fat sparrows

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Happy New Year! Let’s get 2014 started with some Crap I’ve Been Meaning To Tell You About, 8th Edition.

2.0 and I are exhausted. The holidays have meant staying up way past our bedtime every night. We are not coping well. Also, the weather/driving here has been atrocious. I have at least 20 new grey hairs as a result. To sum: I’ve aged nine years in just under two weeks.

The Frenchies came to Canada for the holidays. It was awesome. My wee nieces, Pumpkin and Turnip, taught me some important new life skills. For example, I learned that if you don’t want to do something, you just say, “no,” in an adorable French accent, cross your arms upon your chest, and then stare through the person making the request as if they do not exist. You must stare through the person for guaranteed efficacy. As far as I can tell, it has about an 87% success rate – mostly because the Dead Eyes are so damn terrifying.

My sister came home for Christmas as well, and stayed here at the Cat Farm. We have some mutual friends who came for a visit one evening, and the night was spent laughing harder than I have in a long time. One of our friends told us all about a new addition to her weekly routine – the application of oil to an 86 year old’s body. Here’s a visual: it involves the lifting of body parts. {shudder}

Hoboken! I went to the United States of America in December. I met my brother there, and when he was working during the days, I took the PATH over to Manhattan and spent most of my time moving from bakery to bakery. Like, a lot of bakeries. (If you follow me on Instagram, you know this to be true.) I walked about 10 kilometres a day, and by day five, could hardly move from the waist down. It was fantastic.

When I returned from the United States of America, 2.0 picked me up at the airport. I was pretty tired from having all the fun. On our way home (in the car), he told me that ebony-the-cat had been quite ill, and then I passed out. I guess I made some pretty kooky sounds when I was in my short-term coma, because 2.0 had a really weird expression on his face when I came to. The next day, he re-created the sounds for me. They were a cross between a snore and the sound Ricky Gervais makes around the 1:22 mark in this video. When I asked how many times I made the sound, he said, “FOR ABOUT TWO MILES.”

If you’ve been making strange sounds in front of your loved ones, you might want to consider making them a delectable breakfast. It’ll take their mind off those sounds and make ’em love you again. I’d suggest making some Fat Sparrows. We used to eat them when we were kids, and they’re still one of my favourites. Fat Sparrows are similar to pancakes in taste, but a touch lighter. They run smaller in diameter than pancakes (2-3 inches), but rise up higher and are a little floofier. They are soft on the inside, with an ever-so-lightly crisped exterior. They are best served in a pool of maple syrup (the real stuff, people), and are a perfectly awesome way to start the day.

Happy 2014, friends!

. . .

Fat Sparrows – adapted slightly from Food That Really Schmecks, Edna Staebler – print and make

Yields about 8-12 2-3 inch sparrows, depending on the size of dollops.

• 1 large egg
• pinch of salt
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 rounded teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• canola oil for frying

Mise en place – begin by getting organized. Read through the entire recipe. Measure out all of your ingredients. Preheat your skillet as you prep the batter.

Preheat a large skillet over medium heat as you mix the batter. Just before frying add enough canola oil to cover the bottom of the skillet, about 1/4 centimeter deep.

Lightly beat the egg in a medium sized bowl. Add a pinch of salt and mix. Add the sour cream, and mix well to combine. Sprinkle in the baking soda and then add the flour, mixing until just combined. The batter will be relatively thick.

Drop by large spoonfuls into hot canola oil. Each sparrow should have 2-3 tablespoons of batter. Cook in small batches to allow room for flipping – I cook 3-4 at a time. Fry until golden brown on the bottom and then flip and fry until the second side is golden brown. The sides of the sparrows can be cooked by using tongs or two spatulas to tip sides into the oil (I do this if batter has been seeping out of the sides and seems undercooked.) Pat oil off before plating.

Serve immediately in a pool of maple syrup.