Monday, December 29, 2008

In which I am surprised by
getting exactly what I want

Because what I thought I was getting was . . . nothing. Which would have been fine. Really. Husband and I have a big blow-out ski trip to Alta planned for the end of January. Given the expense of that, along with the rest of our crack ski habit and the dismal economy, we reasoned that we would skip giving presents to each other. And isn't every day we spend together a gift in itself? Well, maybe not, but we wanted to save money and hassle. The presents would be for Sophie, and our gift would be watching her open them.

So on the way drive down to my parents' house the day of Christmas Eve, we had the following conversation:
HUSBAND: So you wrapped up that book you ordered me as my present. [Something he heard about on NPR about the building of the Giza pyramids. Yawn.]

FIGS: Yes. If you can't wait for the paperback to come out, you're going to have to wait for Christmas to open it. And there might be something else for you to open as well.

HUSBAND: So we're going to have another Christmas where I have all these things to open from you and your family and you have nothing to open from me.

FIGS: I included your name on all the gifts to my family. And no one will notice that you didn't get me any gifts.

HUSBAND: Your sister will notice.

FIGS: Yes, she will. But she's long since ceased to be amazed by this.

HUSBAND: Well, if you had wanted something, I would have bought it for you.

FIGS: Oh, there are always things I want.

HUSBAND: Really? Such as?

FIGS: I really liked that pancake pan that Pam had at the beach house last fall. The one that makes the round pancakes. You can put jam in the middle of them.

HUSBAND: Oh, I didn't know you wanted one.

FIGS: That's ok. It's not an emergency, and my birthday is in June.

HUSBAND: Where does one buy such a thing?

FIGS: Williams-Sonoma. They have it in the catalog. You don't have to go to the mall.
HUSBAND: Anything else?
FIGS: Well, you can never go wrong with cashmere sweaters.

And so several hours later, what did I open FROM HUSBAND?

Yahoo!!

One of Husband's most amazing qualities is to slyly observe my interest in certain objects and then squirrel away that piece of information until a gift opportunity arises. I think I'll keep him.

If you do not have one of these pans, you should race out immediately and purchase one. They're very easy to use, and the array of fillings you can use is endless. I used a mixed berry jam I made last summer, but in the summer fresh berries would be nice. So would lemon curd, chocolate ganache, a cooked apple filling . . . The recipe for the pancake is a fairly standard one, except that you separate the eggs and whip the whites until stiff and then fold them in. The result is a very light and airy little puff of a thing.

The leftovers were even good cold later in the afternoon.

And my gift from my mom? A cashmere sweater. Black. Turtleneck. Perfect.

14 comments:

KK said...

Aw! What a sweet husband! :) I think I need one of those pans even though I've made pancakes twice in my life! ;)

Debie Napoleon said...

What a nice husband you have. Cashmere seems to be the sweater style this year.

lisagh said...

Good job Mr. Figs!

And black cashmere turtleneck - perfect staple. You'll want to wear it every day!

TC said...

But HOW? HOW do you put stuff in the middle of the pancake? I must know!

Jen Yu said...

Nice score! Those little pancake thingies are too cute. I must resist the urge to purchase more single-purpose cookware and bakeware... Hope you all had a grand time together!

Maria said...

Awesome, awesome, AWESOME! Your husband is awesome...I kept on chanting that the minute I saw the pan. The Aussie and I registered for one (more like I registered for it, he was too engrossed in the Wusthof knives) and I hope we get it, it looks like so much fun, especially after I saw the video on how to use on on the W-S site.

Jennifer S said...

Okay, that's pretty great.

My husband and I got each other a new microwave, and I was content with that. But I'm lobbying for a new mattress in the next few months. Or a sofa. I'd rather have practical things for the house over jewelry any day.

adozeneggs said...

I keep seeing that pan in the WS catalog. I may have to exchange my new waffle iron from MIL for one of those! (already have a waffle iron)

ANFQ said...

We got one of those pans, too! Waiting to use it on New Year's Day since currently I am having technical problems buttoning my pants :)

The Mrs. said...

Okay I want one now too! Merry Christmas!!!

Preppy Pink Crocodile said...

Too sweet! I've been curious about that round pancake pan. That might make my birthday wish list for 09.

Kate said...

Fun! I may have to put that on my birthday list. Hey - if you don't have it yet, check out the America's Test Kitchen Family Baking Book. My husband bought it for me for Christmas & it has become my constant companion...love it!

Kim said...

I swear I want one of those things and DOTR would love it. He still remembers having ebelskibers or whatever the heck you call them when he visited California relatives when he was a little kids.

I am sooooooo coveting your pan. And your sweater. Sheesh, you scored.

Heather said...

I am so impressed with him!