Banana Pancakes and Espresso

I needed some pancakes this morning. In Baghdad, one of the photographers, Scott Nelson, used to host Friday Pancakes* in our kitchen and it was one of those things that made me happy over there. So I decided that I needed to make Friday Pancakes for myself. It's been a rough couple of days and I just wanted something sweet and delicious to start off my new day.

*Scott has trademarked that name so I hope he doesn't sue me for using it : )

I just use the Aunt Jemima Buttermilk Complete 'Just Add Water' Mix. I used to make pancakes from scratch which is really pretty easy, but why bother when the mix is so good and inexpensive.

So really not too much of a recipe needed. Just follow the instructions on the back of the box depending on how many you want to make. However, I do mash up a fairly ripe banana (like when they have those brown spots on them) with a fork and add it to the batter before I cook them which I think makes them a little special.

I use a 1/4 cup measuring cup to try and get my pancakes to be the same size. I also think it's important to have a good non-stick griddle and a stove that heats pretty evenly - both of which I do not have. I try to only flip the pancakes once so I wait until they are nice and bubbly on top and cooked on the edges before I flip them.

These were not my best effort, but with some real maple syrup, they sure were tasty.

Add to that an almost perfect cup of espresso for my morning latte, and I am feeling a little better already.