New Recipe

Are you ready for something besides covid 19 rants? You know, two minutes of thinking about something else, no matter how trivial.

First, this starts in citrus country, at the tag end of fruit picking season. A good friend brought a bag of lemons from her tree to the wedding. Nineteen days later, even though refrigerated, their age was starting to show. Bits of those bright yellow rinds were beginning to grey. Use 'em or lose 'em.

I also had three bananas left from a hand which needed to be used or frozen. As a long-time veteran of banana bread baking, I know how much lemon juice spices up the flavors. No, it's not in the recipes, other than a back-up way to add curdled milk. Since I don't keep that on hand, adding lemon juice to fresh milk does the job. Adding a little more lemon juice to the mashed bananas keeps them from browning.

But making banana bread is work. So add-water-only pancake mix is my go-to. Now if you read these regularly, you know that I'm that lazy. Perhaps we can both be kind and call me "efficient"? Because, you know, there's so much else to do these shelter-in-place days.

So here's the process. Mash ripe bananas. Wash one lemon, grate some of the peel (avoiding those grey spots if relevant) and juice the lemon, adding both. Add applesauce. Cinnamon is optional but wonderful. Mix in about 1/2/ to 2/3 box of  add-water-only pancake mix. Stir/mix thoroughly. Add water to desired consistency for pancakes, cook as usual.

If you love to experiment, leave batter thicker and cook as muffins. Will be a heavy batter, not light and fluffy. Also will not need any extra sweetening so you save all those calories and can claim it's all healthy for you. Of course, you can spread peanut butter or jelly, even honey on top if you wish. I'm open to any of the above just to avoid boredom. Plus, peanuts and grains make a complete protein, so there's that.

Steve thinks adding the lemon makes these the best pancakes I've made. Perhaps, although banana/bacon/chocolate chip have always been my favorites. The bacon has to be fried to crispness and crumbled into the batter just before cooking, of course, and the bacon grease is a great way to keep them from sticking to the pan. Actually, it's great for cooking anything. Everything.

The rest of those lemons will be washed, grated, sliced, and frozen. Dried or frozen fresh peel bits have lots of uses, and frozen slices added to cool and flavor your drink are great.

The lemon flavor in the pancakes is strongest just after they are cooked. Leftovers have less of the kick, although I just munch mine cold, and reheating them may kick it up a bit again. I'll try that for lunch.