Breakfast for Dinner Is the Last Great Weeknight Freedom

Nobody has ever been disappointed to learn that it is pancakes tonight.

Consider your typical Tuesday. You have forty minutes, a tired family and half an onion. You could attempt something from the internet with fourteen ingredients. Or you could crack some eggs, fire up the griddle and be declared a hero by people who usually complain.

The case in full

• It is cheap. Eggs, flour and a little bacon go a long way.
• It is fast. Dinner is on the table in twenty minutes.
• It feels like breaking a rule. Children respond to this. So do adults.
• Everyone agrees on it. This may be the last topic in your house with that distinction.

Disputes we have settled

Waffles are allowed but they count as showing off. Syrup should be warm. Hash browns should be crisp at the edges, and if you are serving them soft, you must explain yourself to the group.

Cereal is not breakfast for dinner. Cereal is giving up, which is also fine sometimes, but let us call it what it is.