During one of our spontaneous video calls, I told my mom I missed her ‘loving back’. She asked me what I meant by that and I confessed how I used to love watching her cook. She would patiently stand by the gas stove emptying her love into every meal with such gracefulness regardless of how tired she seemed.
It’s during those moments that I ‘learned’ her back, and what every pose and tilt meant. I am reminded of these moments when looking at Caspar David Friedrich’s ‘Woman at a Window, 1822’ and during pancake days at our home. I love the warm sweet scent of vanilla that travels throughout the house. And having my girl tag at my apron strings for the hundredth time to ask if the pancakes are ready.
Vanilla Pancakes and This Fleeting Thing Called Life
When she was nothing more than 6kgs, I held her to me a little tighter than I usually would during bedtime. One day, with her head cradled on the crook of my arm, I rocked and sang her to sleep: “One day, one day I’ll go away”. The made-up song just flew out of my mouth, almost as if my subconscious mind took over for a moment.
You see, prior to her falling asleep I couldn’t help but stare in love. Then a wave of worry and sadness overcame me- clouding my thoughts with the reality that I will not always be there to protect her. But I tried harder to think of things I knew she could look back on and feel joy, love, and perhaps even draw strength from. So what’s that got to do with pancakes? Well, let’s take a few steps back to where it fits into the story…
A Family Thing
A few years ago Fran and I had homemade pancakes for breakfast for a change. And it was such a pleasurable moment as we sat at the dining table with steaming coffee, slathering our warm flat pieces of joy with chocolate spread conversing about things I can hardly recall anymore. But I remember that moment and how happy I felt. So much so that I wanted to relive it at my every whim! Just like how I relive leaning over the kitchen counter and watching my mom’s back as she labors for love over the stove. And so, I decided on making a tradition of beginning weekends with…. drumrolls- you guessed it, vanilla pancakes!!!!
Are you asking yourself how something so simple could bring me such delight? Well, think back on your life; have you had or done something simple that gave you an immense feeling of happiness? I’ll be honest, over time we broke tradition here and there- but those memories remain with me.
My wish is that one day when I’m not around and Jenny makes pancakes for her family she will look back and smile. And hopefully, create a few of her own food-related family traditions.
I lay her in bed as my eyes lingered a little longer than usual. “So I hope that you will be strong enough to make it on your own. Because one day I’ll have to go away”.
Here’s to many more happy memories! Happy pancake day food lovers, thanks for stopping by 🙂
Storage
Lay a kitchen paper towel at the bottom of the container and lay the pancakes in. The paper towel will absorb the excess moisture, and cover them to retain warmth and softness.
How to reheat
You can reheat it in the microwave, but make sure to keep a paper towel underneath as it will steam up underneath.
How to make it child-friendly
It already is 🙂
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Rollup vanilla pancakes
(+16 rating, 4 votes)
Loading...Make memories on pancake day with this simple vanilla pancakes that you can slather with chocolate and rollup.
Ingredients
- 72g unsalted butter
- 375 full-fat milk
- 40g caster sugar
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 2 small eggs
- 237 plain flour
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
Instructions
Melt the butter and set aside
Add the vanilla, sugar, and salt to the milk, stir to dissolve
Whisk the eggs into the milk
Sift the flour and baking powder onto a bowl, then tip it into the milk. As soon as there are no 'flour pockets', pour in the butter and whisk for a few seconds - until the mixture forms a thick batter, it will have some little lumps in it- don't worry about them. Just do not over whisk with the intent on getting rid of every lump.
Heat your 'pancake pan' over medium heat then pour the batter onto the middle of the pan. The pancake shouldn’t be thick, you want them thin enough to roll. So while holding the panhandle, swirl the pan to get the batter flowing to the edges of the pan, try to maintain a round-shaped pancake.
Let it cook for at least 1 minute or until air bubbles form at the top of the pancake and the edges start to brown. Flip it and let the other side cook for another minute then take it out and keep it in a serving dish which I recommend you cover with cling film or a tight lid.
Repeat for the rest of the batter, each time you transfer a pancake into the serving dish, put the hot one in the middle and just keep rotating them as you cook.
Covering the pancakes is crucial to keeping them moist and avoid drying up.
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