We are Always Late for School...

I was one of the last of my friends to have children, so all my friends are the wise and experienced parents - very useful for me. But I do have a friend whose child just started school this year and today when I bumped into her I, for once, played the wise one. The topic: How do you get to school on time every day? She looked ruffled and perplexed. She had been up since 6:30am which is just when her husband leaves for work (I told her she's a Married Single Mother like so many of us) and she's barely making it on time.

Kids and rushing just don't mix. And no matter what time we get up, we're usually just barely on time, or late. I am still a teenager too, and getting up in the morning often causes me physical pain, so add a little grumpiness and the result is a typical morning scenario...rush...yell...tears...rush...forget stuff... As the stressed out starfish in Nemo says, "find a happy place, find a happy place!". I have no magic formula for mornings but I do have the fastest pancake recipe ever. I don't weigh flour for this...

Weekday Pancakes - Yes Pancakes!

My nanny taught me this - when you make pancakes be BRAVE and CONFIDENT. You'd think pancakes are a big production but with the right attitude, they take as long to make as a piece of toast. Kids love these, and they eat them quickly - key to a hassle free morning. Read on...

Break one egg per child into a large bowl. I actually have a plastic jug with a small mesh that fits just under the lid. I think we got it a long time ago during a mad health moment to make protein shakes, but it's perfect for pancake mix so use it if you have one. Add one heaped tbsp per child of plain or wholemeal or self raising flour - whatever you have will do. Then slosh in some milk, not too much and not too little (and you'll get good at this with practice).

Preheat your frying pan with a knob of butter, and then whisk, beat with a fork, or shake up the mixture until you have a thick-ish batter. If it's very runny, add some flour, and if it's quite thick, then add a touch more milk. Don't be scared. Runny batter makes crepes and will cook quickly and thick batter makes puffy substantial pancakes. Either result is perfectly acceptable, and you'll get well practiced re the consistency once you have done this two or three times.

If you cracked two eggs for two kids, then obviously use half the batter each time so you end up with two pancakes and no leftover batter. Fry the first side and peek under it - once brown, flip over and fry other side (this side takes much shorter). I serve them straight away with maple syrup, runny honey or a sprinkle of sugar.