Cardamom & Cinnamon Buns

The family of one of my childhood friends owned a cinnamon roll shop when I was in high school.  The rolls were fluffy, huge, and covered... no, smothered in icing.  Warm, they were absolutely fabulous, and they were the sort of after school snack that was certain to put you in diabetic shock.  I kid you not.

I love cinnamon rolls.  What I don't love is the difficulty eating them.  The modern American versions seem to be meals unto themselves--too large to pick up without the greatest of difficulty and so covered in icing that by the time you are finished eating one, you are so sticky that you need another shower.  Using a knife and fork barely helps with that problem.  But they are so... wonderful.   They smell like heaven.  Spicy and sweet, they transport you into a new realm of calm, gooey homemade goodness.  When you eat one, the world stops for just a moment and you are back in your mother's kitchen, perched on a stool, taking a break before jumping back into the burdens of real life.

Enter Lotta Jansdotter's recipe for Cinnamon Buns.

Valentine's Day Breakfast: Raspberry Pancakes

  The Valentine's Day Chicken makes an appearance at our house every year, leaving tiny boxes of chocolates and conversation hearts for all of the good girls and boys in the Cromar household.  And if that isn't enough, Mom makes fabulous holiday food.

A confession:  I adore holidays.  Their existence makes the rest of life, a series of endless repetitions and routines, bearable.  I mark them on the calendar, big ones and small ones,  and plan decorations, activities, and treats accordingly. 

This year's Valentine's Day was a good excuse to try out a new recipe for Raspberry Pancakes.  (The original recipe is at TheKitchn.com, here. I loved this recipe.  It had all of the heartiness of whole wheat combined with the tasty, tartness of raspberries mixed in.  A couple of notes:  I didn't have plain yogurt on hand, so I used some leftover light sour cream, which worked just fine.  Rather than using the blender, I used my egg beaters in a bowl--this was to save on bowls.  I just sifted the dry ingredients over the top of the wet and then folded them together all in the same bowl.  I also decided against cutting them into heart shapes, as cute as that would be, because I'm not a super big fan of waste. 

This recipe got seven big thumbs up.  Even my picky eater came back for seconds... and thirds.  It was a great start to the holiday.