Brendilly's Banana Pancakes

This morning, my 5-year old granddaughter wanted pancakes for breakfast. We decided on banana pancakes and I set to work. Pancakes are a lot of fun because once you have the basics down, you can add just about anything to them and make them all kinds of different ways. Here for your enjoyment, is my latest rendition of the banana pancake.

Brendilly's Banana Pancakes
Copyright 2012 Brendilly Bakes, All rights reserved

1 C. Milk
3 T. Fresh Lemon Juice
2 cups White Whole-Wheat Flour
2 t. Baking Powder
1-1/2 t. Ground Cinnamon
1 t. Kosher Salt
1 t. Grated Lemon Zest
1/2 C. Sour Cream
1/4 C. Agave nectar
2 Eggs
1 t. Vanilla Extract
1 T. Torani caramel flavored syrup
4 Ripe Bananas, coarsely mashed (so you have banana lumps in your pancakes)

DIRECTIONS: In a bowl or quart measuring glass, pour lemon juice and milk, and let sit while you mix the dry ingredients.
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, lemon zest, and cinnamon.
To the milk and lemon mixture add; sour cream, eggs, vanilla, Agave, and caramel syrup. Whisk until well combined.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry ones, mixing only until combined.
Fold in the mashed banana.
Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a large skillet or on a griddle over medium-low heat (300 on an electric griddle). Ladle the pancake batter into the pan to make 3 or 4 pancakes. Batter will be thick, so spread the pancakes out a bit as your ladling. Cook for 2-3 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 butter and maple syrup.








Pancake syrups abound on grocery store shelves, but for my money, there's no skimping on the real thing. For one thing, real maple syrup is typically not processed and therefore contains higher levels of potentially beneficial minerals including, copper, potassium, and calcium. Real maple syrup also has a higher antioxidant content than processed sugar, which is found in many of the counterfeit syrups. From what I understand, the body also assimilates pure maple syrup much slower than processed sweeteners, which translates to "better for you". One of the major differences between pure maple syrup and the others is taste. The real thing does taste different, like farm-fresh eggs or fresh cow's milk taste different than their processed counter-parts. Trust me though, it's good, and once you get used to it you won't want to go back. Give it a try......maybe on these yummy banana pancakes, and see what you think. :-)

Pumpkin Pie Milkshake

Something fun to do with leftover pumpkin pie. Toss a couple of slices in a blender with 4-5 scoops of vanilla ice cream, 1t. vanilla, 2t. cinnamon, and 1c. milk. Whir until smooth. Pour into 1 tall or 2 medium-sized glasses.












Top with whipped cream, a drizzle of maple syrup, and a sprinkle of cinnamon for a yummy and festive treat!

Pumpkin Pancakes

One of my favorite ways to celebrate fall is with pumpkin pancakes! I have searched far and wide for a good recipe and I think I may have finally come up with it. They're sweet, but not too sweet, and they have a definite pumpkininess. This batter is thick, so kind of spread it out a bit when you drop it onto the griddle or fry pan. Don't be tempted to thin it out. It's part of what makes these pancakes light and fluffy.

Serve with warm maple syrup for a true taste of fall! Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS:
1 1/2 cups fat-free evaporated milk
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 egg
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons apple-cider vinegar
2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
4 tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
Chocolate chips (if desired)


DIRECTIONS:
1. In a bowl, mix together the milk, pumpkin, egg, oil and vinegar. Combine the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon and salt in a separate bowl. Stir into the pumpkin mixture just enough to combine.
2. Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/3 cup for each pancake. Drop chocolate chips onto each pancake if desired. Brown on both sides and serve hot.

Meximayo

I came up with a new concoction the other day when I was experimenting with a sandwich. I wanted the sandwich to have a mexican flavor so this is what I did:

1 cup Mayo
1/2 cup Mild Picante
Salt, pepper, and cumin to taste
Mix it all up in a bowl and spread it on the sandwich.

It was really good and the folks I was preparing it for liked it too. Just a little concoction I thought I'd share with you. :-)

Falling for Fall!!

Fall is right around the corner!!! Yay!! Our mornings here are already feeling like it and I'm SOOOO excited!! I LOVE fall. It's when I make my amazing Pumpkin Bread and Molasses Cookies. My crockpot also gets a lot of use this time of year as I fill it with homemade soups, stews, and our award-winning chili. My baby sister and I try to get together and go pumpkin hunting every fall. It's her favorite season as well. I just love the feeling in the air this time of year. I can't really put it into words, but it just feels cozy. Cool air wafting through the kitchen windows and mingling with the aroma of fresh baked bread or homemade chili on the stove. It's the time of year for cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. There's nothing like that cool air mixed with the smell of Pumpkin Bread in the oven! Mmmmmm!!!! :-)

I can't wait to share some of my favorite fall recipes with you......just as soon as I sneak in one more batch of peach jam. ;-)

Cream Scones

This recipe was originally a Paula Deen recipe (can you tell I like to tweak other people's recipes?). I didn't do much to this one though as it's pretty good as is. I did add more cream and a little lemon zest. If you want a good, moist scone to go with your morning coffee, give these a try.

2 1/2 cups Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1/2 cup Sugar
2 t. Baking Powder
Zest of 1/2 small Lemon
1/2 t. Fine Sea Salt
1 stick Unsalted Butter
3 oz. Creme Cheese
2/3 cup Heavy cream, plus 1 T. for brushing
1 t. Turbinado Sugar or Sugar Crystals

1. Preheat the oven to 375 (300 for a convection oven). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and lemon zest.
3. Using a pastry blender, cut in the butter and cream cheese until the mixture is crumbly. Add the heavy cream, stirring just until the dry ingredients are moistened.
4. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll or pat the dough to 1-inch thickness.
5. Cut the scones using a 2 1/2" round cookie or biscuit cutter.
6. Place scones on the prepared baking sheet. Brush the tops with the remaining tablespoon cream and sprinkle with turbinado sugar or crystals. Bake until golden brown, about 12 minutes (14 in a convection oven).

Triple Chip Oatmeal Cookies

I found the original version of this recipe on "Brown-Eyed Baker". It's another foodie blog and the woman is a genius. I tweaked this recipe a little and made it my own. It is pretty yummy if I do say so myself. I added more vanilla, switched the chips around, added some cinnamon, and changed the flour. I hope you like it! :-)

1 1/2 cups Whole Wheat Pastry Flour
1 1/2 cups Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1 t. Baking Powder
1 t. Baking Soda
1/4 t. Fine Sea Salt
1 t. Ground Cinnamon
3 sticks Unsalted Butter, softened
1 1/4 cups Granulated Sugar
1 1/4 cups Light Brown Sugar
2 Eggs
4 t. Vanilla
1 1/2 cups Rolled Oats
1 cup Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
1 cup Milk Chocolate Chips
1/2 cup Peanut Butter Chips

1. Preheat over to 350 (or 300 for a convection oven). Line several cookie sheets with parchment paper.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.
3. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugars. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Mix in the vanilla.
4. Gradually beat in the flour mixture at low speed, increasing the speed as the flour is incorporated, mixing only until the dough comes together.
5. With a large wooden spoon or rubber spatula, stir in the chocolate and peanut butter chips.
6. Using a regular sized ice cream scoop, drop the cookies on the prepared cookie sheets about 2 inches apart (about 9 to a sheet). Bake until the cookies are slightly browned and set on the outside, but still soft and puffy in the middle, about 14 minutes (17 in a convection oven). Cool the cookies on the baking sheets for several minutes before removing to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Yield: 31-32 cookies