In our house, they're called "Sully pancakes"

My kids have always been big breakfast eaters (hm, I wonder where they get that from...).  And I've always been proud to serve them a breakfast home cooked with love every morning.  But I went back to work about six months ago after two and a half years as a stay at home mom and that really has stressed my morning routine.  The boys and I used to laze around in bed until 8 every morning, then gradually make our way downstairs for breakfast.  Now all three of us have to be out of the house by 7:45 to get them to school and me to work in the DC traffic.  I know, I know, lots of people have to do this, but it really sucks. 

 
I was pretty emotional about going back to work and leaving the kids, so I promised myself that I would somehow find a way to continue giving the boys home cooked breakfasts.  I started by just trying to cook reallyreallyreally fast in the mornings.  I usually managed to get something on the table, but it was... stressful, to say the least, and left me with a sink full of dishes to deal with after work, right as I was starting to stress about how I was going to get dinner on the table in -45 minutes (which is a whole other story).

Pretty quickly, I realized that I could de-stress my mornings a lot by cooking huge batches of breakfast on the weekends and freezing them to toast up on weekdays.  This works great for waffles and even french toast, but my kids' favorite is Sully pancakes.  We call them this because the recipe is based on the one in the The Magic Kitchen Cookbook, that features Sully from Monsters, Inc.

Now, I have to stop for a minute to talk about this cookbook.  The kids got it for me for Mother's Day last year (thoughtful, aren't they?), and we use this thing a lot.  I love cooking with the kids, but it requires a certain ability to let go of precision that I, well, struggle with.  These recipes are pretty much all from scratch, focus on healthy eating, and have stood up to J's... liberal interpretation, and are actually pretty delicious!  Also, the recipe portions are relatively small, which is nice for a family with small kids.

So, yes, I love this cookbook, and my kids love these pancakes.  They ask for Sully pancakes almost every morning, and I love having a little help making them.  J and I made a double batch this morning, and had enough for all four of us for breakfast and two mornings all set in the freezer.

The original recipe is for "Not Too Scary Berry Pancakes," but I have made them with any kind of berries, with bananas, chocolate chips, bananas AND chocolate chips (God, so good), and just plain pancakes.  Recipe follows...

Sully Pancakes

Adapted from "Not Too Scary Berry Pancakes" from The Magic Kitchen Cookbook

1 cup white whole wheat or all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons sugar

1.5 teaspoons baking powder

¼ teaspoons salt

1 egg, beaten

1 cup milk

2 Tablespoons canola oil (plus extra for the pan)

1 cup of fresh or frozen fruit

or several handfuls of mini-chocolate chips

or chopped nuts

or all of the above

½ Tablespoon butter

 

Mix flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl.  Mix milk, egg and 2T canola oil in a separate bowl and add to the dry ingredients.  Stir until almost smooth, then gently fold in fruit, nuts or chocolate chips as desired.

 

Heat a large nonstick skillet or griddle over medium heat and add a splash of canola oil and ½ T butter.  Let the skillet get fully heated before starting the pancakes.

 

For each pancake, pour ¼ cup of batter into the hot skillet.  Cook without disturbing until the edges lose their glossy wet look and bubbles begin rising to the top (approximately 3-5 minutes).  Flip the pancakes over and cook until the bottoms are golden brown.  Either serve immediately, or place in a warm oven to keep warm.

 

When making them to freeze, I try to undercook them just a teeny tiny bit so they don’t dry out when re-heated in the toaster oven.    I let them come to room temperature on a wire rack, then freeze in a freezer baggie for up to a month.  I reheat in the toaster oven for a few minutes each, until heated through.

 

My kids love these with strawberry yogurt on top – way healthier than butter and syrup, which is how I eat them.

  

Comments

[Estela @ Weekly Bite]

These look delicious! I feel your pain about going back to work. I have a 9 month old and work part-time... its tough.

That's so great that you're in DC.... I'm in DC too :)

[Amy.]

I didn't realize you were also in DC - how great! Late congratulations on the baby - it's definitely tough to balance, but they are so worth every minute of it!