big rounds for breakfast...because it's summer

Growing up, our favorite breakfast was big rounds.
Big rounds are a very thin almost crepe-like pancake.
They are big. And they are round. They are lathered with melted butter.
They are rolled up pieces of heaven dripping with sugar
and they are saved for a special occasion lest you have a heart attack
eating big rounds on a daily basis.
I believe this recipe was handed down from my Great Grandma Presnell.
Or was it Great Aunt Babe? Cousins, help me out.
But all my aunts knew how to make the big rounds.
Each made them their own special way.
And you knew, that it was going to be a fantastic day
if you woke up and your mom was making you big rounds.
There are a variety of ways to eat the big rounds. With a fork.
With the hands. With tears of joy wetting the corners of your eyes.
But in the Foth family, we ate them with a fork. And with reverence.
We would lay them out flat and sprinkle them with some nice granulated
sugar so that it melded in with the warm butter and then would proceed
to roll it up until it was a small buttery sugar laden tube.
And then we would devour it. We don't mess around with the big rounds.
My mom always liked hers with enough sugar to make it crunchy.
My favorite big rounds now are rolled with fresh strawberries and cinnamon sugar.
My sister, Jenny, likes hers with maple syrup.
My brother Chris could eat at least 5.
You just can't go wrong with the big rounds.
We just tried them with Nutella for the first time.
Oh sweet mother of chocolate nut spreads, how we love you in the big rounds.
But this morning we had a big round-tastrophe.
I had carefully portioned all the ingredients into the blender.
The pan was hot and I had just poured the batter in when I noticed
there was a little flour that was clumping so I needed to blend it a little more.
So I hit the "on" button on the blender again.
Have you ever seen a blender unscrew itself from the base?
It whips around so very quickly.
It hurls great gobs of liquid big round into the kitchen sky
and then proceeds to unload the rest down the base of the blender,
onto the counter and into the crevice between the counter and the stove.
The stove on which a singular big round is sizzling to a crisp since
the big round maker is grabbing at the base, pushing buttons and yelling,
"No! No! NO! Omylord! NO!"
The children came running in and I said,"We may not be having big rounds today."
Because making the big rounds is an undertaking.
And cleaning the big round batter after the big round-tastrophe?
Even more of an undertaking. But a great cry went up for the big rounds.
How can one's mother promise big rounds and not deliver big rounds?
So the kitchen was wiped down. And we began again.
And the big rounds were delicious.
And it was a fitting if not somewhat exhausting way to start off our summer.
And I thought you might need the recipe to help kickstart yours.
Just make sure to check your blender base before you start.
In remembrance of me.

Big Rounds
1 C Milk
1 egg
3/4 C flour
dash of vanilla (optional)

Blend until smooth. Heat skillet to high. Melt a small amount of butter
in pan. Make sure it covers the entire surface. Pour circle of batter
about the size of a regular pancake into pan.
Lift up pan and Roll pan with wrist until batter coats the entire surface.
Place back on burner. Watch until big round is almost cooked through.
Lift edges of big round with spatula. Flip big round to finish cooking.
Drop dollop of butter in center of big round. Fold in half. Transfer to plate.
Cry with happiness as you eat your big round. Repeat process.

*note to big round maker....almost always the first one is no good. either it
sticks or it is too thick or it goes hinky. I don't know why. if this is the case, toss it in the garbage disposal and begin making big round number two. Big round
number two is usually fantastic. I don't know why. It just is.