Pancakes and Fraggle Rock

What more can a gal ask for than to wake up to a steaming stack o' hot-cakes on her birthday?

Not much. Unless, of course, they happen to be Lemon-Blueberry Cornmeal Cakes. That makes for an extremely joyous birthday girl.

It's true, friends. I turned 27 yesterday. I'm inching my way closer to 30 every day, and yet I'm still commonly mistaken for a high school student (Try as I might, even my "grown-up" clothes don't seem to cue people that I was born in the era of Fraggle Rock and Cabbage Patch kids....not the Jonas Brothers and iCarly.).

I wear my age badge with pride, and delight in the fact I typically go to bed before 11:00pm, prefer NPR to pop radio, and enjoy a good Sunday morning crossword puzzle with my husband.

My student intern recently told me that I was born "old." I laughed heartily. And then smugly smiled to myself...I love being an adult, and I have no doubt that I was genetically designed to wake up at 6:00am.

But let's get to the good stuff. You didn't tune in to hear me rave about my aging pride. You're here for those hotcakes. Adam made a steaming good stack of Lemon-Blueberry Cornmeal Cakes for my birthday breakfast, and they certainly got my day off on the right foot. As you know, my pancake preference is loaded up with lots of mix-ins, so these babies were weighty with blueberries, chopped walnuts, and a healthy dose of flaxseed. Adam noted that the batter was a bit too liquidy for him, so he plans on reducing the amount next time around.

So let's raise our glasses to the beauty of aging. And cheers to all those other 1980s babies out there-- Smurfs, splatter paint, and teased bangs define who we are today.

Lemon-Blueberry Cornmeal Cakes

(adapted from a recipe in Veganomicon Cookbook)

I love lemon-blueberry combos. These two fruits were designed to go together, and when you throw in some course-grain cornmeal, you're truly in breakfast paradise.

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup cornmeal
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 3/4 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 tsp. flaxseed
• 2 TBSP nonfat vanilla yogurt
• 1 - 1/4 cups milk
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 2 TBSP maple syrup
• zest from 1 lemon
• 1/3 cup chopped walnuts, toasted
• 1 cup of blueberries
• Blueberry Sauce for topping

Directions:

1) Preheat a griddle to 350 degrees and prepare with cooking spray.

2) Mix dry ingredients (first 6 ingredients) together in a large bowl. Gently stir in the remaining ingredients, through the lemon zest. Fold in walnuts and blueberries.

3) Use a 1/4 measuring cup to pour batter onto the griddle. Cook until browned on the bottom and bubbles form on the top, about 4 minutes. Flip pancakes and cook until the bottom is browned. Serve with blueberry sauce.

Citrus Sunshine

With Adam in class tonight, I'm on my own for the evening.

Friends, you know what that means: Sweatpants. Grey's Anatomy re-runs. And lots of singing in the kitchen.

Did I forget to mention baking? We'd better add "Citrus Glitter Cookies" to the list.

Given the gloomy skies, endless rain, and my husband's intense love for lemon-heavy desserts, it seems only natural that I would pick this recipe for tonight. And let's be honest: I do feel a pang of guilt for feeling so enthusiastic about my sweatpants-clad, Derek Shepherd-obsessed self having a night alone to indulge in all things girlie. Baking the man cookies will make up for it, right?

Plus, I figured we could all use a break from my endless and intensely Fall-themed recipes. We need a little citrus sunshine in our lives tonight.

Citrus Glitters remind me of a to-die-for sugar cookie infused with lemon. While the recipe is designed to be vegan, I was out of our vegan shortening tonight, leaving me to use real butter instead (only use vegan substitutes or the real thing--no hydrogenated margarines, friends!).

These dense little cookies are the perfect reminder that, despite our frantic obsession with pumpkin right now, sometimes a pinch of summery citrus is the only solution for a rainy day.

And the whole sweatpants and Grey's Anatomy piece don't hurt either :)

What's your favorite way to spend a night on your own?

Lemon "Citrus" Glitters

(recipe courtesy of my current cookie bible: Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero)

Wow. Butter cookie meets a little bit of lemon heaven. Super tasty. Super Simple. Super Citrus Sunshine :)

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup butter
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 TBSP finely grated lemon zest (or more if you're craving it!)
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose, unbleached flour
• 2 TBSP cornmeal
• 1 TBSP cornstarch
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• Yellow or golden decorator's sugar (or sprinkles)

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat baking sheets with cooking spray.

2) Using a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about a minute and a half. Beat in the milk, lemon zest, and vanilla.

3) Add all remaining ingredients and mix on medium speed until well-combined.

4) Roll heaping tablespoons of dough into balls. Flatten and shape into circles, place on baking sheet. Sprinkle with decorator sugar. Bake for 10 - 12 minutes, until lightly golden around the edges (mine took 10 minutes exactly). Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.