My go-to food in times of emotional distress or in need of comfort, is the pancake. …And by pancake I mean three pancakes, straight off the frying pan, butter between each layer and on top, and syrup poured over the stack so that it will warm. You need enough syrup to carry you through eating all three pancakes because if you add it later it will be cold, which leads to disappointment and ends the calming pancake eating session on a bad note. We don’t want that.

Long ago I made pancakes at midnight after the boy I thought should love me did not, and I’ve found solace in them ever since during some of the most uncertain times of my life.

Cheap ingrediens, minimal kitchen utensils required, and they cook up quick.

Instant. Warm. Comfort.

While the homemade pancake is the balm to uncertainty, the restaurant pancake is for celebration. Take for example the pineapple upside down pancake at Snooze in Colorado. It makes you dance in your seat.

…And I will never forget the pancakes at Another Roadside Attraction (was that the restaurant’s name?) in upstate New York, located about a half hour from Bard, we made the trek to eat pancakes larger than my head and tasted of fluffy heaven to celebrate four years of college together.

The pancake recipe I use is easy and you most likely already have the ingredients in your house. I found it on All Recipes and I cannot make any improvements to its perfection, but I will give you my pancake making tips.

First, follow the recipe, don’t get fancy, unless you have children like mine who insist on adding chocolate chips.

When done let it sit while you turn on your burner and add your frying pan. Put the burner on medium. Let it get hot, so that when you hover your hand an inch or two from the top of the pan it feels warm. Then turn down the temperature a bit and spray the pan with oil or coat it in butter.

Add the pancake batter and when you see the edges look like clay and the middle has pockets of air, flip them. When you take them off the pan, immediately add butter, unless you are feeding my children, in which case, do not add butter, but don’t forget the chocolate chips!

• 1 1/2 c. flour
• 3 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1Tbs. sugar
• 1 1/4 c. milk
• 1 egg
• 3 Tbs. butter, melted

Melt the butter in the microwave. Probably 30 seconds or less will do.

Combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Whisk together (or use a fork for simplicity).

Combine wet ingredients in a measuring cup. Whisk or combine with fork.

Add wet ingredients to dry and whisk or use fork.

Let sit for a few minutes before using. Usually little bubbles form at the top. Now you know you have some good pancake batter. See cooking notes above.