Sunday Breakfast – Pumpkin Pancakes!

I woke up this morning to the sound of rain and a cool breeze coming in through the open window. A perfect day for a hot, hearty breakfast! I always try to make a special breakfast at least one day of the weekend and it frequently ends up being pancakes. It probably seems like I’m preoccupied with pancakes (yes, I know this is the second posting in 2 weeks on the subject) and I guess I am. They are one of my comfort foods. My mother’s Bisquick pancakes were something I looked forward to as a child and as an adult I am always experimenting with new combinations and flavors. It is so easy to make a big batch of pancakes on the weekends, freeze the extras and then just heat them up in the microwave during the week for a quick, homemade breakfast.

Yesterday I bought a giant can of pumpkin because I made the Pumpkin Roll from the new issue of Cook’s Country. I had a bunch of pumpkin left over, so this morning I decided to see if I could use some of it to whip up some pancakes. Despite my elder daughter’s initial reaction when told we were having pumpkin pancakes (“Mooooomm… I HATE pumpkin pie! They’re gonna taste like pumpkin pie! I won’t eat them!”) she did, in fact, eat them and enjoyed them. The rest of us also thought these were terrific. I prefer the texture of whole grain pancakes (as well as the nutritional benefits) and the cornmeal gives them a bit of a crunch that perfectly sets off the pumpkin and spice flavors. All they need are some maple syrup, but would be super-yummy with homemade applesauce.

• Pumpkin Pancakes