Busy, busy, busy...and blueberry pancakes

Hi there! Miss me? Actually, you probably didn’t even notice I was gone. But in case you did, there has been good reason. After a few months of an employment hiatus and the hot pursuit of my dream job (economic depression is for the birds…), I finally found what I was looking for. I will be working for an AMAZING food writer and cookbook author, as her executive assistant. I am hoping to act like a sponge and learn as much as possible, both in this industry and in the kitchen. But that’s not all. I am enrolled in two journalism classes at UCLA, one for travel and one for food. How cool is that? I’ll save a whole post for the food journalism class, but just so you know, it is fantastic!

And just to add some icing to my cake, I just took the big plunge and moved in with my bf. Although I am so excited about this big step, moving is never easy. Add classes and a job to the mix, and sleep seems to get removed from the picture. Enter this here blog. I have just been too tired to post. It’s not that I haven’t been cooking or eating, I just haven’t felt like taking pictures or posting. Bad me. Slap on blog wrist. Anyways, I am hoping that once my life gets a little back to normal, and my schedule settles into place that I can start writing again in a more timely manner.

In the meantime, here is a little breakfast treat. Walt and I didn’t get to spend V-day together (he was working and I was packing/cleaning/procrastinating), so I decided to whip him up a little post heart-day feast. He loves pancakes, and some blueberries managed to make the long trek from Hollywood to Venice, so blueberry pancakes it was! I adapted this recipe from Epicurious, since it had a 4-fork rating (I am huge on recipe ratings for some reason) and lots of rave reviews. I only made a few small adjustments, which I noted below in italics, and the end result was a perfectly sweet yet zesty pancake. Enjoy!

BLUEBERRY PANCAKES

Source: Adapted from Bon Appetit, July 2007 

• 1 1/3 cups all purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons sugar – next time I might add just a little more…I like my pancakes a little on the sweet side
• 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/4 cups buttermilk – I didn’t have buttermilk, so I used a ratio of 1 cup of milk to 1 tablespoon lemon juice. Let sit for approx. 15 minutes, or until curdled. Alas, buttermilk!
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted, plus more for cooking
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 2 cups fresh blueberries
• Pure maple syrup

Preheat oven to 250°F. Place baking sheet in oven. Whisk first 4 ingredients in large bowl. Whisk buttermilk, eggs, and 2 tablespoons butter in medium bowl; stir into dry ingredients. Fold in berries (I didn’t add the berries until after I poured the batter onto the griddle. This allows for an even distribution of the berries.)

Heat large nonstick griddle or skillet over medium heat; brush with butter. Drop batter by 1/3 cupfuls onto griddle. Cook pancakes until brown, brushing griddle with more butter as needed, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to sheet in oven to keep warm. Serve pancakes with butter and maple syrup.

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