Sandy might have left New York City, but it left plenty for us to remember. My husband and I were extremely lucky. We never lost power. Bay Ridge sustained minimal damage, at least where we are, away from the shore. Once the winds die down and its been deemed safe, I’m anxious to explore the waterfront. I saw plenty of photos from yesterday morning, when things were still fairly calm, and our pier and promenade were already underwater. I can only imagine it got worse. But the city is hurting. Our transit system is still down, many homes and offices still without power until who knows when. It will take a while for NYC to feel whole again.

Pancakes have a way of improving spirits. It brings back memories of childhood weekends, trips to diners at 3am, college and road trips. If I’m going to be trapped inside with little information as to how the next few days will progress, I want to be happy. Yes the news is important but honestly there’s only so many hours you can watch. With nothing else productive to do, I figured making pancakes was the best thing to do.

I’m still working my way through those 75lbs of apples we picked at Wilklow Orchards the other week. In the past I’ve tried to make homemade pancakes with little success. So instead I stick with mixes that are still fairly unprocessed. My choice for today was Bob’s Red Mill Whole Grain Buttermilk Pancake & Waffle mix. I pretty much followed the recipe as directed, doubling it and reducing the milk slightly. I tossed in two grated apples and some cinnamon.

The star of the meal is really the cider sauce. For this you need real apple cider. Apple juice just won’t cut it. The sauce is super easy to make and assuming you have cider, you should have all the ingredients at home. I honestly can’t remember where the original recipe came from. Betty Crocker maybe? My mom used to have a subscription to one of those recipe card programs. They would sent you a box for the cards and one set free, then each month you would get a new section of the collection–desserts, meat, soups, etc–for a fee, of course. We used to make pancakes with cider sauce when I was a child and over the years I just memorized it, reducing or tweaking ingredients as I go.

Apple Pancakes (Adapted from Bob’s Red Mill) Makes about 10-12 pancakes

• 2 c pancake mix
• 2 eggs
• 2 tbsp canola oil
• 1 c milk (little extra if needed)
• 2 apples, peeled and shredded
• 2 tsp cinnamon

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl. Cook on preheated griddle at medium heat or in a heated cast iron pan. Flip the pancakes when edges begin to brown and bubbles show in the center.

Apple Cider Sauce

• 1 c sugar
• 2 tbsp cornstarch
• 1 tsp each cinnamon and nutmeg
• 2 c apple cider
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• Sour cream to top pancakes

In a small saucepan mix all dry ingredients. Add cider and heat over medium heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Continue heating over medium heat until sauce starts to boil, stirring occasionally. Let sauce boil for 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly until sauce thickens a little. Add butter and lemon juice and continue cooking until butter dissolves. Remove from heat and let stand for 5 minutes. Sauce will continue to thicken as it cools. Spoon sauce over pancakes. Top each plate with a dollop of sour cream.

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