Recipe of the Week: Warm up your winter mornings with an American favorite

There are many things to dislike about winter, but among the things we can enjoy is leisurely weekend mornings when you can take your time and make a hot breakfast.

With nowhere special to go and chilly weather outside telling us to stay put, we can sleep a little later and take our time making French toast, oatmeal, eggs with bacon, waffles or pancakes.

Pancakes are an American favorite; the batter can be made the night before, then covered and refrigerated until you need it. When you are ready to make your pancakes, just give the batter a quick stir and heat your pan or griddle.

Pancakes have been around for a long time. The first recorded mention of them came in 600 BC in ancient Greece in the writings of poets Cartinus and Magnes. Those versions contained wheat flour, honey, olive oil and curdled milk.

The pancakes we make today are sweet and light, and usually served alongside meats to provide protein since the cakes are mostly made up of carbohydrates. One way to bolster your pancakes is by adding a cup of oats that have been soaked for 10 minutes in any kind of milk. That way your pancake breakfast will keep you from being hungry for a longer time.

This recipe from thekitchn.com fits the bill by giving you the pleasure of pancakes along with the heartiness of oatmeal.

Oatmeal Pancakes

1cup old-fashioned rolled oats

1 cup milk, regular or non-dairy

2 large eggs

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, plus more for cooking

1 tablespoon granulated sugar

2/3 cup all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

¼ teaspoon kosher salt

¼  teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)

1. Whisk 1 cup rolled oats and 1 cup milk together in a large bowl. Let stand for 10 minutes for the oats to soften. Meanwhile, melt 1 tablespoon unsalted butter and set it aside to cool.

2. Add the butter, 2 eggs, and 1 tablespoon granulated sugar to the oats, and whisk to combine. Add 2/3 cup all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, ¼ teaspoon kosher salt, and ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon, if desired, and whisk until just combined; do not overmix. Let stand for 5 minutes more. Meanwhile, heat a large cast iron or nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.

3. Add 1 teaspoon butter to the pan and swirl to coat. Drop the batter into the pan in 2-tablespoon portions, cooking 3 at a time. Cook until bubbles appear on the surface, the edges begin to look dry, and the bottoms are golden-brown, about 3 minutes. Flip the pancakes and cook until the other side is golden-brown, 2 to 3 minutes more.

4. Transfer the pancakes to a warm oven or plate. Repeat cooking the remaining batter, using 1 teaspoon butter for each batch.

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