Even Extraterrestrials Like Pancakes

Da-da gets ready to flip it... oh, wait. That's Uncle Buck. Da-da is easily confused these days.

Sunday is pancake day at our house, as it is in households across the omniverse (yes, even aliens like pancakes). Da-da has a secret pancake recipe, o'course. No self-respecting Da-da doesn't -- though Da-da's isn't that secret. For those of you without a Trader Joes near you, Da-da can't help you, because... he uses them to cheat, as you'll see. Here we go:

Da-da's Pancakes

• Start with Trader Joe's multigrain pancake mix (hey, it's organic), and follow the recipe on the box. Yes, this is cheating, but who cares?

• Add a tablespoon of maple syrup to the batter (Da-da prefers fake Log Cabin syrup, as that's what his UFO family always used; real syrup tastes weird to alien Da-da)

• Chill the batter for a half-hour, then whisk

• Use a big iron skillet or griddle, with plenty of either butter or corn oil or bear grease (provided you have the bear's permission); an iron skillet not only cooks better, it also cranks up the iron content a whole order of magnitude, ideal for youngins and beleagered parental units with tired blood -- or no blood at all, Dracula.

Da-da will also add blueberries or blackberries for Nagurski, as that's what he likes; kicks up the vitamin C value, too (Da-da's Emeril implant is overacting). IMPORTANT: serve with Da-da Coffee. Small children LOVE Da-da Coffee. With a pound of sugar. Then place children in the cargo hold for three days. Be sure to dog the hatch.

Like Repo Man, Da-da coffee is always intense.