Lazy, leisurely days or holiday weekends, there’s time for a little light cooking to make a special breakfast or brunch. One way to savor your apple a day is to use the fruit in simple pancakes or omelet variations.

Here’s a starter kit, one of each to try, to begin the day pleasantly and even make it seem rather festive.

Apple Puff Omelet

1/4 cup sweet butter or margarine

2 large apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

4 large eggs

Apple Puff Omelet, an easy fresh-fruit breakfast or brunch item, could lend a leisurely holiday feel to any day.

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

1 tablespoon confectioners’ sugar (optional)

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Heat butter or margarine in a medium-size skillet and saute the apples for 5 minutes over low heat. Mix together brown sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle over apples. Toss and continue to saute apples for about 10 minutes, until they caramelize. The mixture will be thick and syrupy. Spoon mixture into an 8-by-8-inch baking dish and keep hot in the oven.

Separate eggs. Whisk yolks and granulated sugar in a small bowl until fairly thick. In a large bowl, beat egg whites with cream of tartar until stiff and shiny. Fold into yolk mixture, a third at a time. Pour egg mixture over the apples and bake for 8 to 10 minutes. The omelet will be puffed and golden. Remove from the oven and, if desired, sprinkle with confectioners’ sugar. Serve immediately.

Makes 4 servings.

Apple Pancakes With Maple Apple Sauce

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Apple Pancakes With Maple Apple Sauce are liberally doused with sauce that's sweetened with pure maple syrup. The pancakes and the sauce are quickly made for a brunch or breakfast special to savor slowly.

3 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons granulated sugar

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/3 teaspoon baking soda

1 egg, lightly beaten

3 tablespoons butter, melted

1/4 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup milk

1 cup grated apple

Combine flour, baking powder, salt, sugar and nutmeg in mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, mix baking soda, egg, butter, vanilla and milk. Combine both mixtures, stirring only until blended. Fold in grated apple.

Using about 1/4 cup of batter for each pancake, pour batter onto hot, lightly greased griddle to bake. When top of each pancake shows full of holes, turn to brown on other side. Turn pancakes only once while cooking.

Makes 4 servings.

Maple-Apple Sauce

2 teaspoons butter

2 large apples, peeled, cored, and diced

1/4 cup pure maple syrup

1/8 cup dark corn syrup

Dash of salt

Melt butter in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add apples and saute until just brown, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add maple syrup and corn syrup to apples and stir gently. Let cook another 2 to 3 minutes or until mixture thickens. Serve with Apple Pancakes.

Makes 4 servings.

AP recipes from the U.S. Apple Assn.