Sunday mornings look quite a bit different around here since the little girl joined our family. We’ve missed a lot of church since she was born because her nap bumps inconveniently into both time slots we could attend, and her sleep has always been an issue around here. I’m afraid to mess with her daytime routine too much because it affects nighttime so badly. So, so badly.
Honestly, I don’t feel too bad about missing right now though because we still have our small group and because I know this is just a season. So for right now we do church by podcast, have a nice breakfast and I wear the holiest clothes I know of — my robe and slippers. This morning I made ricotta pancakes with my special ingredient — raspberries. (I know everyone thinks blueberries when it comes to pancakes, but raspberries caramelize in an unexpectedly delicious way. You can *almost* skip the maple syrup… But why would you!? We aren’t savages.) So, slowly sipping coffee and talking about faith and struggle and growth and Jesus from our cozy kitchen is our Sunday morning lane right now. And that’s okay. It won’t be this way forever.
Are you in a temporary lane because you have small children, sickness, loved ones who need extra care or car issues and no money to fix them?
Do your best to avoid resenting the situation and accept that your best is good enough for right now. This season won’t last forever — because even if it feels like it will never end — it really will. You’ll look back and see the beauty that came from the struggle and inconvenience. For now I’m just going to enjoy this time and take in the sights, sounds and tastes here in the slow lane. Sundays will return to normal soon.
Recipe: Raspberry Ricotta Pancakes for Sunday Mornings
1 cup ricotta cheese (use only the driest parts)
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1.5 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup milk
2 large eggs, separated
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
(Recipes always tell you to do certain steps separately and dirty a bunch of bowls and I just don’t have time for that. I do the minimal amount of work possible for it to still turn out delicious. In this case it was babying the egg whites with a mixer… but it’s worth it.)
Stir ricotta cheese, flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, milk, egg yolks and vanilla in a bowl until just mixed. In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites with a hand mixer until stiff (4 minutes or so). Fold egg whites into ricotta mixture. Drop from 1/3 cup measuring spoon onto hot, oiled/buttered pan. Cook side one until small bubbles form and pop on top of pancake. Drop 3-4 fresh raspberries onto each pancake and flip. Cook pancake through. Raspberries will be slightly charred and perfectly caramelized. Serve with real butter, maple syrup and a knowing smile. You just made the bomb pancakes.