Pancakes Should Be Sweet

Growing up, I was a very spoiled girl.  My grandfather was a fantastic man and an even better pancake chef.  I used to tell him that I thought he was so good at making pancakes that he could get a job at McDonald's.  (To be fair to my child self I thought McDonald's was the bees knees and that was high praise in my opinion.)

When I was little my favorite place to be was the kitchen of my grandparent's house.  One time my brother and I got to stay with my grandparents for a whole week, just us, no parents.  It was awesome.  My mom told my grandpa that he couldn't let us stuff ourselves the whole week (to be fair, I was already quite portly and they were fantastic cooks).  Her rule was that we were only allowed to have one pancake in the morning.  Quite sensible.  Grandpa wasn't into sensible though, he decided to follow the letter of her rule if not the sentiment behind it.  He made the biggest pancakes you have ever seen.  Seriously, they took up the entire plate.

I have no idea what he put in those pancakes, I wasn't old enough to really know how to cook at that point.  As I grew up and started cooking on my own I did discover what I think is the secret to his pancake deliciousness.  Sugar.  His pancakes were so sweet that they didn't really need syrup.  I mean I still put it on there... but you didn't need to.  He cooked them to the perfect level, they got a little crispy on the edge and then the little layer of batter in the middle.  That layer of batter kept the pancake from being too dry.  He put a ton of butter in the pan before dropping the batter in, it was almost like frying a pancake.  I tell you the truth, the sugar and the butter make a world of difference.

Now let's fast forward to the present.  Pancakes always make me think of my grandpa.  He passed away a little over 9 years ago.  I think one reason I have been missing pancakes so much is that they are a link to my memories of him.  Making pancakes on a weekend morning was a grandpa thing, and when I make them I think of him.  I am thrilled to have found a way to make pancakes that will fit into my new world.  It is not the same as sitting down at his table, it is not even the same as experimenting in my kitchen trying to recreate his pancake genius, but it is a small way to recreate my memories.