Nothing brings back memories for me like the weather. Weird, huh?

…sometimes, it just feels like Christmas, or summer vacation, or camping, or the first day of school outside, you know? You can almost smell it, sense it, in the air…

Lately, Boston has been drifting on the wind.

A year ago, about this time, I visited my best friend Hannah in Massachusetts just before her graduation from college. We’ve known each other for a long time (learn more about our friendship in this post, and the other trip I’m planning to visit her here!), but school and work and travel and a wedding had kept us apart for too long.

So, on a whim, I hopped on a plane.

So worth it… isn’t it always?

It was a wonderful trip full of adventures, reminiscing, historic sights, whispers, hopes, plans and daydreams. Every minute of it was glorious, but one particular thing sticks in my mind more than the rest.

Not an ancient church, or view of the ocean…

It was a pancake.

A carrot cake pancake with maple cream cheese butter from Sugar Magnolia’s in Gloucester, MA, to be exact. Ahhh… a thing of dreams.

When the weather changed this spring, that pancake started haunting me once again. So, I decided to do something about it:

So sit back, grab a copy of the House of the Seven Gables or On Walden Pond, and enjoy.

Whole Wheat Carrot Cake Pancakes

Adapted from Smitten Kitchen and Food4Fitness

Makes about 8-10 small, 4-5 large pancakes

Ingredients:

• 1 Cup of whole wheat flour
• 1/4 Cup of wheat germ
• 2 T Toasted chopped pecans
• 2 t Baking powder
• 1 1/4 t Cinnamon
• 1/8 t Ginger
• 1/8 t Nutmeg
• 1/4 t Salt
• 1 Egg
• 1 T EVOO
• 2 T Brown sugar
• 1 -1 1/4 C Unsweetened vanilla almond milk (Start with one cup – add if needed)
• About 1 1/2 -2 C Finely grated, peeled carrots (Peel to reduce bitterness, grate finely so carrots soften with cooking. Start with 1.5 cups, add as needed. )
• 1 t Vanilla extract

Maple Cream Cheese Butter

• 4oz. (1/2 block) Neufchatel Cheese (or cream cheese)
• 2 T Maple Syrup
• 2 T Butter, softened

Directions:

• Combine flour, wheat germ, pecans, baking powder, salt and spices in a large bowl.
• In a separate bowl, combine egg, sugar, milk, oil, carrots and vanilla.
• Add the carrot mixture to the flour mixture and mix until combined.
• Use butter or oil to grease a skillet or frying pan, and cook until done (about two min. on each side. I like to watch for bubbles on the first side, then flip!)
• For topping, mix softened ingredients together and spread, dollop or dip generously. Garnish with real maple syrup and a dash of cinnamon.

These pancakes are dense, hearty, and packed with fiber and other good-for-you-ness. Not too sweet (you can really taste the carrots!), and perfect for an Easter treat, or any time you want to take a trip to Boston in your head…

What are you making for Easter this year? Do you have any special family traditions? Please, share!