It’s been nine eventful months since my last blog. One brutal Syracuse winter followed by a
hella bad spring finally gave way to one of the best summers my little crew and I have had in a long time. We savored the long days and honed some newly-discovered crafts: mindfulness,
self-care, and radical acceptance of things we used to believe we could change.
On this first day of autumn, I’m still clinging tightly to my Savasana, even as life with all its demands body-slams us into September.
Summer vacation was pure bliss. I found a hidden treasure in the Green Mountains of Vermont, the Mountain Top Inn. It featured a full English riding program for Faith, slow lazy trail rides for Mike and me, and all the fun of family camp with plushier accommodations. One morning, the three of us ventured out early on a kayak trip. We had the whole lake to ourselves. It was so still, all you could hear was your own breathing…and “the loons! Oh look, I’ve spotted the loons!” At night, we roasted marshmallows till dark, and then we moved indoors to the game parlor for jigsaw puzzles.
Simple joys, every day. That time away allowed us to hit the reset button, and everything that wasn’t part of our newfound peace just melted away.
It’s hard to say goodbye to such a pivotal summer, but for the first time in a long time, I’m looking forward to the ‘-BERs’ - September-October-November-December. These months can be fraught with memories, but now I can summon peace when sadness threatens to intrude. There’s always something to be grateful for, and so much to do! Soon it’ll be time to pass along the family fruitcake and share our best-loved holiday recipes.
For now, here's a little food and lore from our summer vacation.
SUGAR & SPICE PANCAKES
Vermont represents a place and time that will always be close to my heart – those magical years right after college graduation and before we were limited by responsibility. We were flush with excitement and disposable income, thanks to our first real jobs. So for a few glorious winters, we all pooled our money and friend groups, and we created some spectacular ski weekends at Killington.
Killington Ski Resort is only about 15 minutes away from the Mountain Top Inn, so we decided to take a ride. I’d only ever experienced Killington on top of six feet of packed powder, and in summer it was a whole different world. We were happy to see that Snowshed Lodge was still there. There’s an Alpine Slide attraction now that brings busloads of summer tourists, and a lot more parking areas than we remembered, but overall our memories remained intact.
Most of the restaurants and clubs that we frequented back then are long gone, but our very favorite one remains, as if in a time warp: Sugar & Spice Pancake House on US Route 4 in Mendon VT. It’s a working sugar house, where they make maple syrup right on the premises. When I say that it looks exactly the same, I really mean it – from the authentic log cabin décor right down to the plates and cups. The Sugar & Spice pancakes are still the best thing on the menu. They used to sell their secret blend of sweet and spicy ingredients in the gift shop so you could bring all that yummy goodness back home, but sadly they don’t do that anymore.
I’ve been experimenting with from-scratch pancake recipes to try and replicate Sugar & Spice, and this one comes pretty close. Every time I make pancakes, I remember the story I love to tell about making pancakes with Christopher the morning after a sleepover at my house. He must have been only about 4 or 5 years old, and it was the very first time he ever cracked an egg. I’ll never forget the amazed look on his little face! I like to think that moment helped spark his love for baking.
First, make some Cinnamon Sugar:
Mix ½ cup granulated sugar with 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon, set aside.
Ingredients for Pancakes:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
1 egg
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon maple syrup
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground cloves
About 2 teaspoons vegetable oil for the griddle
Mix flour, baking powder, and salt together in a bowl.
Whisk milk, egg, 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, maple syrup, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves together in a separate bowl. Stir milk mixture into flour mixture lightly until just blended.
Let the batter sit for a few minutes before next step.
Heat 2 teaspoons vegetable oil on a griddle over medium heat; pour about 1/4 cup batter onto the hot griddle. Cook until bubbles begin to form on top of pancakes, 3 to 5 minutes.
Flip and cook until second side is golden brown, 3 to 5 more minutes. Repeat with remaining batter.
Sprinkle with your choice of cinnamon sugar or powdered confectioner’s sugar, and serve with softened butter and warm maple syrup.
Experiment! If you like a sweeter pancake, add a little cinnamon sugar to the egg mixture to balance the spiciness of the cloves and nutmeg. Save the rest of the cinnamon sugar in an airtight container for sprinkling on top of buttered toast or hot oatmeal.
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