Banana-Raisin Pancakes

School has started for many families. Even though my little one isn't in school, a nutritious breakfast is still a must. And because I'm not a morning person, I want something quick and easy.

Pancakes are great, but sometimes I find them a bit...bland. I need variety! I need spices! This recipe delivers that. The bananas have  agreat flavor and really keeps the pancakes moist, while the raisins add textural variety (which, according to a lot of Food Network shows, is very important). The cinnamon really brings both flavors together.

Banana-Raisin Pancakes
(Printable Version)

Ingredients

• 2 medium bananas
• 1 egg
• 3/4 cup lowfat milk
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 cup pancake/waffle mix
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions

•  Break up bananas into a mixing bowl. With the back of a fork, mash until smooth. Add egg, milk, and oil; combine.
• In another mixing bowl, combine pancake mix, raisins, and cinnamon. Add pancake mix to banana mixture and stir until moistened.
• Heat skillet over medium high heat. Measure 1/4 cup batter and pour onto skillet. Cook as many pancakes as you can at one time. 

• Brown the underside of the pancake, and when bubbles appear on the surface and the edges start to appear "dry", carefully flip pancakes over and continue cooking for another minute. 

Little L snitching pancakes before I was done cooking

My Take

 


I love these pancakes, and due to the sweetness the bananas bring to the party, I rarely eat them with syrup. Instead, I use a touch of butter, and just chow down on them that way.

A quick tip: The riper the banana, the easier it is to mash, thus giving you a smoother batter. You can tell how ripe mine are in the picture, and they were super easy to mash with the back of my fork. Though, I don't mind finding pieces of bananas in my pancakes. :)

Any Flavor Cookies

Here is a dessert that you can have a different flavor everytime you make them with no additional effort. These are my "Any Flavor Cookies". They're super easy to make, have very few ingredients, and they're super yummy! I first made these back in college and we called them "Magical Cookies" because they tasted so good.

Any Flavor Cookies
(Printable Version)

Ingredients

• 2 cups Cool Whip
• 1 egg
• 1 box cake mix (any flavor)
• Powdered sugar

Directions

Mix all ingredients until a sticky batter is formed. Put about a cup or so of powdered sugar into a bowl.

Drop the batter by spoonfuls into the sugar and roll it around until well covered. Place onto a cookie sheet and bake at 350°F for 7 minutes.

My Take

I had a heck of a time when I was making these cookies for this post. This was coupled with other kitchen fiascos that day. My issue with the cookies was I ran out of Cool Whip befor the batter got moist. After I thought about it for a bit (and did some research online), I figured the Cool Whip takes place of the oil and water in the regular recipe, so I added a little bit of water. This moistened the batter, and I hoped it wouldn't hurt the flavor. Fortunately, this worked. So if your batter is still a little dry-ish after adding the Cool Whip, just add a little bit of water.

Peanut-Free Puppy Chow

Growing up with peanut allergies meant that a lot of foods were off limits for me: Snickers, Butterfingers, PB&Js, a lot of Thai food, and a ton of different desserts. One of those desserts I wasn't allowed to enjoy was Puppy Chow. It always looked so good. I mean, chocolate with powdered sugar!?

Fortunately my mother came up with a way for me to enjoy this wonderful-sounding dessert. Instead of using peanut butter, she used butterscotch chips. My husband, after he tried this for the first time, said it was even better than the original puppy chow. This stuff is so good my family has it every year at our New Year's celebration.

So, without further ado, here's the recipe:

Ingredients

• 1 cup milk chocolate chips
• 1 cup butterscotch chips
• 6 cups Kellog's Crispix cereal (Non-name brand is fine as well)
• 1 cup confectioner's sugar (aka powdered sugar)

Directions

•  In a large microwave-safe bolw, melt chocolate and butterscotch chips on high for 1 minute. Stir and heat an additional 30 seconds on high or until melted. 

• Pour mixture over cereal.

 

• Place cereal in 2-gallon zip-top bag. Add coated cereal to sugar and close bag tightly. Toss bag until cereal is thoroughly. coated with sugar. 
• Store in airtight container in refrigerator.

My Take

When making this to take pictures for this blog, it was honestly the first time I've ever made this. I grew up eating it, but never participated in the creation of it. Fortunately, it was super easy to put together, and takes less time than chex mix. Be careful, though. You may find it slightly addicting!

Southwest Chicken Wrap

Welcome back! I'm glad to be back from that vacation. I got my recipes a bit more organized and have a list of all my favorite recipes which will eventually be making it onto this blog. Some of you may have seen a sneak peek of some of the recipes I'm working on via my Facebook page.

But enough of this chit-chat. You are here for the food, and food you shall have. Summer is coming to a close, but here's a great cook-free dish that is quick and easy to make for a summer get-together. The idea originally came from the Weight Watcher's website years ago, but after doing a search, it doesn't seem to be on there any more. So, without further ado, here's the recipe.

Ingredients

• 1 (10 oz) can chicken in water, drained and shredded
• 1 (15 oz) can of corn, drained
• 1 (15 oz) can of black beans, drained
• 2 tablespoons homemade taco seasoning or 1 package of store bought
• Cilantro, to taste
• Flour tortillas
• Sour cream, chopped onion, avocado, etc

Directions

Combine chicken, corn, black beans, taco seasoning, and cilantro in a medium bowl. Stir until well mixed. Serve either warm or cold on a tortilla topped with sour cream, onion, avocado, or any other topping you desire.

My Take

I love this recipe because it's something quick and easy that I can whip up. Plus, it's pretty healthy, so there's that as well. I usually eat it warmed up with a dollop of sour cream, but it's just as good cold. I also like quite a bit of flavor in it, so I tend to add a bit more taco seasoning and cilantro. Love the taste of cilantro, though I know some people aren't as fond of it.

Feel free to tinker with it and make it your own. Do you want a bit of a crunch? Add some diced onions. Think it needs more heat? Experiment with some peppers.  Only thing I ask is that you let me know how things go. :)