Admittedly, I’m a little boring when it comes to weekday breakfast. If it’s Monday–Friday, chances are, my first meal of the day consists of Raisin bran. Or some toast with strawberry jelly. Maybe a bagel and cream cheese with a slice of smoked turkey if I’m feeling really sassy. But weekend breakfast, now that’s a whole other ballgame. I take my weekend breakfast very seriously. And so does the city of Chicago. We have more breakfast and brunch places than Vegas has slot machines.
It is a well-known fact that when presented with the choice to have breakfast at a neighborhood greasy spoon or a famous pancake house chain known for its consistency, I’ll opt for the greasy spoon. There’s just something about a waitress named Sandy who calls you “sugar” and “sweetie” and smiles with satisfaction when she sees that you’ve cleared your plate (Go to Le Sabre on Montrose and Damen to experience this). Great breakfast isn’t limited to just Chicago, however; in downtown Oswego (Illinois), there’s a little place (little is the operative word) called Oswego Family Kitchen. It boasts the most delicious Mexican skillet I’ve ever had the pleasure of eating. Go there and try it. It will change your life. Johnnie’s Grill (formerly Steak n’ Egger) on Mannheim Road in Leyden Township is another good option for suburbanites—its waitresses and cooks are entertainingly colorful characters, and they make the best chili cheese omelet in the state. You can also purchase and play scratch-off lottery tickets while you wait for your food, in case you were wondering.
There is one exception to my greasy spoon over chain restaurant rule, and it has everything to do with pumpkin pancakes. More specifically, pumpkin pancakes at the aforementioned famous pancake house chain (hint: acronym, four letters, two vowels, two consonants. . .). Greasy spoon this place is not. Great service this place has not. But its pumpkin pancakes, light and fluffy, pumpkiny and slightly spicy, are simply perfect. You can imagine how excited I was to find out there is a copycat recipe out there (thanks to my roommate’s Aunt Michelle). I gave the recipe a try this morning, and I couldn’t have been more pleased with the result. The taste and texture was spot on. They’re just. . .perfect:
Ingredients:
2 eggs
1 ¼ cups buttermilk
4 tablespoons butter, melted
3 tablespoons canned pumpkin
¼ cup granulated sugar
¼ tsp. salt
1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
½ tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. cinnamon
¼ tsp. allspice
Preheat a skillet over medium heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Combine eggs, buttermilk, butter, pumpkin, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Use an electric mixer to blend ingredients. Combine remaining ingredients in a small bowl. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients, and blend with mixer until smooth. Pour the batter in 1/4 cup portions into the hot pan. Should form 5-inch circles. When the batter stops bubbling and edges begin to harden, flip the pancakes. They should be dark brown. This will take from 1 to 2 minutes. Flip the pancake, and cook the other side for the same amount of time, until dark brown. Serves 2
This recipe is as if you are making pancakes for me…whatta ya say?