Better Than Pancakes

Pancakes were very popular in my house growing up. My mom made them year-round on most weekends, and my brothers and I devoured them drenched with maple syrup. Summers meant blueberry or peach pancakes. Sometimes she'd mix it up a bit and make funnel cakes, which we ate smothered with confectioner's sugar.

When I was around 11 or 12, she came across a recipe for oatmeal-pecan pancakes. We were hooked. They were out of this world delicious, but so, so heavy! Three of those puppies and you were good to go til mid-afternoon.

But we mostly ate regular old pancakes. My mom made them using Bisquick Mix, which, for a mother who cooked everything from scratch, is pretty ironic. Pancakes are one of the easiest things to prepare and cook. Milk, flour, egg, salt, maybe some oil or melted butter. That's it!

My own family prefers crepes; in fact, it's the only thing my toddler son usually eats for breakfast. As a result, I almost always have a stack on hand in the fridge.

Crepes
Makes about a dozen

2 cups milk (soymilk is fine)
1 cup all-purpose flour (or 1/2 cup all-purpose flour and 1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour)
2 eggs
2 tablespoons canola or safflower oil or melted butter
pinch salt

Whisk all ingredients in a medium bowl til well-blended.

Heat a non-stick crepe or small (8" diameter) saute pan over medium-high heat. When the pan feels hot (not warm--hot!), add 1/4 cup crepe batter. Swirl pan to distribute batter in a circle. When the edge of the crepe is firm and fully cooked, flip the crepe and cook another minute.

Lower heat to medium or medium-low, and repeat 11 more times. Serve with maple syrup, jam, or confectioner's sugar.