Red, White and Blue

Red, white, and blue makes a monkey out of you!

This childhood rhyme played in my head as breakfast unfolded one Sunday morning. It started out as a typical morning: my son asking for pancakes. I made the batter the night before -- a little trick I picked up when my son was a toddler, in an effort to get them to the griddle that much faster -- so it was just a matter who wanted what in their pancakes. Blueberries for my husband, blueberries and strawberries for my son, and inspired by my son, I decided to take mine to another level.

Like my son, I put both strawberries and blueberries in my pancakes. But when it was time to serve, that's when I let my creativity shine. I drizzled honey -- fresh from the farmer's market -- over the pancakes. Then topped them off with a dollop -- "Well, hello big dollop!" of fresh ricotta.

This was a breakfast treat like no other! If you haven't had fresh ricotta, you need to change that. Stat. Don't try this with Polly-o from your local supermarket; it's not the same. Fresh ricotta ... I could eat it with a spoon! And combining it with the fresh fruit and honey just took breakfast to a whole new, unbelievable level. You'll never go back to whipped cream.

Red, White, and Blue Pancakes
Original Country Cooking recipe
Makes about 9 pancakes

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon butter, melted, plus more for the griddle
• 1 egg
• 1 cup flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 cup whole or buttermilk
• blueberries
• strawberries, halved or sliced, depending on size
• fresh ricotta

Directions:

1. Beat melted butter and egg.
2. Add dry and wet ingredients. Beat until smooth.
3. Melt a tablespoon of butter on a griddle over medium heat.
4. Ladle batter (3-4 cakes) onto griddle. As edges begin to set, add fruit to cakes.
5. As the batter bubbles and pops, flip them. Cook an additional 2-3 minutes.
6. Plate pancakes. Top with fresh ricotta, and drizzle honey. Garnish with additional blueberries and strawberries.