Julie covers pickling

Pancakes always seem like a great breakfast idea—until you’re the one standing at the stove, measuring out individual hotcakes from a seemingly endless bowl of batter. Instead of cooking pancakes one at a time, divide the batter into smaller portions to make several pancake muffins all at once. This recipe utilizes store-bought pancake mix for speedy prep, and the batter gets poured into paper-lined cups for easy cleanup.

The first time I sipped mezcal, I was hooked. I adore smoky foods, from cheddar cheese to Scotch whisky, so I felt right at home with mezcal. It quickly became one of my favorite alcohols to sip neat and mix into drinks, from mezcal margaritas to Oaxacan coffee cocktails—a riff on Irish coffee that’ll provide you with a kick of caffeine in the evening (and a buzz to boot).

I’ve been baking with the same sourdough starter since 2014, and people often ask what I do with all the discard. The answer is simple: I use it. When my starter is weak from neglect and needs to be fed in order to raise a lofty loaf of bread, I never actually get rid of the starter. Instead, I incorporate it into lightly leavened baked goods like pancakes, waffles and sourdough brownies.