When I picked a day to hold my FSC Academy Pancake Class at The Arts Center, I had no idea it was National Pancake Day. How perfect! IHOP gave away free pancakes and I gave a few people my pancake valentine.

I adore pancakes because you get a hot meal fast on days you don’t have time to really cook. If you’re thinking white fluffy disks with lots of syrup, don’t. I make pancakes with whole grain flours and vegetables and cheese and salami. I top them with yogurt, not anything sweet. It is a way of sneaking cake into the everyday.

At the class, I loved talking about this homemade fast food. A part of me believes that if most everyone knew how to make pancakes, we could sneak away from take out and frozen dinners, and creep back to feeding ourselves.

Agendas aside, though I loved talking about batters, and flours, and milling, and farmers who are growing grains on a small scale. I loved that Ellie was able to see and capture the pancakes and crepes! My pictures always look flat as the griddle. I can’t catch the affection I have for this food. Ellie can, and for that I am very grateful. About as grateful as I am for butter spattering on the griddle, telling me it is time to make the pancakes.

All photos credited to: Ellie Markovitch of StoryCooking

Find more of our classes at The Arts Center, Troy, NY