INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S PANCAKE DAY.

today i have not so much been celebrating internation women's day (every day is women's day to me!) but i have been making pancakes:



BANANA PANCAKES

* 55g/2oz butter, cubed
* 275g/9¾oz self–raising flour
* 1 tsp baking powder
* 2 free-range eggs
* 2 tbsp soft light brown sugar
* 300ml/½ pint whole milk
* 1 large banana, roughly chopped
* 1-2 tbsp sunflower oil
* 8 rashers rindless streaky bacon
* maple or golden syrup, to serve

1. preheat the oven to 110c/225f/gas ¼.
2. melt 25g/1oz of the butter in a small pan over a low heat and leave to cool for five minutes.
3. put the melted butter, flour, baking powder, eggs, sugar and milk in a food processor and blend until smooth.
4. pour into a large bowl and mash the banana into the batter with a potato masher.
5. melt a little of the oil with a cube of butter in a large non-stick frying pan over a medium heat. wipe around the base of the pan with a thick wad of kitchen paper. (i dont know what that bits all about.. i didn't do it.)
6. drop two or four large serving spoonfuls of the banana pancake mixture into the frying pan, spacing well apart. cook for three minutes (more like a minute and a half!) or until the pancakes rise, bubbles appear and the surface appears dry.
7. flip over with a palette knife and cook on the other side for a further 2-3 minutes (minute and a half) or until pale golden-brown.
8. transfer to a heatproof plate and keep warm in the oven while you cook the remaining eight pancakes in exactly the same way.
9. return the frying pan to the heat and add the streaky bacon. cook for about three minutes on each side until golden and crisp, turning once. add a splash of oil if the rashers begin to stick.
10. pile the pancakes onto four warmed plates and top with the fried bacon. drizzle with a little maple syrup (or golden syrup) and serve the rest separately.

i got the recipe from here, but i skipped the bacon and syrup and found that three minutes cooking time was WAY TOO LONG (i burned half the pancakes) perhaps if you do it on lower heat.. either way, check the pancakes after about a minute and if they're brown enough, flip them!

i'm all pancaked up, i found this recipe for american style blueberry pancakes earlier from good food and i'm going to make them later but with raspberries. (cos english blueberries are rubbish, and overpriced. and i like raspberries. they're my favourite.)

in other news, i feel a bit shit and weepy as fuck and i think i should probably start taking my medication again. i haven't really taken it since i got my no babies implant put in a month + 1 day ago. i hadn't really noticed a difference until.. just now? i have also been watching the first series of roseanne and torchwood. and made some progress on my cardigan, i am now on the sleeves! i also really really like eating. food is awesome!

my secret private pre-derby lunch from sunday:
(sainsbury's reduced shelf) chicken & chorizo pie with chips and peas.