Grilled Pork Chops with Lime/Cilantro Dressing

Happy 4th! It's been a while. I've been writing in my other blog. I'm having trouble deciding which one I'd rather write in more, so maybe I'll just try to keep up with both for now. :)

I found this grilled pork chop recipe from Dine and Dish and loved how simple and delicious it looked, so we gave it a try a couple of weeks ago. Needless to say, this has quickly become one of our favorite weekly meals. I adapted it ever so slightly to fit our taste preferences, but it's still a quick and easy dinner. Throw some roasted potatoes in there (which I totally perfected, not to toot my own horn or anything) along with a good veggie (which I totally over-roasted in the oven...charred asparagus, anyone?) and you've got yourself a delicious meal. I think pork might be my favorite meat, ever.

Grilled Pork Chops with Lime/Cilantro Dressing
Slightly adapted from Dine and Dish

2-4 boneless pork chops (ours were decently thick, close to an inch)
salt
pepper
garlic powder
onion powder
cumin

As you can see, there are no measurements listed, because I don't ever measure these spices. Just sprinkle both sides of each pork chop until they are decently covered in the spices listed above - there's no right or wrong amount of seasoning, it's whatever you prefer!

Preheat grill to medium-high heat. Grill chops for approximately 10 minutes on each side (if you want the criss-cross grill marks, flip them twice, horizontally and then vertically), until just cooked through. If your pork chops are thinner, reduce the grill time.

While the pork chops are grilling, make the dressing:

Lime/Cilantro Dressing

1/3 cup lime juice, preferably fresh (though admittedly I don't always have time to juice 4-5 limes..)
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp. fresh cilantro, chopped (I rarely measure this either; just grab a decent handful)
1/2 tsp. dried hot red-pepper flakes
1 garlic clove, minced
salt & pepper, to taste

Whisk everything together until combined. That's it! Serve pork chops with dressing drizzled on top.

I don't have a whole lot of plans this year for the 4th, but last year I did succeed in making this awesome cake, which was inspired by 17 and Baking:

Fancy huh? ;)

Whatever your plans, I hope everyone has a safe and happy 4th of July!

Slow Cooker Shredded Chicken Nachos

So I typically like to post on Sundays, but one Sunday I was feeling a little lazy so I decided to put it off "for a week." Well, here we are, 4 weeks later at 10PM on a Sunday night and I still haven't made an effort to post. I'm a horrible procrastinator....I've learned to just accept this fact. Hopefully I didn't lose all my (6?) readers from lack of posting. Ha.

Something I'm learning to love in Salt Lake is the month of May. It doesn't officially get dark now until 9PM, the days are warm and sunny, but the nights still cool enough for a hoodie. It's beautiful hiking weather, the mountains are starting to turn wonderfully green, and a long afternoon in the park with a blanket and good book is about the most perfect day I could imagine (and subsequently how we've spent the past 3 weekends).

Something else I love? Crockpots. What's not to love? You throw everything into one pot and let it cook while you work all day. When you come home, dinner is served. Do I even need another reason?

I threw this together one day out of desperation for something easy, and it ended up being delicious over nachos! I may or may not have already made this 3 times since. 

Slow Cooker Shredded Chicken Nachos

2 good-sized chicken breasts
1 Tbsp. chili powder
1 tsp. smoked paprika
1 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1 Tbsp. brown sugar
1-2 Tbsp. fresh cilantro, finely chopped
1/4 white onion, diced
1 jalapeno, finely diced
2 cans Rotel tomatoes (medium, w/ green chiles)
2 Tbsp. salsa (any kind)

Mix together the dry seasonings. Using your fingers, coat chicken completely on all sides, rubbing the seasoning mixture into each crevice, until completely coated.

Pour 1 can of Rotel tomatoes into bottom of crackpot. Mix in most of the cilantro, onion, and jalapeno, reserving about 1/4 of the mixture. Layer the two chicken breasts in the crackpot side by side, on top of the tomato mixture. Pour the remaining can of Rotel tomatoes, along with the rest of the cilantro/onion/jalapeno, on top of the chicken. Spoon in two tablespoons salsa.

Cover and let cook on low, 6-8 hours. Serve over your favorite tortilla chips with shredded cheese, cilantro, salsa, sour cream/Greek yogurt....the possibilities are endless!

Best Banana Smoothie

Bananas are one of my most favorite things, ever. I'll happily eat them in pancakes, bread, cupcakes, ice cream, yogurt, cake, scones, you name it, I'll mix a banana in it. Fun fact: As a kid (ok, even now) my favorite candy was Runts - but only for the bananas. Just recently I learned that someone had the genius idea to sell ONLY THE BANANAS. People, you have no idea how much I longed for this as a child. Someone please buy me 10000 pounds of these.

(wait...please don't.)

So lately I've been making this banana smoothie after I work out. To be 100% honest, more often than not I only force myself to go to the gym so I can justify drinking the post-workout smoothie. Real talk.

I think I've concocted a magical blend here, folks. It's easy, relatively healthy (most of the calories are from the bananas & the coconut milk - which, you could just sub in all skim if you wanted, I just really love the taste of coconut milk). So give it a whirl. In the blender. Har, har. I wanted to wait until daytime to take better photos, but I made the smoothie again tonight and decided you guys (all 6 of you?) just needed to have this recipe PRONTO. So here it is! (Keep in mind, the recipe below serves TWO)

Best Banana Smoothie
Serves two

2 bananas, sliced & frozen (It's important that they're frozen!!)
5-6 ice cubes
3/4 cup coconut milk (I use vanilla-flavored)
1/4 cup skim milk
1/4 cup fat free plain Greek yogurt (I use Fage)
1-2 Tbsp. honey (to taste)
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Combine everything in a blender until smooth. Easy peasy. And delicious.

Apple Cinnamon Buttermilk Pancakes

I have to say - from a commercial standpoint, anyway - Easter is my least favorite holiday. Don't get me wrong, I truly appreciate the meaning of Easter and all that it stands for. But these days it's been commercialized into something entirely different, to the point that I can't walk into Target without being bombarded with pastels, bunnies, gobs of candy, and - because they require a category all to their own - Cadbury eggs. Thankfully, this year I have managed to not eat one single piece of candy. Not even one of those glorious, chocolate, creme-filled eggs........Oh, sorry. Was I drooling? Moving on.

Something else I don't understand is dragging your children to see the Easter Bunny (and sit on its lap??) in your local mall. Please, someone enlighten me. To my knowledge I was never subjected to this torture as a child, but maybe I just did a great job of blocking it out. In all honesty, I have never seen an Easter Bunny that didn't just look downright terrifying (and/or cause flashbacks of Donnie Darko)..no matter the costume or the person inside. I'm convinced they just can't figure out a way to design that costume without it bearing some level of extreme creepiness. But I digress.

Anyway, all thoughts of spring/Easter/creepy bunnies aside, I've made a much more Fall-tasting dish (even though I'm really in the mood for summer) with these Apple Cinnamon Buttermilk Pancakes. I just sort of threw them together one morning, based on a few pancake recipes I've already made. It worked. They were tasty. Then again, I never met a pancake I didn't like.

Apple Cinnamon Buttermilk Pancakes
Serves 2-4, depending on how ravenous you are ;)

1 cup all purpose flour
2 Tbsp. dark brown sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
2 tsp. cinnamon
3/4 cup buttermilk
2 large eggs
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 apple, peeled, cored and chopped into small pieces (I only had red, but I'd definitely suggest something more tart like Granny Smith)
Oil or butter (for greasing)

Whisk together dry ingredients. Set aside.

In a separate bowl or liquid measuring cup, combine buttermilk, eggs, melted butter and vanilla, whisking vigorously until foamy. Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture and gently stir by hand until the batter comes together (don't overmix). Fold in chopped apple.

Heat a griddle or large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat (I usually put my griddle on 350 degrees). Brush with a little oil or butter. Drop by 1/4 cupfuls onto griddle. Cook until bubbles appear and edges are set, 2-3 minutes. Flip and cook another 2-3 minutes.

I have a feeling these would be amazing served with some sort of maple-flavored glaze. And since they contain fruit, they're toooooootally healthy. Right? Right!

Sweet & Sour Chicken

Um. So, this dish is...AMAZING. Completely deserving of all-caps. Hands down, one of my favorite things we eat, and we probably eat it at least once a week. It's seriously easy and, since you only fry the chicken for a couple of minutes on each side, a little bit healthier than the completely battered & fried versions you get in a restaurant.

I doubled the sauce from the original recipe because, well, I'm a sauce girl. I mostly view the food as a vehicle to get the sauce to my mouth. I'm a freak. Plus, I like having extra to mix into my rice. Also, you can buy fresh ginger if you choose, but I've found ginger paste to work wonderfully and it simplifies the process; no grating required. Either way, you should make this for dinner. Tonight. Now.

Sweet & Sour Chicken
Adapted from Simply Recipes
Serves 4

1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts (or tenders), cut into 1" chunks
1 egg (if you want to be even healthier, you can simply use 1 egg white)
1/2 tsp. kosher salt (1/4 tsp. table salt)
1/2 tsp. pepper
2 tsp. cornstarch
1 20-ounce can pineapple chunks (reserve juice)
1/2 cup juice from canned pineapple
1/2 cup white wine vinegar
1/2 cup ketchup
1 tsp. kosher salt (1/2 tsp. table salt)
4-5 Tbsp. brown sugar
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1-2 tsp. cornstarch (optional; I just use it to thicken the sauce a bit)
1 tablespoon + 1 tsp. vegetable oil (I don't really measure this, so it is just an estimate)
1 red bell pepper, cut into 1 inch chunks
1 green bell pepper, cut into 1 inch chunks
1/2 white onion, cut into 1 inch chunks
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tsp. ginger paste OR freshly grated ginger

In a medium-sized bowl, combine the chicken with the egg, salt, pepper, and cornstarch, stirring to coat the chicken. Let sit at room temperature for 15 minutes (I like to do this first, then make the sauce, chop the veggies, etc).

Whisk together the pineapple juice, vinegar, ketchup, salt, brown sugar, cayenne pepper, and cornstarch. Set aside.

Poor 1 tablespoon oil into a large nonstick frying pan and turn to high heat. Once a bead of water instantly sizzles and evaporates, it's ready. It's important that the pan is very hot before adding the chicken. Add the chicken and spread out into one layer so that each piece cooks on one side (try not to crowd the pan). Let it fry untouched for 1-2 minutes, until the bottoms have browned. Flip and fry the other side for 1 minute or so, until those sides are brown. The chicken will still be a little uncooked in the middle - this is OK. Remove chicken from pan onto a clean plate.

Turn the heat down to medium and add the remaining 1 teaspoon oil. Add bell peppers, onions, garlic, and ginger. Cook for 1-2 minutes until peppers and onions begin to soften. Add in the pineapple chunks and sweet and sour sauce. Turn heat back up to high. Once sauce is simmering, add the chicken pieces back in. Cover with a lid and let simmer for 3-5 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through (test by cutting a piece in half).

Serve over noodles or rice. If you're feeling fancy, eat with chopsticks. ;)

You know you want some!

Strawberry Scones

Hello! I'm writing to you from the glorious 75° weather in Nashville, TN, in the comfort of my parents' home, the guest bedroom to be exact, missing my husband terribly and having some serious allergies that I never have in Utah. Weird. Also, my hair is like 6 inches shorter than it used to be. Key word is S-H-O-R-T. :D

There's just something about being home that I love. The bed feels more comfy, the bathroom feels cleaner (though most bathrooms seem cleaner than mine...). Maybe it's the fact that my mom made one of my favorite meals (chicken pot pie) for our first dinner together. It could definitely have something to do with that.

Before I left to go out of town, I decided to whip up a batch of something that my husband could snack on while I was gone. We had an entire pint of strawberries in the fridge that I knew would go bad by the time I returned, so I started searching for an easy strawberry recipe, and what's easier than a scone? I mean, seriously. WHAT is easier than a scone? Practically nothing. And they are so versatile. Oh my, I love them. I was so sad that we didn't have any cream in the house; I feel like these would be even more delicious with some lightly sweetened, freshly whipped cream. On their own though, they are still fantastic. Just look at those bright red berries bursting out of the dough. It doesn't get much better than that.

Strawberry Scones
Just barely adapted from: Confessions of a Tart
Yield: 6 large scones

1 cup strawberries, cut into bite-size pieces
3 Tbsp + 1 tsp. white sugar (divided)
2 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
6 Tbsp. unsalted butter, cut into cubes, COLD
2/3 cup cold buttermilk

Topping:
1 Tbsp. white sugar (Personally I think either coarse sugar or superfine sugar would work best here; unfortunately all I had was regular ol' granulated. It did the trick!)

Preheat oven to 400°F. Grease a cookie sheet and set aside.

Sprinkle strawberries with 1 teaspoon sugar; give a quick stir and set aside.

Whisk together 3 Tbsp sugar with remaining dry ingredients. Cut in butter using a pastry cutter or fork, until mixture resembles coarse meal (most of the butter pieces should be no bigger than pea-size). Try to do this quickly so the butter does not warm up too much. Stir in strawberries, then add in the buttermilk. Gently stir the dough until it comes together (I had to add a splash more of milk).

Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead 1-2 times. Be gentle and don't overwork the dough. You may need to sprinkle with a little more flour if it's sticky.

Pat the dough into a circle just under an inch thick. You may have to push some of the berries back into the dough if they try to peek out. Cut the circle (I used a pizza cutter) into 6 wedges, then transfer to the prepared cookie sheet (leaving about an inch of space between them).

Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle on 1 Tbsp. sugar for topping. Return to oven and bake for another 5 minutes or until the tops begin to brown.

Try it with a little whipped cream. Or butter. Or jam. Or nothing at all. Either way, I promise you will love them.

Guinness Chocolate Cupcakes

Happy St. Patrick's Day! Not much to say, except that these cupcakes are the definition of amazing.

Don't believe me? I brought two dozen of these babies to a work function and left with only one cupcake remaining, and three requests for the recipe. Yes, they are that good.

If you're concerned about the alcohol, it bakes out for the most part, just leaving a really great tasting chocolate cupcake. And you can definitely substitute the Bailey's in the frosting for milk or cream. However, in honor of St. Patty's Day, I felt the need to make them as Irish as possible. ;) AND THEY WERE DELICIOUS.

Recipe note: I had to test this recipe about 3 times before it was successful. For some reason, the high altitude here (plus the fact that my oven is super old) has made it really difficult to get cupcakes to rise (and is seriously doing some damage to my baking self-esteem!). So, I'll post the original recipe that should work fine for lower altitudes, with my revisions for high altitude in bold. If you do live in higher altitude, the main thing with this recipe is to not overbeat. For each step I beat the mixture less than I normally would have, and the recipe indicates to finish by folding the mixture together by hand. This, above anything else, is what prevented them from sinking in the middle.

Guinness Chocolate Cupcakes with Bailey's Frosting
Barely adapted from: Smitten Kitchen
Yield: 24 cupcakes

1 cup Guinness (I added an additional 4 Tbsp.)
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
3/4 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder
2 cups all purpose flour (plus 2 Tbsp.)
2 cups white sugar (minus 2 Tbsp.)
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda (I used less; about 1 1/4 tsp.)
3/4 tsp. salt
2 large eggs
2/3 cup sour cream

Preheat oven to 350°. Line cupcake pans with 24 cupcake liners.

In a large saucepan over medium heat, bring Guinness and butter to a simmer. Once butter has completely melted and mixture is simmering, add the cocoa and whisk until smooth (this will smell amazing, by the way. Must be all that butter, YUM). Remove from heat and pour into separate bowl to cool slightly.

Whisk together dry ingredients; set aside. With an electric mixer, beat eggs and sour cream until blended. Add the Guinness-chocolate mixture and beat just to combine. It's ok if it's still very warm when you add it; you just want it to have cooled slightly from its original temperature so it doesn't cook the eggs in your batter.

Add flour mixture and beat very briefly on low speed. Finish by folding the batter together by hand with a rubber spatula, until completely combined. Divide batter among cupcake liners by 1/4 cupfuls. Bake for 17 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool cupcakes on rack.

Bailey's Frosting
4 cups powdered sugar
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
5-6 Tbsp. Bailey's (or milk, or heavy cream)
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Whip the butter with an electric mixer until very light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Slowly add in the powdered sugar, a very small amount at a time. When the frosting has reached the consistency you are looking for (you may need slightly more or less sugar based on your preference), add in the Bailey's and vanilla extract and whip until smooth. You may need to add another tablespoon or so of powdered sugar if this makes the frosting too thin.

Ice and decorate your cupcakes, then quickly find a large group of people to share them with - otherwise you'll be eating them all. by. yourself. Every last one of them.

Big Juicy Burgers

This weekend was glorious. 60 degree temperatures graced the air, delicious food was consumed, (my jeans are not thanking me), a small peak was hiked to, an iPad (2) was purchased (though admittedly for my husband's classes, I plan on stealing it when he's not looking), and these burgers were made.

Oh, and I'm visiting Nashville in less than 2 weeks. SO. FLIPPING. EXCITED. I know the time will probably fly by and I'll be left wondering what happened to my vacation, but isn't that how it always goes? Super stoked to see parents, family, and friends.

So these burgers are super simple (albeit not the healthiest thing in the world) but who am I kidding, the name of this blog implies I'm some sort of cake addict anyway. I will neither confirm nor deny such accusations.

Big Juicy Burgers
Makes 2 huge burgers, or 4 small ones

1 lb. ground beef
1 egg
1-2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbsp. BBQ sauce, any kind (I used Bone Suckin' Sauce)
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 cup Panko breadcrumbs
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
---
cheese for topping, if desired
buns, condiments, etc.

Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl, mixing with hands until completely combined. Form into 2 large patties and set aside. You should probably wash your hands at this point. ;)

Heat a large, nonstick skillet between medium and medium-high heat. Depending on how lean your beef is, you may want to add just a teaspoon or so of olive oil to the hot pan, but this isn't necessary (i.e. sometimes I do, sometimes I don't).

Add beef patties to the pan and immediately cover with a lid. Let cook until bottoms are browned; about 5 minutes. Flip and re-cover with lid. Turn heat down, between medium-low and medium. Let cook another 4-6 minutes until the other sides have browned and burgers are cooked through (if adding cheese - add 30 seconds to 1 minute before removing from pan, covering with the lid after adding the cheese - it melts quickly!). Remove from pan. I like to then set them on a plate covered in paper towels; helps to soak up some of that grease.

I served ours with Cajun-style fries. I would share the recipe but truth be told I just threw them in the oven with some olive oil and seasonings. They turned out great, but weren't crispy. I still can't figure out how to get crispy baked fries. Life is hard.

Yes, it was a feat taking a bite of that thing. Yes, I enjoyed every second of it.

Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

I am one of those people that re-reads certain book series over, and over, and over again. It drives my husband crazy. He'll suggest some new and interesting book for me to read, clearly convinced that it's something I'll enjoy, and I'll look up at him while in the midst of Harry Potter for the 89th time and complain, "but I'm already reading something." He doesn't get it.

I don't get it either, but some books just do that to me. The kind of book that drags you through every single emotion so that by the time it's finished, you feel like you've lost an old friend and you should be attending a funeral or something. A good book is one you can read again and notice things that you didn't the first time around. My current obsession? Pining for The Hunger Games movie to hit theaters so I can immediately critique how similar/different it is from the book. I drive myself crazy.

Anyways, so the thing that I enjoy even more than reading a good book (or re-reading) is having a good chocolate chip cookie while I read. Chocolate chip cookies are just timeless, I think, so simple, yet who can say no to a chocolate chip cookie? So I took a recipe that I have made before and tried it out with brown butter instead. I like it....I think you will too.

Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Just barely adapted from: All Recipes
Makes about 18 large cookies

3/4 cup unsalted butter
2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 egg
1 egg yolk
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 325F and grease your cookie sheets (or line with parchment paper).

In a small, heavy bottomed saucepan, melt butter over medium heat while stirring occasionally. Butter will initially foam up and then subside. Once you notice little brown flecks forming at the bottom of the pan, immediately remove from heat and pour into a separate bowl to keep it from cooking (browned butter can quickly go from brown to burnt). Butter should be a deep golden brown color and have a wonderfully-smelling nutty aroma.

Sift together dry ingredients and set aside.

With an electric mixer, cream together the brown butter and sugars until well blended. Add in the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla, beating until light and creamy. Mix in the sifted ingredients just until blended - try not to overmix. Fold in chocolate chips.

Drop cookie dough by 1/4 cupfuls onto the prepared cookie sheets, keeping them 2-3 inches apart (I was able to fit 8 cookies onto my cookie sheet that normally fits 12).

Bake for 15-17 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Cool on wire racks.

Enjoy with a glass of milk and a good book.

Fluffy Banana Pancakes

I worked a 2-day conference in Park City this weekend. It was, well, completely exhausting. Today I have literally taken three separate naps. The rest of the time was spent bundled up on the couch, watching Vampire Diaries and then, when I was still feeling slug-like, every trailer for practically every movie coming out this month. And seeing as how I just stuffed myself with sushi, I feel another nap coming on......good thing it's Sunday.

So I dragged myself out of bed woke up this morning craving pancakes. Well, scratch that, I woke up this morning thinking about The Incredibles. It's possible I dreamed about it. But I woke up REALLY WANTING to watch that movie and guess what? We don't own it. And Pixar has some kind of ego complex, because I tell you, those movies never go on sale. And I refuse to spend $20 on a DVD, so...guess we won't be watching The Incredibles anytime soon.

So back to the pancakes. I blindly shuffled into the kitchen, opened the refrigerator, and realized with a shock: we have no milk. I hurriedly rushed to my computer and proceeded to look up 29837461 pancake recipes, all of which called for milk. Or soymilk. Or coconut milk. None of which I have. So, I made pancakes with Greek yogurt + water. And guess what?

They were amazing. Fluffy, moist, and the perfect consistency. The bananas just make them taste even more phenomenal. Gosh, I love pancakes. In case you didn't know.

I think there are a lot of ways you could tweak these pancakes to experiment with different results. In hindsight, I'm guessing the baking soda isn't really necessary (the original recipe called for buttermilk, and the acid from the buttermilk is what would interact with the baking soda. Since no buttermilk is used in this recipe, I'd bet that you could omit the baking soda all together). You could try replacing the sugar with honey or maple syrup. You could use whole wheat flour to give them a slightly healthier composition. Add a sprinkling of chocolate chips if it strikes your fancy. Throw in some cinnamon and I dare say they'll taste like banana bread.

Fluffy Banana Pancakes
Adapted from: 17 and Baking
Yield: 8 pancakes

1 cup all purpose flour
2 Tbsp. white sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup Greek yogurt (I used fat free plain Chobani)
2 large eggs
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 large ripe banana, mashed
Oil or butter (for greasing)

Whisk together dry ingredients. Set aside.

In a separate bowl, combine water and Greek yogurt, gently whisking together until no visible lumps remain. Add in the eggs, butter, and vanilla. Whisk vigorously until foamy. Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture and gently stir by hand until the batter comes together (it will be lumpy; that is ok). Don't overmix!

Heat a griddle or large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Brush with a little oil or butter. Just before making the pancakes, fold the mashed banana into the batter. Drop batter by 1/4 cupfuls onto griddle. Cook until bubbles appear and edges are set, 2-3 minutes. Flip and cook another 2-3 minutes. Serve with butter, syrup, and a sprinkling of powdered sugar.

The only downside to these pancakes? If you're making them, chances are you're out of milk like I was, which means no milk to drink while you eat them! Sad.