I posted a few weeks ago about how bathtime had become such a horrific event in our house - the minute Baby C heard the water running he would throw a complete tantrum and scream and flail and stiffen his arms and legs so we couldn't easily get him into the tub, and refuse to sit down once he was actually in the tub, and scream throughout the entire ordeal.
Last night he ran over to the side of the tub when he heard the water running, tried to climb in on his own, splashed and played the whole time he was in there, and whined when it was time to get out.
How weird is that?
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Monday, October 26, 2009
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Another H1N1 Thought
I keep hearing and seeing people complaining "If you're sick, you should stay home from work." While yes, that's true, you shouldn't be out and about spreading germs to the rest of the healthy people in your world, it's really just not that simple.
I'm incredibly lucky in that I have a good full-time job that offers paid vacation and personal days to use when I'm sick. I think those of us who are lucky enough to have that security tend to forget that there are millions of others who don't have that same luxury. The latest figures from the U.S. Labor Department show that, on a national level, 40% of private-sector full-time employees do not get paid for sick days. More than 77% of all part-time workers don't have paid sick days. So, while it seems intuitive enough to say "if you're sick, stay home," it's really not that easy for a large portion of our workforce.
I'm sure a lot of us have been in that position. Hell, it wasn't even that long ago for me, when I was in college (both undergrad and grad school!), having to make the decision between going to work sick and staying home in bed when I wasn't feeling well but forfeiting an entire day's paycheck. Not everyone has a savings account that they can fall back on, especially with today's economy, when so many are living paycheck-to-paycheck to support their households.
Unfortunately, there's no easy solution to this problem. Companies need to make changes to their policies. Paid time off for illness needs to be made available to the entire population, and sadly, that's not likely to happen any time soon. While not perfect, the Healthy Families Act is a step in the right direction. It's been sitting around since 2005, but has been resurrected. Let's hope that our lawmakers can come together and work something out that will benefit everyone.
For more information on this issue and similar issues affecting women and families, you can also visit the National Partnership for Women and Families.
I'm incredibly lucky in that I have a good full-time job that offers paid vacation and personal days to use when I'm sick. I think those of us who are lucky enough to have that security tend to forget that there are millions of others who don't have that same luxury. The latest figures from the U.S. Labor Department show that, on a national level, 40% of private-sector full-time employees do not get paid for sick days. More than 77% of all part-time workers don't have paid sick days. So, while it seems intuitive enough to say "if you're sick, stay home," it's really not that easy for a large portion of our workforce.
I'm sure a lot of us have been in that position. Hell, it wasn't even that long ago for me, when I was in college (both undergrad and grad school!), having to make the decision between going to work sick and staying home in bed when I wasn't feeling well but forfeiting an entire day's paycheck. Not everyone has a savings account that they can fall back on, especially with today's economy, when so many are living paycheck-to-paycheck to support their households.
Unfortunately, there's no easy solution to this problem. Companies need to make changes to their policies. Paid time off for illness needs to be made available to the entire population, and sadly, that's not likely to happen any time soon. While not perfect, the Healthy Families Act is a step in the right direction. It's been sitting around since 2005, but has been resurrected. Let's hope that our lawmakers can come together and work something out that will benefit everyone.
For more information on this issue and similar issues affecting women and families, you can also visit the National Partnership for Women and Families.
Thursday, October 22, 2009
What's that in my Pocket?
A handful of broken Annie's Graham bunnies and a snot-covered tissue. How the hell did those get there?
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
My Dilemma
This is not a life-or-death situation, but it's a mini-crisis of conscience nonetheless. I'm a big advocate of "voting with your wallet." If you don't like a product, don't buy it. If you don't like a company's business practices or social agenda, don't buy from them. Even though as individuals we have small voices, as consumers we can make those voices heard. I hear people complaining day after day about the evils of wal*mart, how they mistreat their employees, how they sell inferior products, how they circumvent the system and import goods from countries who don't have the same EPA standards. These people do a fair amount of bitching, yet they still continue to shop there. Why? Because they "don't have a choice." That's BS, there's ALWAYS a choice.
Anyway, I'm usually pretty good about where I choose to put my money, but now I'm up against a difficult situation. It took a lot of searching for us to find a daycare that we were completely happy with. 99% of the time I'm very happy with our center. I know Baby C is treated well and is in a caring and stimulating environment. I believe he's happy there, at least he's always smiley and engrossed in some activity when I go to pick him up. This is all well and good, but over the last few months I've begun to question their business practices. First I learned that they don't provide health insurance to their employees. I thought maybe this was the norm for care centers, but when I started asking around I realized that it's one of the only ones that doesn't. Care work (and, by default, care workers) has been de-valued in our society. I'm sad that these girls who care for my son every day don't have access to affordable health care. In addition to the health care issue, I've started to notice rumblings among the teachers about internal drama. I'm sure things like this are pretty much unavoidable when you have a building full of women, and I hope it's nothing serious, but I hate to think that infighting like this could spill over and affect the care that our kids receive. The third issue is pay-related. Again, I know that we don't place a high value on care work, but it's really sad that so many of these women (some of whom have children of their own, most of whom have college degrees) have to work two jobs because their primary job doesn't pay the bills.
So I have two choices:
1. Leave Baby C where he is and pretend I don't have a problem with these business practices
2. Find another center that aligns better with my belief system (unfortunately the organic/environmentally conscious/cloth-diapering center is too far away!)
On one hand I'd like to be able to say that I stand by my values, but on the other hand what good is pulling him out going to do? He would quickly be replaced by someone else, probably at a higher tuition rate once yearly increases are added.
Anyway, I'm usually pretty good about where I choose to put my money, but now I'm up against a difficult situation. It took a lot of searching for us to find a daycare that we were completely happy with. 99% of the time I'm very happy with our center. I know Baby C is treated well and is in a caring and stimulating environment. I believe he's happy there, at least he's always smiley and engrossed in some activity when I go to pick him up. This is all well and good, but over the last few months I've begun to question their business practices. First I learned that they don't provide health insurance to their employees. I thought maybe this was the norm for care centers, but when I started asking around I realized that it's one of the only ones that doesn't. Care work (and, by default, care workers) has been de-valued in our society. I'm sad that these girls who care for my son every day don't have access to affordable health care. In addition to the health care issue, I've started to notice rumblings among the teachers about internal drama. I'm sure things like this are pretty much unavoidable when you have a building full of women, and I hope it's nothing serious, but I hate to think that infighting like this could spill over and affect the care that our kids receive. The third issue is pay-related. Again, I know that we don't place a high value on care work, but it's really sad that so many of these women (some of whom have children of their own, most of whom have college degrees) have to work two jobs because their primary job doesn't pay the bills.
So I have two choices:
1. Leave Baby C where he is and pretend I don't have a problem with these business practices
2. Find another center that aligns better with my belief system (unfortunately the organic/environmentally conscious/cloth-diapering center is too far away!)
On one hand I'd like to be able to say that I stand by my values, but on the other hand what good is pulling him out going to do? He would quickly be replaced by someone else, probably at a higher tuition rate once yearly increases are added.
Saturday, October 10, 2009
The Handmaid's Tale
It's been a long time since I've picked up a book to read and not been able to put it down. I borrowed this one from a friend a few weeks ago but didn't have time to start it until Thursday morning at the dentist. I was hooked after the first two pages. I stayed up well into the night so that I could keep reading and made it just over halfway through. I used it as a distraction while the Twins batted in their half of the inning, and finished it around 1:30 this morning. Oh. My. God. Why didn't I read this sooner?
It was after the catastrophe, when they shot the president and machine-gunned the Congress and blamed it on the Islamic fanatics, at the time.
Keep calm, they said on television. Everything is under control.
I was stunned. Everyone was, I know that. It was hard to believe. The entire government, gone like that. How did they get in, how did it happen?
That was when they suspended the Constitution. They said it would be temporary. There wasn't even any rioting in the streets. People stayed home at night, watching television, looking for some direction. There wasn't even an enemy you could put your finger on.
Look out, said Moira to me, over the phone. Here it comes.
Here what comes? I said.
You wait, she said. They've been building up to this. It's you and me up against the wall, baby. She was quoting an expression of my mother's, but she wasn't intending to be funny.
The last time I devoured a book like this was when Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows came out, so that should tell you something.
Maybe it's because I just read two other dystopian novels for book club last month, but it definitely made me consider what track we're really on, and where our society will be 100 years from now. I kept wondering if this is what they felt like back when 1984 came out - knowing that it's a fictional work, knowing that the author went for the extremes, but still wondering in the back of their heads if it could, in fact, be possible. In fact, the most chilling part about this particular vision is that it's really almost a reversion to the past, when women were seen as property.
Parts of it were particularly heart-wrenching, especially having a child, myself, and knowing what the experience of labor and delivery is like. The thought of having to then hand my child over to someone else gives me an awful pit in my stomach. I want to go read everything else she's ever written! If you're looking for an excellent read (and if you're female, I suppose), then you should definitely check this one out.
It was after the catastrophe, when they shot the president and machine-gunned the Congress and blamed it on the Islamic fanatics, at the time.
Keep calm, they said on television. Everything is under control.
I was stunned. Everyone was, I know that. It was hard to believe. The entire government, gone like that. How did they get in, how did it happen?
That was when they suspended the Constitution. They said it would be temporary. There wasn't even any rioting in the streets. People stayed home at night, watching television, looking for some direction. There wasn't even an enemy you could put your finger on.
Look out, said Moira to me, over the phone. Here it comes.
Here what comes? I said.
You wait, she said. They've been building up to this. It's you and me up against the wall, baby. She was quoting an expression of my mother's, but she wasn't intending to be funny.
The last time I devoured a book like this was when Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows came out, so that should tell you something.
Maybe it's because I just read two other dystopian novels for book club last month, but it definitely made me consider what track we're really on, and where our society will be 100 years from now. I kept wondering if this is what they felt like back when 1984 came out - knowing that it's a fictional work, knowing that the author went for the extremes, but still wondering in the back of their heads if it could, in fact, be possible. In fact, the most chilling part about this particular vision is that it's really almost a reversion to the past, when women were seen as property.
Parts of it were particularly heart-wrenching, especially having a child, myself, and knowing what the experience of labor and delivery is like. The thought of having to then hand my child over to someone else gives me an awful pit in my stomach. I want to go read everything else she's ever written! If you're looking for an excellent read (and if you're female, I suppose), then you should definitely check this one out.
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
O-S-WHO?!?!
This is a few days overdue, but I didn't had time to get Charlie's awesome UC picture off the camera until now.
The impossible has happened!
Your eyes do not deceive you, UC is ranked AHEAD OF ohio state!
Baby C celebrated by wearing his new Bearcats jersey to daycare on Monday.
I'm just trying to enjoy it while it lasts :)
The impossible has happened!
Your eyes do not deceive you, UC is ranked AHEAD OF ohio state!
Baby C celebrated by wearing his new Bearcats jersey to daycare on Monday.
I'm just trying to enjoy it while it lasts :)
Cheese Muffins
I'm not a loyal follower of the Pioneer Woman, but every so often I'll re-stumble across her page and find something I really like. A few weeks ago I happened to come across her recipe for cheese muffins. I love cheese, and I love muffins, so I figured I would love cheese muffins. I printed out her recipe, dubbed "Fig's Cheese Muffins," after the blogger DIZZLEFIG, who originally submitted it.
Fig’s Cheese Muffins
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt (plus 1/8 tsp if using unsalted butter)
3 cups shredded colby-jack cheese (I used cheddar for
1 cup milk
1 egg
1/4 cup melted butter (original recipe calls for salted, I used unsalted and added 1/8 tsp of salt to the dry ingredients)
Whisk together dry ingredients, then stir in cheese.
In a separate bowl, whisk egg, milk, and butter together.
Pour milk mixture into dry ingredients and stir with a spoon to combine.
Bake in greased muffin tins at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes. (Instead of using muffin tins I made them like drop biscuits. They spread a bit on the pan, but it actually made them easier to dip in my soup.)
Makes 12.
Another immediate hit with Baby C! He really enjoys these muffins, as do the rest of us. They went over really well with Husband C, too, who would happily eat half the pan for dinner if I'd let him. It's hard to restrain yourself around these!
Fig’s Cheese Muffins
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt (plus 1/8 tsp if using unsalted butter)
3 cups shredded colby-jack cheese (I used cheddar for
1 cup milk
1 egg
1/4 cup melted butter (original recipe calls for salted, I used unsalted and added 1/8 tsp of salt to the dry ingredients)
Whisk together dry ingredients, then stir in cheese.
In a separate bowl, whisk egg, milk, and butter together.
Pour milk mixture into dry ingredients and stir with a spoon to combine.
Bake in greased muffin tins at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes. (Instead of using muffin tins I made them like drop biscuits. They spread a bit on the pan, but it actually made them easier to dip in my soup.)
Makes 12.
Another immediate hit with Baby C! He really enjoys these muffins, as do the rest of us. They went over really well with Husband C, too, who would happily eat half the pan for dinner if I'd let him. It's hard to restrain yourself around these!
Monday, October 5, 2009
Friday, October 2, 2009
It's October!
You know what that means! Halloween decorations, costume-making, pumpkin picking, and apple cider. I love fall! It's always been my favorite season, even more so now that I'm past school-age and no longer have to balance my love of fall with my love of summer vacation.
All of the traditional fall treats are great and all, but the best part about fall is October baseball!
I'm so glad to see my New York Yankees back atop the American League East where they belong. Now we just have to sit back and wait for the Division Series to start next week. I know a good buddy of mine is still rooting on those Tigers to win the AL Central. She's pregnant, so for her blood pressure's sake it would be a good thing if they managed to clinch, but for my stress level's sake I'd much rather face the Twins in the ALDS.
If everything goes as expected it very well could be another Yankees / red sux ALCS this year. I don't know if I could handle the stress. Of course, games are played on the field, not on paper, so we'll just have to wait and see :)
All of the traditional fall treats are great and all, but the best part about fall is October baseball!
I'm so glad to see my New York Yankees back atop the American League East where they belong. Now we just have to sit back and wait for the Division Series to start next week. I know a good buddy of mine is still rooting on those Tigers to win the AL Central. She's pregnant, so for her blood pressure's sake it would be a good thing if they managed to clinch, but for my stress level's sake I'd much rather face the Twins in the ALDS.
If everything goes as expected it very well could be another Yankees / red sux ALCS this year. I don't know if I could handle the stress. Of course, games are played on the field, not on paper, so we'll just have to wait and see :)
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Where is Fall?
One of the worst things about living in Cincinnati (aside from the fact that it's an NL market, which means the Yankees pretty much never come here) is that we don't really get all four seasons. Two weeks ago it was pushing 80 degrees and we were wondering when fall was going to arrive. I daydreamed about pumpkin spice lattes, caramel apples, and wagon rides through the pumpkin patch. Last week the unseasonably warm weather was replace with torrential downpours. This week, it's freaking freezing. It looks like winter outside, all gray and gloomy, and I don't think we'll hit 60 degrees today. Even worse, it's going to drop into the 30s overnight. We're under a frost advisory!
I wanted fall weather, but this is just ridiculous. Get with the program, Ohio!
That said, I feel like the month of September just flew by. The whole year, actually. It's hard to believe that in three months we'll be staring 2010 right in the face. Everyone always tells you how fast time goes when you have a child, but no one ever listens. We got out Baby C's long pants the other day and all of a sudden he looks so grown up! I don't know if it's because he's in jeans, or because he's gotten taller, but he's certainly not a baby anymore.
(Baby C celebrating the AL East Championship)
I wanted fall weather, but this is just ridiculous. Get with the program, Ohio!
That said, I feel like the month of September just flew by. The whole year, actually. It's hard to believe that in three months we'll be staring 2010 right in the face. Everyone always tells you how fast time goes when you have a child, but no one ever listens. We got out Baby C's long pants the other day and all of a sudden he looks so grown up! I don't know if it's because he's in jeans, or because he's gotten taller, but he's certainly not a baby anymore.
(Baby C celebrating the AL East Championship)
Monday, September 28, 2009
Cloth Diaper Victory!
Two weeks ago I submitted a proposal for a cloth diaper trial period to our daycare director. I initially asked for a two-day trial, and she came back offering an entire week to try them out. Last week was our trial run, and I was really nervous about it - kind of that feeling you used to get before the first day of school. I had all of my BG3.0s packed and ready to go the night before, along with a wetbag and diaper pail. I went in early on Monday to give the teachers a quick demonstration. They were all shocked to see how easy they were to use - most of them were expecting the pins and prefolds. On Friday I heard back from the director and we're now allowed to cloth diaper Charlie full-time! This is fantastic news for us, and I feel like I've really succeeded at teaching someone something new and changing someone's mind about cloth diapers.
I'm still not going to be a "CD pusher," but I'm very excited that people are becoming more open-minded about the topic. I can't even begin to tell you how many negative comments I got before Baby C was born, and how many people didn't think I'd really follow through with my plan. I love them, and I'm so happy we decided to go against convention.
I'm still not going to be a "CD pusher," but I'm very excited that people are becoming more open-minded about the topic. I can't even begin to tell you how many negative comments I got before Baby C was born, and how many people didn't think I'd really follow through with my plan. I love them, and I'm so happy we decided to go against convention.
Friday, September 25, 2009
Mom Goggles
The other night C and I were looking through old pictures and came across the ones that were taken at the hospital when Baby C was first born. I remember thinking that he was such a cute baby, definitely way cuter than any other baby, and certainly not alien-like, as I had so often heard newborns described.
I guess it must have been the mom goggles.
Don't get me wrong, he's super cute these days, but oh my god, looking back at those pictures? Not so much. He was rather yellow and scrunchy.
And the conehead, my good god the conehead. How did I miss that?
He started to improve within a few days
(hey, everyone looks better in a Yankee hat)
A year and change later, he's definitely back to being one of the cutest babies ever.
I guess parent goggles just replace beer goggles once the college days are in the past :)
I guess it must have been the mom goggles.
Don't get me wrong, he's super cute these days, but oh my god, looking back at those pictures? Not so much. He was rather yellow and scrunchy.
And the conehead, my good god the conehead. How did I miss that?
He started to improve within a few days
(hey, everyone looks better in a Yankee hat)
A year and change later, he's definitely back to being one of the cutest babies ever.
I guess parent goggles just replace beer goggles once the college days are in the past :)
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Books About Babies
A few weeks ago I reviewed the books that I read while I was pregnant, which were mostly about pregnancy and breastfeeding. I think it's only appropriate that I also review the books I read (or tried to read) about the first year.
The Happiest Baby on the Block (this one was also in my original post, but I found myself referring to it often in the first months) - this one helped a lot for us. GREAT suggestions for calming pissy babies! The 5 S's work like a charm on Baby Charlie. Baby C loved being swaddled. We had a few of the SwaddleMe wraps, 2 lightweight ones and a fleece one for when it got colder. Once he was done with the swaddle I was still too paranoid to put a blanket in his crib, so we bought Halo Sleepsacks - they're wearable blankets (he does have a blanket in his crib, now!).
Your Baby Week by Week - Same idea as Your Pregnancy Week by Week, a developmental account of where the average baby is at each week. I really like this one, too. My BA is in child psych and this book is basically an Idiot's Guide to the First Year from every perspective (social, cognitive, motor, etc). We started off reading it every week, but started to slack off as Baby C become more mobile and active. It was much more fun to play with him than to read about him. I probably should have kept up with it, but what are you going to do.
Girlfriend's Guide to Surviving the First Year of Motherhood - I didn't pick this book up until we were on our first outing post-baby and I wish I would have read it before I had him. It's by the same woman who wrote "Girlfriend's Guide to Pregnancy," and it's written in the same informal but informative style. She's definitely into giving you all the good, bad, and ugly details about childbirth, breastfeeding, and those first few postpartum weeks. I recommend this book to all of my pregnant friends! It's a quick read.
What the Other Mothers Know - lots of good and practical info for the first weeks and early childhood, but probably not a "must read" before the baby comes. It talks about play groups, parenting, potty training, preschools, daycare, birthdays, pretty much everything that you don't think about until you're in the moment. I'm hoping it will be helpful down the road.
I wish that I had read some books on work/life balance, aside from the research materials I read in graduate school. I have a list of books I intend to check out on that subject, so once I get my hands on them I'll certainly put them up for review.
The Happiest Baby on the Block (this one was also in my original post, but I found myself referring to it often in the first months) - this one helped a lot for us. GREAT suggestions for calming pissy babies! The 5 S's work like a charm on Baby Charlie. Baby C loved being swaddled. We had a few of the SwaddleMe wraps, 2 lightweight ones and a fleece one for when it got colder. Once he was done with the swaddle I was still too paranoid to put a blanket in his crib, so we bought Halo Sleepsacks - they're wearable blankets (he does have a blanket in his crib, now!).
Your Baby Week by Week - Same idea as Your Pregnancy Week by Week, a developmental account of where the average baby is at each week. I really like this one, too. My BA is in child psych and this book is basically an Idiot's Guide to the First Year from every perspective (social, cognitive, motor, etc). We started off reading it every week, but started to slack off as Baby C become more mobile and active. It was much more fun to play with him than to read about him. I probably should have kept up with it, but what are you going to do.
Girlfriend's Guide to Surviving the First Year of Motherhood - I didn't pick this book up until we were on our first outing post-baby and I wish I would have read it before I had him. It's by the same woman who wrote "Girlfriend's Guide to Pregnancy," and it's written in the same informal but informative style. She's definitely into giving you all the good, bad, and ugly details about childbirth, breastfeeding, and those first few postpartum weeks. I recommend this book to all of my pregnant friends! It's a quick read.
What the Other Mothers Know - lots of good and practical info for the first weeks and early childhood, but probably not a "must read" before the baby comes. It talks about play groups, parenting, potty training, preschools, daycare, birthdays, pretty much everything that you don't think about until you're in the moment. I'm hoping it will be helpful down the road.
I wish that I had read some books on work/life balance, aside from the research materials I read in graduate school. I have a list of books I intend to check out on that subject, so once I get my hands on them I'll certainly put them up for review.
Monday, September 21, 2009
Friday, September 18, 2009
Word of Warning to BFing Mamas
When I stopped EPing I was actually 8 pounds below my pre-pregnancy weight. I know that when you're in "cow mode" you burn a ton of extra calories per day, so I knew that I would have to make some adjustments to my eating habits to avoid gaining back some weight. I must not have adjusted them enough, because I've gained 5 of those pounds back.
Moral of the story: Don't get overexcited and buy pants in your new, slimmer size. All you will get is heartache when you can't get back into them.
I'm not really complaining, because I'm still slightly under my pre-pregnancy weight, but damn were those pants cute.
Moral of the story: Don't get overexcited and buy pants in your new, slimmer size. All you will get is heartache when you can't get back into them.
I'm not really complaining, because I'm still slightly under my pre-pregnancy weight, but damn were those pants cute.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Recipe Wednesday - Banana Pancakes
Baby Charlie LOVES his fruit. He also loves his pancakes. When I was little we had a DC Super Heroes Super Healthy Cookbook.
One of my favorite recipes of all time was Invisible Banana French Toast. I decided to try to combine bananas and pancakes, but not in the traditional sense of blending the fruit into the batter. Instead of mixing it all together and ending up with banana-flavored pancakes, I sliced the banana and dipped each slice into the pancake batter.
Banana Pancakes
Made using King Arthur's Simply Perfect Pancake Recipe
1 or 2 bananas, sliced into "wheels"
For the pancake batter:
2 large eggs
1 1/4 cups milk
3 tablespoons melted butter or vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 cup malted milk powder (or 2 tablespoons sugar)
1. Beat the eggs and milk until light and frothy, about 3 minutes at high speed, using a stand mixer or hand mixer. Stir in the butter.
2. Whisk the dry ingredients together to evenly distribute the salt, baking powder and malt. Gently and quickly mix the dry ingredients into the egg mixture. Let the batter rest for at least 15 minutes to thicken.
3. Heat an electric griddle to 350 degrees or heat a heavy frying pan over medium heat. Lightly grease the griddle or pan; it is ready if a drop of water skitters across the surface and evaporates immediately. Drop batter by the 1/3 cupful onto the griddle or skillet per pancake. Cook on one side until bubbles begin to form and break, then turn the pancakes and cook the other side until brown. Turn only once. Serve immediately.
This is where I deviate from the recipe. Instead of dropping batter into pancakes I slice up a banana or two, dip them in the batter, and then stick them on the pan. They usually take no more than 30 seconds on each side. I use the rest of the batter to make regular pancakes once I've made enough banana pancakes to satisfy the Minion.
The best thing about this particular pancake recipe is that it's very simple to make. You can do it start to finish in about 10 minutes on a Saturday morning. I imagine that the banana pancakes would freeze well, but there are never enough left to find out!
One of my favorite recipes of all time was Invisible Banana French Toast. I decided to try to combine bananas and pancakes, but not in the traditional sense of blending the fruit into the batter. Instead of mixing it all together and ending up with banana-flavored pancakes, I sliced the banana and dipped each slice into the pancake batter.
Banana Pancakes
Made using King Arthur's Simply Perfect Pancake Recipe
1 or 2 bananas, sliced into "wheels"
For the pancake batter:
2 large eggs
1 1/4 cups milk
3 tablespoons melted butter or vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 cup malted milk powder (or 2 tablespoons sugar)
1. Beat the eggs and milk until light and frothy, about 3 minutes at high speed, using a stand mixer or hand mixer. Stir in the butter.
2. Whisk the dry ingredients together to evenly distribute the salt, baking powder and malt. Gently and quickly mix the dry ingredients into the egg mixture. Let the batter rest for at least 15 minutes to thicken.
3. Heat an electric griddle to 350 degrees or heat a heavy frying pan over medium heat. Lightly grease the griddle or pan; it is ready if a drop of water skitters across the surface and evaporates immediately. Drop batter by the 1/3 cupful onto the griddle or skillet per pancake. Cook on one side until bubbles begin to form and break, then turn the pancakes and cook the other side until brown. Turn only once. Serve immediately.
This is where I deviate from the recipe. Instead of dropping batter into pancakes I slice up a banana or two, dip them in the batter, and then stick them on the pan. They usually take no more than 30 seconds on each side. I use the rest of the batter to make regular pancakes once I've made enough banana pancakes to satisfy the Minion.
The best thing about this particular pancake recipe is that it's very simple to make. You can do it start to finish in about 10 minutes on a Saturday morning. I imagine that the banana pancakes would freeze well, but there are never enough left to find out!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
LinkWithin
