We once had the sweetest dog, and thought it would be kind to string an outdoor line between the house and a tree so that she could run around without wandering off. The problem was, the minute we clipped her lead to that line, she absolutely froze. Something about that set-up rattled her so much, it was as if she were paralyzed. And she was a smart dog.

In how many households has the paralyzing phrase been heard: "Oh, we can't make pancakes, we're out of syrup"? Think how our foremothers would laugh at our inability to make from scratch so many of the things they whipped up without a second thought, that we think we have to buy or do without.

Syrup is certainly one of them, and it couldn't be easier. Bring a cup of brown sugar, a cup of white sugar, and a cup of water to a boil. Stir until the sugar is dissolved completely. Let the solution cool to a reasonable temperature, and serve. If you want to go wild, you could mix in a teaspoon of cinnamon, too.

That wasn't so hard, was it?

Now before we leave the subject – make all the brown-sugar syrup you want – but we would like to make an appeal for you to try real maple syrup. It is delicious. Yes, it is expensive, but so is nearly everything that is delicious. We have no commercial interest in the production and marketing of maple syrup; we just think you would like it.

And needless to say, the dog line lasted about three days.