A deep Fall has settled in Vancouver, and I can finally feel Winter coming on. The mountains, when not shrouded in fog, are covered with a light dusting of snow. The grass is crunchy with frost in the morning. And my hands hurt like hell when I have to pump gas. It's all left me wanting to curl up in the mornings with tea and a warm, hearty breakfast.
I made maple butter the other day. It's unfortunately not the maple cream variety-- the one made by heating and cooling syrup until it reaches a creamy, spreadable consistency-- but rather maple syrup that's heated to 240F, and mixed with butter. The result is a smooth, buttery, maple spread that makes pancakes, cornbread, muffins, bacon,
everything, absolutely wonderful.
(Yes; I just admitted I spread what is essentially butter on bacon. Moving right along...)
It was perfect spread over these blueberry banana pancakes, fresh off the griddle and sprinkled with berries and warm syrup. The boy and I finished far too many, curled up under blankets on the couch, enjoying a lazy fall morning, and are sure to do the same thing tomorrow morning.