Some Sunday mornings just call for pancakes – not those ordinary non-nutritive, white flour, sugary things. It 
called for my own special recipe. Alas, my recipe box, which I never got around to committing to computer, went the way of so many things in the fire.
But the thing is, if you’re a real cook, you don’t always need a recipe. Years of cooking gives you a feel for food and its many combinations. Some things are just instinctual.
I poured leftover buttermilk from last week’s soda bread into the blender and tossed in some old fashioned oats to soften, sliced in a half banana, sprinkled some cinnamon, and a dribble of blackstrap molasses and hit speed two to blend. Beat a few eggs in a bowl and poured in the mixture from the blender.
Next, I added 2 tbs or ground flax, 1tsp of baking powder, ½ tsp of baking soda (essential if you use soda) to more or less a cup of whole-wheat flour, and mixed it into the liquid mixture. I adjusted with a bit more buttermilk to get it just right.
The iron pan had been heating all the time, and when I added the smear of bacon drippings, the aroma of bacon set my mouth to watering. I poured the thick pancake mixture and formed it to about a 5-inch circle (toaster size, so I can freeze extras for later quick healthy breakfasts).
I ate the first one hot off the griddle smeared with butter, as I poured the next one to cook. When the last one cooked, I smeared it with butter, poured a bit of real maple syrup (grade B – it’s the most nutritive) and savored every bite with my steaming cup of spicy coffee.
The remaining 4 pancakes, I let cook before putting them into a Ziploc bag and into the freezer for another day.
Perle Champion 