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breakfast

Remembering “Pancake Saturday” Can Make You Hungry

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pancakes and bacon

Have you ever lost touch with someone who means the world to you?  Your heart warms with fondness of days gone by and, at the same time, aches a bit with the sense that you will never have it quite like that again.  My dad went to heaven years ago, falling short of his 90th birthday by just one week, but the memories of our life together are as real as the newspaper, which he meticulously read every day.

 

Yes, Saturdays were my favorite. My mind vividly beholds him reading his precious black and white periodical while sitting in his comfy, oversized golden-brown easy chair. The cushion had actually memorized his frame. Nobody else could sit in it! If any of us dare try, we would just sink in like some kind of strange quicksand that you had to struggle to get out of. But that chair knew him. It was a perfect fit, like a well-worn prize baseball glove!

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The weekend newspaper kicked off our household routine like a rooster’s “cock-a-doodle-doo doo” announces the glow of the sun’s appearance into view. Dad had the paperboy trained to deliver the tabloid each Saturday at the crack of dawn. First, we could hear the soft click clacking of the bicycle wheels followed by a dull thud, as he hurled it onto the front porch.  Then, in a deep slumber marked by squeaks of a “doggy dream,” our huge brown Boxer dog, Duke, would perk up just in time to utter his dutiful “yelp” in defense of our homestead. “That’s OK boy!” Dad would whisper, pretending not to want to wake us up  — but he really did, and we knew it!  Dad loved our company, and it showed.

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old man reading a newspaper

 

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Resisting the urge to start our day at 6am, he would pour a piping hot cup of coffee, grab his precious paper and settle down for a good read. Starting with the “funnies” you could hear the rustle of the turning pages and an occasional chuckle he read “a good one!”  Then, as the clock ticked past 7 and 8, his very special wakeup call was about to commence.

 

With the clanging of pots and pans, the air was soon wafting with the most wonderful scent of crisp pork bacon sizzling and crackling on the stove. The aroma beckoned us, still nestled under our covers, now not quite as asleep as before.  Piles of savory cooked bacon and his famous creamy, buttermilk pancakes awaited us.   Sometimes he would even whip up sweet homemade brown sugar syrup, a favorite recipe that tasted like heaven itself.  It was all such an event.

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griddle for pancakes, bacon, sausage, burgers and more

 

BELLA XL Electric Ceramic Titanium Griddle, Make 15 Eggs At Once, Healthy-Eco Non-stick Coating, Hassle-Free Clean Up, Large Submersible Cooking Surface, 12″ x 22″, Copper/Black

 

 

The weekend ritual was so much more than scrumptious, tummy-warming food. It was pure love. Never did we feel so safe as hearing him sweetly call to his slumbering clan “Kids, I made pancakes!”  We couldn’t help it. We had to jump out of bed, cheering, “Yay!” for him.  And, of course, he made way too much. His generous display of pancake-love may have been born out of a childhood of lack, having lived through the dark and sparse Depression Years. Making up for some of what his own dad may not have been able to do became our blessing.  In fact, he was our blessing, without a doubt.

 

There are a zillion other things about my father that I love but you can see just how special they all must be with this one, oft-repeated Saturday celebration.  It is a memory we all hold dear, with a smile and, sometimes, a little tear.  I can hardly wait to see him again, in heaven, but till then all I can say is “miss you, dad!”    I surely do.  And, now, I’m hungry.

 

Enjoy!

signature

 

 

 

 

*About our dog, Duke.  Being a short-haired Boxer, his shedding was more seasonal. At those times, we’d wind up with a handful of loose fur in hand after running our hand down his back. 

Kind of extraordinary.  Who knew all that fur was in there?

When I became an adult, most of our dogs have been yellow labs. 

Labrador Retrievers have a shedding capacity all their own!  They have two layers of fur, which insulates them from cold waters — they love to swim — and I firmly believe that doubles the DOG FUR PRODUCING VOLUME exponentially. At least, it sure feels like it does.  The overflow of fur started me on a quest for the best pet hair vacuum cleaner I could find (and afford.) 

I tell about that journey, including one vacuum cleaner fail where it caught on fire,  in my Best Vacuum for Pet Hair Ever story. 

Sadie and Lexi yellow Labrador retrievers

Lexi and Sadie, two of our Labrador Retrievers!

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Spoiler Alert:  the BEST PET HAIR VACUUM is a SHARK!

Shark vacuum cleaner

 

 

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This is the color of dad’s easy chair!  It was just about that cushy, too! 

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zero gravity recliner chair

 

pancake saturday

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Filed Under: Family, Food, Lifestyle, Top Favorites Tagged With: bacon, breakfast, family, pancake Saturday, pancakes, pet hair vacuum

Easy Oatmeal Recipe with Blueberries

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By Sinea Pies

oatmeal, blueberry oatmeal, low carb breakfast recipe, breakfast
My typical breakfast includes eggs, especially when I am following a low carb diet. But there are times when boredom sets in and I just have to have something else. On those days, I often make oatmeal and this is my go-to recipe: easy microwave oatmeal with blueberries. 
Notice the melted butter on top? That is the game-changer for me. Butter enriches the flavor. Yum!
Easy Oatmeal With Blueberries
Ingredients
1/3 cup oatmeal (regular, NOT quick)
2/3 cup water
pinch coarse sea salt
dash of ground cinnamon
10-12 blueberries* 
chopped walnuts** (optional)
1 tsp butter
Easy oatmeal recipe, easy breakfasts, microwave oatmeal
Directions
Pour dry oatmeal in microwavable bowl.
Add water and mix.
Blend in walnuts (optional)
Sprinkle with pinch of salt.
Sprinkle with 2 dashes of cinnamon.
Microwave for 2 minutes on high.
Place blueberries on top.
Microwave another 30 seconds.
Add a pat of butter to the top.
Enjoy!
*Blueberries: use fresh blueberries or thawed frozen blueberries. 
**Walnuts: for those who love nuts, walnuts taste great in this recipe.
Delicious and quick breakfast recipe – Buttery Blueberry Oatmeal! 
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Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: breakfast, oatmeal recipe

Eggs in a Basket

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egg recipes, Ducks 'n a Row

“Eggs in a Basket” is a delicious quick breakfast that the egg-lovers in your family will love. Fun and easy to make.

When I was a little girl, this is a dish my mother made to break the monotony of the cereal – scrambled eggs – pancakes routine. It became a family favorite.

How do you make it? Simply put, you cut a whole in the center of slices of bread, place them in a warm buttered skillet, crack an egg in each hole then cook them, turning once.

Eggs in a Basket may sound complicated to make but its not. The important thing to remember is to keep the skillet on medium-high heat and watch it so that they don’t burn. Don’t raise the temperature. The extra minute you save by turning the heat up too high will ruin an otherwise great breakfast.

Example of cooking too long. 
The are a bit too dark for my liking, though they still tasted really good.
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Tools

Non-stick skillet
Plastic spatula
Small cup to use like a cookie cutter to cut hole in bread
cooking eggs, egg recipes, Ducks 'n a Row

 

Ingredients

Slices sandwich bread
butter
Eggs, 1 per slice of bread


Directions

  • Heat skillet on medium.
  • Cut a hole in the center of each slice of bread using a small cup as you would a cookie cutter. If you can’t find one, cut them out with a table knife.
  • Keep the holes. You will be browning them right next to your bread.
  • Melt butter in the pan (at least 1 T) and place the bread in it, including the holes.
  • Break an egg in the center of each slice of bread.
  • Cook until you can see that the part underneath has turned white.
  • Flip them and continue to cook to desired doneness. You will want to be sure that all of the white is cooked. I prefer the yokes to be runny, but you may like yours more well-done.
  • Total time: 5-10 minutes.
  • Serve immediately.
Add some variety to your breakfasts - make #eggs in a basket! #recipes #foodhacks Share on X
quick egg recipe, Ducks 'n a Row
Just right!


Cooking Tips: 

  • How do I tell if an egg is BAD?
  • Oven Fried Bacon

 

Enjoy!


Filed Under: Food, Recipes, tips Tagged With: breakfast, eggs, eggs in a basket, oven fried bacon

Oven Fried Bacon

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Do you love bacon? I do! Yes, there are varying opinions on how good it may or may not be for you but I can’t get around it…I LOVE BACON!

What I do NOT love is the mess when you fry it. No matter how careful you are, the grease splatters. It takes a lot of time to fry it, too. Add the cleanup and you have taken on a real project!
So, the other day I was visiting my dad and my 20-something nephew, Ian, was  lining some baking sheets with foil. When I asked what he was up to he said, “Oh, Aunt Sinea, I’m going to fry up the leftover bacon in the frig before it goes bad.” Frying? Baking sheets? Am I the last one to know?

 

bacon, eggs, oven fried bacon, low carb food
Oven Fried Bacon is a dream come true. You can bake a whole pound of bacon with almost no effort and little cleanup. And, it tastes so good!
This blog contains affiliate links. ♥
If you like bacon with breakfast, or have favorite dishes where bacon is an ingredient, you’ll want to try this technique. Any unused bacon can be frozen and used later. That way you have slices of cooked bacon on hand anytime you need them!
Hate the grease when you fry bacon? Here is how to cook bacon in the oven - easy! #tips #bacon #baconlover #lowcarb Share on X

How To Cook Bacon In The Oven

Here’s how you do it:

Serve immediately or place the cooked bacon in a freezer bag with a clean paper towel inside and freeze it.

Next time you need bacon, either microwave the precooked, frozen slices or simply thaw to use in your favorite recipe.
bacon, frying bacon, oven fried bacon, raw bacon

Line jelly roll pans with foil. Lay the raw bacon out on them.

bacon, frying bacon, oven fried bacon, raw bacon

Place them in COLD oven. Set temperature for 400°.

bacon, frying bacon, oven fried bacon, raw bacon

When done, place cooked bacon on a piece of paper towel to soak up the excess grease.

 

What are your favorite bacon dishes?  

Some of my favorite BACON dishes are:

Chicken Chilindron

Tortellini Alfredo

Twice baked potatoes

 

Enjoy!

 

 

 

Filed Under: Recipes, tips Tagged With: breakfast, cooking bacon, how to cook bacon, how to cook bacon in the oven, oven fried bacon

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