Breakfast: The Most Important Meal of the Day

I had one of the most relaxing weekends I can remember in a long time. Nick flew into Boston on Friday night and stayed until this afternoon. We didn't do anything crazy- it was wonderful to just spend some time together. It had been four weeks since I've been home last, so having a three-day weekend was the perfect opportunity for Nick to visit.

One of our favorite things to do is to cook together, especially breakfast. The first time Nick made me breakfast it didn't go hot. He had me try "getta," which is an old family recipe. He wouldn't tell me what was in it, but he swore that everyone who tried it loved it. (He was not aware of my eating habits at this time, but I thought it was a bad time to bring them up.) So, trying to be a good sport, I gave it a shot... it did not go well. (I'm sure my face was priceless.) It turns out it contains some kind of meat (pork, maybe? I'm not sure), which I generally avoid at all costs. (My apologies to Nick's family! I'm sure if I was a meat eater I would love getta, too. Don't hold it against me!) So, trying to be a good host, Nick went to the kitchen and made me a yogurt parfait with raspberries and blueberries. I *love* yogurt parfaits, so I took a huge spoonful... it also did not go well. He used Fage yogurt, which is very healthy for you but nothing like the saccharin-infused, flavored yogurt I usually eat for breakfast. (Sigh...)

These days, we generally stick to blueberry pancakes with maple syrup, bacon, iced coffee, orange juice, and an omelet (for Nick, of course.) We often use an organic mix Nick gets from O'Malia's, but since he was a guest at my house, we used my favorite pancake recipe (thanks to my Mom and Betty Crocker). It is absolutely delicious and much cheaper that buying any mix. (Nick and I discussed mixes, to which I explained that I hate Bisquick... he said I was a pancake snob.) If you need an easy, quick recipe for pancakes, try the following:

Sarah's Favorite Pancakes

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup milk

1 egg, beaten

1 tablespoon oil

Mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.. Combine the milk, egg, and oil. Combine all at once to the flour mixture. Stir until blended but slightly lumpy. Cook until golden brown. Makes approximately 8 pancakes.

Mix-in ideas: blueberries, bananas (mashed), apple chunks and cinnamon, chocolate chips, butterscotch chips.

I am going to attempt to go to bed early to get back into some sort of sleeping routine, so I'll give you more details tomorrow. I don't have any pictures of us making pancakes, but here's a sneak peak at the rest of our weekend...