Adele and her favorite Cinnamon Pancakes

First...I must explain who Adele is before I tell you more about her and those Cinnamon Pancakes she so adores...

Adele is the daughter of my ex-boyfriend, Michael, who I dated for four and a half years when I lived in NYC. I met her when she was a shy, self-conscious, beautiful twelve and a half year old. I know that she was doubtful about how much she could really trust me making it difficult in the beginning to crack her outer shell and gain her confidence. However, over time, petit a petit, we managed to break down all the barriers between us.

We spent endless days in the city shopping (often at our favorite Laura Ashley shop on Madison Avenue where we bought matching nightgowns among many other things over the years), walking, laughing, eating (we loved Serendipity's Frozen Hot Chocolate), going to movies, the theatre or concerts (house seats for Madonna's Like A Virgin Tour at Radio City Music Hall for her thirteenth birthday - that was some experience let me tell you - especially with the Beastie Boys grabbing their crotches every two seconds as the opening act!)...she even came to visit me on the set of All My Children one day where I often worked as a day player or recurring character. And, as our bond grew closer, we had many, many heart to heart talks about every sort of thing you can imagine.

I decided to move back to Los Angeles when it was clear that Michael and I were not going to make it as a couple. It was a tough decision to leave Michael and NYC but just as tough to relinquish my relationship with Adele. I felt that since she was his daughter it would be very unfair of me to maintain contact with her after our break up...all of which I meticulously explained to her. By then Adele was seventeen years old and was applying to colleges...she had fallen so in love with NYC during our time together that NYU became the only school she really wanted to go to...I am happy to tell you that that is exactly where she went!

Flash forward a year...I can't honestly tell you which one of us made that first phone call, but one of us did, and the rest, as they say, is history. Enough time had passed, lives were moving in new directions and Adele and I missed each other terribly...so we took to calling and writing each other to stay in touch. We would also see each other occasionally when I was in NYC or when she came to LA to visit her then NYU boyfriend whose family lived here. Since then there has never been a moment when we weren't in contact with one another.

So, of course, when I emailed a bunch of people about the SUGAR & STILETTOS website and blog, Adele was at the top of that list and one of the first to respond. Her unbridled enthusiasm and love came through in every word she wrote...I was simply basking in the glow of her accolades...then she said this, "Okay, so you might have to add "Cinnamon Pancakes" to your recipe link. I remember you making those for me when I would come to the city as a little girl, and I LOVED them...They were soooo good...maybe your first baking venture....LOL..."

For a second I couldn't breathe. I just sat staring at my computer remembering the shy little girl I first met. And how twenty five years later she was telling me that the memory of those Cinnamon Pancakes I often made for her still brought a smile to her face and a longing to her taste buds...who knew? I had all but forgotten those pancakes.

After coming out of my stupor, I immediately ran into my kitchen searching frantically for that recipe...which miraculously I found! So my sweet, Adele, thank you for giving me back a piece of our younger relationship - what a glorious trip it has been...click here to find your wonderful CINNAMON PANCAKE recipe.

Amuse-toi bien ma belle...shall we always remember the power of delicious food to nurture our lives and our souls...

Bisous,

Nanci