For as long as I can remember, every time my family and I went to IHOP, my mom always swapped out the plain old buttermilk pancakes for harvest grain and nut and topped them off with pecan syrup. That’s just the way it was. IHOP = Harvest Grain and Nut Pancakes. We don’t, however, go to IHOP regularly. Mostly because mom and I are usually on a diet or health kick, and walking into any IHOP means we’re definitely overeating. How can you not overeat when you can get a whole omelet with crispy hash browns and a side of pancakes?! It’s almost impossible. So we reserve IHOP for rare occasions.
This year for Mother’s Day, I treated mom to my own version of her favorite pancakes, Whole Wheat Banana Nut Pancakes. I’ve fully accepted that as the oldest with two brothers, I’m wholly responsible for coming up with the plan, and consequently executing said plan and allowing the boys to take some credit. I was pleasantly surprised when this year, T took it upon himself to pick up cards for both he and my other brother, oh yea, and the newest four-legged addition to our family, Leia.
Every family has its own traditions. Ours happens to be reading cards. I’m not really sure when it all started. We kind of forewent the gifts, and decided that Hallmark says it best. We each generally pick out a card that represents our individual personalities. Hallmark’s gotten really good at figuring people out. How is it that one becomes a greeting-card writer anyway? Hmmm .. I guess that’s another discussion for another blog post. In any case, we gather around the table and hand over our cards and, then the tearful reading of the cards begins. Year after year, I somehow find a way to pick the sappiest card. But this year, I didn’t want us to cry. I wanted us to just be happy and grateful for our amazing mother.
So as I started reading through the daughter-to-mother cards, I picked one up and straight up started crying in the middle of the store. Before I got to the end, I closed the card up, looked around to make sure no one saw my outburst, and put it right back on the shelf. I still ended up with a heart-felt card, just not a tear-jerker.
And so, we enjoyed our Whole Wheat Banana Nut Pancakes with butter pecan syrup and ended breakfast with our traditional card readings.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
- 1 1/2 cups Oatmeal, ground in a food processor
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 tablespoon Cinnamon
- 3 Eggs
- 1 cup Milk
- 1 cup Buttermilk
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup Pecans, chopped
- 1/2 cup Walnuts, chopped
- 4 medium bananas, sliced
Instructions
- Heat griddle or skillet over a medium-high heat
- Meanwhile place all dry ingredients in a large bowl and mix until combined, then add wet ingredients and whisk until smooth
- Spray the griddle or skillet with cooking spray
- Pour batter onto the griddle/skillet and cook until the outer edges are dry and bubbles start to form. I use a ¼ cup measure to make the perfect size.
- Using a spatula, flip the pancake over and cook until golden brown ( 1-2 minutes)
- Remove from the heat and set aside
- Repeat until the batter is finished
- Top with sliced bananas and butter pecan syrup
