When they reached the kitchen, Hannah took one step inside the doorway and into her brightly lit kitchen, sniffed the air again, and stared at her sister, who was standing at the stove. “Not gingerbread?” she asked.

“What?” Michelle looked puzzled.

“Not gingerbread. I thought you were baking gingerbread, but the oven’s not on. What are you frying?”

Michelle looked pleased. “You’re close, Hannah. I’m frying Gingerbread Pancakes. One of my housemates got the recipe from her grandmother. She said her grandmother used to make Gingerbread Pancakes every Christmas morning and that it was a family tradition. Since it’s the Christmas season, I thought it was the perfect time for us to try them.”

“They smell really good,” Hannah complimented her sister. “What kind of syrup do you use on Gingerbread Pancakes?”

“I don’t know, and my friend didn’t know, either. She thought maybe her grandmother had served them with honey, but she couldn’t really remember.”

“We can experiment with syrups,” Hannah suggested, heading for the coffeepot to pour herself a cup. “It looks like you’re making a lot of pancakes. Are you expecting anyone else for breakfast?”

“No, but my friend told me that her grandmother used to freeze her pancakes and then reheat them in the oven between sheets of foil. That sounded interesting and I thought I’d try it to see if it works.”

“If it does, you could probably reheat them in the microwave, too. The only problem is that you can’t use foil.”

“You wouldn’t have to use foil. You could reheat one pancake on a paper plate if you covered it with a paper towel. I’ve done that with frozen waffles before.”

Hannah smiled at her sister. “You’re right, and that would be an easy way to make breakfast on the run. You could thaw a pancake, butter it and sprinkle it with sugar, roll it up in a paper towel the way Great-grandmother Elsa used to do with lefse, and heat it in the microwave. Then you could eat it on your way to school, or the bus stop, or work.”

“We’ll try that to see if it works. But in the meantime, would you like a couple of Gingerbread Pancakes? This batch on the griddle is almost ready.”

“Of course I would! You’re the princess of breakfasts, Michelle.”

“Thanks. I’ll bring the pancakes to you when they’re done, along with the honey, dark Karo syrup, butter and sugar, and molasses. We can try them out and see which topping is best.”