A Happy Easter to each of you!  I hope your respective Easter Bunnies treated you better than mine did... And if they didn't...then maybe it's time to stop believing in him/her.

A festive day calls for festive food, and I was in a festive spirit.  Thus, breakfast was created.

72.  Grandmother's Russian Pancakes, pg. 75

Growing up in a house where a parent could claim Prussian/Russian ancestory, I was familiar with various and sundry meals which were eaten only at home (while living in VA) and in Kansas at relatives' homes.  I always had a special affinity for that which was not PA-Dutch/Southern influenced, and I was excited to try this recipe.  We grew up eating "rearei", a egg-milk-flour concoction fried and then chopped up, and served topped with pancake syrup.  These pancakes looked similar, and today they were called upon to be tested.  Like Mennonites, they were The Chosen.  (I hope you caught the playful sarcasm :))

The batter is easy to whip up and you're straight to the stove top in less than five minutes.  The recipe tells you everything you need to know beyond that.  They'll look a lot like crépes, only mine were a little bit thicker -- I think I had my fire on too high, and they didn't spread out as much as I had anticipated.  So, don't expect it to resemble an American-style pancake -- they do not get light and puffy.  It's very much an eggy pancake.

I liked it!  A half recipe was perfect for two, and we spread ours with cinnamon and sugar, maple syrup, and blackberry syrup (the next recipe below)...all on different ones, of course.

Overall: 4.5 out of 5  Filling and simple.  A taste of history. :)

73.  Fruit Syrup for Pancakes, pg. 77

I was first introduced to this recipe when visiting my brother during his MVS term in Chicago.  We made mango syrup to top (what I remember as being) very delicious pancakes.  I have used this recipe several times since, and enjoy the colors it adds to a breakfast plate.

Today, we used frozen blackberries, which made a vibrant, deep purple syrup (suitable for Easter, eh?)

The photographs tell it all...

Overall:  5 out of 5  I could eat this stuff plain.  (And I do.)

74.  Potato Pancakes, pg. 233

I realise I get on kicks.  For awhile there, it was soups.  Lately, it's been pancakes.  And it seems that for each one, I have a story.  This one is no different.

Between high school and college, I took a year "off" to serve with Service Adventure in Albuquerque, NM.  I worked at an elementary school as a teacher's aide, and in the kindergarten class where I helped half days, we often had activities based on various culture's celebrations.  It was in this class that I tried Latkes for the first time, the potato pancakes traditionally eaten by Jews during Hanukkah.  We ate them, of course, alternating between sour cream and applesauce.  While I can't remember the kids' reactions, I really enjoyed them.  While similar to hashbrowns, the inclusion of eggs and a little flour set them apart a wee bit.

When I made this recipe, we ate them the more traditional-hashbrown way with ketchup, but would definitely eat them with applesauce if I made them again.  It's a good, straight-forward recipe, and I will definitely be making them again.

Overall: 4.6 out of 5  Fried potatoes.  How can you go wrong????