Chocolate Chip Pancakes

I've said in here before, breakfast really isn't typically my thing. But I sometimes I feel like I maybe cereal isn't going to cut it everyday of the week. Really I need to get back into my smoothie-making-frenzy that I participated in last year, where almost every morning I made a smoothie of sorts. I definitely have the time for that now that I don't have to be in the office at 8:30 every morning. Instead I have to be in class, but I have a lot longer in the mornings now to make things for myself, like smoothies. There's been a lot of Kix lately though. Oh well.

Anyway, over the weekend I decided it was necessary for both my boyfriend and myself to enjoy something other than processed grains in milk.

Chocolate chip pancakes remind me of being a little girl. I've never been big on breakfasts. But my mom used to make me chocolate chip pancakes and I could eat them for days. When we didn't have chocolate chips in the house sometimes I'd get M&Ms in them. I am such a chocoholic that it's no surprise that I loved them.

In my adult life my control for eating chocolate has increased greatly. I don't get the cravings for it that I used to. But I could never turn down the pancakes.

Chocolate Chip Pancakes

Ingredients

1 egg

1 cup buttermilk

2 tbsp butter, melted and cooled

1/4 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 tbsp sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp kosher salt

6 tbsp chocolate chips

Directions

1. Whisk together the egg, buttermilk, butter, and vanilla until combined. Add in the dry ingredients except for the chocolate chips and mix together until well combined and no dry spots remain. Mix in the chocolate chips.

2. Melt a small amount of butter in a skillet over medium heat. Drop 1/4 cup batter into a pan and cook until until golden brown on one side, or until the side facing up begins to bubble. Flip the pancake and cook until golden on the other side.

3. Repeat step 2 until all the batter is cooked.

* serves 3, 2 pancakes per serving

CALORIES: 309 calories

CHOLESTEROL: 56 milligrams
FAT: 12 grams
SODIUM: 555 milligrams

Peanut Butter Cheesecake w/Carmalized Bananas

My brother's birthday was on the 4th of this month. Sadly I wasn't able to celebrate on Thursday with my family and go out to a fancy steak dinner, because it was my last week of work and I needed to be in the office on Friday. And my family lives about 2 hours away.

I did go home though on Saturday morning, so I could at least make my brother a cake.

Every year my brother asks me for some variation of a banana cake or a cheesecake. This year his request was for me to make a banana peanut butter chocolate cheesecake. I plotted and planned and finally found the perfect recipe.

Ingredients

CRUST
18 chocolate graham crackers
10 tbsp unsalted butter, diced
6 tbsp packed brown sugar

FILLING
24 oz cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup creamy natural peanut butter
3/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
4 large eggs
1/3 cup sour cream

TOPPING
1/2 cup unsalted butter, diced
1/2 cup brown sugar
7 ripe bananas, cut in half and then into 1-inch pieces

Directions
1. Position rack in the center of the oven. Preheat to 350.

2. Combine the ingredients for the crust in a food processor. Blend the crumbs until they stick together. Press the crumb mixture in the bottom of a springform pan. Bake for about 12 minutes and then set aside and let cool. Maintain the oven temperature.

3. Rinse out the food processor. In the processor place the cream cheese and peanut butter. Pulse until smooth. Add the sugars and pulse until fluffy.

4. Pulse in each egg, one at a time followed by the vanilla. Scrape the cheesecake batter on top of the crust.

5. Wrap the sides of the springform pan with three sheets of aluminum foil. Place a springform pan in a roasting pan and fill the roasting pan with enough water, to reach about half way up the sides of the springform.

6. Bake in the water bath in the oven for 1 hour and 25 minutes. Place the hot cheesecake directly in the refrigerator and chill for approximately 6 hours.

7. After the cheesecake is thoroughly chilled, heat the butter for the topping in a skillet and mix with the brown sugar. Stir over medium-low heat until the mixture is bubbly, for about 4 minutes. Add the banana pieces to the skillet and coat with the caramel sauce.

8. Carefully transfer the bananas to the top of the cheesecake. Let sit at room temperature for an hour before serving.

I'm not even going to try to figure out the calories. This is one of those things you just have to indulge yourself in. I can't always be perfect.