I made breakfast!

Normally, I'm not a big breakfast eater. Well not traditional breakfast, anyway. I'm one to grab a cup of coffee and croissant or bring yogurt and a banana to work. I have the time each morning to make breakfast as I get up at the crack of dawn (ugh!) but I'm usually not hungry until later in the morning - which is at work and there's no making eggs and bacon there! Remember those 3 recipes from Cuisine at Home that I wanted to make this week? I didn't think I'd be able to make all 3 because of my pooches and their unfortunate tummy problems, but everyone seems to be on the mend today! Yay! I'm not going to get too excited, as I thought I was done with all the nastiness on Friday night. No nastiness meant cooking sounded good again! But Saturday morning brought more nastiness, with Chloe catching whatever it was Nigel had. *sigh* Luckily, I called the Vet straight away and got her on antibiotics within an hour, so I'm thinking we may have nipped her tummy problems in the bud =) KEEP YOUR FINGERS CROSSED PUH-LEASE! Okay, so this morning breakfast sounded damn good and since Ali wouldn't send me any of her pancakes. :P I had to make my own. These are not your ordinary pancakes as they are made with ham and cornmeal, but let me just tell ya.. they are divine! The flavors of salty ham and the sweet syrup with pineapple went so well together. The texture of the cornmeal in the pancakes and the flavor of the corn was perfect. My addition to the syrup was right on as well. I definitely knocked one out of the park with this find and I'm so happy my favorite magazine gave me another great recipe to add to my repertoire. =) Cornmeal "Hamcakes" with Pineapple Maple Syrup 2 TBS. unsalted butter, divided 1 c. ham, cubed 1 c. fresh pineapple, chopped *I didn't have fresh, so I used canned 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon 1 c. pure maple syrup *See note below 1/2 c. yellow cornmeal 1/2 c. all-purpose flour 2 TBS. sugar 1/2 tsp. baking powder 1/4 tsp. baking soda Pinch of salt 1 c. buttermilk *I had it on my shopping list and forgot it! Subbed with 1 c. sour cream *dork* 2 eggs 3 TBS. unsalted butter, melted 1 tsp. vanilla extract 1/2 c. pecans, toasted and chopped (optional) Melt 1 TBS. butter in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add ham, saute until lightly browned, then remove. Add 1 TBS. butter, pineapple and cinnamon to the pan. Saute until fruit is lightly browned. Off heat, stir in syrup; set aside. *Note: I only had 3/4 c. of pure maple syrup, so I added 1/4 c. of the sauce that went with the apple cake I made last week - buttery and cinnamony (word?) it was a perfect addition* Preheat pancake griddle to 400º F. or a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Lightly coat with nonstick spray. Bleh, I used butter :D Combine cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl. Blend buttermilk, eggs, melted butter and vanilla in another bowl. Add wet ingredients to dry, stirring until just evenly moistened. Fold sauteed ham into batter. Pour 1/4 c. batter onto hot griddle for each pancake. Cook until brown on the bottom and bubbles form around the edges, then carefully flip and cook until done, 1-2 minutes. Serve with pineapple syrup and optional toasted pecans.