Banana Pancakes

This is the story of two sad bananas.  They were gorgeous when I brought them home.  Then they sat there as they watched the other bananas in their bunch get picked, only to be left behind.  Their skin went from bright, sunny yellow to brown and spotty.

Once bananas pass a certain stage in their ripeness, I won't eat them.  It's a texture thing, I don't like mushy food and these were about as "mushad" as one could possibly get. 

Normally I would freeze them for smoothies or wait until I had one or two more for banana bread.
But,  I felt the need to rescue them and do something with them other than relegating them to the dark, frozen tundra that is my freezer.

Pancakes are not usually what I crave for breakfast.  Generally I find them to be too filling, but these are not.  After eating more than my fair share I am happy to report that I did not have that "blegh" feeling after eating.  You know that feeling...  Rewind back to Thanksgiving.  Yeah, that one.

As usual when I am looking for a recipe I know I have, I can't find it.  Luckily I found a good jumping off point on allrecipes and then tweaked it to suit my tastes.

mashing bananas!

 

 

Banana Pancakes

 

1 cup AP flour

1 1/2 tbsp sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1 egg, beaten

1 cup whole milk

2 tbsp melted butter, cooled

2 ripe bananas, mashed

1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

1/8 tsp cinnamon

pinch nutmeg

 

 

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and salt in a bowl.  Whisk to combine.

 

In a medium bowl combine egg, milk, butter, vanilla and bananas.

 

Add dry ingredients to wet, mix until just combined and all flour is incorporated.

Batter will be lumpy, do not overmix. 

 

Ladle about a 1/3 cup batter into pan on medium heat and cook for 2 to 3 minutes per side.

Tom & Jerry

It has come to my attention recently that some of you only know this pair of names as a cartoon duo.

As soon as there is a chill in the air, I start craving this drink.  Think of it as a warm, boozy milkshake. Doesn't that sound amazing?! It's even better than you think...

I won't lie, it isn't one of those "Oh, I'll just pull a bottle down and shake" kind of drinks.  It takes a little planning and effort, but the end result is worth the 10 minutes of energy it requires.

This drink has such a loyal fan base that there are special "Tom & Jerry" punchbowl sets with matching mugs.  I kid you not...  Here's a pic to prove it:

In all its retro glory!

 

 

Everyone knows eggnog.  It's predictable and commonplace at holiday parties, but make a batch of this and people will stand up (although not for long...) and pay attention.  You may be inundated with recipe requests, so be prepared!  

 

I may not have been legal drinking age the first time I had one, which may have bolstered its appeal to me at the time, however in an effort to keep my parental units out of the clink, let's just say for arguments sake that I was 21. 
 

The point of this divulgence of info is not to horrify my lovely mother, although I can say with certainty that I have more than likely succeeded in spades, was to show my long standing loyalty to this holiday libation...  and with that said, I'm off to partake!


Tom & Jerry
-makes 4

3 eggs, separated
1/4 cup powdered sugar
pinch baking soda
1 cup + 1 tbsp Jamaican rum
2 oz. brandy
3 cups milk
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg + extra for garnish

(because this recipe calls for raw egg, I recommend using the best quality eggs you can find)

Beat egg yolks until light in color. Add powdered sugar, baking soda, 1 tbsp rum, cinnamon and nutmeg to yolks and beat again to combine. If needed, add another tbsp of powdered sugar.  The batter needs to be thick.  Set aside.

In a separate bowl, beat egg whites until stiff and slightly frothy.  If you own an immersion (stick) blender, break it out.  Those egg whites will be fluffy in 30 seconds.
Fold whites into yolk mixture and set aside.

In a medium saucepan, heat milk over low heat until it begins to simmer.  Remove from heat and set aside.

Warm mugs (I usually pour in hot water from a kettle, then dump it out) and add 1 1/2 tbsps of batter to each mug, top with a few tbsps of hot milk.  While stirring constantly, add 2 ozs rum then top with more milk to 1/4" below rim of mug.  Stir to combine.  Top with brandy and sprinkle nutmeg for garnish.


(Re) Union

A few days ago I had the good fortune to spend time with family members I haven't seen in awhile and met some new ones for the first time.  Those of us that live far away from the rest of our clans aren't able to be a part of each others daily life, so the chance to gather in one place for a few hours is extra special.

We had a lovely afternoon sharing food and stories, laughing and catching up with each other.  At times we are all so busy in the day-to-day that we fail to take a few minutes to just say "hi" to people we care about.
It was a chance for all of us to do just that and make a few more connections on Facebook, of course!

Connecting over food is a common experience for everyone on every continent, of every color and every religion.  It is good for us to acknowledge the commonality that ties us all together instead of focusing on the differences that fracture us.   Food is definitely one of those common denominators   It is an integral part of almost every celebration from birthdays to weddings, holidays, family gatherings, get-togethers with friends, etc.

And if you happen to be like most of us, where there's food, there's drink!  One thing I leaned about the guys in my family this weekend is their shared feelings toward bourbon.  They like it.  So, combining fall flavors with a little bourbon was the goal and I think I may have become a convert.


Hard-Pressed

• 1 1/2 ozs bourbon (I used Bulleit)
• 3 ozs fresh-pressed apple cider (or best quality store bought)
• dash fresh nutmeg
• ice 

• 1 tbsp light brown sugar
• 1 tbsp white sugar
• dash cinnamon
• dash nutmeg

Mix last 4 ingredients together, place on a small saucer and set aside.
Wet the outside rim of a glass and dip into sugar mixture to coat.
Combine the rest of the ingredients in a shaker and shake for 30 seconds, pour into prepared glass. Imbibe.