Saturday Morning Breakfast

I don't know about you...but after a week of keeping to a pretty regular schedule of school drop off, pick up, various classes for the kids, workouts, errands, work etc...I LOVE Saturdays! And I love to cook and bake...leisurely in my kitchen with a candle lit and music playing...yes, although I have two kids and am making Elmo pancakes...I need ambience!

So that's what we did this past Saturday. As a housewarming gift, my lovely friend Darci, gave us this blueberry pancake mix from William Sonoma.

She thoughtfully paired it with these adorable Sesame Street pancake cutters!

The girls were pumped for our task...Daddy is sleeping and we will have a fancy breakfast prepared upon his waking up.

So here's  what you need with the mix...unsalted butter, milk and 2 eggs.

SO easy as you add all the ingredients together...and stir. I added a little water after everything was mixed for easier pouring into the pancake cutters.

You can see the blueberries. The batter is amazing. Not slightly salty like some pancake and waffle batter can be. Sweet and delicious!

Spray non-stick skillet as well as the pancake cutters with cooking oil and place them on the skillet over medium heat. Pour the pancake mix directly into the cutters. Wait a couple minutes or until you see the batter bubbling, to lift the cutters straight up off of the pan. Let them cook another minute until you take a spatula and flip them.

Big Bird is on the left and Elmo on the right. Cookie Monster was not pretty enough to be photographed! I WILL say, this is something you need to perfect over many Saturdays...we decided to cover up flaws with sliced bananas!

And top with some yummy Maple Syrup-this is our choice-Love me some T.J.'s!

Maeve is our picky eater. She didn't like the fact that the blueberries messed with her very perfect regular pancakes. Oh well...you can't please everyone!

On to BACON! My husband treated me to a Mother's Day Bacony Brunch at the Chopping Block in Lincoln Square, Chicago a couple years back. This is one of the recipes we walked away with and use every time cooking bacon. No skillet...you BAKE it. Set the oven at 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil. Lay out your bacon strips. Use a pastry brush (or a spoon) to spread on that lovely maple syrup of your choice.

Top with a layer of fresh ground pepper...

And bake for 15 minutes. Once done, I personally like to broil on high for 2 minutes to get that extra crispiness.

So hubby was WAY happy upon his arrival to the kitchen and the girls were beyond pleased with their efforts. All of this done while in pajamas and not worrying a bit about what time it was and having to be anywhere! What could be better?! Well...this Bloody Mary WAS an added bonus for Mom and Dad ;) Happy Weekend!!!

Bloody Mary Mix (Zing Zang), vodka, worchester sauce, hot sauce, fresh ground pepper and topped with olives. Yum.