When they finally get up

Everyday Kitchen - Some friends far away entrusted me with their 16-almost-17-year-old son for a Newfoundland holiday. Although my own teenage years are a distant memory, I have enough nephews and nieces to recognize the morning routine.

Lie in bed as long as you possibly can, blocking household noise and outside distractions that would wake the dead. Then stroll into the kitchen admitting to being a little bit hungry and eat roughly what is served for a Sunday brunch buffet at your average hotel.

Quantity is obviously a key consideration for teenage boys but I couldn't in good conscience put a less-than-tasty breakfast on my table. I guarantee your teenagers will relish every bite of these dishes.

Chocolate chip buttermilk pancakes

Don't be tempted to increase the quantity of chocolate chips or they will overpower the light tasting batter - this amount is plenty. If you can't be bothered picking up buttermilk put 2 tbsp. vinegar in a 2-cup measure and fill with milk. Stir and allow to sit five minutes.

2 cups flour

2 tbsp. sugar

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

2 cups buttermilk or soured milk

2 lightly beaten eggs

2 tsp. vanilla

1/4 cup melted butter or margarine

1/2 cup chocolate chips

Whisk or sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk together buttermilk, eggs, vanilla, and melted butter and stir quickly and lightly into dry ingredients-lumps are a good thing in pancake batter. Stir in chocolate chips. Coat a non-stick frying pan with cooking spray or add a little oil. Using a 1/4-cup measure or ladle, pour the batter into pan over medium heat. Depending on the size of your pan, fry three or four pancakes at a time-don't crowd them too closely together or they will be harder to flip. Now don't touch them until there are bubbles all over the tops of the pancakes. Lift one edge carefully and, if golden, flip them over. They need less time on the other side so watch carefully. Repeat until the batter is all cooked. Serve with syrup or fruit and a sprinkle of icing sugar.

Three-cheese bagels

My boy had a taste for aggressive cheese and loved this combination. If your kids are into the milder varieties substitute grated cheddar for blue. I promise they will love the goat cheese and brie, though. The measures are all approximate - use as much or as little as you like, of course. The butter adds sweetness but leave it out if you prefer. These are great for road trips because, wrapped well in foil, they stay warm and delicious for quite a while. They are also perfect for a brunch buffet table because you can hold them in a warm oven, again, wrapped in foil, for an hour. By the way, the adults will like them just as much as the kids.

4 plain or whole wheat bagels, halved

2 tbsp. soft butter or margarine (optional)

1/2 cup brie, rind removed if you wish, although I don't mind it at all

1/4 cup each goat cheese and blue cheese, mashed together

Toast bagels and butter lightly. Microwave brie until soft. Spread on bottom halves of bagels. Spread goat and blue cheese mixture on bagel tops and press halves together. Cut in half before serving.

Bacon & egg English muffins

Spending money to have someone at a fast-food restaurant put a fried egg, a piece of ham or couple of strips of bacon, and a slice of cheese on an English muffin gets my goat. These are so easy to make at home save yourself a few bucks. I tart mine up with a little chipotle mayonnaise and a slice of tomato but plain is pretty darned good, too. When I'm feeling wild and crazy I layer on a slice of smoked ham, a spoonful of guacamole and a spoonful of refried beans - now it's a feast, not breakfast anymore.

Chipotles come in little cans but unless you're making a gigantic pot of chili it's too much for most recipes. I enclose the little smoked hot peppers individually in plastic wrap then put them in the freezer. They keep forever and are ready when you are for a jolt of smoky flavour and heat. Try the mayo on other sandwiches, too - it will rescue the lamest filling you can think of.

8 strips bacon

4 eggs

4 English muffins, halved

2 tbsp. soft butter or margarine

4 slices Swiss cheese

4 thin slices tomato, most of the seeds removed

Chipotle mayonnaise:

1 chipotle pepper, minced

1/3 cup mayonnaise or salad dressing

Fry bacon until it is as crisp as you like it. Set aside to drain. Remove all but a little of the fat in the pan and add eggs, breaking the yolks as you go. Fry until just cooked through - a little soft yolk in the middle is nice. Toast muffins and butter. Layer on the bottom half of each muffin two strips of bacon, one slice of cheese, one egg, and one slice of tomato. Spread chipotle mayo on the other halves and press the parts together.

Cynthia Stone is a writer, editor and teacher in St. John's. Questions may be sent to her c/o The Telegram, P.O. Box 5970, St. John's, NL, A1C 5X7.