Slumber Party Donuts

When I was a kid, we made these easy donuts every time we had a sleep-over! They are made from refrigerated biscuit dough.  My mom always cooked them in Crisco- right in the big metal Crisco can. We always coated them in powdered sugar or cinnamon sugar.  I have made them from time to time, but lately they have been the go-to when we have a sleep-over.  We have been experimenting with different oil, temperature and toppings/glaze.  I have tried making the dough from scratch and have had more fails than successes.  

I was hoping to *perfect* simple donut-making before I posted them, but I decided to let go of perfection and post these.  The best part is that they are inexpensive, super easy and so fun to get the family (or friends) involved.  In a few minutes you can make dozens of donuts (and you never have to change out of your pajamas)!

Super Simple Homemade Donuts

4 pack of refrigerated biscuit dough

Coconut oil

Powdered Sugar

a little milk

Using a small circle cutter, cut out the middle of the biscuit (or a good cap to a bottle that has a nice clean edge).  Depending on the diameter of your biscuit and the size of your circle cutter, you might need to pat out the biscuit dough a little bit with your hand.  Set these aside, near the stove top.  

In a deep (but not large) bowl, combine 2 cups or so of powdered sugar in a bowl with drops of water, drizzles at a time, stirring between until the glaze is the consistency desired- liquid but not too thin.

In a medium sized pot, scoop in enough coconut oil to make a 3 inch (or so) deep bath.  Heat on medium high burner until simmering. (Don't let it get to a rolling boil.) 

With a platter lined with several paper towels and a large slotted spoon or tongs in hand, begin gently sliding the dough into the hot oil.  (You can put as many at a time in the oil as will fit, as long as they don't touch the sides of the pan or each other.) Let them cook a minute or two, but watch closely! Once you can tell that the underneath is becoming brown, it's time to flip.  The second side is usually faster. Once you have cooked on both sides and they have browned, carefully lift them out of the oil and tap to leave behind excess oil.  Then promptly place on the towel-lined plate.  

Continue to cook more dough, carefully watching, turning and draining.

Have another person be the "glazer", where they dredge the donut through the glaze and flip to coat. After tapping off excess glaze, place on a drying rack on top of a baking sheet (lined with parchment paper for easy clean up).   

OR you can shake in a paper sack filled with powdered sugar for Powdered Sugar donuts, or granulated sugar or cinnamon & sugar.  

Get creative and try different things! We have tried sprinkling glazed donuts with sprinkles.  We even used a syringe and piped them with raspberry jam.  

You really can't go wrong.  I just recommend you eat them immediately.  They really don't taste great the next day, sadly. 

These are not fancy (by any means) but they are fun and cheap and tasty.   

Nothing like THESE incredible creations! (Nashville/Franklin has a local donut chain that re-defines donuts.  Five Daughters Bakery serves the richest, most decadent, 100-layer croissant-donuts filled with amazingly buttery, sugary toppings.  If you are local, or visiting Nashville, you should make the stop.  I have only taken my kids one at a time because the cost is prohibitive and they are over the top.) 

And these are photos from my FAILED and messy attempt at Old Fashioned from-scratch donuts.  I am open to any tips you have to offer.  I want to find a way to make quick, yet tasty, dense from-scratch donuts but after several fails I have returned to using biscuit dough and letting the experts do the rest!

So next time you have a slumber party, or a vacation, or have a craving for donuts, buy some refrigerated biscuit dough and whip up some donuts... and life-long memories while you're at it. 

Mini Cinis! (Quick Mini Cinnamon Rolls)

I am a fan of cinnamon rolls!  And the smell of them in the oven is irresistible! I have always marveled that Cinnabon Cinnamon Roll shops need not market their goods, as long as they keep baking the rolls in the mall.  The smell lures people in!

As much as I love cinnamon rolls,  I often do not have the time to devote to yeast-based cinnamon roll making! So, these quick little treasures are a good stand in! They are made with canned refrigerated crescent rolls and are therefore super fast and easy while still being flaky and tasty.

I like making mini-muffins and mini versions of things so that less is wasted and people can get as much as they want (1 or 2 or 8...like my son did)! Also, when hosting a gathering, I prefer to serve minis so that guests can have a taste of a lot of different things.

There are several variations of this recipe swirling around the internet and in cookbooks- some with butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar.  I tried this one which doesn't call for butter and they were great (since there is plenty of butteriness in the crescent rolls already). So, feel free to play around with the recipe and adapt to your liking! You can add more cinnamon or chopped nuts inside, or even orange zest. This is just the basic recipe to get you started.

Here's how to make them:

Mini Cinis
(makes about 28 itty bitty rolls)

for the rolls-
1 package (8 oz) refrigerated crescent rolls
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 heaping Tbsp. ground cinnamon

for the frosting- 
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla or almond extract
A spoonful or so of milk (or enough to achieve desired consistency)

for the top-
a few pinches of coarse salt to sprinkle on top after drizzling with frosting (because salty sweet is always a win)
chopped pecans if you choose

Preheat oven to 350˚. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.

Unroll crescent roll dough onto a baking mat or another piece of parchment paper.  Separate into 4 rectangles. Firmly press diagonal perforations with your fingers to smooth them out.

Mix brown sugar and cinnamon together in a small bowl.
Sprinkle mixture evenly over rectangles- leaving a 1/2 inch margin around the edge (so that the dough can stick to itself when you roll it).

Carefully roll each rectangle into a log starting from the longer side. 

Cut each log into 1/2 thick slices.  

 Arrange mini cinnamon rolls close to one another on the baking sheet.

 Bake the mini cinnamon rolls in the preheated oven until golden, 10 to 13 minutes.  Transfer onto a plate and set aside to cool for a minute. 

Combine the confectioner's sugar, vanilla and milk in a measuring cup until smooth and a pourable (but not too thin) consistency. Drizzle over warm rolls.  Sprinkle with a little coarse salt (and pecans if you are adding those).

a double batch- minus the handful my son snagged

 This is a simple 

recipe I couldn't resist passing along to you.

Enjoy!

A Season of Liminality: A Threshold

What do you write when it's been 3 months since you've written anything? It's been an unusual season for my family. And it feels like we are now in an "in-between".

I was already behind on blogging- I had a few batches of photos from foods I had made that were awaiting the day when I could write and post. January had been filled with some good eats: yummy Mustard Greens with Hoppin' John from New Year's celebrating, a lovely Chocolate Cake (via Barefoot Contessa) for MLK day, and homemade donuts from my Lucy's birthday and a few other snacks and goodies.

And then one Wednesday afternoon at the end of January we came home from work/school to find that our house had been robbed and ransacked.  It was a watershed moment.

You know, the moments that then mark time.

So we have been picking up the pieces, literally and figuratively.  We have been doing the logistical, spiritual, parental and psychological work of the aftermath of something like this.  Through this, though, we have been given a chance to reevaluate things- what is important, what's not, where we are "storing up treasures", the limits and illusion of safety, the complexity of life, the comfort of loved ones.

Sadly, the loss included my computer and my camera.  So my photos of those January foods I mentioned are gone.  And I have just now been able to buy a computer and camera to replace the stolen ones.  I'm still waiting for the wind in my sails to motivate me to blog-on.  It hasn't seemed to return yet.

It seems like we are in a place of liminality.

Li·mi·nal - of or relating to a sensory threshold;  being in an intermediate state, phase, or condition. (Merriam Webster Dictionary)

An artist that spoke at Belmont several years ago, Makoto Fujimura, spoke of liminality and its challenge and opportunity.  About liminal spaces, places of threshold, he said,

These are dangerous places, filled with struggle.  Uncomfortable.  But places of unique perspective; fertile with creativity.  One who is courageous enough to live there can be a harbinger of truth.

It feels like that space between right now- not quite spring, but not quite winter.  Not quite settled after the break-in, but not in disarray; still replacing stolen items and awaiting another update from the detective, yet trying to find resolution without yet having reconciliation.

So, for this Liminal Space- I share these two recipes.  A great cold buster smoothie recipe that was passed along to me that I have been loving the past few weeks (a good any season breakfast) and an oatmeal cookie recipe that I find comforting.

My colleague Debbie sold me on this "cold buster smoothie" that her husband has been making for her this winter.  I was fighting cold symptoms so I took her recommendation.  This is an adaption of their recipe,  so of course, adapt even more as you like.  Debbie described this as "bright", and I think it depicts it perfectly! 

(And my cold was busted!)

Cold Buster Smoothie (inspired by Debbie and Steve)

Blend together:

• two fists-full of fresh Spinach leaves
• a peeled whole orange
• 1/2 of peeled lime
• a small slice of fresh ginger root
• 1/2 banana OR frozen mango- for creaminess and vitamins
• frozen pineapple- a handful
• brewed green tea-(I brewed a pitcher and kept it in my refrigerator the week of my cold) some mornings I just use water instead of green tea
• honey- if you need a little sweetening

Mix together in a blender until smooth.  Drink immediately.  Makes 1 large or 2 small smoothies.

And a quick, easy, and comforting cookie recipe.

I was talking with my friend Lindsey on Sunday about baked goods and she mentioned loving those decadent chocolate chip cookies with frosting sandwiched between them that they sell at the mall. You know those?  And she said one of her favorite treats is Oatmeal Cream Pies.  I didn't know.  I will tuck that little information in my memory for some day when a treat might be in order.  She said she loves Oatmeal Cookies.  I told her that I make oatmeal chocolate chip cookies- THIS delicious go-to-recipe my sister developed.  But I usually don't make traditional oatmeal raisin cookies.  For 2 reasons- my kids don't love raisins and I don't especially love cinnamon in cookies (unless they are snickerdoodles...but that's another story).  

My dad loves oatmeal raisin cookies.  His birthday was this week. So I decided, because I had two people to share with, I should make them.  I searched in cook books and online and decided to go with Smitten Kitchen (which is always a low-risk choice).  I made a couple of slight changes.  I used golden raisins and omitted the cinnamon.  The recipe calls for using all brown sugar (no granulated white sugar), a little extra salt and chopped walnuts.  All of these were the keys, I believe, to their yumminess.  They are nice and chewy (with all the oats and brown sugar) with a golden edge. The cookies turned out tasty and my kids gobbled them up! Which was a bonus.  

Oatmeal Golden Raisin Cookies
adapted from Smittenkitchen.com
(makes about 2 dozen)

1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, softened
2/3 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 large egg
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. kosher salt (or a little more if you are using unsalted butter)
1 1/2 cups rolled oats (old fashioned oats)
3/4 cup golden raisins
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped (optional)

In a large bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar, egg and vanilla until smooth.  Add in the flour, baking soda and salt and mix together.  Stir in the oats, raisins and walnuts.  CHILL the DOUGH.  (You can do this in the refrigerator for an hour or more, or in the freezer for 20 minutes, or you can scoop them into balls and freeze them for future baking.)

Once dough is chilled, scoop them out and place on parchment lined baking sheets.  Place in preheated 350˚ oven for 10 minutes or until golden brown.  Let sit for a few minutes on the pan and then slide them off with a spatula to cool on a rack.

As we wait for winter to pass and the spring to arrive, for seasons of liminality to pass, I want to courageously embrace the unique perspective and fertile ground that is the present. 

Mind Body Soul Nourishment

My mind is full of thoughts these days.  It feels like it's on overdrive sometimes.

The things I'm reading, for work and for personal growth have been rich and thought provoking. I want to underline and highlight it all and meet up to discuss every insight! It's inspiring and overwhelming! It feels like a feast.

Parenting my kids, each with unique needs and ever-changing situations, is requiring me to dig deep and get creative and think hard.  No coasting going on here, no cruise control- being fully awake is a must. It is purposeful and deep, joyous, exhausting and heart wrenching.


All the while, I'm trying to physically nourish my family and myself every day.

On busy days I am looking for fuel.  One of my go-to’s is Granola.  I try to always keep it on hand.  I love it for a power snack and it is one of my favorite breakfasts- especially with plain Greek Yogurt and fruit.  When my body feels out of whack, it’s usually because we are out of granola. 

I tried this new Granola recipe recently (though I am very loyal to my granola recipe I’ve been making for years).   I thought I would give it a go.  I got the inspiration for the recipe from My Father’s Daughter cookbook by Gwyneth Paltrow, which I checked out of the library.  She calls it "Favorite Granola" so I thought it was worth the shot.  It doesn’t have refined sugar and has substantially less oil than my regular recipe. I added and deleted a few things, but used her instructions, sweetening with real maple syrup and agave nectar.  It is really good. (After my last post of Monster Bars/Slice with gobs of sugar, chocolate chips and M & M's, it seemed like a good balance.)  Everything in moderation is a guidepost in my life. 

Here is the recipe for the Granola.

And HERE is my "standard" granola recipe.  And HERE is a Peanut butter granola recipe that I love. 

(I always double the recipe if I have enough ingredients because it freezes so well.  I leave one batch in a jar on the counter and the other in a ziplock in the freezer. ) 

Granola

2 cups whole rolled oats (Old Fashioned Oats)

½ cup whole raw almonds

¼ cup sunflower seeds

½ cup shredded coconut

¼ tsp. ground cinnamon

¼ tsp. salt

(I sprinkled a couple of tsp. Chia seed in mine too, or you can sprinkle wheat germ for some added umph!)

½ cup real Vermont maple syrup

3 Tbsp. light agave nectar

2 Tbsp. vegetable oil (or coconut oil brought to liquid temp)

½ cup Craisins and dried cherries (and/or golden raisins), roughly chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Stir together the oats, almonds, seeds, coconut, cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl.  Combine the maple syrup, agave, and vegetable oil in a small bowl and then mix with the dry ingredients.  

Spread the granola out on a baking sheet LINED WITH PARCHMENT PAPER (I learned the hard way about the importance of this). 

Bake for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until evenly browned.  Remove the pan from the oven and push the granola so it's about 1/3 inch thick, letting it cool completely and then breaking it apart into small pieces. 

Combine the cooled granola with dried fruit.  

Keeps well for several weeks in an airtight container and in a ziplock in the freezer for a few months!

And here is some mind/soul nourishment from some of my current readings:

(I highly recommend each of these books.)

From Mary Pipher’s The Shelter of Each Other about counseling with families:

 “Whatever the family is ashamed of must be discussed.  As Adreienne Rich wrote, ‘That which is unspoken becomes unspeakable.’ We are diminished by living with problems we try not to see.  Secrets keep families from dealing with reality.  They create alliances and estrangements.  They keep things from changing and make people feel ashamed.  Secrets teach people the destructive lesson that certain events cannot be handled.  For families or individuals to be healthy, they must be able to integrate all of their experiences into their lives. “

And from Brene Brown’s fabulous new book, Rising Strong about “rumbling with disappointment, expectations and resentment“, she says this:

“Here is what you need to know about disappointment: Disappointment is unmet expectation, and the more significant the expectations, the more significant the disappointment. The way to address this is to be up-front about our expectations by taking the time to reality-check what we're expecting and why.  Expectations often coast along under our radar, making themselves known only after they have bombed something we had high hopes for into rubble."

And Anne Lamott’s classic, Traveling Mercies, a section about coming to terms with her aging body.

“Over the years, my body has not gotten firmer.  Just the opposite in fact.  But when I feel fattest and flabbiest and most repulsive, I try to remember that gravity speaks; also, that no one needs that plastic-body perfection from women of age and substance.  Also, that I do not live in my thighs or in my droopy butt.  I live in joy and motion and cover-ups.  I live in the nourishment of food and the sun and the warmth of the people who love me.”

I am hoping you too can feed your body or your mind/soul on some of this, and "live in the nourishment of food and the sun and the warmth of the people who love (you)".

Dutch Baby: A Special and Simple Breakfast Treat

It only takes seeing a photo of beautiful food to drive me into a craving that propels me into action!  That's what happened a couple of weeks ago when I saw a photo of a Dutch Baby.

I read an article about race relations on Desiringgod.org one morning in May while I was drinking my early morning cup of coffee.  I really resonated with it and wanted to know more about the author.  I googled her, and found out her name is Kim Ransleben.  The google search listed her twitter feed.   Her most recent tweet was a photo of a Dutch Baby she had at a restaurant.  It was beautiful and delicious! I had seen a Dutch baby in a cookbook before and I thought it looked yummy and interesting, but had never tried to make it.

After seeing that picture, I walked straight into the kitchen, pulled down my Joy of Cooking cookbook, found the recipe and made one.  Right then and there! (You know how one thing leads to another.)  It was shockingly simple…with only a few ingredients, all of which I had on hand.  It puffs up into this beautiful pastry! It was so easy, such fun, and really delicious!

I wish I could offer samples through a screen, because it's difficult to describe the taste of the Dutch Baby.  I think it tastes a lot like french toast.  It's eggy, sweet, puffy and buttery.  Or like a donut, or a funnel cake.  (Just far less work!)

After making one, I started to dig around the web to learn more about it.  Evidently there is some controversy over the name/origin of this recipe.  Some call it a German Pancake, which is not nearly at clever sounding, though potentially more authentic to it's origin.  There are a variety of ways people garnish it.  Evidently people traditionally squeeze a lemon on top.  Others serve it sprinkled with cinnamon sugar, or topped with powdered sugar and dipped in maple syrup.  Some put berries on top of it.  We like it with powdered sugar!

Give it a try! It only takes about 15 minutes from start to finish. Be forewarned, though: you must move fast and serve it quickly because it falls soon after coming out of the oven.

Dutch Baby
adapted from Joy of Cooking

Makes One 10-inch cake; 4 servings

4 Tbsp. (1/2 stick) butter

1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
2 eggs, at room temperature
a couple of pinches of salt

Powdered sugar for dusting
Cinnamon sugar for topping or maple syrup, lemons for squeezing, or jam

Preheat oven to 425 ˚

Melt butter in a 10 inch skillet (ovenproof; cast iron is ideal) on medium high heat on the stove top. Tilt the pan so that the butter coats the sides. 
Whisk together all other ingredients (milk, flour, sugar, eggs and salt) in a bowl.  Once butter is melted in the skillet, pour the egg mixture in and cook, without stirring, for 1 minute.  Then place the skillet in the hot oven and bake until the pancake is puffed and golden, 10-15 minutes depending on your oven.  (The edges will be darker brown). Serve immediately, for the pancake loses its puff, and therefore its drama, almost immediately.

This is it! These few simple ingredients! 

The eggs are to be room temperature.  Since I don't have
farm fresh room temp eggs on hand in my house, I found this
trick from the Barefoot Contessa.  Place the eggs into a container of warm water
for a few minutes before cracking.  Works like a charm!

1/2 stick butter melted in the skillet.  A great beginning.

Pour the batter into the buttery pan and let cook for 1 minute.
Then stick it in the hot oven.

While it is cooking, you can set the table and get ready to move fast. 

Quickly sprinkle powdered sugar on top.
(Or cinnamon sugar if you prefer).

Ready to serve. 

Dig in! 

I am excited to add a new quick and special recipe to my breakfast treats and to share this discovery with you.

Energy Bites: Healthy & Delicious (For Real!)

I don't know if you have made energy bites of some sort, but I have become a fan of these yummy and healthy snacks.   A while back, my friend Connie gave me a few of these she had made to sample.  After I had one, I immediately texted her, "YUM! I tried them and I need the recipe!"  Then, a few weeks ago it was my snack-bringing week for church and I felt the need to make something a little more substantially nutritious than the biscuits and coffee cake I had made the previous months.  I looked on my Pinterest breakfast board and found this recipe that was pretty much Connie's recipe but with peanut butter instead of almond butter. I had forgotten about the recipe! 

I made a double batch- which yielded 40 something balls.  They were all gone within a few minutes of serving them.  I don't know if people were desperately hungry or they really liked them.  We have lots of kids that congregate around our snack table at church, so I think we can call these delicious when kids and adults ate them, and we can call them healthy since they are chock full of flax seed, chia and oats! 

I made them again for my family this week and we have enjoyed having them for a quick snack or for a breakfast on the go.  I even had one for dessert the other night (though my son believes that despite that fact that they are laced with chocolate chips, they do not qualify for dessert) !

I'm trying to have things on hand that are protein-rich, as my kids tend to reach for crackers, chips, and starches for snacks.  Lately, I've made Hummus and Texas Caviar to have in the refrigerator and try to always keep yogurt and smoothie-making supplies on hand.  If I get my act together to have the good stuff within reach, and prep a couple of things for the week, they have good, tasty, healthy things within reach.  

 

Energy Bites

Makes about 20

1 cup (dry) old fashioned oatmeal

2/3 cup coconut flakes

½ cup peanut butter (or almond butter- take your pick)

½ cup ground flaxseed

½ cup mini chocolate chips

1/3 cup honey

1 Tbsp. chia seeds

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Stir all ingredients together in a bowl.  Let set in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.  

Form into small balls (about golf ball size).  

Put in an air tight container and keep in refrigerator. 

If this inspires you to get into healthy oatey bar/bite making, I have two granola bar recipes I love that I wrote about HERE and HERE and my favorite go-to granola recipe HERE, oh and the lovely chewy peanut butter granola HERE.  If you are short on time, these simple but nutritionally dense bites are super easy and quick to put together.  

Making Banana Pancakes

Having middle schoolers is so interesting.  I'm seeing things about them as people, individual humans that I am fascinated by.  I sometimes wonder which of these attributes will be forever parts of them and which ones are seasonal.  An interesting quality about my son is that he cherishes ritual and celebration. More than anyone in our home.  He's the one who thinks of special ways to honor me on Mother's Day, and wants to commemorate the first day of school, or the first day of summer vacation with certain foods and traditions. Food really is the main focus of his celebrating.  He comes by this honestly.  I really think food is the cornerstone of most celebrating.  

Like earlier this month for my birthday.  I thought of a few activities that were non-food related, like hiking at Radnor Lake and cleaning my laundry room (I know, glamorous…thank you Gretchen for indulging), but for the most part it was about food and coffee.  

So, one of the desires of my son is to have "Saturday breakfast".  A real one.  Seated around the table not standing around or perched at the bar.  Weekday mornings are on-the-go and running about.  People fend for themselves or request a smoothie or egg to be made while someone is already blending or flipping.  The kids usually sit at the bar and Dave and I stand.  So, when we can, I try to honor this Saturday Breakfast Ritual. I love it too.  And I love that he loves it.  

The four mainstays of our Saturday Breakfasts are:

 our favorite Oh Boy Waffles.  If you haven't tried them you must.  They are like no other waffles.

And the Mile High Biscuits.  You need to make them this week! I crave them very often.

And French Toast - inspired by the Pancake Pantry.

And Banana Pancakes.

We were not having great luck with our Joy of Cooking recipe- they were flatter than a pancake! 

But my friend Melissa B. pointed me to the Martha Stewart Classic Pancake recipe and BINGO it's a winner.  It's a great classic pancake- that you can tweak and add to.  I love a Buckwheat pancake, or cornmeal or grainy one, but my family would rather stick to these fluffy, classic ones.

And as long as we can add some toasted pecans and sliced bananas, I'm happy with these pancakes.  They are predictable and easy.

Basic Pancakes
by Martha Stewart

1 cup all-purpose flour, (spooned and leveled)
2 Tbsp. sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup milk
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted, or vegetable oil
1 large egg

Butter or oil for pan

Assorted toppings or mix ins: chopped bananas, toasted pecans, berries, mini chocolate chips

Soft butter and syrup

Preheat oven to 200˚; have a baking sheet ready to keep cooked pancakes warm in the oven.  In a small bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt; set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together milk, butter (or oil), and egg.  Add dry ingredients to milk mixture; whisk until just moistened (do not over mix; a few small lumps are fine).  If you are adding mix-ins, do so now.

Heat a large skillet or griddle over medium heat.  Rub skillet with a little butter or oil on a paper towel.

For each pancake, spoon 2-3 Tbsp. of batter onto skillet, using the back of the spoon to spread batter into a round.  (Or use one of those fancy pancake pens- which I don't have or I would have provided photos to demonstrate. It's on my wish list.)

Cook until surface of pancakes have some bubbles and a few have burst, 1 to 2 minutes.  Flip carefully with a thin spatial and cook until brown on the underside, 1 to 2 minutes more.  Transfer to baking sheet; cover loosely with aluminum foil, and keep warm in oven.
Continue oiling/buttering pan before each pancake pouring.

Top with butter, syrup, and/or fruit, nuts, etc.

Enjoy!!

I can't help but sing the Jack Johnson song, Banana Pancakes, every time I make them! Do you know this song? It's a great weekend, breakfast-making soundtrack.  That entire album is.  I looked up the lyrics so I could really sing along and realized that I really didn't relate to it at all  (except that I like to make banana pancakes), nor was it the most family friendly lyrically.   So, for those of you who get to lie in bed on a weekday with your spouse and tempt him/her to stay in bed and take the morning slow and eat banana pancakes, then this might be your anthem.  My anthem is more about choosing to wake up early so that we can steal a quiet hour of drinking coffee, chatting, reading and centering before the onslaught of children and busyness and tasks enter the scene.  Unlike the song, our banana pancakes are requested by our children who devour them in 8 minutes.  And after a  "thanks for the pancakes" they are ready to move on to the next activity of the day.  Nevertheless, I still play the song when we make Banana Pancakes.

It's such fun to honor my teenager's desire to sit around the table together and make a special Saturday breakfast memory. I don't assume that this will always be the case, though with him, it just might.