Wake Up and Be Happy

These are like a beautiful dream that you never want to wake up from. Light fluffy layers of chocolate pancakes like gentle clouds glistening with the gentle dew of vanilla syrup cascading through the rivers of melted butter.........Hey! Wake Up! Sure it's a nice dream but why dream about them when you can actually be making them and eating them.

Chocolate Pancakes

2 cups flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup milk
4 teaspoon butter, melted
2 eggs
4-6 teaspoons cocoa
Chocolate chips, optional

Combine dry ingredients. Add remaining ingredients and stir only until mixed.

Preheat a non-stick skillet until very hot, brush lightly with butter. Pour pancake batter onto hot skillet; flip when bubbles begin to form along edges. When lightly browned on both sides, remove pancakes and stack with pats of butter between each one.
Keep warm in oven until ready to serve.
Try serving these with this delicious vanilla syrup or any of your own favorite pancake toppings.

Vanilla Syrup:

1/2 cup butter, melted
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

Mix together until smooth

When my mother received her dinner tray the other night her dessert was one I hadn’t had in such a long time. They gave my mother a little parfait cup with Banana Pudding made with the traditional vanilla wafers. The only thing the hospital did that was different from what I remembered was add a sprinkling of nutmeg to the top. I have to say that the nutmeg was a nice touch and really added something special to the pudding.

Old-Time Banana Pudding

3 1/2 Tablespoons of all purpose flour
1 1/3 cups of sugar
Dash of salt
3 eggs, separated
3 cups of milk
1 Teaspoon of vanilla
1 (12 oz.) pkg. vanilla wafers
6 medium bananas
1/4 cup + 2 Tablespoons of sugar
A Sprinkle of Nutmeg for the top of each serving (optional)

Combine flour, sugar and salt in a heavy saucepan. Beat egg yolks. Combine egg yolks and milk, mixing well. Stir into dry ingredients. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until smooth and thickened. Remove from heat. Stir in vanilla.
Layer one third of wafers in a 1 quart baking dish. Slice 2 bananas. Layer over wafers. Repeat twice. Beat egg whites until foamy. Add sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time. Add vanilla. Spread on filling and bake at 250 degrees until light brown.