Banana Sour Cream Pancakes

I made these for dinner tonight, and the girls really loved them. The bananas get caramelized, which is yummy if you like bananas! The recipe comes from Barefoot Contessa, on foodnetwork.com.

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 cups flour

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

3 tablespoons sugar

1/2 cup sour cream

2 teaspoons baking powder

3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon milk

2 extra-large eggs

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 teaspoon grated lemon zest Unsalted butter

2 ripe bananas, diced, plus extra for serving

Pure maple syrup

DIRECTIONS:

Sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the sour cream, milk, eggs, vanilla, and lemon zest. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ones, mixing only until combined.

Melt 1 tablespoon of butter on a large skillet over medium-low heat until it bubbles. Ladle the pancake batter into the pan to make 3 or 4 pancakes. Distribute a rounded tablespoon of bananas on each pancake. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until bubbles appear on top and the underside is nicely browned. Flip the pancakes and then cook for another minute until browned. Wipe out the pan with a paper towel, add more butter to the pan, and continue cooking pancakes until all the batter is used. Serve with sliced bananas, butter and maple syrup.

Easy Savory Ham and Bread Pudding

This is a great way to use up some of your leftover Easter ham. I think the artisan bread really stepped up the dish. You can also make this the night before, refrigerate, then bake and serve it for breakfast.

6 eggs, beaten

1/2 pound diced ham

6 slices bread, cubed (I used an artisan garlic sourdough)

2 cups milk

1 cup cheese

salt and pepper

1/4 cup minced onion

1/2 teaspoon dry mustard

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 9x13 casserole dish. Mix all ingredients well. Pour into prepared dish and bake for 45 minutes.

Buttermilk Syrup

This is as close as I've found a recipe for Magleby's yummy syrup.  I have yet to find someone who doesn't like the taste!  It makes your regular pancakes or french toast extra tasty!

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 C Sugar

3/4 C Buttermilk

1/2 C butter

2 Tablespoons Corn Syrup

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons vanilla

 

In a medium saucepan, bring all ingredients except vanilla to boil (be careful, the soda makes this syrup quite foamy, so make sure your pan is big enough)!  Allow to boil gently for at least five minutes.  Remove from heat and immediately stir in the vanilla.  Serve warm over pancakes or waffles.  Stores well for a few weeks in the refrigerator.

"Instant" Pancake Mix and Pancakes (or waffles)

Derrick made these pancakes a few weeks ago, and they were honestly the coolest, yummiest, FLUFFIEST pancakes ever!  This is Alton Brown's recipe, which we found on foodnetwork.com.  This recipe makes a lot of mix, so unless you are making pancakes for an army, plan on storing the mix.  It will be good for up to 3 months.  Oh!  And you'll notice the photo is of a waffle.  That's because we made waffles with the mix today.  Makes great waffles, too!

INGREDIENTS:

6 C all-purpose flour

1 1/2 t baking soda (check expiration date first)

3 t baking powder

1 T kosher salt

2 T sugar

DIRECTIONS

Combine all of the ingredients in a lidded container.  Shake to mix.  Use within 3 months.  Use the recipe below to make the pancakes.

"INSTANT" PANCAKES

2 eggs, separated

2 C buttermilk (we have used regular milk when we didn't have buttermilk.  Still good, but we prefer the buttermilk)

4 T melted butter

2 C "Instant" Pancake Mix, recipe above

1 stick butter, for greasing the pan

2 C fresh fruit such as blueberries, if desired

Heat an electric griddle or frying pan to 350 degrees F.  Heat oven to 200 degrees F.

Whisk together the egg whites and the buttermilk in a small bowl.  In another bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the melted butter.

Combine the buttermilk mixture with the egg yolk mixture in a large mixing bowl and whisk together until thoroughly combined.  Pour the liquid ingredients on top of the pancake mix.  Using a whisk, mix the batter just enough to bring it together.  Don't try to work all the lumps out.

Check to see that the griddle is hot by placing a few drops of water onto the griddle.  The griddle is ready if the water dances across the surface.

Lightly butter the griddle.  Wipe off thoroughly with a paper towel.  (No butter should be visible.)

Gently ladle the pancake batter onto the griddle and sprinkle on fruit if desired.  When bubbles begin to set around the edges of the pancake and the griddle-side of the cake is golden, gently flip the pancakes.  Continue to cook 2-3 minutes or until the pancake is set.

Serve immediately or remove to a towel-lined baking sheet and cover with a towel.  Hold in a warm place for 20-30 minutes.

Yield:  12 pancakes