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The gift of a Benedictine practice is the recognition that everything has the possibility to be sacred. The first cup of tea in the morning, cooking breakfast with my husband, the nutty, fruity light taste of almond banana blueberry pancakes, the sweet smell of these pancakes pervading the house all day, and greeting us on our return from an outside adventure. These are the sweet, tender moments that too easily go by unnoticed, and taken for granted. These are the moments I intend to notice and to celebrate, for the great gifts that they are.
Yesterday I discovered a new kind of cairn, just as meaningful as a cairn of stones…. This cairn is a Pancake Cairn. Who doesn’t love pancakes? I have always loved them, and they bring memories of teenage slumber parties, Sunday afternoons after church, and chilly mornings in the Canadian wilderness. For many different reasons, I have been exploring the use of almond flour for baking. Since I don’t have any nut allergies, the idea of using almond flour to bake is enticing and mouthwatering. I have also been searching for recipes that use up lots of bananas. I am guilty of letting bananas get a little more ripe than I like to eat them. To assuage my guilt, I throw them in the freezer, where they keep, and become perfect for baking. And then, a freezer full of frozen bananas began to make me feel guilty, so the discovery of this delectable recipe on “The Roost” (http://www.roostblog.com/recipe-options/) was a wonderful gift. Rick and I made this recipe yesterday by deleting the nutmeg (not a big fan) and adding lots and lots of blueberries. These pancakes are amazing. They are delicious.
This pancake cairn is a mouthwatering, sweet reminder of times spent with girlfriends giggling and dancing to the Go-Go’s most of the night, Sunday afternoons spent with my parents and siblings, crisp mornings on the sparkling lakes of the Canadian Shield and times spent lingering over a cup of tea at the kitchen table with my sweet sweet husband.