I love my Dad. You might know that my dad makes a mean loaf of gluten free bread. And, maybe some day, I will share his popcorn bread recipe with you. Maybe. But for now, a few things that make my dad awesome.

1. My dad is the pancake master. He is the earl of oatmeal. Maybe he is just the breakfast king. Dad would make oatmeal when it was cold. I would add brown sugar, raisins and milk. I grew up eating pancakes on Saturday mornings. It was the 80s and the 90s, we didn’t know we had gluten & wheat problems then. Somedays, there would be bananas or blueberries in the pancakes. Some times they would just be smothered with some cherries in syrup. Some times (my favorite times), they were shaped like Mickey Mouse. Dad had mad pancake skills. Whenever friends spent the night, Dad would be up early making pancakes for the riffraff. And not just any pancakes, he used his mom’s recipe. It is still tucked in her recipe box in the kitchen.
2. Moo Juice. I hate milk. I disliked it as a child, to the point where my parent’s had to give it a new name so that I would drink it. Dad called it moo juice, a ruse that worked until I was old enough to know better.
3. Boats. I am certain that other people might have had meatloaf baked in loaves of bread when they were growing up. But I am also certain that those people did not have sail boats. I did. Dad made sails out of half slices of American cheese on tooth picks and stuck them in our boats.

So, basically, my dad is awesome. Now, go make some pancakes with your dad (or kids). Add food coloring if the occasion calls for it (St. Patrick’s day or a birthday – Dad, if you are reading this, I want purple pancakes for my birthday next year). Add fruit if you have it. Or chocolate chips. But don’t use that syrup that comes in a bottle shaped like a woman. Get the real stuff. And enjoy your morning.