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| My Favorite Peeps . . . circa 1996! |
Christmas 1996
On just about any given Saturday or Sunday morning, I can be found in the kitchen mixing up a batch of pancakes. The kids love them . . . and come to think of it, pancakes are one of those "comfort foods" that most folks enjoy! Comfort foods often bring back pleasant memories of our childhood, much like Christmas does each year. So during this holiday season, I would like to share this pancake recipe with you. It brings back memories for me of the simple things we shared throughout the year . . .
Buttermilk Pancakes
1 cup cake flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup wheat germ
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup milk
2 eggs
3 tablespoons butter
1. Preheat griddle. Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl. Dry ingredients . . . day-to-day work, oh the monotony of it all! We all rise early. Dan's first out the door. He's generally gone by 4:30 am (if he's up on the first snooze). The kids are generally off between eight and eight thirty. Jake, our resident teenager, sleeps until the last possible moment. He needs the extra sleep so that he can rest his brain to be "sharp & witty" for the day ahead. Kate, on-the-other-hand, is up bright and early. After all, one needs some time to take a twenty minute shower, dry & curl her hair, try on at least five outfits, and call Amy, Katie, Michelle or Nicole. Luke is our "morning person," the only one who smiles! He gets up, gets ready, eats breakfast and is usually out-the-door before the others. At nine years old, it's important to stake your claim at the bus stop so you can board first. Now Daniel is our morning challenge. He rolls out of bed with a grumble and a growl. He doesn't talk much so I limit our conversation to, "Have you brushed your teeth, washed your face and combed your hair? Enough said.
2. Mix liquid ingredients in a separate bowl and pour into dry mixture. It takes a certain combination of "liquid and dry" to bring all the ingredients together to form the batter. And certain times we are brought together to share a special event. We celebrated two baptisms in the Kaminski Family this year; one for Logan, Jeff & Polly's first, and one for Tommy, Bonnie & Dave's third. We're anticipating another when my brother Dan and his wife Sue deliver their first this December. When it comes to birthdays, this was a "red letter" year. Grandma Sue turned 90, Dan's mom, Pat, turned 60 and Dan rounded the corner of 40. We ushered Dan into his new decade with a couple of celebrations including a Toga Party!
3. Combine until there are few lumps. DO NOT OVERMIX! We have to be careful to combine things in just the right way. "Over-mixing" can often produce disastrous results. Such is the case with our lives. When we have too much to do our life seems out-of-balance. So many activities to do . . . not enough time to do it all. So this year I have cut back my hours at QUARTERS, to try to bring about some "balance" to our family life. Robin, our nanny for many years, returned home to Scottsbluff, NE. She said we didn't need a nanny anymore!? So now I do the chores, run the errands and drive the kids to their activities. This year I watched Jake's football team go undefeated. Kate too had an undefeated season in cross country. She finished first in her conference. Luke seems to have found his niche in hockey. Whether it be "ice" or "in-line" he's a natural on skates. In fact, his in-line hockey team won the play-offs! Danny enjoys tagging along to his sister and brother's events. He makes friends wherever he goes and is generally enjoying the good life.
4. Spoon pancake batter onto hot griddle. Flip when bubbles appear on top. Serve at once! What are the things that make life sizzle? For us (me), it's travel. Besides our annual ski trips out West; this year to Utah & Montana, we biked over 600 miles around the Midwest. Our first bike ride was the GRABWAR (Great Annual Bike Along the Wisconsin River). Jake, Kate, Maggie Cotter & I started in Eagle River, WI and pedaled 450 miles down to Prarie-du-Chein, WI. For an encore, Jake, Kate, Dan & I rode the PACRAC in central Illinois. This was all in preparation for the "Backroads Adventure" Dan & I enjoyed in the wine country of northern California. Our accommodation for all of these trips was the luxury of a goose down sleeping bag and a tent. (We did cheat a bit. In Wisconsin, we ditched camp a few nights for the comfort of my in-laws lake house. And in California, our final night was sent being "pampered" at the Sonoma Mission Inn!) Just recently, we spent a few days with my in-laws at their lovely place on the beach in Naples, FL. While we were there, we enjoyed a day spent with my parents who now reside in Del Ray Beach, FL.
I have heard it said that kids are like pancakes. The first few sometimes burn and by the time you get "the hang of it" that batter is all gone . . . I'm finally getting "the hang of it" and my babies are almost grown up! So I turn them carefully hoping they'll be just right. But I need not worry because I know that God is with them and watches over them. For that matter, he is with all of us if we let Him into our hearts. So open your hearts this holiday season and prepare a special place for Jesus to be with you the whole year through.
3. Combine until there are few lumps. DO NOT OVERMIX! We have to be careful to combine things in just the right way. "Over-mixing" can often produce disastrous results. Such is the case with our lives. When we have too much to do our life seems out-of-balance. So many activities to do . . . not enough time to do it all. So this year I have cut back my hours at QUARTERS, to try to bring about some "balance" to our family life. Robin, our nanny for many years, returned home to Scottsbluff, NE. She said we didn't need a nanny anymore!? So now I do the chores, run the errands and drive the kids to their activities. This year I watched Jake's football team go undefeated. Kate too had an undefeated season in cross country. She finished first in her conference. Luke seems to have found his niche in hockey. Whether it be "ice" or "in-line" he's a natural on skates. In fact, his in-line hockey team won the play-offs! Danny enjoys tagging along to his sister and brother's events. He makes friends wherever he goes and is generally enjoying the good life.
4. Spoon pancake batter onto hot griddle. Flip when bubbles appear on top. Serve at once! What are the things that make life sizzle? For us (me), it's travel. Besides our annual ski trips out West; this year to Utah & Montana, we biked over 600 miles around the Midwest. Our first bike ride was the GRABWAR (Great Annual Bike Along the Wisconsin River). Jake, Kate, Maggie Cotter & I started in Eagle River, WI and pedaled 450 miles down to Prarie-du-Chein, WI. For an encore, Jake, Kate, Dan & I rode the PACRAC in central Illinois. This was all in preparation for the "Backroads Adventure" Dan & I enjoyed in the wine country of northern California. Our accommodation for all of these trips was the luxury of a goose down sleeping bag and a tent. (We did cheat a bit. In Wisconsin, we ditched camp a few nights for the comfort of my in-laws lake house. And in California, our final night was sent being "pampered" at the Sonoma Mission Inn!) Just recently, we spent a few days with my in-laws at their lovely place on the beach in Naples, FL. While we were there, we enjoyed a day spent with my parents who now reside in Del Ray Beach, FL.
I have heard it said that kids are like pancakes. The first few sometimes burn and by the time you get "the hang of it" that batter is all gone . . . I'm finally getting "the hang of it" and my babies are almost grown up! So I turn them carefully hoping they'll be just right. But I need not worry because I know that God is with them and watches over them. For that matter, he is with all of us if we let Him into our hearts. So open your hearts this holiday season and prepare a special place for Jesus to be with you the whole year through.
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