A hodgepodge of fun things

We have to get our fun where we can find it these days

Friends! The ebook of Party of Two is on sale! Until Sunday, September 20th, it’s $1.99! Here it is on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, Google Play, and Apple Books — go forth and get that digital copy while it’s this low, and tell your friends!

Also, I have two fun virtual events coming up in the next few weeks, and I hope many of you will join me! First, next Thursday, on September 24th, at 7 pm Eastern/4 pm Pacific, I’ll be moderating an event between Amy Spalding and Leah Johnson, talking about their books that I adored (and have so many fun similarities), We Used to Be Friends, and You Should See Me In a Crown. I can’t wait to talk to these two about their queer girls who ran for prom queen, difficult friendships, writing, and so much more. Join us! And then on Tuesday, September 29th, my panel for the virtual Decatur Book Festival is Falling in Love with Love, and I’ll be chatting with Farrah Rochon, Yaffa S. Santos, and Jane Igharo, and we’ll be moderated by the amazing Alisha Rai! We will talk about romance and writing and releasing books during a pandemic and I’m sure so many other things. Jane Igharo’s debut, Ties that Tether, comes out that very day, so register above and come give her a great debut day!

I have been on a big nonfiction kick lately, and I just finished a book that I can’t stop thinking and talking about: Boom Town. You can see more about it in that link, but it’s about Oklahoma City from founding to (almost) present day, and equally about the Oklahoma City Thunder, and how the basketball team came to be and to rise. If this sounds boring to you, I understand — I heard about this book from my friend Lisa, who said that she cared nothing about either basketball or Oklahoma City, and yet she loved this book, and it’s so true. I was all in for this book within the first few chapters, and when I finished it I was sad it was over. The writing is just so so good, and it covers so much that I didn’t know, and things that I knew a little bit about but now feel like I understand a lot more.

The last six months have been pretty terrible for all of us, I think we can agree! One thing I’ve done far more in the last six months than I’d done in like…the six years before that is to make pancakes. Despite what it might seem like from some of my books, I don’t have much of a sweet tooth (I like sweets, just in very small quantities) and always want a savory breakfast over a sweet one. But for some reason, pancakes (with bacon, obviously, and a big drizzle of maple syrup) have been incredibly comforting to me these days. Also, making pancakes is far too much work first thing in the morning, so most of the time when I’ve made them, I’ve made them for dinner the first time, and then had leftover batter to make in the morning, win/win. Here is the pancake recipe I’ve relied on during this cursed time (original recipe from The Kitchn) (the original recipe was for the quantities below; in the link it’s doubled, so use those quantities if you want to make more or you’re making for more people!). Despite the title, you do not need buttermilk! The first time I made them, I saw the note that you could use plain yogurt instead, thinned with milk, and it worked out so well I’ve done that ever since (especially since I’m more likely to have yogurt around than buttermilk).

Lofty Buttermilk Pancakes

1 1/4 cup flour
1 tablespoon sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 egg, separated
1 cup buttermilk, or 2/3 cup plain yogurt, with milk stirred in until it gets to 1 cup liquid
1/4 cup milk
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled

Whisk the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda together in a bowl. In a separate bowl (or a 2 cup measuring cup, which is what I usually do for liquids in recipes like these, since the pouring afterwards is so much easier), whisk the buttermilk or yogurt, egg yolk, and milk. Add the melted and cooled butter, and then whisk until well combined. Pour the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Add the egg whites and stir until incorporated — this will make a thick batter. (If you want to add stuff to the pancakes: chocolate chips, blueberries, whatever, either add them while you’re mixing in the egg whites, or sprinkle on top after you dollop the batter in the pan — I prefer to do it the second way, because that way the additions don’t all drop to the bottom of the bowl, but that can be a little fussy, especially if you’re making a lot).

Let this set aside for 5 minutes to thicken a little more while you heat up your pan. Heat a large skillet or griddle pan over medium high heat. Once it gets hot, add canola oil to lightly coat the pan. Let that heat up for about 30 seconds, then turn the heat down to medium low, and drop in spoonfuls of pancake batter. When bubbles come to the top of the pancake (after about 2 to 3 minutes) flip, and cook the other side for about the same time. My biggest issues in flipping pancakes always come when I either don’t use a big enough pan, or crowd the pancakes in whatever pan I do use, so don’t make my mistakes! If you’re cooking for a crowd, you can transfer the cooked pancakes into a low oven when you’re done so they can stay warm until you’re done cooking; if you’re cooking for yourself, spread some butter and syrup (or whatever you like!) on top, and enjoy.

Have a good weekend, everyone!

Jasmine

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