Barefoot: Banana Sour Cream Pancakes and CEIMB: Fried Rice with Edamame, Scallions, and Tofu Chicken

Thursdays are busy these days, with both the Barefoot Bloggers and the Craving Ellie In My Belly-ers (ites?) posting on Thursdays (which is either the third or fourth best day of the week, depending on who you ask). The Barefoot recipe this week is Banana Sour Cream Pancakes, chosen by Karen of Something Sweet By Karen. I made these for breakfast last Sunday morning. I was really excited about them, because Ina said that Jeffrey crowned these the winner after a day-long pancake competition -- and if they are good enough for the former Undersecretary of Commerce for International Trade, they are good enough for me. Also, there is a restaurant in Charlottesville, VA called the Tavern (slogan: "Where Students, Tourists and Townspeople Meet"):



that serves some incredible banana pecan pancakes -- I always ordered them when I was a student in C'Ville. I loved the idea of being able to recreate banana pecan pancake nirvana in my own home.



The secret ingredients in these are sour cream, vanilla and lemon zest. And bananas, but those aren't really a secret. I added pecans to a few of them because I have a bunch left over from all that Christmas baking, and because I thought that bananas and pecans would help me more closely replicate the authentic Tavern experience (minus the hangover)(just kidding, Mom!) I thought these were wonderful. Light and fluffy, banana-y, nutty. A subtle lemon flavor that adds interest. Perfect! I savored a bite, threw out a casual "well, what do you think?," and then sat back and waited to be showered with praise and adoration:

David: They are good. I like them. But you know me, I'm kind of a "less is more" guy when it comes to pancakes. And cooked bananas -- eh, not so much.

Jacob: Bananas? These have bananas in them? No wonder they don't taste normal!!

Elizabeth: They are gross! (Followed by a stern talking-to about how we are grateful for the food on our table and we do NOT under any circumstances call food gross).

Okay, for those of you keeping score at home: if you like normal food, these are not the pancakes for you; if you are a pancake minimalist, these are not the pancakes for you; if you have not voluntarily eaten anything but chicken nuggets, Betty Crocker fruit treats or Honey Nut Cheerios since late 2006, these are not the pancakes for you.

[Be sure to tune in for next week's episode of "Sunday Morning Breakfast" as Cathy sits on the sofa with her coffee and the Style section and directs everyone else to the boxes of cereal in the pantry].

I will make these pancakes again, because I think they are really great pancakes. I will simply hold the bananas for everyone except Caroline (who gobbled these up, of course) and me. Problem solved! Great recipe!



The CEIMB recipe this week is Fried Rice with Edamame, Scallions and Tofu, chosen by Jennifer of Running With Food. I decided to make this with chicken instead of tofu, because we've never really gotten into tofu. But boy, are we ever into chicken!!

This one is quick and easy. Saute the garlic, ginger and scallions until aromatic. Add the rice, edamame, red bell pepper, corn and tofu chicken and cook for a few minutes. Then the fun part -- make a well in the middle of the pan, drop in a couple of eggs, and scramble.



Well, it was fun for me, anyway. I don't get out much though. Mix it all together and add soy sauce. The only thing I will do differently next time is to play around with the soy sauce. I thought that the straight soy sauce was a bit harsh in the fried rice. Ellie has a great recipe for teriyaki sauce that she uses as a marinade for pork tenderloin. I'll probably try that the next time I make this (possibly making the pork for dinner one night, and using the leftover pork and some reserved teriyaki sauce in the fried rice the next). We really enjoyed this fried rice, though. I've never made fried rice before, but it is so easy; it's tailor made for playing around with the meats/vegetables/soy protein you put in it; and it is very healthy when prepared Ellie's way. This one's a keeper!

Many thanks to Jennifer and Karen for picking a couple of outstanding recipes to kick off the New Year!