Let @north_plain_farm know that you want IN.
Instagram post 2324845496300301430_13442450 To those who ask here? In Great Barrington? YES. In Great Barrington.
Instagram post 2324091364266290851_13442450 I know there are so many resources out there right now, but I want to share one that’s been really helpful for me in the last several months. There are many seasons of this podcast, but I recommend Season 2 on Whiteness as well is Season 4 on Democracy. #sceneonradio
Instagram post 2322615811734696638_13442450 Black lives matter.
Instagram post 2319329508599466327_13442450 I did not bake these cookies, as I am no longer the cookie baker in this house. But this is the second time that  Sadie has made @susanspungen ‘s Triple-Ginger Chocolate Chunk Cookies (and also the second time I’ve talked about a recipe Sadie has made from the #openkitchencookbook), and I think these might actually be the best cookies I have ever had. I’m often looking for the perfect ginger cookie and this is it, and I’d also choose it over a chocolate chip cookie (or let’s be honest-any other kind of cookie) any day.
Instagram post 2316311882260313364_13442450 No matter how many rulers and pizza cutters and other magical tools I use, it seems that the straight line will always elude me.
Instagram post 2314127252740427104_13442450 Living it up. 💥
Instagram post 2312088043104000827_13442450 Every day my neighbor’s yard gets prettier.
Instagram post 2311325683330503572_13442450 @paulaperlis sent us @susanspungen ‘s new book and of course the first recipe Sadie picked is marked with the *project* heading. She’s been cooking all afternoon and the house smells like ✨✨✨ (With gorgeous images by @gentlandhyers ❤️)
Instagram post 2311141543964321092_13442450 When I took on a day job a few years ago, I found that the first thing to go was all the homemade stuff I’d been making and writing about over the years. I’m still going out to work most days, but I’m finding now with a full and captive house and more downtime in general that those things I love to make are back. For me, it’s granola, yogurt, bread. Hello, old friends!
Instagram post 2308503311808232748_13442450 All the things in the house pasta: roasted cauliflower, a few sad leaves of kale, one jar of fancy tuna saved for a special occasion (how about Wednesday?), Rosemary, homemade breadcrumbs from the freezer fried in butter, crispy sage leaves, pasta water, salt, so much pepper. Success!
Instagram post 2307412630968777107_13442450 @artbywoodgy made this beautiful thing for me for Mother’s Day. All the veggies are on Velcro so I can plan to my hearts delight.
Instagram post 2306345003953662730_13442450 Happy Mother’s Day to my brave and beautiful mom, who birthed two different humans in such different times in her life. With me she was so young, and she figured it all out just as she was learning how to be an adult. This picture was taken nineteen years later, when she was pregnant again and I was almost an adult myself. Thanks for keeping at it, Mom, and for always showing up with love. ❤️
Instagram post 2304888771283579843_13442450 What we do for cake.
Instagram post 2302665269449083186_13442450 It’s a magnolia year for sure.
Instagram post 2295808104927071821_13442450 A long time ago, Joey talked about his crush on this particular alien-like flower with a good friend of ours. Months later, little bulbs arrived in the mail. We put them in the ground last fall, and now they are everywhere. If that isn’t some kind of magic, I don’t know what is. ✨ (🙏🏻 to @wildflowers1 for the cool vase, too.)
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