Bruschetta

Our tomatoes are finally turning red! I picked some decent sized Early Girls today -- I love it when you're cutting up a tomato warm from the summer sun. It just makes them taste better somehow. We've had a bug eating our basil this year, but I was able to get a few leaves to use for homemade Bruschetta. Usually meant as an appetizer, our family eats Bruschetta as a meal on Sunday afternoons in the summer. When the tomatoes are ripe, I just can't get enough! The recipe says 16 servings, but my family of four usually eats about two-thirds of a batch when we serve it up as the meal.

Photo courtesy of cooks-catering.com

Bruschetta

2 tomatoes, diced
2 cloves fresh garlic, minced
1 tablespoon minced fresh basil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
two 16-inch-long French-style baguettes
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1. Stir everything but the baguettes and oil in a small glass or ceramic bowl, and let the mixture rest for at least 10 minutes at room temperature.

2. Slice the baguettes about 3/4-inch thick, on the diagonal. Brush one side of each slice with additional olive oil.

3. Place slices oil-side-up on a baking sheet, and broil (carefully!) just until the slices are lightly browned. Remove them from the broiler and place in a serving dish so that the bottoms don't get soggy.

4. When ready to serve, place about 2 to 3 teaspoons of the tomato mixture on top of each slice of bread.

Servings: 16

Nutrition Facts
Serving size: 1/16 of a recipe (1.8 ounces).
Amount Per Serving:
Calories: 108.86
Total Fat: 3.63g
Saturated Fat: 0.61g
Cholesterol: 0mg
Sodium: 191.17mg
Potassium: 85.34mg
Total Carbohydrates: 16.13g

Party in Pink

I just saw this recipe in the April issue of Traditional Home Magazine and I didn't want to forget it. I think it would be great served at a baby shower or backyard party.

You could freeze half and mix the two in a blender with fresh raspberries for a pink margarita too.

I'm a teetotaler, so this mine is the alcohol free version:

The Pink Drink

7 cups Raspberry Lemonade
1 cup Pomegranate juice
mint to garnish

Chili Cook-off

I'm off to our church's annual Chili Cook-off contest with two of my favorite stand-by recipes -- Black Bean Soup and Cheese Bread. Technically, neither one is chili. I learned last year that I'm not really a big fan of chili. Also, I'm such a picky eater, for pot-luck stuff I usually bring food that will make me happy. I really have a hard time eating food when I don't know the standards by which it was prepared. I guess I'm admitting several neurosis here. But, don't judge. I bring enough to share. Generally I don't boil the soup this high, but I needed to cook the celery quickly. I realized I started the soup with only one hour until it was time to go -- by boiling the heck out of it, I'm hoping the celery will be soft by the time we make it to the church. UGH! I just realized my jeans are in the washer -- I'm off to throw them in the dryer in the hopes that they'll make it in time! Wish me luck on all counts!

New Year's celebration

I can't believe I didn't take a picture of the food! We had a party for New Year's Eve, and you'd think the three cooks involved hadn't eaten for weeks. We all cooked and brought our treats together. Here's the menu:

Appetizers:
Bacon Wrapped Pineapple
Stuffed Mushrooms
Spinach Dip

Main Course:
Many Bean Chili
Spinach, Chicken and Pasta Salad

Dessert:
Cream cheese Brownies
Haystack Cookies
Shortbread cookies
Oreo Rice Krispie treats

O000-eeeee! It was tasty! I find it absurd that the food was almost gone by 9 PM. We divided up the scarce leftovers for absent loved ones and everyone went home to start their New Year's off right -- fat and happy!

Buttermilk Drop Biscuits

A few weeks ago I had a terrible need for a KFC biscuit. After convincing the family to pick up dinner, KFC had the audacity to be out of biscuits. Seriously! What fried chicken place runs out of biscuits? Well, they did and I was forced to come up with my own. Luckily I had some buttermilk on hand and was able to adjust a recipe to fit my taste.

I like a moist biscuit with a crunchy outside. A strong butter flavor is required absolutely required. These became an instant household favorite. My daughter now requests them often and I will do my best to stock buttermilk so that we're ready at a moments notice.

Oh, and these babies take about 20 minutes from start to finish -- perfect for adding to almost any meal. We like to eat breakfast sandwiches around here with ham, egg and a biscuit. These will work perfectly!

Buttermilk Drop Biscuits

3 cups Flour

1 Tbs sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

2 teaspoons salt

1/2 cup cold butter

1 cup buttermilk

1. Preheat your oven to 450°F.
2. Place the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt in a food processor.
3. Add the butter to the food processor and run until the butter is cut into the flour mixture.
4. Add the buttermilk and blend quickly -- not too much.
5. Place the dough on a cookie sheet in lumps about 1/4 cup in size. Squash them a bit with your fingers into a loose biscuit shape.
6. Brush the tops with melted butter.
7. Bake the biscuits for 12 to 14 minutes, until they're golden brown.

Servings: 12

Hash Brown Heaven

When you bake it, the food will be taller than this, I like it squashed flat, and forgot that I needed a picture for the blog.

So, here is the squashed serving.

I've been looking for a hearty breakfast recipe that I can prepare ahead of time that meets many requirements: healthy, tasty, filling and yet not too heavy on calories. Also, I need to be able to re-heat it in the microwave and have it taste the same as it did when it came out of the oven.

This baby is the winner. I've pulled together several different recipes and tweaked it so that we had the perfect meal. My husband loves it so much he ate almost 1/2 of a 9x13 pan for dinner this week. Note: It is not low calorie if you eat half the pan.

This will make 8 hearty servings, with about 350 calories per serving.

Hash Brown Heaven

1 medium onion
14 oz turkey kielbasa
2 green peppers
4 cups frozen hash browns, thawed(one bag)
1/2 cup sour cream3 eggs
8 egg whites
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 1/2 cups Mexican cheese

1. Dice green pepper and onion very small.
2. Dice kielbasa very small. Brown and set aside.
3. Combine all ingredients reserving one half of the cheese in a greased 9x13 pan.
4. Top with the remainder of the cheese.
5. Bake at 350 for 40-50 minutes or until set.

Servings: 8

Amount Per Serving Calories 346.04
Calories From Fat (44%) 153.67%
Daily Value Total Fat 17.52g 27%
Saturated Fat 8.7g 44%
Cholesterol 142.63mg 48%

Cooking a turkey

I'm surprised how many people are afraid of cooking a turkey. I've done it for about 10 years now, and it's surprisingly easy and a very economical way to add protein to a menu. I will often cook two turkeys in November while the meat is sold at a discount price and freeze one in small vacuumed sealed packages to use through the winter.

This is going to sound like a made-up story, but I swear it's true. My sister had a friend, who had a brother that worked in a restaurant. His job was to make the turkeys during the holidays. He put together instructions, and gave them to my sister, who in turn gave them to me.

Now, there are probably as many ways to cook a turkey as there are turkeys on the planet, but this method has never failed me. In fact, I now use it for roasting chickens as well.

Kristie's Tasty Turkey
For an 18 lbs. Turkey

• You will want to use a roasting pan with a rack to raise the turkey and the roasting pan should not be too big. The Turkey should only be 1-2 inches from the sides of the pan. Thaw turkey completely – 3 to 4 days in the fridge
• Soak turkey(in the packaging) in cold water with 2 cups of salt in the kitchen sink for at least 4 hours or up to overnight -- this is called brining
• Once completely thawed & brined, rinse turkey, remove everything from inside and pat dry
• Separate skin from breast and rub a mixture of salt, pepper, garlic pepper and poultry seasoning inside between the skin and the breast meat
• Rub and dump 3-4 handfuls of salt in the internal cavity
• Tie back the wings under the breasts
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees
• Cook turkey upside down, uncovered @ 400 degrees for 1/3 of projected cook time (18 lbs. = 50 minutes, or so)
• Turn Turkey breast side up, drizzle skin with butter and shake salt and pepper on the outside
• Add 1-2 cups of water to bottom of pan to add to the juices and make basting easier
  Drop temperature to 325 degrees and cover with a tight foil tent
• Baste every 30 minutes
• Begin checking the temperature for doneness after a total of 2 hrs of cooking. Reduce temperature if cooking too rapidly.
• When temperature reaches 165 – 185 degrees with a digital instant read thermometer in both the legs and breasts, remove from oven and baste again, immediately wrap completely in a tight foil blanket and then wrap that in a towel.
• Allow to rest for up to an hour before carving.

Spaghetti Bake

This recipe is a slight modification of one that my mother-in-law makes. The first time she made it for me was just after I had my son and was completely incapacitated from the surgery. My wonderful mother-in-law came to stay with us for a week and took great care to love and feed us while she was there. This recipe will always remind me of her kindness.

Aside from it's wonderful memories, it's tasty too.

Spaghetti Bake

16 oz package spaghetti
1 pound hamburger
1 green pepper
1 medium onion
1 package pepperoni, chopped into small pieces
1 tablespoon butter
1 jar spaghetti sauce
2 cups mozzarella cheese

Boil noodles, but drain them about two minutes before you would normally remove them. They will continue cooking in the oven.

In a fairly large pan, brown and drain the hamburger.

In the same pan that you cooked the hamburger, saute pepper and onion in butter until tender. Add the chopped pepperoni. Saute for two minute more.

Add the hamburger back to the vegetables and pepperoni. Add the spaghetti sauce and heat until warm.

Place the cooked noodles and the vegetable/sauce combination into a 9x13 baking dish. Mix thoroughly.

Top with cheese and cover with aluminum foil.

Bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil, bake for an additional 10-15 minutes, or until the cheese is brown.

Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

This soup is always a hit! I take it often to people that are sick or need a meal brought in. When taking it to someone, I always pair it up with my hearty white bread.

It freezes VERY well, just remember to heat it slowly because it is cream based. If you reheat it in the microwave, just set it at a medium power setting.

Good luck!

Wild Rice Soup

1 large Onion
2 cups Carrots, diced
3 cups Celery, diced
½ cup Butter
2/3 cups Flour
6 cups Water
2 tablespoons McCormick chicken base (or 4 Bullion Cubes)
2 pkgs Rice-A-Roni Long Grain and Wild Rice
5 Chicken breasts (cooked and cubed)
2 cups Half and Half
½ teaspoon Salt
½ teaspoon Pepper

1. Chop vegetables and place in large soup pot. Melt butter and sauté vegetables until tender.

2. Add flour and stir until vegetables are coated. Let the flour cook for about 2-3 minutes until it has a golden blond color.

3. Slowly add water and stir vigorously until flour dissolves. Prepare Rice-A-Roni as directed on box, then add to the soup.

4. Add the remaining ingredients and simmer on low until well blended, usually about 1 hour.

Servings: 20
Yield: 20 cups

Meal Plan for November 16-22

I'm back to meal planning again after a few months off. It was just too much hassle if I don't plan ahead. Without a plan, I find myself trying to find ways to convince the family that we should eat out instead of cooking. Not really money-saving at all.

A friend recently explained to me that in their family, each person gets to choose one meal during the week, and the mom chooses for the days left over. I thought it was a great idea. We tried it for a bit last week and had very happy results. The picky eater in the family was thrilled that people had to eat what she liked, and she didn't whine as much on the other days. So, my family members have shared the duty again this week, and we put together the following menu:

Monday -- French Dip Sandwiches
Tuesday -- French Peasant Bread with Cream cheese chicken and rice
Wednesday -- Wild rice soup and homemade bread
Thursday -- French toast and bacon
Friday -- Chicken Tacos with Black Bean Salsa
Saturday -- Spaghetti Bake
Sunday -- Crock pot BBQ pork chops with simple roasted potatoes and Alabama white BBQ sauce

I'm getting into the habit of thinking ahead. Next week, on my day we're going to have Tostadas with shredded beef that's already made and waiting in the freezer.

Our Favorite Brownies

I was very tempted recently to try a new recipe on Smitten Kitchen, one of my most favorite foodie websites.

Oh baby! These are the most wonderful brownies I have ever made at home -- and I did it from scratch! I've tried cream cheese brownies before, but sometimes the brownie part leaves something to be desired. By melting chocolate chips with the butter, it makes a better starting point than using cocoa in my mind. Plus, I always have semi-sweet chocolate chips around, but I often run out of cocoa.

I changed the recipe from Smitten Kitchen a bit. I'm pretty cheap, so I use chocolate chips instead of bakers chocolate. Either will probably work, but this is easier for me.

Oh, and did I mention that I whipped these up in less than five minutes, used the same bowl for both batters and had them baked so fast I hadn't even finished licking the bowl clean? My family didn't even bother with plates. They are really that good.

Cheesecake Marbled Brownies

Brownie batter

1 stick butter, cut into pieces

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

pinch of salt

1 cup sugar

2 large eggs

1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

2/3 cup all-purpose flour

Cheesecake batter

8 oz cream cheese, well softened

1/3 cup sugar

1 large egg yolk

1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract

Topping

1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1. Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Butter an 8-inch square baking pan.
3. Melt butter and chocolate chips in the microwave -- about 30-45 seconds was all it took. Combine well.
4. Whisk in sugar, eggs, vanilla, and a pinch of salt until well combined.
5. Whisk in flour until just combined and spread in baking pan.
6. Whisk together cheesecake batter ingredients in a small bowl until smooth. Dollop over brownie batter, then swirl in with a knife or spatula.
7. Sprinkle chocolate chips over cheesecake/brownie batter swirl.
8. Bake until edges are slightly puffed and center is just set, about 35 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Yield: Makes 16 2-inch square, thick brownies

Pizza Party Night

We recently had a family over for a Friday night pizza party. I made the pizza crusts and did the pre-bake before everyone arrived. The crusts had time to cool before we put all the toppings on -- I think this was one of the key factors to the perfect crust that we enjoyed that night. But, the best part was that I realized as I was assembling all the pizza toppings that they were all salad toppings as well. Everyone was able to make their own salad and their own pizza to fit their personal taste. All the guests were happy, and it was a pretty easy event to make happen! I was very happy! I highly recommend doing this for a family get-together or a dinner party. I think the adults were the most pleased.

The pizza crust I used was from King Arthur, and the toppings I put out were tomatoes, green peppers, onions, olives, mushrooms, pepperoni, Canadian Bacon, pineapple, several different kinds of cheese and lettuce. We had a few salad dressings to choose from and Prego traditional sauce for the pizzas.

Yummo!

Homemade Chicken Things

We made Homemade Chicken Things last night and they were great! I highly recommend them. The entire family ate them and enjoyed it! Now, in this house, that's really saying something!

I changed the original recipe a bit. Here's what I did:

Homemade Chicken “Things”

2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts

2 cups milk

2 tablespoons vinegar

5 drops Tabasco sauce

3/4 cup complete (just add water) pancake mix
3/4 cup water
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Oil for frying

1. Trim chicken breasts and cut into desired size nuggets or fingers. I cut mine into 3/4 inch cubes.

2. Soak chicken pieces in milk mixed with vinegar and Tabasco for 3-4 hours.

3. In a large bowl whisk together pancake mix, water, salt & pepper. Add more water to thin if needed. (Note: You want the mix to be a little thinner than you would for making pancakes, but not very much.)

4. Heat oil in a fryer or in a medium-sized pot. Add chicken pieces to the batter and stir to coat completely.

4. When oil is hot, use a fork to transfer chicken from the batter to the oil. Don't put too many pieces in at once or it will lower the oil temperature and they will not cook as well.

5. Cook about 3 - 4 minutes per side, until batter is browned and chicken is completely cooked.

Canned Salsa

Last August I canned salsa and have thoroughly enjoyed the fresh taste of summer all year long. I had really hoped to take peppers and tomatoes from our garden to make more this summer. So far, I'm really out of luck! We've only had enough tomatoes for one meal about every other day. UGH! We're just finishing off the final two jars from last year.

But, for those of you that have an abundance of produce and are looking for a good canned salsa recipe, I highly recommend this one! It's got a fresh taste, a little bit of vinegar bite and the yummy background flavor of cilantro.

You do need to cook it until the water disappears -- it will be runny if you don't cook it until it's at 1/2 the original volume. Warning -- it goes fast! We eat several cups worth each time we have nachos.

Canning Salsa

3 qt. tomatoes, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 qt. onions, coarsely chopped
1 c. green peppers, coarsely chopped
4-6 jalapeno peppers, seeded and finely chopped
4-6 cloves garlic
1-2 tsp. salt
1/2 bunch of cilantro
1/2 c. sugar
3/4 c. 5% apple cider vinegar

Cook down to 1/2 volume. Put into sterilized jars; seal and water bath 20 minutes for pints or pressure at 5 pounds for 5 minutes.

Fried Green Tomatoes

Yep. My southern-belle of a grandma is rolling in her grave. Her Yankee grand-daughter just grew a tomato in Connecticut and then made fried green tomatoes with that same tomato and loved it.

I don't know what that traditional southern way of making fried green tomatoes is supposed to be, so I just made up my own way.

This poor little tomato had fallen off the tomato plant. He seemed in perfectly fine shape to me, so I thought I'd fry him up for dinner. Here's what I did:

Fried Green Tomatoes

Batter:

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon Lawry's seasoning salt

2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

1 egg, beaten

Slice the tomatoes fairly thin, about 1/8-1/4 inch thick. I liked the thinner ones the best -- they had a good crunch to them.

Dredge in beaten egg.

Dredge in flour.

Gently place into VERY hot oil -- if it isn't hot, the tomato will get all oily and soggy instead of crispy.

Fry for about 2 minutes on each side. Try not to jostle or flip the tomatoes too roughly or the tasty batter will fall off.

Place on a paper towel to drain.

Serve with dipping sauce. I used Alabama BBQ sauce, but it would taste great with Ranch too.

Molten Chocolate Lava Cake

While our friends were in town, we had planned on having molten chocolate cake which I posted last week.

As is always the case, I found a better recipe just before making it and decided to try it instead. Thanks to the Pioneer Woman, it was a huge success. We loved it so much we made it again later in the week. I've tripled the Pioneer Woman's recipe. We baked it in a 9 x 13 pan and just scooped it out and served it with ice cream.

It probably would have been cooler in individual cups, but I don't have twelve of them.

Molten Chocolate Cake -- Pioneer Woman
12 oz Semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 1/2 cup butter
3 cups Powdered Sugar
6 whole Eggs
6 whole Egg Yolks
1 cup, 1 ounce Flour

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Spray 12custard cups (or a 9 x 13) with Pam and place on cookie sheet.
3. Microwave chocolate and butter in large bowl on high for about 1 minute, until butter is melted. whisk until chocolate is also melted.
4. Stir in sugar until well blended. Whisk in eggs and egg yolks. Stir in flour.
5. Divide between cups.
6. Bake 13-14 minutes until sides are firm and center is soft. Let stand 1 minute.

If using a 9 x 13, bake about 2 minutes longer -- 16 minutes should do it.

Planning for Houseguests

I LOVE having people come and stay with us. It gets us out the door and doing fun things. I enjoy the running around, trying to see everything in one week and enjoying the wonderful area where we live.

One of my favorite things about house guests is preparing good food for them to eat. Tasty meals and good friends are two of the best things in life.

However, the two favorite things often conflict. Making good food takes time. Time is short when you're trying to cram in all the adventures possible. So, to help things along I prepare as much a possible before the guests arrive.

Here's the menu plan for one week's visit:

Wednesday Breakfast
scrambled eggs
oatmeal cookie pancakes
fruit

Wednesday Lunch
clam chowder
sour dough baguettes
nectarines
cookies

Wednesday Dinner
BBQ bacon chicken
cheese bread
salad
rice
watermelon
peach pie

Thursday Breakfast
scrambled eggs
Peaches & Cream Scones
fruit

Thursday Lunch
sandwiches
pickles
chips
fruit
cookies

Thursday Dinner
French Dip Sandwiches
salad
small baguettes
cantaloupe
strawberry shortcake

Friday Breakfast
scrambled eggs
chocolate chip cherry scones
fruit

Friday Lunch
hot dogs
chips
fruit

Friday Dinner
Eat Out

Saturday Breakfast
leftover scones
scrambled eggs
fruit

Saturday Lunch
eat out

Saturday Dinner
spaghetti with meat sauce
salad
cheese bread
fruit
Double Chocolate Layer Cake

Sunday Breakfast
leftover scones, pancakes

Sunday Lunch
snacks while driving

Sunday Dinner
Chicken Gordita Picnic:
cooked cubed chicken
Gordita flat bread
tzatziki sauce
lettuce/tomato
fruit
chips
cookies

Monday Breakfast
Raspberry Turnovers


Monday Lunch
Mystic Pizza

Monday Dinner
pot roast
mashed potatoes
gravy
peas
cheese bread
salad
fruit
warm chocolate melting cake

Tuesday Breakfast
Blueberry Muffins

Then sadly, a trip to the airport to send our guests back home. You can bet after all this food, we'll be eating leftovers for the rest of that week!

Blueberry Muffins

These muffins are great! Everything you look for in a muffin -- moist, tangy and full of flavor. The little touch of lemon adds a flavor boost and makes the blueberries taste even better.

Blueberry Muffins

2 1/4 cups All-Purpose Flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
4 Tbs unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 tablespoon lemon peel
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup sour cream
1 1/2 cups blueberries
coarse white sparkling sugar for garnish (optional)

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a muffin tin with papers, and grease the papers.
2. In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, then set aside.
3. In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar with a hand-held or stand mixer, until light, fluffy, and almost white in color. Start the mixer at low speed until the ingredients are incorporated, then gradually increase speed to medium-high until the desired color and texture are reached.
4. Scrape down the bowl to make sure all the butter is incorporated, then add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
5. Add the vanilla and sour cream or yogurt, and mix until incorporated.
6. Add the dry ingredients and mix on low speed just until the batter is smooth. It will be thick.
7. Fold in the berries by hand.
8. Scoop the batter into the prepared muffin cups, using a heaping 1/4-cup for each. Sprinkle with regular granulated or coarse white sugar, if desired.
9. Bake the muffins for 18 to 24 minutes, until a cake tester inserted in the center of one comes out clean. Remove them from the oven, cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then remove the muffins from the pan to finish cooling on a rack.
Servings: 12

BBQ Bacon Chicken

This is a family favorite. It's so simple, you can serve it to almost anyone and they'll like it. But, it also works great for guests because it just tastes so good!

BBQ Bacon Chicken

4 strips cooked bacon, diced
2 chicken breasts
1/2 cup BBQ sauce
1/2 cup cheddar cheese grated

1. Place chicken in a baking dish.

2. Cover each breast with 2-3 tablespoons BBQ sauce

3. Crumble bacon and place on top of the chicken.

4. Top with cheese.

5. Bake covered for 35 minutes at 350.

6. Remove cover and bake 5 minutes more.

OamealCookie Pancakes

This recipe comes from Rachael Ray originally. I modified it a little to fit our family's preferences for chocolate without nuts. Give this recipe a try -- it's a great way to get fiber into your kids for breakfast!

One tip -- with the brown sugar content, these can burn easily. Be sure to start your pan on low heat and increase the heat as necessary.

Oatmeal Cookie Pancakes

1 cup old fashioned oats
1 cup all-purpose flour
½ cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 cup sour cream
3/4 cup whole milk
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 really ripe bananas, mashed up
3/4 cup chocolate chips
½ stick melted butter
Maple syrup or honey, for drizzling

DIRECTIONS:

Mix dry ingredients, the first 7, in a bowl.

In a another bowl, mix the wet ingredients, the next 4.

Whisk the wet ingredients into the dry until just combined, then fold in the mashed up bananas and the chocolate chips.

Stir in the melted butter.

Heat a griddle over medium-low heat and brush with additional melted butter.

Cook pancakes, each about 1/3 cup, until bubbles form on the top, then turn.

Cakes will cook in about 2 minutes on each side.

Keep pancakes tented with foil as they come off the griddle to keep them hot.

Serve with drizzled honey or maple syrup over the top. Yields about 24 pancakes.