What we didn't have for breakfast on the overnight

Here is the build-up I got from my son just before I left on my daughter's class trip:

Him (speaking with absolute authority from his vantage point as a the smartest guy in the room, or at the very least, as the guy in the room who went on this exact same trip several years ago and remembers every single detail perfectly although he has no idea where his math assignment is at the moment):

"Mom. Seriously. The food is so good there. They made the best breakfast EVER! I ate like 17 pancakes. Maybe 23. Wait until you try them. I would skip the dinner and leave room for the breakfast. You won't believe it, it's that great. Seriously. I'm not even kidding."

Here is what we actually had for breakfast:

Watery, cold oatmeal
Paper thin, greasy, overcooked bacon
Small curd scrambled eggs (e.g. strong resemblance to cottage cheese)
Cold cereal bar (your choice of Raisin Bran or Rice Crispies)
Diluted apple juice

I could have killed that kid.

Instead, we made these for breakfast today. He ate like maybe 24.

Melt-in-your-mouth Sour Cream Pancakes

My mom used to make pancakes just like these when I was little, and I thought it was a lost art.  Then I found this recipe. Adapted from Brunch by Marc Meyer and Peter Meehan

by Sharon Graves

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 5 minutes

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Ingredients

• 1 c. buttermilk or regular milk*
• 1/2 c. sour cream
• 4 large eggs, separated
• 1 c. all purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• pinch of salt
• 1 tsp. sugar
• 2 Tbs. butter, melted, plus extra for cooking the pancakes
• Extra melted butter
• Powdered sugar
• Warm syrup**

Instructions

Stir the milk, sour cream and egg yolks together in a large mixing bowl.

Whisk or sift the flour, baking soda, salt and sugar together, then add to the milk mixture, along with the melted butter. Mix until smooth. Let this sit.

Whip the egg whites until stiff peaks form, then gently fold them into your batter, 1/2 at a time, with a rubber spatula. Don't worry if there are a few stripes in your batter afterward -- they keep the pancakes light and fluffy.

Heat a large skillet or griddle over medium low heat for a minute or two, then grease the pan with a generous amount of butter. When it starts to sizzle, turn up the heat to medium and ladle in 3 1/2-4 inch pancakes. After a couple of minutes, when the edges are beginning to dry out, flip the pancakes over and cook for another couple of minutes.

You can keep these warm on a heated plate while you finish up, or just serve them as they are ready.

To serve: Drizzle each pancake with a little more melted butter, and sprinkle with powdered sugar. Pass warmed syrup on the side.

These are extra good with properly cooked, thick sliced bacon.
Seriously. I'm not even kidding.

* If you use buttermilk, the pancakes will be a little tangier. You can enhance that even more by adding some lemon zest to the batter, too.
** Don't even think of not heating up the syrup! You can warm a small container of it in the microwave or put a small pitcher of syrup in a saucepan of boiling water for a few minutes.