My eight year old daughter, Courtney, adores pancakes as does Isabelle, our little Boston Terrier! At our house it is a Saturday morning tradition that I prepare pancakes. It is a definite request for Christmas morning.

Here are a few delicious pancake recipes you might like to prepare for your family during the holidays or Christmas morning. Who knows, you might implement a pancake tradition at your house.

A real short cut is to buy a box of the `President's Choice' pancake mix that you just add water to. Our family enjoys the buttermilk best.

To cut calories and sugar we use the light Aunt Jemima's maple syrup. You can add fresh toppings such as blueberries, bananas, peaches, pineapple, or strawberries and top with fat free whipped cream from the can. Voila, you have a lovely breakfast feast for the entire family.

If you enjoy cooking and have the time to prepare the following home made pancakes are truly delicious without a lot of sugar. My favourite is the lemon blueberry with just one tablespoon of sugar. This recipe has been approved by the diabetic coordinator at KEMH, Debbie Jones.? LEMON BLUEBERRY PANCAKES 1 egg 1 cup all-purpose flour 3 cup milk 1 tablespoon sugar 2 tablespoons vegetable oil 3 teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon salt 2 teaspoons grated lemon rind 1 teaspoon lemon juice 1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries (thawed and well drained) Beat egg with hand beater until fluffy; beat in remaining ingredients except blueberries just until smooth. Stir in blueberries. Grease heated griddle if necessary. (To test griddle, sprinkle with few drops water. If bubbles skitter around, heat is just right.) For each pancake, pour about 3 tablespoons of batter from tip of large spoon or from pitcher onto hot griddle. Cook pancakes until puffed and dry around edges. Turn and cook other side until golden brown.

Yields about nine 4-inch pancakes APPLE HARVEST PANCAKE PUFF 1 cup water 2 tablespoons butter or margarine 1 cup complete or buttermilk complete pancake mix 2 eggs 4 cups sliced apples 2 tablespoons butter or margarine 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 2 tablespoons chopped pecans Syrup Heat oven to 400 degrees. Generously grease 9-inch pie plate. Bring water and butter to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add pancake mix; stir vigorously until mixture leaves side of pan and forms a ball. Remove from heat; add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Spread batter evenly onto bottom and sides of prepared pie plate. Bake for 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 300; continue baking for 10 minutes or until golden brown.

Meanwhile, saute apples in butter and cinnamon, stirring frequently until crisp-tender. Spoon into hot pancake puff; sprinkle with pecans. Cut into wedges; serve with syrup.

Yields 6 to 8 servings.

BUTTERMILK PANCAKES 1 1 cups all-purpose flour 3 tablespoons sugar 1 1 teaspoons baking powder 3 teaspoon salt 2 eggs, beaten slightly 1 1 cups buttermilk 1 cup butter or margarine, melted Combine first 4 ingredients; sift into mixing bowl. Combine remaining ingredients; mix well. Add liquids to dry ingredients and stir just until dry ingredients are moistened. Do not over mix; batter will have a few lumps. for each pancake pour 1 cup batter onto hot, lightly greased griddle. Brown on underside; turn and brown other side. Serve with butter and syrup.

Yields about 12 pancakes.

PECAN PANCAKES 1 egg 1 cup all-purpose flour 1 tablespoon baking powder 2 teaspoons sugar 1 teaspoon salt 3 cup milk 1 tablespoon vegetable oil 1 cup chopped pecans Beat egg with hand beater until fluffy; beat in remaining ingredients, except pecans, until just smooth. Grease heated griddle if necessary. For each pancake, pour about 3 tablespoons batter from tip of large spoon or from pitcher onto hot griddle. When pancakes begin to cook (bubbles will appear), sprinkle a few chopped pecans over each pancake. Turn and cook other side until golden brown.

Yields about 9, 4-inch pancakes.

SHORT STORY COMPETITION CPN