Sometimes Chris will drive over from his house to mine in the middle of the night – what a gift it is to have someone leave their cosy bed to join you just because they sleep better when they are holding you.

Even when we are staying under the same roof, I usually retire before he does; we are souls born for the opposite ends of the day: he is a night owl and I am an early bird. I don’t mind falling asleep by myself and he always comes in at the time of night I need him most: those middling hours where the threat of nightmare tends to dwell. I love to curl up within his arms. My body knows instinctively which way to twist and turn into his even in the depths of sleep. We dance under the covers throughout the night. Change positions as we get too warm, or an arm starts to cramp.

Choc-chip pancakes

As he sneaks into bed late at night, so do I sneak out of bed in the early morning hours. We both have our bookends of the day where we find the best moments to nourish our souls as individuals, and those in-between to nourish us as a couple. I sneak out (with a kiss goodbye and a murmured reply) to run, or write, or visit the markets on the weekend, or to talk to Mum and Dad, or….to make chocolate chip pancakes for my still-sleeping Prince Charming. They are my gesture, my way of easing the hours of the day that he needs easing into. My way of starting the day with a show of love. Just as my darling ends the day that way.

Stacks on stacks of pancakes…

These pancakes are fluffy, crispy on the outside. Once you pour the almond-vanilla-buttermilk dough onto the pan you need only wait about a minute before studding it generously with chocolate chips and then flipping it over to cook on the other side. Once you decide you want to make these you are only moments away from choc-chip heaven. I have even made these while doing dinner, cooled them on a cooling rack, and then packaged them in plastic sandwich bags to be taken for breakfast-on-the-run the next morning.

Sunday morning incarnation.

Chocolate-Chip Buttermilk Pancakes

These pancakes will make you immensely popular. Make them on a Sunday while your loved ones sleep, or on a Wednesday night when everyone needs a pick-up on Thursday morning. This recipe makes about 12 medium pancakes (I measure out my batter with an ice-cream scoop – the easiest cleanest method ever). You of course, can make them larger or smaller as you wish. A half batch also turns out well.

Ingredients

• 100 grams of plain natural yoghurt
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 2 large eggs
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 150 grams plain flour
• 75 grams almond meal
• 4 tablespoons caster sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup milk (or dark or white) chocolate chips

Method

1.  Combine plain yoghurt, buttermilk, eggs, and vanilla extract in a small bowl. Beat well.
2. Whisk together flour, almond meal, caster sugar, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.
3. Add yoghurt mixture to dry mixture and whisk together.
4. Spray a large frying pan with cooking spray. Use an ice-cream scoop to portion out batter onto the heated pan. I cook about three pancakes at a time because this is what fits on my pan.
5. Allow to cook for one minute then stud the uncooked tops of each with the chocolate chips. Let cook for another half a minute then flip and cook on the chipped side for about a minute and a half.
6. Remove cooked pancakes from the pan and serve right away with ice-cream (for Chris) or cream (or both like my Dad), and some chocolate sauce never goes astray either. Or allow to cool completely and then pack in sandwich bags.

Tell me, dear reader, is there an unspoken way you show love to your family or partner? Are you a pancakes-for-breakfast kind of person?