I awoke Sunday morning, thinking in the brilliant hues of red.  Weird, right but I assure you that there is a perfectly sound reason for the hues of fire-engine, cherry, and vermilion that blazed through my mind early this weekend day.

Saturday night, my husband and I went to Paint the Town Red, an artsy fundraiser benefiting the American Red Cross.  Local Artists submitted digital works that were projected onto downtown buildings, bathing the streets in a transparent light more reminiscent of a famous district in Amsterdam than Birmingham.

The gauzy hues turned my mind toward the plump, red berries sitting in our refrigerator, lovingly tucked into a Tupperware by my husband on, “CSA Day.”

Thursdays are CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) Delivery days, when my husband and I get our weekly share of fruits and vegetables from Snow’s Bend Farm.

They send out a distribution email every Wednesday, detailing the produce of the week.  We eagerly await those emails because they always lead to delicious moments– pockets of time where we create something from what was so lovingly grown and share them with each other, our family, and friends.  And Sunday, with that lovely inspiration in my mind, was a day for sharing with family.

We woke up earlier than usual that morning and decided to take Lucy, our treasured black and white Pointeresque pound puppy for a walk.  We have an amazing dog park near our townhouse and in the mornings and early evenings, the sunlight slants through the trees, bathing them in gilded light.  The morning was crisp enough to warrant something filling and comforting for breakfast–something like pancakes.

I could just see those juicy red jewels gleaming on top of a pile of hot, buttery, fluffy, (how many more adjectives can I use) pancakes as we trekked home (or in Lucy’s case, trotted, tongue lolling to the side like a red flag).  I hope you will try them on your next leisurely morning.  Make them for someone…or heck, make a big stack for yourself!

Whole Grain Pancakes

Recipe makes 6 6″ pancakes or 2 generous servings

For the whole grain flour, I use a mixture of millet, barley, rye, and oat flours.  You can substitute whole wheat flour or just use all white wheat or white flour if you would like.  Feel free to play with different combinations of flours here.

1/2 cup whole grain flour

1/2 cup white wheat flour (I like King Arthur brand)

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

a pinch of salt

1 egg, beaten

1 cup of almond (or other) milk

2 Tablespoons melted butter, plus 2 Tablespoons for greasing the skillet

2 Tablespoons of agave nectar or honey

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Mix the dry ingredients together.  In a separate bowl, mix wet ingredients together.  Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir.  Do not over mix the batter.  It is okay if it has small lumps.

Heat a griddle to 375 or a skillet (preferably cast iron) on medium-high heat.  When a drop of water sizzles instantly when dropped on the surface, your griddle/skillet is ready.

Preheat oven to 200 and place an ovenproof plate or platter in the oven.  Grease the griddle/skillet with butter.  Using a 1/2 cup ladle, pour the batter into the skillet.  When bubbles form on the surface of the pancake and the edges look barely set, flip the pancake and cook for a minute more.  Place the finished pancake on the plate in the warm oven.  Continue with the remainder of the batter, adding butter to the griddle/skillet between each pancake.  You may have to turn your cook top down to medium if the skillet is too hot.

Top the finished pancakes with Orange Scented Strawberries (see below) or your favorite fruit, jam, or syrup.

Orange Scented Strawberries

1 cup of sliced strawberries

2 Tablespoons of agave nectar or honey (you may use more or less depending on the sweetness of your strawberries)

2 Tablespoons of orange juice

Mix the ingredients together and allow to sit while you make the pancakes.