Make time for breakfast.

When our life gets too fast paced, sometimes I just slow us down a bit with a well cooked breakfast.  Life has been a bit overwhelming so the other morning, even though it was a school day, I let Christian sleep in and made a big delicious breakfast and we feasted then he went to school late.  We're rarely tardy the rest of the time, so I didn't feel too bad.  Even kids need a break sometimes.

Anyway, I made these griddle cakes and mixed berry syrup on a sunny morning without too much care in the world.  Scrambled eggs, sausage links, kicked up whipped cream, and hot coffee made this country breakfast one to remember.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 c flour
3 tsp baking powder
1 Tbs vanilla
1 tsp salt
1 Tbs white sugar
1 1/4 c milk
1 egg
3 Tbs melted butter

Mix the dry ingredients in a medium bowl and make a well in the center.  Pour in milk, egg, and melted butter and mix until smooth.  Heat cast iron skillet until water droplets hiss and evaporate and spray lightly with cooking spray.  Ladle 1/4 cup of batter at a time onto the skillet and cook til golden and crisp around edges. You can use a griddle or pan but cast iron really puts a delicious crisp to the cakes.

Before you start the pancakes, put the syrup on.  I went super easy on this syrup so there are no frills.  Just dump a bag of frozen mixed berries, no sugar added, into a saucepan with 3/4 cup white sugar, 4 Tbs water, 1 tsp vanilla, and stir.  Cover and let simmer on medium high heat, stirring occasionally, the whole time the cakes are cooking.  Turn it off before you start plating and let sit about five minutes to thicken slightly.  Mix 1 tsp vanilla lightly into a tub of Cool Whip and you've got a delicious easy breakfast that takes no time at all with optimal results!

And seriously, who doesn't love pancakes??  What a way to bring a family together.