Pancakes (inspired by Grammy!)

When I was growing up, once in a while us kids would go out to Grandma and Grandpa's for a sleepover. One of the highlights was always pancakes with blackberry sauce for breakfast. Grandma would get me a little stool to stand on, and I would get to help make them. She had (and still has) a huge blackberry bush in her backyard and she's always stocked with either fresh or frozen berries. I've come to appreciate the blackberry sauce more as I've grown up; when I was little I used to pour a pile of sugar on my plate and stick my pancakes pieces in that!

Although I normally use King Arthur's recipe for pancakes (it is yummy), this morning I wanted something with a bit healthier, so I tried out Cooking Light's Whole Wheat Buttermilk Pancakes. I didn't have buttermilk on hand (normally don't), but I did have yogurt (always do), so I used half milk, half yogurt with a squeeze of lemon juice added, and it worked perfectly fine. I kept them in a warm oven while I made the blackberry sauce...

Combine 2 cups blackberries (mine were frozen from grandma!), a tablespoon of lime juice and 3-4 tablespoons granulated sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook until the berries release their juices and start to break apart a bit, you can help them along by crushing them a bit with your spoon or spatula. Add 1 teaspoon cornstarch dissolved in 1 tablespoon of water and cook until it starts to bubble and thicken.

* My grandpa always used to rip his pancakes up with his hands instead of cutting them up with a knife and fork (he did it with buns for sloppy joes too)! My mom did it in honor of him this morning!