Cooking at 43° North: Hold the butter and the syrup

It was a fluke, really. My husband and I were taking a walk on Lookout Point Road. I saw a sign that said, “Seams by the Sea.” I thought it a clever sign and made a mental note. When I got a pair of pants a few weeks later that were too long, I returned to pay a visit. Indeed, I had come to the right place. I met Penelope Kenney.

Penny Kenney is a seamstress. Her mother was a seamstress who made drapes for Senter’s Department Store in Brunswick. Her father worked in the Physics Department at Bowdoin College for 40 years before he retired. She grew up in Maine and often played in her grandfather’s apple orchard on Pleasant Street, where McDonald’s sits now.

Her family moved to Harpswell when she was 9. Her brother attended school in the building that is now The School House 1913, where Mrs. King taught school to children grades K-1. Penny attended the third grade at West Harpswell School, which was a three-room, white, Cape-style building. Years later that wooden structure was torn down by the town. It is near that location that another West Harpswell School was built (presently the Harpswell Coastal Academy).

Penny got her first sewing machine at age 12. That was the beginning of her career. Not only is she an excellent seamstress, she also has mastered the craft of fine embroidery.

She and her husband, Fred, have three children and just celebrated their 58th wedding anniversary. In our conversation, she mentioned that every Sunday night they had pancakes for supper as a family. Talk about a tradition. Her children are now grown. However, to this day, she has pancakes for supper every Sunday night. How does she eat them? Blueberry. No syrup. No butter.

I thought to myself, these pancakes have got to be good. A recipe was shared. Let me tell you, these pancakes are as amazing as I thought they would be. One thing is for sure, we will now have breakfast for supper at our house a bit more frequently.

I am always in search of an unusual dish, a good recipe, a tradition from a member of our community. I found it alright, as well as a new friend. Serendipity.

SUNDAY NIGHT PANCAKES

Ingredients:

1 cup flour

3 teaspoons baking powder

1 tablespoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

3/4 cup sour milk or buttermilk

2 eggs

2 tablespoons oil 

Note: To make sour milk, use 1 tablespoon vinegar to 1 cup milk and let sit for a minute or two.

Mix-ins: 1 cup blueberries and/or chocolate chips

Mix dry ingredients together. Stir in liquid ingredients. Fold in blueberries or chocolate chips.

Cook on a lightly greased, flat skillet or griddle until slightly brown and then flip over. Pancakes are ready to flip over when bubbles form on top and they’re slightly brown on bottom.

Pure maple syrup and butter optional. 🙂

Enjoy!

Cooking at 43° North is a program of Harpswell Aging at Home. Through this column, the program shares favorite dishes from friends and neighbors in the community.

HAH always needs cooks for its Meals in a Pinch program, which provides nutritious meals to neighbors in need. For more information, contact Julie Moulton at 207-330-5416 or juliemoulton28@gmail.com.