Pajama Breakfast

    “Do you remember when weekends used to be relaxing?” my husband lamented on a recent Sunday evening, after putting our two girls to bed. We were finally getting a chance to sit down and take a break, but it was already time to start getting ready for the week ahead. 

    I remember the days that my husband was talking about, the days before kids and homeownership. We spent our weekends sleeping in, lounging around, often times in our pajamas until well after noon. Now our weekends are filled with grocery shopping, playing with friends, hair-cuts, housework, grandparents’ time and projects around the house. We used to be able to squeeze in our errand running and socializing on the weekday evenings, but early bedtimes and family dinners have pushed all of that off to the weekend.     

    All the reminiscing led me to think about what would be the perfect, relaxing weekend and what we would have to give up to realize it. We resolved: Maybe the house won’t be spotless; maybe all of our projects won’t get done this year; maybe we go an extra week before our oil is changed, but we will get to spend time watching our children play and grow and we will be more relaxed and ready for a new week on Monday mornings.” 

    Reorganizing our weekend priorities wasn’t easy. With only two days to fit everything in, we had somehow convinced ourselves that every waking moment needed to be productive. It is hard to remember to take time to enjoy the little things in life when your “to-do” list is so long. Deciding what needs to be done versus what we want to get done is a challenge. Every weekend both my husband and I have to compromise on what we think needs doing. 

    The best way for us to ensure that we have some relaxing time, is to set aside a specific time when we don’t plan anything. Saturday mornings work best for us, so every week we will spend that time in our pajamas, enjoying our family, playing together, making pancakes and laughing. I know things will come up and not every Saturday will be “plan free” because life with children has to be flexible, but we will do our best to have our pajama breakfast. 

    So this past weekend, we spent Saturday morning making blueberry pancakes as a family and enjoyed them on the back deck while watching the children play on the swing set. And we did it all in our pajamas. We had one of the best weekends I can remember without even leaving the house. 

    I am now ready for the week ahead (although I should probably change out of my pajamas).

Pancake recipes

Grandpa’s Pancakes  Ingredients 

• 1 cup flour 
• 1 cup milk 
• ¼ tsp salt 
• 2 eggs 
• ½ tsp sugar

Instructions

Put flour, milk, salt and sugar in mixing bowl. Separate the eggs, putting the yolks in with the flour mixture and the whites into an extra bowl. Using an electric mixer, thoroughly mix ingredients, adding a dash of vanilla or cinnamon if desired. Beat the egg whites until meringue stiff. Pour into batter and blend gently with a whisk. Cook pancakes over medium heat on griddle with lots of butter. ~ Tammy Jones, Parkville

Tracy’s Tasty Pancakes

Ingredients

• 2 cups flour (1 cup all-purpose, 1 cup whole wheat) 
• 1/2 cup sugar (1/4 cup white, 1/4 cup brown)
• 4 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 eggs
• 2 cups milk
• 1/4 cup butter
• white chocolate chips, cinnamon chips, butterscotch chips or blueberries

Instructions

Combine the first seven ingredients and stir until well blended. Pour onto a hot griddle, sprinkle with your choice of chips or berries, flip, enjoy! ~Tracy Martinez, Olathe

Make Ahead French Toast

Let’s you sleep a bit longer on a Saturday knowing it’s already made!

Ingredients

• 1 (1-pound) loaf French bread, cut diagonally in 1-inch slices 
• 8 eggs 
• 2 cups milk 
• 1 1/2 cups half-and-half cream 
• 2 tsp vanilla extract 
• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

Instructions:

Butter a 9x13 inch baking dish. Arrange the slices of bread in the bottom. In a large bowl, beat together eggs, milk, cream, vanilla and cinnamon. Pour over bread slices, cover and refrigerate overnight.

The next morning, preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Serve with sliced strawberries, syrup and whipped cream. ~ Sally McGee, Overland Park

Dutch Apple Pancake

Ingredients

• 1 cup milk 
• 3 large eggs 
• 3/4 cup all purpose flour 
• 3 Tbs sugar 
• 2 Tbs butter 
• 2 medium green apples peeled and cut into ¼-inch slices 
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon 
• Powdered sugar for dusting 
• Lemon wedges (optional)

Instructions

Pre-heat oven to 375 F. In a medium bowl, mix together the milk, eggs, flour and 2 Tbs sugar. In a heavy ovenproof skillet, melt butter Add apples, cinnamon and the remaining 1 Tbs sugar. Reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally for 2-3 minutes or until the apples are softened slightly. Remove pan from heat. Pour batter over the apples in pan. Place the pan in the oven and bake for 30-35 minutes, until the pancake is lightly browned and puffy. Dust with powdered sugar and serve with lemon wedges (if desired). ~ Mary Kelly, Raytown

Amber Hodgson lives with her husband and two daughters in Lee’s Summit, where she enjoys Saturday morning pajama breakfasts.