Vittles Divine

Justin asks for banana bread weekly. I'm not sure why , considering my last attempt (7 years ago) was a total bust. Last week he came home from work carrying a bundle of bananas as a gift for me himself, begging me to transform them into baked goods. I took to the internet in search of a fail-proof recipe and hit the jackpot . I don't actually own a bread pan, but I do own mini-muffin tins ! I modified the recipe to suit my equipment and it was a super-success. These are the best banana muffins I have ever eaten. In fact, it's the best banana "bread" I have ever had (and I just paid $4.99 last week for a loaf from Kneaders). I realize they don't look very special, but they are insanely moist and uniformly delectable, with no "crust" to speak of. It's like 48 inside slices of banana bread with the crusts cut off... when you are only baking something for 15 minutes, there isn't time for the outsides to get extra crispy. Ingredients 1/...

These two recipes are surprisingly easy and dangerously delicious -- they appeared on our breakfast table three times this week, to rave reviews and sloppy kisses from the troops. We first had them over the summer when my friend Missy made them for us. I squeezed her for the recipe. The pancakes are light, fluffy, cheap, and easy--like a few girls I knew in high school. They have a hint of pumpkin flavor, but are not overly... pumpkinny. I amazed myself with the apple syrup. It. was. excellent. Pumpkin Pancakes Beat 2 eggs, then add : 3/4 cup Pumpkin 2 Tbs Sugar 1/2 tsp each: ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, soda , salt 1 1/4 tsp baking powder 1/4 cup apple sauce (I like cinnamon applesauce) Mix until smooth using a hand-mixer with beaters. Now add: 1 1/2 cups Flour (I used all-purpose; Missy uses whole wheat) 1 1/2 cups of milk (skim is ok) Mix until smooth. Batter is loose. Use a 1/3 cup scoop to measure. Cook on the griddle and serve! Makes about 15 pancakes, 98 cal...

I fell in love with this dish from my friend Hilary C. at a breakfast recipe exchange several years ago. It is delicious and hearty. I get easily overwhelmed by traditional pancakes and usually start looking for the bacon and eggs after a few bites to counteract my sugar-headache; I can eat a dozen of these without feeling sugared out. The high-protein content of these pancakes combines very well with the sweetness of the orange sauce, or any syrup really. The pancakes have a beautiful texture and they do not taste "eggy". Pancakes 6 eggs 2 cups of cottage cheese 1 cup flour (you can add up to half a cup more if you think you need to) Mix together in a blender until smooth. You might have to stir a few times with the power off to make sure it is blending thoroughly. *Update: I sometimes blend the eggs and cottage cheese in a blender -- without the flour. Then pour the mixture into a bowl. Add flour and use a handmixer to beat until smooth. Use a 1/4 cup scoop...