If you have a plate of pancakes in front of you, life can be nothing but good. Pancakes are a special occasion food. They’re a bit fiddly to make which can add a bit of ceremony and specialness to breakfast at home. I, however, tend to only eat them when I’m out or overseas because I lack the patience to make them for myself. And then to clean up afterwards. And then to figure out what to do with the spare jug of batter that I always seem to have no matter how many I make for breakfast.
The last week or so has featured a couple of special pancake meals.
Carly and I finally caught up for breakfast on Thursday. There was so much to discuss that it took us half an hour to decide on our orders and often forgot to eat between sentences… These are Little Jean’s ricotta pancakes with a salted caramel sauce on a bed of fresh fruit. Little Jean has also made it to the best coffee in Sydney list as decided by Good Food so run, don’t walk.
Back on Sunday, Preschooler SSG and I went to the Smooth Chocolate Festival at The Rocks. We shared a plate of Dutch pancakes and maple syrup which we ate by spearing them with the provided toothpicks as we sat in the gardens nearby. There were so many people and the stalls selling more show stopping creations had queues that stretched across the lawn so we quite while we were ahead and looked around rather than cruised for more food as we walked.
Preschooler SSG had a play with these larger than life sweet treats that were part of a display promoting the latest Zumbo television series. This chance encounter with a milkshake and cupcake represent the breadth and depth of my knowledge of the show. I don’t even fully know what the premise is? Competitive dessert making, I think?
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| Via The Betoota Advocate’s Facebook page – the account to follow if you like your Australian news delivered in tones of slick satire. |
Which brings me to The Bachelor Australia. Despite not having free to air television, I’ve found myself surprisingly up to date with all the latest goings on, including the disappointing finale. The ring wasn’t up to scratch, Richie stepped out in a pale blue suit (the shade of which will forever be known as Bachie blue) and the nation’s collective misgivings about Alex, Richie’s chosen lady.
As a nation, we really seem to have taken The Bachelor to heart. Even in the unlikely corridors of my workplace. Staff on the after hours shift were asked for updates by people who hadn’t gotten their TV connected or who had forgotten to bring their phone chargers in for the night. It was the hottest topic of conversation on the wards well into the night. I found this insightful and positive (for a change) opinion piece about finding love as a single mum (two recent ‘winners’ of the Bachelor are single mums with young children).
So yes, I inwardly cringe whenever I see advertising for The Bachelor and I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to bring myself to watch beyond the opening credits but I’m happy to see the show bring a bit of fun and awareness to our daily lives in these days of ever bleaker news headlines.
But I digress. Don’t know how I managed to steer that tangent so far off course…
After the pancakes..
We got hungry again and needed hot chips before we went home.
The Four Seasons ended up being the closest place that served both chips and coffee so we had no choice but to stop by.
Questions of the day.
Do you have any especially happy pancake memories?
The Bachelor? Did you get pulled into the forcefield it generated this season?