Banana Pancakes

I always end up with really ripe bananas and even though I know that I can freeze them for later use, I hate doing that. Why? Because I forget about them and they get freezer-burnt, even though I have good intentions of making smoothies, ice cream pops or banana bread with them, so they still end up getting tossed. I was looking through Isabelle's Blog and I came across this recipe for banana pancakes and I had a "Eureka!" moment. These look fluffy and delicious.....Chris loves banana pancakes and I am sure getting tired of the egg sandwich we have almost every morning.

Who ate the banana? It wasn't me, and it certainly couldn't be Christopher as he knows I was saving them for pancakes......As I sat down and asked him about the banana he was eating he said it was the ripe ones and he thought that I would make fun of him for eating one of the unripened bananas and even said he hoped it didn't have "brown" inside. I smiled in disbelief and told him that he knew I was saving those for pancakes...."Ooops", said Christopher. XD.........

Anyways, these banana pancakes were delicious and half the recipe made just enough for us. 

Veggie Fajitas and Chocolate Banana Bread

Hi kids, today's recipe is Veggie Fajitas....I know, I know....I don't even need a recipe for this recipe, LOL. This does however give me the chance to break out the cast iron skillet and saute` up some veggies, like tomatoes, onions and peppers. I was going to use some squash/zucchini, but they are out of season and too d*mn expensive and I don't live in Richmond anymore so I can't go to Tan-A and get it GRRR. I can't wait for summer! But I digress.......I may go out to the store and get some cactus, I am undecided. Chris says that he likes cactus so I might go out. A lot of these recipes that I did look at call for Monterey Jack cheese, but I like them without the cheese. You can serve the fajitas with some sour cream and salsa...fresh or bought. I ended up getting zucchini since the store I went to had them on sale and they also had artichokes on sale so I may go back and get some of those for another meal later in the week ;O) Feel free to use whatever veggies you have on hand, for 2 people I used 1&1/2 quartered smallish tomatoes, 1 medium onion (sliced), 1/2 medium sized zucchini (sliced), and 1/2 green bell pepper (sliced). Cook all veggies (except tomatoes) with a bit of oil over medium-medium high heat until veggies soften and during the last bit of cooking add your tomatoes. These were delicious and I will make them again.

I also decided to make some chocolate banana bread since I have two very ripe bananas sitting on the table that neither Chris or I will eat. Our bunnies would love them though, they love really ripe bananas. That is my male Netherland Dwarf, Stitch, above. Isn't he a cutie? This recipe is from Good Food, Good Wine and A Bad Girl's Isabelle Boucher. You should check out her blog, nicely written and lots of beautiful photos and delicious recipes. This recipe is pretty much foolproof, want to make it with less fat or maybe you only have 1/2 stick butter? Use applesauce in place of the remaining butter that you are missing. Making this but you are a vegan? Use margarine instead of the butter and for the eggs use applesauce (1/2 cup). She calls for high quality cocoa, but if you only have regular cocoa it still tastes awesome. I actually use the store brand. Here is the recipe, but don't miss out on her Chai Banana Bread, which is also very delicious. I would be making that but I am saving the rest of the Chai tea bags I have for Dee's (my MIL) birthday cake. I will post that recipe again next month.

                            Banana Bread Batter.....

                         Cooked Banana Bread.........