New York Times oatmeal + buttermilk + blueberry pancakes, with a twist or two

Dear New York Times,

You don’t mind my tinkering with your lovely pancake recipe, right?  We go a long way back, you and I: all the way to my dirt-poor student days when I couldn’t wait to pick up your infant-sized Sunday self from street vendors on Broadway late every Saturday night.  (Oh, how your “Home & Garden” section gave me hope then, by reminding me that someday I, too, may have a kitchen larger than my underwear drawer.)  So, thanks for being a good sport about the liberties I’ve taken with your recipe.  Here goes my interpretation, in which many shortcuts are taken, nothing gets sifted, and hazelnuts make a surprise appearance.

New York Times oatmeal+buttermilk+blueberry pancakes

• 2 eggs, whisked
• 2 cups buttermilk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup white flour
• 1/2 cup rolled oats
• 1/3 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/3 cup ground hazelnuts
• a fistful of frozen blueberries (yes, those farmers’ market lovelies earmarked last summer for a gray December day just like this)

1. Combine the first four ingredients.
2. Add the rest.  (I suppose you could sift the flour–but why?)
3. Wake up the husband to…
4. Cook the pancakes on a griddle,  1-2 minutes per side.

Potato and rutabaga gratin

Our kitchen was still groaning from the post-holiday root vegetable overload when I poked around tonight in search of dinner inspiration.  (Apparently, I have inherited my mom’s inability to match the amount of purchased/prepared food to the number of people who will ultimately consume it.  If I’m able to close the fridge without having to lean against the door, I begin to worry about impending starvation.)  So, look what became of all those taters and rutabagas:

Potato and rutabaga gratin

• 1 lb fingerling potatoes, cubed
• 1 rutabaga, cubed
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1.5 cup  buttermilk (fat-free, in our case)
• 2 eggs
• blue cheese crumbles to taste (a small fistful, for instance)
• salt and pepper to taste
• fresh dill to taste

1. Place the potatoes, rutabaga, and onion into a shallow baking dish.  Coat with olive oil, salt, pepper.  Bake at 400F for ~25 minutes.
2. Combine the eggs, buttermilk, blue cheese, dill in a mixing bowl; whisk to combine.  Pour over the root vegetables.
3. Continue to bake for another 30 or so minutes, until it’s as tantalizingly delicious as the picture above.