Fallen Souffle

Where has the time gone! I can’t believe it is time for Lent once again, time to ponder what it is I am going to give up for 40 days and to think about this solemn time of year. Most people know today as Fat Tuesday and Mardi Gras, which has deservingly so, receive alot of attention this year. But this traditional goes back quite a while.

A short history; the day before the beginning of Lent is known as Shrove Tuesday. To shrive someone, in old-fashioned English (he shrives, he shrove, he has shriven or he shrives, he shrived, he has shrived), is to hear his acknowledgement of his sins, to assure him of God’s forgiveness, and to give him appropriate spiritual advice.

Shrove Tuesday is also called Fat Tuesday (in French, Mardi=Tuesday; gras=fat, as in “pate de foie gras”, which is liver paste and very fatty), because on that day a thrifty housewife uses up the fats that she has kept around (the can of bacon drippings, or whatever) for cooking, but that she will not be using during Lent. Since pancakes are a standard way of using up fat, the day is also called Pancake Tuesday. Also of note, IHOP has named this day Pancake Day and often hand out free short stacks from 7am-2pm.

When I was in high school, our church youth group would always host the Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper for all of the families of the church. It was a great fundraiser and always great fun to put on, and we were always sick to death of the smell of syrup. I haven’t been to one of these suppers in years but decided that this year we were going to have pancakes! I also haven’t felt much like cooking, or eating much in fact, so pancakes would be easy to throw together and filling for both of us. Evan exclaimed that these were (insert expletive adjective here) great pancakes! I can’t remember the last time I got such a reaction form him, so this recipe is definately a keeper!

Buttermilk Pancakes
1 cup all purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cup buttermilk
3 tablespoons melted butter
1 large egg

1. In a large bowl, combine dry ingredients. Add wet ingredients until just moistened. Add an additions if desired, I threw in some frozen blueberries into my serving.

2. Heat griddle until a drop of water sizzles, brush or spray lightly with oil. Drop pancakes by desired size and cook until tops are bubbly and edges look dry. With wide spatula, flip and cook until underside is golden brown. Repeat with remaining batter.

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Dear Georgie,
I woke up with morning with a broken heart because I knew that you were no longer with us here on earth. Our family has lost a member, an unlikely member when we first picked you up 12 years ago. You were young and somewhat scared, but you quickly fit into family tree. Your love for the tennis balls and any kind of cheese was never ending, and we will always remember the “I feel good runs” you did in the backyard when you were excited.

But then time took it’s toll and old age set in, you couldn’t quite keep up with the younger dogs, but you certainly tried. They learned so much from you. But we knew you weren’t happy, you weren’t our Georgie anymore, we could see you pain and the hardest thing for us was to let you move on. No one was prepared to make this hard decision but we could see in your eyes that you were ready to go.

I miss you so much already, your sweet face and quiet disposition will always be remembered. And I don’t think I will ever sneeze without thinking about your constant concern for us. I know we will all meet again one day, but until then we must learn to live with your loss and take it day by day, knowing you are now happy.

You were such a good dog to us and I hope you know we will always love you.

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