Easy Light Pancakes -- Starting the New Year Quietly, One Good Thing at a Time

New Year. Biscuit turned two this year, approximately, and I bought her a small toy mouse and she ignored it and then at two in the morning I heard her batting it down the hallway so I think she waited until she thought I was not watching. She is like that.

I used the ceramic mixing bowls for the first time this week. They are cream-colored with a blue stripe around the rim, heavy and smooth, the largest one with a pour spout on the side that suggests decades of batters and doughs. I made a double batch of banana bread with them and the bread was better than usual, which is probably in my head, but sometimes what is in your head is real enough.

I looked up transfer requirements for University of Alabama at Birmingham this week, and also for Auburn. Both have bachelor programs in education and early childhood. Both are transfer-friendly. Both would cost more than community college. Both are possible, technically. I did not tell Gloria. I am not ready to say it out loud yet. I am still doing the thing where I believe it quietly to myself before I can say it to anyone else.

Gloria James health situation is more stable. He is on the right medication now and his energy is better than it was in December. He called me himself on New Year to say happy new year, girl and we talked for twenty minutes about what he remembers from 1999, the last turn of the decade, and what he expects from 2019. He expects good things. He always expects good things. I am borrowing some of his capacity for that.

I have been thinking about the double batch of banana bread I made this week — how the ceramic bowls made everything feel more intentional, more like something worth doing carefully. That same feeling carried into the next morning, when I wanted something warm and unhurried but lighter, something that matched the particular quiet of a new year still figuring itself out. These easy light pancakes are what I made, and they were exactly right: simple enough to leave room for thinking, good enough to feel like a small celebration.

Easy Light Pancakes

Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 15 minutes | Total Time: 25 minutes | Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup buttermilk
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 large egg
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Butter or nonstick spray, for the pan

Instructions

1. Mix the dry ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until combined.
2. Mix the wet ingredients. In a separate bowl or measuring cup, whisk together the buttermilk, milk, egg, oil, and vanilla extract.
3. Combine. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir gently until just combined. A few small lumps are fine — do not overmix or the pancakes will be tough.
4. Rest the batter. Let the batter sit for 5 minutes while you heat the pan. This gives the leavening a moment to activate and makes for a lighter texture.
5. Cook. Heat a skillet or griddle over medium heat and grease lightly with butter or nonstick spray. Pour about 1/4 cup of batter per pancake onto the surface. Cook until bubbles form across the surface and the edges look set, about 2 to 3 minutes. Flip and cook another 1 to 2 minutes until golden.
6. Serve. Serve warm with maple syrup, fresh fruit, or a light dusting of powdered sugar.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 185 | Protein: 6g | Fat: 5g | Carbs: 28g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 320mg