Our Daily Bread: The Big Pancake

Saint Joseph must have been so wonderfully tender! His strong hands led the donkey carrying Blessed Mother to Bethlehem. Those same loving hands held the baby Jesus in the humble stable and placed him in the manger. Those patient hands held onto Jesus as he learned to take his first steps. Those wise hands taught Our Lord the noble craft of carpentry. And those holy hands most likely held Our Lord’s as he passed from this life to the eternal while in the beautiful gaze of Our Lady. No wonder he is the patron saint of happy deaths!

My first night in the hospital after our sweet daughter was born was magical. The second night, however, was long. No matter what I tried I could not get our little darling to stay sleeping. As soon as I placed her in her bassinet she would be awake again. And so I would hold her, nurse her, and hope she would fall back asleep. The nurses wouldn’t take her, it was too busy of a night. And I kept falling asleep while I was holding her- I was terrified I would drop her!

And then the Holy Spirit put the sweetest prayer in my heart. He whispered to me “Ann, go to Joseph.” And as I laid my baby down into her bassinet I begged St. Joseph to hold her in his loving hands…and she slept. Soundly. Finally. And I thought of all the times St. Joseph must have taken the “night shift” with the infant Jesus so that Our Lady could rest.

My husband has been heroic with the night shifts. He is the first to jump from bed when our daughter wakes at night. He consoles her, changes her and then brings her to me to feed. Even in the morning- he gets up to make the coffee…and at times even makes the breakfast! Like this morning…he made a Vitz family favorite: the big pancake.

How lucky am I to have St. Joseph and a husband like Pete!


The Big Pancake
½ cup flour
½ cup milk
2 eggs
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
splash of vanilla to taste
4 tablespoons butter
juice of ½ a lemon
confectioners sugar

1. Preheat oven to 425. Mix flour, milk, eggs, nutmeg, and vanilla in a bowl until just combined (it should still be a little lumpy).
2. Melt butter into a 12 inch cast iron skillet. When the butter is very hot (but not brown) add the batter.
3. Bake 10-15 minutes until puffy and golden brown.
4. Sprinkle with lemon juice and confectioners sugar.