Banana Pancakes ****

The feedback on my blog has been really good, but the general consensus among my friends is that some of my recipes are too difficult to replicate. And its true, sometimes I get a little too gourmet and make something the average college student can’t just whip up…I mean how many college kids are roasting a 16 pound turkey for dinner?! So to switch things up a bit, I decided to put away my Kitchen Aid mixer and fancy ingredients and return to the basics—pancakes…yes, made from a box!!! But don’t be fooled, this is not your average Aunt Jemima!

This blog post is for anyone that doesn’t want to cook from scratch, but wants to enjoy a semi-gourmet meal. It’s a sophisticated version of your traditional pancake, and I make them for myself all the time.

Also, ladies, I assure you that the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach…seriously! Make these for any guy in the morning and hide the box, and he will honestly believe that you made them from scratch. Then one or two things may happen; (1) he might fall instantly in love with you, and/or (2) he might be trying to sleep over a lot thereafter! Once you add the banana and strawberry preserves, you cannot detect the underlying Aunt Jemima. You can trick anyone into believing that it is a homemade recipe, and why not?!?

To start, you will need a box of Aunt Jemima Original Pancake Mix (not the buttermilk complete). Combine 1 cup of dry pancake mix, 1 egg, ¾ cup milk, and 2 tablespoons vegetable oil. Before whisking ingredients together, mash 1 ripened banana with the back of a fork in a small bowl and add contents to batter. Then whisk all ingredients together. In my opinion, mashed banana is the best way to incorporate banana into pancakes because it gives it the flavor without changing the consistency. It also makes the pancake much more filling, which sustains you longer throughout the day. Also, make sure that when you cook these you use vegetable oil and not Pam Spray in the skillet. I know its not as healthy, but it makes the edges of the pancake crisp up golden brown and it just tastes better. It really does make a big difference, so save the Pam for your eggs and splurge on the oil for your pancakes! (you should only need about 2 tablespoons to cover the pan anyways).

After cooking the pancakes, I top them with a thin layer of strawberry or raspberry preserves (I like Bonne Maman in particular) and serve! The strawberry preserves are healthier than using syrup because it is naturally lower in calories and you use a lot less than you would if you used syrup (health freaks, this helps compensate for the oil!).

If you’re a big breakfast eater like me (its my favorite meal of the day), you can serve the pancakes along with eggs and fruit. Or if you want to make these for a snack, add some chocolate chips to pancakes while they are cooking in the pan (don’t add them to the batter because then they don’t distribute evenly!). I also sometimes add blueberries when they are in season.

And that’s it for your simple pseudo-gourmet meal! Enjoy!