Vermont's Independent Voice
Browse News
Browse Arts + Life
Browse Food + Drink
Browse Cannabis
Browse Music
Browse On Screen
Browse Events
Browse Classifieds
Browse Personals
Published February 12, 2014 at 10:02 a.m. | Updated April 4, 2022 at 7:52 p.m.
As an elementary school student in suburban New York in the 1980s, one of my favorite cafeteria meals was Brunch for Lunch. Once a month, we’d get a sometimes crunchy, sometimes soggy waffle served with a couple of links of pork sausage, both items drenched in a decidedly not-from-Vermont maple syrup.
A childhood friend whose daughter now attends our alma mater reported to me that the 2014 version of Brunch For Lunch includes updated options like frittatas, whole wheat waffles and turkey sausage.
Some things have changed, but others remain the same — the novelty of having one meal in place of another still gives me a thrill.
That’s why when I came across “Not Just for Breakfast Anymore," a New York Times Magazine feature by Mark Bittman about savory pancakes, I couldn’t wait to give the recipe a whirl. My mouth watered as I read how Bittman whipped up a quick batter, added scallops, onion, parsley, salt and chile, fried it all up in olive oil and finished the pancakes off with a squeeze of lemon. In the article, he gives more than a dozen recommendations for other savory pancake ingredient combinations.
Most of them are a little too exotic for my 4-year-old son, Theo, and 6-year-old daughter, Mira, so I took the concept and adapted it to my kids’ palates. I cut up bell pepper and slices of ham, chopped up some chick peas, thawed out some frozen peas and corn and grated a little mild cheddar cheese, then put each ingredient in a small bowl. For me and my husband, Jeff, I included some bay shrimp, grape tomatoes and caramelized onions. Making the batter was simple — just eggs, milk and flour.
A childhood friend whose daughter now attends our alma mater reported to me that the 2014 version of Brunch For Lunch includes updated options like frittatas, whole wheat waffles and turkey sausage.
Some things have changed, but others remain the same — the novelty of having one meal in place of another still gives me a thrill.
That’s why when I came across “Not Just for Breakfast Anymore," a New York Times Magazine feature by Mark Bittman about savory pancakes, I couldn’t wait to give the recipe a whirl. My mouth watered as I read how Bittman whipped up a quick batter, added scallops, onion, parsley, salt and chile, fried it all up in olive oil and finished the pancakes off with a squeeze of lemon. In the article, he gives more than a dozen recommendations for other savory pancake ingredient combinations.
Most of them are a little too exotic for my 4-year-old son, Theo, and 6-year-old daughter, Mira, so I took the concept and adapted it to my kids’ palates. I cut up bell pepper and slices of ham, chopped up some chick peas, thawed out some frozen peas and corn and grated a little mild cheddar cheese, then put each ingredient in a small bowl. For me and my husband, Jeff, I included some bay shrimp, grape tomatoes and caramelized onions. Making the batter was simple — just eggs, milk and flour.
This article was originally published in Seven Days' monthly parenting magazine, Kids VT.
More By This Author
About The Author
Alison Novak
Bio:
Alison is the former managing editor at Kids VT, Seven Days' parenting publication and writes about education for Seven Days.
Alison is the former managing editor at Kids VT, Seven Days' parenting publication and writes about education for Seven Days.
Speaking of...
-
In West Windsor, Chelsea Monroe-Cassel Crafts the Official Cookbooks of Fictional Lands
Dec 20, 2022 -
Carrot-Parsnip Soup: An Irish Dish to Keep Out the Cold
Nov 15, 2022 -
Mealtime: Coxinhas, Brazilian Street Food for Back-to-School Lunches
Aug 16, 2022 -
Mealtime: Bifanas — Portuguese Pork Sandwiches; Green Pea and Asparagus Soup With Poached Egg
May 17, 2022 -
Halyard Brewing Grows Ginger Beer Business and Expands to Soda
Dec 14, 2021 - More »
Comments
Comments are closed.
From 2014-2020, Seven Days allowed readers to comment on all stories posted on our website. While we've appreciated the suggestions and insights, right now Seven Days is prioritizing our core mission — producing high-quality, responsible local journalism — over moderating online debates between readers.
To criticize, correct or praise our reporting, please send us a letter to the editor or send us a tip. We’ll check it out and report the results.
Online comments may return when we have better tech tools for managing them. Thanks for reading.
