breakfast

la boulange

Early Sunday mornings in San Francisco are like Sundays in an entirely new city. There was no traffic, tons of parking, no lines, open tables.








Anna and I had breakfast in a windowed-corner at the Hayes Valley La Boulange. We did the whole "You talk while I eat, now I'll eat while you talk" thing which is always fun. It's so nice to have a quiet morning with a good friend. Delicious food is always a plus, too.

"the morning after" pancakes

I don't know why I named them this. It felt right.

I think there's something comforting in knowing you're going to have pancakes when you wake up. The inevitable dust of flour. The lumpy batter. That you're patient enough to wait until all the pancakes are done rather than eating them as they finish.

I like that they stack and keep one another warm.






These are Martha's buttermilk pancakes-- except I accidentally added two extra tablespoons of butter and added blueberries.

And, as if they couldn't get any better, I served them with honey butter. No syrup necessary.

honey butter:
When butter is at room temperature, mix three parts butter with one part honey until combined. Do not refrigerate-- store at room temperature in an air-tight container.

Put. On. EVERYTHING.

monday breakfast

Somehow, April was one of the craziest months and all of a sudden May is half-way over. With less than a month until graduation, Anna, Sarah, and I are trying to do more "roomie" things together before the year is over without us realizing it. The only problem? As much as we want to do things together, we will always have schedules that don't always work out for things like weekend brunch.

The solution? Monday morning breakfast. Complete with fresh mimosas, asparagus + leek quiche, pancakes, and a fruit salad. I may have felt in "weekend mode" for a few hours post-breakfast, but it sure made me enjoy Monday mornings more than I usually do.

pumpkin pancakes for one

I know "breakfast for one" sounds a little depressing, but this is one of the realities I've come to face while living in my apartment. But I don't think breakfast alone is a bad thing. Or any meal, for that matter. It's always nice to sit and have a few minutes to yourself.

Anyway, getting back to the pancakes: have you ever woken up wanting pancakes but decided not to make them because the only recipe you have makes eight? I thought so. It's the worst. Because you really want them, but can't eat them all, and don't want to save the "leftovers" because reheated pancakes aren't the same. These are the perfect portion. And they have pumpkin or any other fruit-puree you want to add. And, if you really want, you can double the recipe to make it breakfast for two.

pumpkin (or any fruit) pancakes for one
adapted from cookstr

1/2 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1-2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon (or your preferred spice)
1/2 cup soy milk (or regular)
2 tablespoons fruit puree (pumpkin, applesauce, mashed bananas, etc)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
pinch of salt

Stir ingredients together until just combined. Lightly grease a skillet and turn the stove on to medium-low heat. Once the pan is hot, add a scoopful of the batter (I just did two large scoops for two big pancakes). Let the batter sit for 2-3 minutes, until bubbles begin to form. Flip and cook for another 2-3 minutes on the other side. Serve with whatever you like (fruit, powdered sugar, syrup, whipped cream, etc).

PS- This recipe can be totally vegan if you grease the pan with earth balance, or something like it.