This article is part of The Heritage Recipe Project series, where we celebrate culinary heritage, the art of the shared recipe, and create a feast for the eyes as well as the palate.
Pancakes and Conversation Hearts
My mom really didn’t like to cook. For her, it was more of a chore than a creative expression. Though, there was one day of the year where I vividly remember her expressing her love for us at the table - Valentine’s Day. She would get up before us - she probably did this all of the time, but as a kid who remembers that - and set the table for breakfast. On each of the plates she would place Valentine card, the kind that you stood in the grocery aisle to read to ensure the card’s message was perfect. And right above the knife and spoon was a box of conversation hearts. You know, the ones that had sayings like “Be Mine”, “Love”, and “Cutie” imprinted on them. None of these half-hearted-not-even-stamped-in-the-center sayings like “Text Me” or “TTYL’. Oh, I digress 😬 Anyway, the conversation heart box was there. Sometimes a special chocolate, but always the conversation heart box.
And for breakfast she would make pancakes. My mom liked pancakes. I think because you serve them with all things sweet. She had a sweet tooth that lady. And if there were any leftovers, which always seemed to happen, she would save them for the next day at which time they would become a snack. A generous layer of butter slathered on, and an even more generous sprinkle of sugar. Can you call a sprinkle generous? The pancake would be rolled up and eaten like lefse. Inevitably, sugar would escape from the back side of the pancake - I told you the sprinkle was generous.
I loved this day so much. I think that this is when I figured out that food was my preferred language. I’m pretty sure that the pancakes weren’t from scratch. I can almost guarantee that she used Bisquick. But that didn’t matter. The fact that she made made Valentine’s Day special by combining something that she didn’t particular care to do with one of her super powers - shopping - is what matters most. I may not have fully recognized it at the time, but I do now Mom. Love you! And your Bisquick pancakes.
I admit I thought about copying the Bisquick recipe to include here, but if you have the box, you have the recipe. Instead, I thought it would be fun to include a couple of my favorite foodie friend’s pancake stories and recipes. 😊
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This article is part of The Heritage Recipe Project series, where we celebrate culinary heritage, the art of the shared recipe, and create a feast for the eyes as well as the palate.
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What a sweet post.
It must be pancake season. I made some just yesterday!