While recently in Portland, Oregon, I was blown away by the quality of the food. (These Pacific Northwesterners really take that whole farm-to-table concept seriously!) But my absolute favorite meal was breakfast at Mother's Bistro & Bar.

First of all, I couldn't put down the menu. Beyond having to decide between wild salmon hash, the wild raspberry pancakes, and the pork-apple sausage and cheddar scramble (my final choice, shown below), I loved the story printed on there about Chef Lisa Schroeder's philosophy that the best meals from her travels have always come from mothers at home--not from restaurants. Because of this, she selects a "Mother of the Month" ("M.O.M.") from somewhere in the world each month and features her photo, story, and a couple of her dishes. (You can nominate your own mom here.)

And of course, the locally sourced food was amazing, and the coffee was fair-trade. (The waitress was like a coffee psychic and brought out a French press of an Ethiopian brew of the exact right strength for me without even asking if I liked it strong--which I do.) The menu also boasted a selection of about 30 hot teas, hot chocolate, hot apple cider, and a special Oregon chai latte. Combine all that with the cozy-chic interior, a magazine library, and little playspace for the kids, and you're in breakfast heaven.

My family and I just returned from two blissful weeks of vacation spent in a rambling old house we had rented in the midcoast region of Maine. When we were not admiring the rolling fog, gorging on crustaceans, dodging skeeters, and collecting stray lobster buoys from our sandy cove, we were eating and making pancakes. I would not be exaggerating if I said we ate blueberry pancakes pretty much every day for two weeks straight. And "we" includes one very picky 2-year-old who would happily subsist on ketchup and tubes of strawberry yogurt if we let him. But luckily, with blueberry pancakes, he comes to his senses.

During this sliver of time, we were surrounded by wild local blueberries, and we ate the little buggers by the pint. With the amount we devoured, I'm surprised my family wasn't rolling around like Violet Beauregarde by the end of our trip. On our first morning, Conor (age 2), Belle (age 5), and I set about making a monster-size batch of pancake batter that would last our entire brood (kids, parents, grandparents) for at least a couple of days (I've learned that pancakes made from batter that has been refrigerated overnight are even better).

My master recipe was inspired by one for buttermilk blueberry pancakes in an old copy of Saveur magazine (lovingly dog-eared and batter-stained). I add a few twists to the original recipe (I swear by frying pancakes in both butter and peanut oil, and I prefer cinnamon to nutmeg), but basically the key ingredient is buttermilk. It really makes a difference. Instead of having to holler out directions to my children like a fishwife, I translated the recipe into a cartoon:

The process is easy enough for little ones to each have a job (although there is always a tussle over the whisk), and the project is well suited for a vacation breakfast, when there is no deadline or schedule. And the recipe is something that can be freely interpreted. One morning we had some local raspberries from the market, so we added them with the blueberries to make very patriotic-looking pancakes.

If you're vacationing where peaches or plums are the thing, they would be fine too. I really don't think there is anything that can't be added to a pancake.
I have included the recipe after the jump, but remember, the last pancake should be for the cook, and it should be a whopper.

Continue reading Vacation Cooking: Buttermilk Blueberry Pancakes »

The last thing I want to do the morning after having friends and family over for a big dinner is cook a big breakfast, but if I have people staying with me, I've got to pull something together. One of my favorite things to do is repurpose leftovers from dinner into a delicious breakfast. Since I typically resort to cooking some of my (famed) Mexican dishes for parties, this works beautifully. See those breakfast tacos above? That's the last of some carne asada, stretched with scrambled eggs, set on 4-inch tortillas, and splashed with some salsa verde (I make my own, but store-bought is fine). Top everything with cojita cheese, avocado, cilantro, chopped onion, and lime. Even the sliced mangoes on the side are leftovers from the sangria mix that I make and keep in the fridge during the party. Enhance them with lime and mint for the kids or lime and Tajin chili powder for more-adventurous eaters. Trust me, no one will mind eating the leftovers for breakfast.

Get the recipe for my salsa verde after the jump!
Continue reading Breakfast, So-Cal Style »

It's amazing to me how different sliced almonds are from their whole-nut brethren. Smooth, subtle, and somehow more almond-y than uncut almonds, those little blond shards have become my favorite stealth flavor and texture weapon lately. And not just because they are loaded with protein, calcium, fiber, vitamin E, and good-for-you fat; they are also scrumptious. To appease my addiction, I add them to pancakes, oatmeal, yogurt, salads, rice dishes, and whatever fruit happens to be on hand for breakfast. Much to my surprise, my 2 1/2-year-old--who thinks he likes whole nuts and often tries one when a dish has been set out, only to spit it into my hand moments later--loves them also. 

Gastrokid's Hugh Garvey gives us his ode to summer blueberries, as well as ideas for breakfast treats and kiddie cocktails.

Ever since school has been out, we've been having blueberry pancakes for breakfast every! Single! Morning! Pancakes again? Yeah! By day five the novelty wore off, and I ended up with leftovers. Rather than throwing them out, I turned them into a breakfast dessert: blueberry-pancake trifle.

Start by tearing the pancakes into bite-size pieces. Now fill a dessert dish or goblet with about 2 tablespoons of vanilla yogurt, followed by a few pieces of pancake, followed by a layer of strawberry (or other fruit) jam, and then repeat the layers. You will end up serving your child far more jam than your pediatrician probably recommends, but hey, no more leftovers.

CafeMom shares their perfect recipe for the perfect breakfast--toad in the hole.

Adriana Velez, What I Made for Dinner

Depending on where you live, rhubarb is just about out of season. Click below to see a tasty way to bid rhubarb adieu for the year.

Continue reading Rhubarb Turnovers: Quick, Before It's Too Late »

Jenny Rosenstrach, Features Director

After a Saturday of watching my 7 1/2-year-old plant a flower, get an assist in soccer, and sit down to Tin Tin for half an hour, I asked myself, "Why am I still preparing her breakfast for her when she's perfectly capable of doing it herself?" So I told her she was in charge of the kitchen when she woke up on Sunday. The night before her first attempt (pancakes), I set up her mis-en-place. I put everything out on the counter (including the egg) with detailed instructions. 

When she woke the next morning, she got to work, excited to exercise her self-sufficiency muscles. I made her do everything--even when she held her eggy hands up and shouted, "Napkin!" I tapped my toes with my arms crossed. "Pretend I'm not even here," I told her. "You don't hear me barking, 'Napkin!' at you when I'm cooking, do you?" I spared her the cleanup for this first go-around, since she was so eager to eat. As expected, she declared the pancakes the best she'd ever tasted.

Julie Alvin, Editorial Assistant

I recently discovered wonder-site mixmygranola.com, which allows you to customize your own granola based on preferences for fruit, nuts, seeds--or candy corn and jelly beans. Parents can craft their perfect breakfast cereal or afternoon snack, and kids will hopefully be too distracted by the peanut-butter bites and fruit loops to notice that there are also fiber-rich chia seeds or wholesome oat-bran flakes in the mix.

I'm especially partial to my perfect mix of organic granola base, dried bing cherries, pistachios, flax seeds, coconut shavings, and dark chocolate morsels. I've been eating it every morning since it's arrival in the mail, mixed with an indulgent pour of whole milk.