When you want to flip out - Banana Sour Cream Pancakes!!

We may have vastly opposing spiritual viewpoints (he's a devout Christian and I bend to Buddhism) but one thing's for sure, my friend Chris and I LOVE GOOD FOOD.

Correction, not just good food, but, of course, SEXY FOOD. Preferably of the sugar-based variety.

We've been friends for about 7 years now, punctuating our "tell me about your love life" visits with late-night pie binges or frozen yogurt runs. Everything we do, come to think of it, revolves around food.

Most recently we lounged around my tiny apartment eating wedges of dark chocolate topped with soft, raw honey. SHUT. UP. I knew he liked desserts, but from that moment on, I knew Chris would never fail me in the food lust department. I think the sight of someone losing it over a piece of chocolate with honey on it would make any foodie well-up with pride.

However, we may have topped ourselves, ol' Chris and I.

This last friday we needed to catch up on our love lives yet again, so Chris offered to make me a meal. Being that we are who we are, we ended up making pancakes with sauteed, cinnamon-sugar apples and bacon. Sounds simple enough, but look at this mother-freaking monster of pancake-tastic glory:



Yes, that is bacon crumbled over the pancake. Apples and cinnamon cooked in brown sugar and butter, IN the sour cream pancake COVERED in more butter and maple syrup and a last minute improvisation of slivered almonds. I had three. Then we switched to pancakes infused with a bananas fosters filling.

Then I went home and wanted to die. But not without crying, wondering "why am I so TIRED??" and laughing maniacally, first.

After a hard days work like that, I had to make sure to let everyone know how they, too, can enjoy such orgi-tastic bliss. I owe it all to the best pancake recipe I have ever found. This recipe comes courtesy of Ina Garten (The Barefoot Contessa), and I kiss those bare feet, in spirit, for it.

These are soft, tender little cakes that sit like brown-buttered cloud pillows on your plate.
With Thanksgiving coming up, this is a great recipe to try since we'll be gorging all weekend anyway, right?!



Follow her directions closely, they never fail.

Then praise Jesus. Or Buddha. Or just be thankful you are blessed enough to be eating something so ridiculously wonderful and unnecessary.

Banana Sour Cream Pancakes
yield - 12 pancakes

1 1/2 cups flour
3 tbls. sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup sour cream
3/4 cup plus 1 tbls. milk
2 extra large eggs
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 tsp. grated lemon zest
unsalted butter
2 ripe bananas plus extra for serving (or whatever fruit you want, yo).

Sift together the flour , sugar, baking powder, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the sour cream, milk eggs, vanilla and lemon zest. Add teh west ingredients to the dry ones, mixing only until combined.
Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat until it bubbles. Ladle the pancake batter into the pan to make 3 or 4 pancakes. Distribute a rounded tablespoon of bananas on each pancake. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until bubbles appear on top and the underside is nicely browned. Flip the pancakes and then cook for another minute until browned.

Wipe out the pan with a paper towel, add more butter to the pan, and continue cooking pancakes until all the batter is used. Serve with sliced bananas, butter and maple syrup.