For the past two weeks, this household has been in the sick of things, each of us weighed down by an assortment of pains and ailments, from migraines and colds to flus and sinus infections. I wish I could say that I have taken charge of our healing by simmering wholesome and restorative meals rich in love and nutrients. That would have been nice of me.
Last Wednesday the sick was so bad I skipped lunch and napped under my desk for an hour. The next day I took a sick day, and by the weekend I was sure I was going to die. I begged Nick to smother me, and when he wouldn’t I chastised him for not taking advantage of the out I had offered him. I tried to smother myself but the cat thought we were playing a game and ruined it.
By Monday this past week I was certain I had cracked some teeth coughing, so I made a dental appointment. The good news is the teeth are fine; the bad news is my sinuses are pretty angry and infected. The worst news is that my wisdom teeth are pretty much one with my skull now but they have to be removed so it sounds like it’s bone-saw time. That’s the worst time!
2013 has not been off to a good start. And now that I have managed to attain a functional balance of NyQuil, antibiotics and codeine, the baby has finally succumbed and is fevered with a face full of ick.
It’s times like these when I can’t fathom coming down off my prescription and cough syrup high to go to the grocery store. We are out of eggs. And we had a late night. So somewhere between rescuing the little guy from a coughing fit and the two of us passing out in the dark, I whisked together some flour, water, yeast, honey and salt for pancake batter. If all three of us woke up in the morning, we would have pancakes. It would be a kind of reward.
This recipe makes 6 pancakes, and will serve between two and three people, depending on how hungry you are, or how much bacon your version of Nick decided to make. I like these topped with berries, or with chestnut cream. Because they are more like fried bread than flapjacks, you could take savoury liberties with them – try them with sour cream and apple sauce, or with cottage cheese and thinly sliced scallions, if that pleases you.
As a note – the berries on these were a mix of a pound of frozen strawberries, a tablespoon of cornstarch, a tablespoon of honey, and half a teaspoon of vanilla, simmered until the berries softened and released their juices and the whole thing thickened pleasingly.
Lazy pancakes
- 1/2 tsp. dry yeast
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 2 tsp. honey
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup water
- 3 tbsp. vegetable or canola oil
- 1 tbsp. butter
Whisk ingredients together in a bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and stick it in the fridge overnight.
30 minutes to an hour before you’re ready to cook, take the bowl out of the fridge and let it rest at room temperature. Heat the oil and butter in a large pan over medium-high heat.
Gently spoon your pancakes into the pan, taking care not to stir the batter. Cook until edges appear crispy and bubbles form through each cake, about two minutes. Flip, and cook an additional two minutes, or until golden and puffed.
Serve hot, with a compote of berries, or maple syrup, or sour cream and apple sauce.
well fed, flat broke 
First, I love the picture of the kitchen counter. Sometimes it is intimidating to see food blogger’s places all perfect like the set of Ina Garten’s show.
Second,I am WILDLY impressed at your ability to even THINK of something that wonderful, let alone execute it, under such circumstances. We all had the flu and the best I could do was chicken soup from the freezer.
If I put this together in the morning (say, 9-ish), would it be ready to fix at suppertime around 6?
LikeLike
Ha! The kitchen counter has looked like that the entire time we’ve been sick. We’ve been eating a lot of freezer food as well – I have been praising my crock pot for making such excess, because I had frozen all of it, and so we were able to survive on what was left over. You can absolutely make them in the morning and have them ready for dinnertime; I made them around midnight the one night and we had them the next morning around 10.
LikeLike
Ugggg…hope you are all starting to mend. At least the pancakes sound awfully yummy!
LikeLike
Feel better! And what pancakes! I can’t wait to try these. Our favorite waffle recipe is a make-it-the-night-before because it lends itself to rushed and/or lazy mornings. This looks far healthier than our waffles, and even easier too! And delicious … Also, this: “If all three of us woke up in the morning, we would have pancakes. It would be a kind of reward.” I need more rewards for waking up in the morning, sick or not. We should all be so lucky. Take care of yourself, good luck with the teeth —
LikeLike
I love the idea of treats just for getting up in the morning. Actually, that’s probably why Starbucks does so well! I’m sure I’ll keep you posted about the teeth … I’m dreading the outcome, for sure!
LikeLike
I just found your blog last week while looking for a sweet potato gnocchi recipe. I’ve been going through all your posts in order for the past week, I’m about half way through. 😉 I am just so excited to have found your blog! I love just about all the recipes I see! So simple but so yummy. You are my Canadian nigella! I hope you take that as a compliment, she is my favorite!!
I made your vanilla bean scones and they were amazing. I baked them on my baking stone and they didn’t get done in the middle but I didn’t realize till I had already glazed them so I put them back in the oven for about 5 min. Best baking mistake I have ever made!! The glaze Carmelized and I had candy coated scones! Also if you put out a cookbook I would buy!!
LikeLike
A) you made me hungry since i am a craver of all things topped with delicious berries
and
B) I had the same issues with my wisdom teeth and the extraction was not that bad. It was more nerve wrecking sitting in the waiting room than the four minute extraction. They numb you, you feel pressure from the tool, then they move to the other side. (at least here in California). Then you are rewarded with happy pain pills which give you interesting dreams. It’s a good time for custards and pudding (but then again, when isn’t it??)
LikeLike