Pancakes are so much fun because 1) there’s virtually no screwing them up 2) you can customize them to taste and look like just about anything your little heart desires.

One morning I woke up and felt like doing two things – eating some chocolate for breakfast (not something I recommend often, but a craving is a craving) and establishing culinary racial harmony. In fairness, I really just felt like the chocolate, but then thought it would be fun to do chocolate chip vanilla pancakes on one side, and some chocolatey pancakes on the other.

Saturday and Sunday mornings have a certain routine Chez Besotted – wake up, snooze, wake up, snooze, wake up, make coffee, make bacon & eggs, eat. I would never want anything to disrupt the rhythm and tradition of the first 6 activities, but, every once in awhile, even my beloved bacon & eggs get a bit stale.

Mixing it up with pancakes or muffins can be fun, but my absolute favorite breakfast pastry is a hot, buttery scone. If your only exposure to scones is Starbucks ersatz leaden imposters, try a homemade (or real bakery) version, and you’ll see how far from reality the S-bux kind are.

It’s officially raspberry season in New England, which feels like finding the pot of gold at the end of a rainbow. For 9-10 months of the year, berries are too expensive, not tasty enough, and from too far away to be contemplated…. But then, for a brief window of time, they are profuse, overflowing at farmers’ markets, in farm share boxes, proudly proclaim their local origin in the supermarkets, and are equally boastful of their budget-friendly prices.

If you’re like me, you scoop them up by the armful when they are as sweet and luscious as they are in July and August, get them home, and then wonder what on earth you’re going to do with all of them. Well, this Raspberry Buttermilk Cake recipe should help in some small way to make good use of the now-prolific fruit.

“I don’t know why Dunkin Donuts can’t make muffins like these,” PT said, after chomping into one of my Strawberry Buttermilk Muffins.

“Because they’re not made with love, darling,” I responded.

Did you just throw up in your mouth… because we did.

Not ones for belaboring the sentimentalism of home-cookery, or the idea that ‘love is the secret ingredient,’ we quickly dissected the advantages/disadvantages of the DD (or any other coffee QSR*) commercial kitchen vs. my own sweet galley. They have industrial equipment, including a convection oven – I do not. They have professional bakers (I think), which I, patently, am not. They have millions of dollars in capital, and I, sadly, do not.

First off, I’m so excited to finally have the new Besotted website up. In case you hadn’t noticed (and I’m guessing you had), Besotted is now located at its own dedicated URL and has a new, much improved, look and feel! This took quite a bit of work, involved more than a few expletive-ridden rants, and increased my level of CSS stylesheet proficiency from ‘abysmal’ to just ‘really, really bad.’

In any case, I’m thrilled that it’s finally up and running smoothly (as an aside, please do let me know at jessica@besottedgourmet.com if you find any bugs, broken links, etc.) But today’s post isn’t about the new design, it’s about one of my favorite concepts… one that loses quite a bit of its appeal as we careen helplessly towards bathing suit season. Nevertheless, I thought it was time to dedicate a bit of energy and space to the ‘Breakfast for Dinner’ concept.

What is it about human nature that makes us willfully engage in activities that we are certain will have disastrous outcomes? That extra martini? Probably not going to make getting home (or remembering your bag) any easier. That cute guy reeking of Axe Body Spray? Probably not going to call you back. That inky black Prada bag with butter-soft leather that you simply couldn’t leave, because it felt like a baby being snatched from a mother’s arms? Probably going to feel like a bulldozer landed on your head when you see your credit card bill.

For whatever reason, the complicated and mysterious workings of our minds make it such that we do things we know are wrong with willful ardor. Such was my situation baking a long-forgotten favorite treat, Sticky Cinnamon Twists, over the weekend.

I am an unapologetic brunch fan, even though it is a near-disaster of a meal to go out for in Boston – in the winter time, you have to leave the luscious cocoon of goose-down warmth to brave the elements, wait 45 minutes to be seated nose-to-elbow with the table next to you, and pay an enormous mark-up for what is essentially fancy eggs or bread.

It should be the most reviled of all meals for its expense and aggravation, but it does have its positive attributes, namely that it has made public dining before bathing and pre-noon cocktails not only socially acceptable, but essentially requisite. Not only that, but only at brunch would battered and pan-fried toast slathered with Nutella and dotted with candied pecans be considered a meal and not dessert. It’s brilliant.

Anyone who knows me, knows that I am a big proponent of what I like to call “upping the veg” – which, loosely translated, means adding fruits and vegetables into my daily diet whenever I can.

For those of you about to label me a self-righteous culinary ascetic, rest assured that I consume my fair share of dairy, meat, and sweets – far more than the FDA deems appropriate, but, then again, I am rather skeptical of a government agency that gives its approval to diet supplements that cause one to soil oneself, but that’s neither here nor there. For health and weight-sake, I do try to squeeze the errant fruit or veggie into my non-stop noshing, and any recipe that can make that task more enjoyable, becomes an instant favorite.

Brunch is undoubtedly my favorite meal, and while I have a pretty exclusive relationship with Bacon & Eggs, I do stray from time to time, but only for a really spectacular alternative, and I have it here with these Apple & Crème Fraîche Pancakes.

This pancake recipe evolved out of a recipe by the inimitable Ina Garten, Banana Sour Cream Pancakes in her Barefoot Contessa Family Style cookbook. However, a little tweaking, a missing ingredient or two (which, I’m convinced, is the impetus of most recipe evolution), and a desire to rid myself of a few soon-to-be-dated items yielded this fantastic recipe.

It is a composition of stunning contrasts, which tend to make the most interesting dishes. The lemon and crème fraiche add a tang to what is generally a very mild, peaceful dish. The heavy dairy component gives a velvety weight to what is still a very fluffy pancake (the pictures don’t do justice to the pancakes but do illustrate how high they rise).

Valentine’s Day is almost here, love is in the air, and what better way to suss out the relationship potential with your latest paramour, than by employing the time-tested and proven Bacon & Egg Relationship Barometer.

There is nothing more soothing than a hearty weekend brunch to cure what ails you. Whether it’s stress, the common cold, or an overzealous hangover, a big pile of bacon, steaming and oozing eggs, thick toast, and strong coffee are the quintessential cure-all. That is, unless your morning meal is fraught with relationship-status-speculation, or RSS.