By: Deanna Linder

“Life is what happens when you’re busy making other plans”- John Lennon, Beautiful Boy.

Being a cook (with a fully stocked kitchen) and being pregnant was a bad combination. When a craving came on, I could whip it up in a second. I was generally into the heavy on the carb dishes and homemade pizza was at least a weekly menu item. There were also the fudge brownies and the fresh pastas. I thought for sure this kid would come out a foodie just like his mom.

Fast forward and the kid is now six months. Time to start feeding him real food and I’m fully motivated to pull out my cooking skills and make this kid the tastiest homemade baby meals. Like John Lennon said, apparently the kid had other plans for me. He has no interest in my homemade cream of wheat with organic tahini and fresh fruit and not the least bit excited over my vegetable- rich chicken soup.  Even the amazing summer Israel fruits, like melon and watermelon, don’t bring a smile to his face.

This is a recipe for kid foodies and their parents. I’m sure my kid won’t be able to resist these sometime in the near future, but in the meantime I’m trying to come up with ways for the kid to start getting excited over food.

Seriously Dark Chocolate Pancakes

Ingredients for 12 pancakes:

1 cup all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

2 tablespoons sugar

¼ cup cocoa powder

1 egg, lightly beaten

⅔ cup milk

100 grams/3½ oz.  dark chocolate, coarsely chopped

1 tablespoon butter

For garnish:

2 tablespoons powdered sugar

Preparation:

1. In a large bowl, sift together the flour and baking powder. Add the sugar and cocoa powder and stir to combine. Add the egg and milk and whisk until smooth.
2. Add the chocolate and mix until combined.
3. Heat a large non-stick frying pan over medium heat and add the butter. Once melted, spoon mixture into pan and cook for about 2 minutes, until bubbles appear on the surface.  Flip pancakes over and continue to cook for another minute. Repeat with remaining batter.
4. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve.