Rachel’s boyfriend Scott makes the BEST pancakes. They live in Washington, D.C. and when Rachel told me that his pancakes were amazing, I thought she was probably blinded by the fact that he woke up and made her breakfast.

They stayed with us for New Years and I asked Scott if he would make his pancakes for brunch the next day. He made them and they were UNBELIEVABLE!

There were a couple extra pancakes from brunch and Adam and I put them in the fridge and heated them up a few nights later for dinner. They were still fantastic.

I e-mailed Scott to ask him for the recipe and he graciously is allowing me to share his pancake joy with the world.

This weekend I’m in Tampa where I surprised my mother, and my brother surprised us both, during a visit with our first and second cousins and our aunt.

My cousin Sabrina and brother Jeff helped me make the pancakes and Jeff did a wonderful job on grill duty.

Jeff (28)

The pancakes are super thick and fluffy and it’s important when making the pancakes to cook them under medium-low heat and cook them for a long time on each side.

My mom got impatient and started making her own pancakes in a frying pan. Hers were so messy!

Some of the kids wanted chocolate chips in their pancakes. My cousin Jack adds chips to his pancake as the chocolate simultaneously melts in his hand.

Jack (9)

My cousins Luke (L) and Jake (R) model their matching Super Mario Bros. PJ’s. Luke and Jake are first cousins who live in different states but we have been chuckling all weekend over how similar they are and the matching jammies are just one example.

L-R: Luke (9), Cary, and Jake (5)

LAN-CAKES

Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk egg(s), then add milks and vanilla and whisk, then whisk in the shortening until it’s mixed together but not too much. Pour the wet ingredients into the other bowl and mix gently with a wooden spoon until you don’t see any more dry stuff — but leave it lumpy.

Heat a griddle or skillet to about medium, and put down a pat of butter. Pour or spoon batter so pancakes are initially about 4-6 inches across. When pancakes are golden brown on bottom and/or begin to bubble on top, flip them over and cook for another minute or so. If you’re doing multiple batches, reduce heat after the first batch.