Banana Pancakes for Dinner

Yay! Ben’s night to cook! And what did I want? Pancakes. It was that kind of a day. Winter officially arrived on Mount Desert Island. Blowing, snowy, cold, and oh-so-cozy on the couch by the fire. Should I tell you I spent the day in my PJ’s, too? Well, I did. And I wanted pancakes for dinner. Several times, Ben muttered that he couldn’t believe he was making pancakes for dinner. Several times I responded clearly that he had talked them up and now he needed to deliver.

And deliver he did. These weren’t just any pancakes. He didn’t measure anything, went by pseudo memory from a recipe he had seen in The Joy of Cooking, and he added a few things he found in the pantry to give them a little kick. The surprise of the night was not that they actually tasted good (that was a given!), but that he accidentally grabbed the new pepper grinder he had given me for my birthday. Which incidentally looks just like the new salt grinder he gave me for my birthday. He caught the mistake quickly, but not before the pancakes acquired a bit of a “spicy” aftertaste (which wasn’t bad at all!) I was presented with a neat little stack, dripping in real maple syrup and butter. His comment? “Presentation is everything, babe.” Well, not only did they look great – they were exactly what I wanted. How does he always know?

Ben’s Banana Pancakes (as deciphered by Gal Foodie with a little help from the JOC)
1 1/2 cup flour
4 tsp sugar
1 3/4 tbsp baking powder
2 cranks on the salt grinder (not pepper!) OR 1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp Cinnamon
1/4 tsp Nutmeg
In another bowl combine:
2 Eggs
1/1/2 cups Milk
1 very very ripe banana
1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions
Combine dry ingredients with wet. Mix until smooth.
Pour 4 inch medallions into a hot skillet seasoned with butter (or a little bacon or sausage grease for extra calories and extra delicious crispy edges.) Brown on each side. Smoother with butter and real maple syrup. Eat and smile.

Variations on a Theme:
We suggest adding chopped walnuts or pecans. Um, yum.