Blueberrry Pancakes: A Nice Welcome Home

**Don't forget about my Austrian goodies giveaway!  The giveaway closes on July 13th at 10pm EST.**

After many flights (and rearranging of said flights), I am now back in the United States!  I miss Europe already, but luckily I know that I will return--being married to a German professor does have its perks!  :-)

It's hard to get back to blogging after a break in Budapest and Vienna.  And when I sat down to think about what I'd write about today, my mind immediately went to something European.  And then it drifted to the pancakes I served my daughter this morning.  And I thought, "Bingo!"  It's the perfect post for jetlag and post-travel blues. "Why?" you may ask.  (There's a lot of dialogue in this post...it must be the jetlag!)  Because I had some in the freezer.  Yes, in the freezer.  Whenever I make these pancakes, I make a double batch and then freeze them in single layers on parchment paper.  Then they go into an airtight container to await their fate: quick, homemade breakfasts for those busy weekdays.  I just reheat them in the microwave (30 seconds on 80% power on each side), and voilà...I'm the world's best mom...who doesn't have to get up a half an hour early to make fresh pancakes from scratch!

My family loves pancakes, and we actually have them for dinner more than we have them for breakfast.  I love making them from scratch--the flavor is so much better than the boxed kind and they're pretty easy to whip up.  My favorite recipe is from The New Basics Cookbook; it calls for lemon zest, which for me makes all the difference.  The lemon zest gives the pancakes a light, fresh taste that just can't be beat.

Blueberry Pancakes
From The New Basics Cookbook

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup half-and-half
6 Tbl milk
3 Tbl packed light brown sugar
2 Tbl unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp grated lemon zest
3/4 cup fresh blueberries

In a medium-sized mixing bowl, toss the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt.

In another bowl, stir the the half-and-half, milk, brown sugar, butter, egg, vanilla and lemon zest until smooth.

Stir the liquid into the dry ingredients until almost smooth.  (There may be some lumps.)  Fold in the blueberries and let the batter stand, loosely covered, for about 20 minutes.

Heat a griddle over medium-high heat and butter or spray it lightly.  Drop the batter by 1/8-1/4 cupfuls and cook until the bottoms are golden and bubbles are popping on the surface.  Turn and cook on the other side until it is golden brown.  Repeat, using all of the batter. 

Slather with your favorite pancake topping(s)!

 Subscribe to free updates from The World in My Kitchen