Food is Love, Love is Food.

A blog devoted to the connection between meals, memories and the special moments in our lives.

Thursday, April 15, 2010

Breakfast for Dinner: Sweet Potato Pancakes

Most of the time, I pretty much have it together. I manage to get everyone ready for school, feed the dogs, sign the permission slips, check the kids’ planners, get breakfast ready for all of us, and get out the door by 6:50 AM. I often feel like when I leave work at 3:30, though, my day is only half over. Then there is the making sure homework is done, asking all the important questions about everyone’s day, walking the dogs, checking the mail, paying the bills, getting the girls off to their sports practice or game, and of course, making the dinner. During the week, dinner is rarely anything complicated or unusual in my house. Sure, I have my bursts of creativity in the cooking department once in a while on a ‘school night,’ but mostly, dinner is grilled chicken and some vegetables, pasta with homemade sauce and meatballs (made at an earlier date and frozen for convenience, of course), or some other easy fare. But every now and then, I completely lose steam, and run out of ideas altogether. A certain ‘dinner ennui’ sets in, and even trying to think of an idea is taxing. That is where I am right now. Tonight, my husband is going out for a very rare dinner out with the boys, and I am doing dinner in, with my girls. It is a rare opportunity to have a quiet night, cook something easy, and maybe watch one of our guilty pleasure TV shows, like “Say Yes to the Dress”, or “What Not to Wear,” neither of which is something that Michael really wants to watch. So I am making “Breakfast for Supper.” Seems a little indulgent, almost frivolous. I adapted this recipe when the girls were toddlers from an old sweet potato pancake recipe I had. I used to make double batches, and freeze the pancakes in baggies for ease of use on those hectic mornings. Since they do actually contain a vegetable, they are relatively healthy, and still yummy, especially doused with a good bit of real maple syrup.

Note: These pancakes turn out pretty dense and a little sticky on the inside, which is perfect for a dinner for breakfast. Make them small, like “silver dollar pancakes,” as my Dad used to call them.


Sweet Potato Pancakes

I large sweet potato, baked earlier, then cooled, skin taken off and mashed
1 ¼ cups flour (sometimes I use oat flour)
¼ cup chopped pecans (optional)
2 ¼ tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. cinnamon
¼ tsp. salt
1 cup milk
¼ cup brown sugar
1 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs

Mix all ingredients well, and pour a small amount in a non stick frying pan over medium heat. Repeat until you have used up all the batter. Great served with maple syrup and some berries on the side.

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