While the Cat's Away...

The mice make pancakes.

Dave was in the states for nine days last week. When we weren’t too upset and lonely Riley and I enjoyed pancakes. I love breakfast. LOVE. We don’t eat breakfast in London very often, we usually just skip to lunch on the weekends. I miss breakfast but I am also picky, and must admit I prefer American breakfasts (yes, I am playing the American card when it comes to breakfast). Like fluffy pancakes (FLUH-FY, none of this flat, paper like or stodgy crap they serve here), eggs not dripping in oil, and sausages not made of blood. Anytime we go back home Dave and I both manage to fit in multiple breakfasts at our favorite spots (even though he is not as much of a breakfast person as I am. He likes certain things and can leave the rest. Me, not so much). We go to Rick and Ann’s and get potato cheese pancakes (Dave) or the Yukon Gold hash (me), or to Fat Apples for their pumpkin pancakes, or ABC in Napa for their huevos rancheros and/or pancakes. And we do that day in and day out while in California. In London, nope. So while Dave was away I decided I needed to get my breakfast fix. I made two types of pancakes; I was planning on three but that ended up being excessive. (Side note – we’re having the third type this weekend) The first was a carrot cake pancake courtesy of Smitten Kitchen and the second was a lemon ricotta from Bon Appetite. I was a happy camper eating my American style pancakes, although I will admit that I probably never need to eat another carrot cake pancake in my life. They were good but…been there done that. This weekend I am making pumpkin cinnamon roll pancakes found here. They sound like my pancake nirvana, hopefully I saved the best for last. Since we aren’t planning on going back home any time soon, hopefully all these pancakes will satisfy me for now. Or at least until Dave goes out of town again. Because you see, pancakes and breakfast food are my guilty pleasures when I have the house to myself. That's kind of sad actually.

In other news, Riley and I are both hoping the cold weather ends soon. Please? I keep reading about people in the states heralding the start of spring while I check my weather app to see it “feels like” 20° F. Riley has gotten a lot of use out of her new jumper the past few days. 

Warning - I am not a food photographer! Especially since I was hungry and wanted to eat!

Carrot Cake Pancakes

Lemon Ricotta with Sauteed Apples