Gingerbread Pancakes

Today A is feeling under the weather; I'm thinking it must be a touch of the flu; the same bug that has gone all around our school, neighborhood and back again.
So far, it hasn't had any affect on her appetite - so much for starving the flu.

Whatever her affliction, she's requiring classic comfort food; warm herbal tea sweetened with honey (my kids like Red Zinger), leftover rice, cinnamon toast and pancakes.

These gingerbread pancakes have become popular with my kids, and I guess that's no surprise. It must be that they are sweeter and spicier than my usual no-fail buttermilk pancake recipe.

I'm hoping that a promise of gingerbread-pancakes-in-bed will be just what the doctor ordered for a speedy recovery. And if I must reveal my alternate motive for serving a sick little girl breakfast in bed, it is this: I want her to stay in bed, tucked away in her room - keeping all her flu cooties with her! Here's to health...

Gingerbread Pancakes

Makes about 16 pancakes

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons ground ginger
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
2 eggs
1/2 cup dark brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 cups milk
2 tablespoons molasses

In a large bowl, stir together flour, cocoa, ginger, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cloves.

In a medium bowl, lightly beat together eggs, sugar, oil, milk and molasses; pour over the dry ingredients and mix just until dry ingredients are moistened.

Spray a griddle with non-stick spray or grease with butter; place over medium heat until hot.

Spoon about 1/4 cup batter for each pancake onto griddle. Cook until small bubbles emerge and start to pop on the surface of the pancakes; turn with a spatula and cook until second side is lightly browned.

Serve hot.

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Comfort Food: Perfect Roast Chicken

Crisp, golden, juicy roast chicken - it's really good

We’re just back from our rear end-numbing road trip to Maine, and as good as it was to get outta town, arriving home feels like work. There’s more laundry and unpacking to do, along with grocery shopping and cleaning the kitchen, since no matter how much I try to clean out the fridge before a vacation, I’m always greeted on my return by some forgotten container of leftovers and yogurt with green hair growing out of it.

A simple meal like roast chicken is so easy and comforting when the cupboard is bare. All you need – besides the chicken of course - are basic seasonings, a hot oven or, if the weather is nice, an outdoor grill.

I don’t know why, but the thought of cooking a whole chicken (yes, with the bones!) can seem daunting to some cooks. For instance, my mother hardly ever served roasted chicken when I was growing up – instead, it was saved for special occasions at a restaurant.

And I know how convenient it’d be to pick up a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store, but I have a problem with those; by the time you get it home, the chicken has been stewing under a heat lamp for hours; dried out and overcooked.

I’ve been making a version of this chicken recipe for years now. Sometimes we roast it on the grill, which produces an even better chicken with crisp, golden skin and a delicious smoky aroma. The method is from Marcella Hazan’s Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking, a cookbook I consider an absolute necessity in the kitchen.

This is also a great way to make use of any leftovers the next day. Make a chicken taco with some shredded chicken, or pile chunks on some crusty bread and make a panini with basil, goat cheese and slow roasted tomatoes.

Perfect Roast Chicken

1 3 1/2 – 4 pound chicken
1 tablespoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1 small lemon
Optional seasonings, depending on what you have on hand:
A handful of fresh herbs, such as rosemary, thyme, basil, parsley
One or two garlic cloves



Heat the oven to 350 degrees.

Put the chicken in a shallow roasting pan or casserole and pat the skin dry with paper towels.

Mix together the salt and pepper in a small dish; season the chicken on all sides, rubbing over the skin into the cavity.

Poke about a dozen holes in the lemon with a fork or a skewer and place in the cavity. Tuck the herbs and/or garlic in with the lemon, if using, and tie the legs together with a 12-inch-long piece of kitchen twine.

Arrange the chicken breast side down and roast for 30 minutes. Turn the chicken over and roast an additional 30 minutes.

Raise the oven temperature to 400 degrees for 20 minutes, or until the skin is golden and juices run clear from the thigh when pierced with a fork.

Remove from the oven and let rest 10 minutes before slicing or carving. Save the juices that run out and serve with the chicken.

To roast in an outdoor grill, prepare grill for indirect cooking and heat to medium-high. Place chicken breast down directly on the grill rack and cook as described above.



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