The Galasso Files: Papou's Pancakes

When I was little, my Mom did 99.8% of the cooking in our household. Breakfast, lunch and dinner, my Mom was in charge of it. In fairness, my Dad was out of the house long before we woke up each morning and was often walking in the door after we had gone to bed. As a result of his schedule (and ours) Dad was usually in charge of grilling on the weekends during the summer - but he was also in charge of pancakes.

My Dad makes the best pancakes. While I'm sure it is part him and part Aunt Jemima, his pancakes are always light and fluffy - and I could eat them every morning, topped with cream cheese and sometimes mini chocolate chips.(Never butter and syrup!)

The secret to the World's Best Pancakes isn't the mix - or the topping. It is the man behind the spatula. You see, my Dad makes our pancakes into shapes.

For a pretty stoic guy who doesn't often show a silly side, he takes the time to shape that pancake batter into everything from Mickey Mouse ears to hearts to flowers and dinosaurs. It is one of my favorite childhood memories with my Dad - and it is one of my favorite things about him as a grandparent.

His pancakes are now famous - at least with the 7-11-year-olds that hang out with my kids! In fact - I think two of those friends were a little disappointed yesterday when they didn't get pancakes for breakfast.

He made up for it this morning, though - pancakes all around - and when Claire requested a cat AND a flower - she got just that!