Dutch Baby Pancakes!!!!
This mid-year update contains so much love for Dutch baby pancakes, Watership Down, and my silly little babies.
Hello, everyone! It’s been a busy year.
I’m so tired and so grateful at the same time. (I imagine that’s a common status report among parents of babies and toddlers.)
I haven’t sent one of these newsletters since the end of December. I’m finally publishing another edition because I had a brief window in my schedule to write, and because I felt guilty for not informing you of this sooner: You need to know about Dutch baby pancakes.
I discovered them a couple of months ago, and they’ve already become half of my personality. You might have grown up eating them at diners where they’re popular, but I had never heard of them until I saw a video of one emerging from an oven in a blaze of hot, gooey blueberry glory. I knew I had to try it.
It didn’t just satisfy my hunger — it also satisfied my need for a weekend breakfast food tradition. I’ve wanted to be consistent about making some kind of treat for my kids to enjoy and remember when they’re older, but I never seem to be quite organized (or rested) enough to do it well. The answer: a delightfully fluffy Dutch baby pancake on Saturday mornings.
They’re so easy to bake. I can remember the recipe off the top of my head instead of bumbling around on my phone trying to find the instructions, and there’s no need to drag out a stand mixer or electric mixer or any of that nonsense.
Here’s the simple recipe I’ve been using. You’ll need a mixing bowl, a cast-iron pan, and a whisk, along with flour, eggs, milk, butter, blueberries (if desired), vanilla, and a bit of sugar.
-Set your oven to 395 degrees. Place a medium cast-iron pan in there as it heats up.
-Mix together half a cup of all-purpose flour, half a cup of milk, three eggs, a big splash of vanilla, and a little dusting of sugar into a bowl. I use a whisk; it only takes a minute or two for it to get smooth.
-When the oven has preheated, throw a big pat of butter into your cast-iron pan. I usually do a tablespoon, but other recipes call for a decent amount more. Use whatever amount speaks to your soul.
-After a few minutes, the butter will have melted and browned a bit. Throw in half a cup of blueberries and let them sizzle for two or three minutes.
-Use an oven mitt to take your hot cast-iron pan out of the oven, then pour your Dutch baby batter into it.
-Put the pan back in the oven and bake for 20 minutes.
-After that, take it out and enjoy! Top your slice with as much fruit, powdered sugar, or maple syrup as you feel the need to use.
I’m still the member of my family who enjoys eating them the most, but sometimes Lewis will sit down with me, eat a few bites of his portion, and — being the sweet encourager he is — assure me: “Good Dutch baby, Mom. Mmm,” before running off to play some more.
What I’ve Been Working On
I finished this investigation into sexual harassment in the human rights world, took a look at the new space race, wrote a story about how Speaker Johnson’s faith played into his decision to bring Ukraine aid to the floor, provided plenty of other coverage of the House of Representatives, and reported several stories on what we’ve all been talking about this month.
I also had a short, lighthearted piece in the July/August issue of Analog Science Fiction and Fact.
What I’m Reading
I read Watership Down for the first time this spring, and it might be the most charming novel I’ve encountered. I knew this book had earned its way onto my annual re-read list as soon as I got to its first folk tale about the fictional rabbit ancestor El-Ahrairah, the “prince with a thousand enemies” who is more cunning than Odysseus and triumphs over the forces of evil.
I love that the story is essentially an ode to democracy. (Ross Douthat has, of course, already written about that and its relevance to today’s world.)
My favorite moment in the book, at least on my first trip through it, was Fiver’s speech after the rabbits leave the Warren of the Shining Wires. It was like an epic poem and an Old Testament prophecy rolled into one, and it was written so beautifully I had to stop and read it again.
I also re-read Under Heaven by the great Guy Gavriel Kay recently. (A warning, though — this one is violent, and I wouldn’t recommend it for young people.) The theme Kay visits throughout the book of longing for home and rest but instead being pulled into the dust and swirl of a chaotic world, even having a responsibility to that world not to retreat from it, hit me a lot harder than the first time I read it.
I’ve been reading some great nonfiction books, too. I loved Michael Wear’s The Spirit of Our Politics, which overflows with clarity and grace. The message he shares — that the church is called to embody the fruit of the Spirit in all areas of life, even and especially in the political sphere — is so refreshing.
I also enjoyed Hildegard of Bingen: A visionary life, by Sabina Flanagan, Orthodoxy by the masterful G.K. Chesterton, and I’m slowly savoring Dag Hammarsjköld’s Markings.
The most fun I’ve had reading recently, though, was Arthur C. Clarke’s Rendezvous with Rama. I can’t believe it took me so long to get to this one. It introduced me to my new favorite phrase: “unreverberant void.”
A Good Sermon
I really loved this sermon about Jesus being the better Sabbath.
Around the House
Lewis and Zoe Joy had their birthdays this summer!
Lewis is officially three years old — he’s been informing new friends on the playground that he is a Big Boy. He’s so adventurous, silly, and affectionate. He has so much to say, and he tries to reason with us now: He’ll tell us how he thinks the day should go, followed by, “Does that sound like a good plan?”
He’s going through a major Cars phase. He likes lining up all his car toys and simply looking at them. His favorite book is Monster Truck Mater. He’s even learned how to say “dad gum” in his best Mater impression.
He’s doing swim lessons next week! He had so much fun splashing in every body of water we could find when we visited my parents in Florida this month. At one point on that trip, he’d pretty much decided he was going to live on the beach. He refused to hear any nonsense about him “needing lunch” and “a nap,” nor was he moved by my assurances that we could “come back another time.” (He fell asleep the instant we managed to get him into his car seat.)
He has been such a sweetheart with his little sister this year, learning how to share toys and singing songs he’s made up about her. “Zoey oey oey oey Joyyyy,” he serenades us. He’s given her a new silly nickname, too: “Zoe Joy doo.”
Zoe is one year old now, and she’s also decided it means she’s a Big Girl. If Lewis has an ice cream cone, Zoe Joy is most certainly having one too. If he’s playing on the playground, she will be doing the same. If he’s eating chips and she doesn’t get a chance to take some from the bag also, she’ll screech like a wounded creature in the woods.
She worked so hard to catch up to him, training with crunches and by climbing up the stairs every chance she got. Now she can walk, run, and get up and down from the couch without falling. She loves being able to play!
She also loves singing an approximation of the Bluey theme song — “doo doo doo doo doo doo doo” — as she dances back and forth. She can bark at dogs, too: “woof woof.”
And she’s learned so many words! She’s been able to say “mama,” “da-da,” “bubba,” “night night,” “baby,” and “uh-oh” for a while now. But this month, her vocabulary has exploded. She says “apple,” “home,” “animal,” “ball,” “hat,” “snack,” “cheese,” “more,” and (of course) “Bluey.”
I’m so grateful for her and Lewis. They’re such joyful little souls. (I would love for them to sleep like normal people, though.)
I’ve been doing well myself after an illness earlier this summer that made it impossible for me to do much of anything for most of a month. (So much snot. So much sadness.) I’m glad just to be able to walk around the neighborhood, work, and enjoy meals again.
Evan will be starting his last year of law school soon. Pray for us.
That’s all for now — thanks for reading!
PS: These are the cakes I made for the kids’ birthdays :)
I loved this funfetti cake with chocolate icing! I used a bit more vanilla and salt than in the recipe, but I followed the rest of the instructions here.
And this one looks messy — the strawberries I threw on top were melting somehow? — but it was a delight to eat. It’s a lemon cake with cream cheese frosting. Recipe here.
Bye!! At this rate, maybe you’ll hear from me next around Christmas.