This past week I had the week off school. At the University of Ottawa Faculty of Law, there is a mini semester in January where you take 1 course every day for 3 weeks. Professors from all over the world come to teach a variety of courses. First year students, such as myself,  have a mandatory course: Dispute Resolution and Professional Responsibility.

Anyway, during my week off I had a lot of time on my hands. So I enjoyed it by cooking and baking all sorts of treasures. Some never to be made again, others to improve and several that made it in my good books. There are too many recount all in one post, so I will add them with time. I don’t want anyone, including myself, to overdose on some wonderful recipes.

My first day off started with Banana Walnut Pancakes — taken from www.joythebaker.com

1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup cornmeal
1 Tbsp sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 eggs, separated
1/4 cup oil
1 1/2 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 ripe banana, mashed
1/4 cup chopped walnuts

Mix dry ingredients, except walnuts. Mix the wet ingredients, except the banana,  into the dry ingredients. Then leave the batter alone for 5 minutes (to thicken).
Add banana and walnuts, folding gently.
Egg whites: beat them in a bowl with an electric mixture to create stiff peaks. (I mixed for a good 5 minutes or more..not really sure if I got them into stiff peaks..) Fold them gently into the batter.

Separating the eggs makes the pancakes light and fluffier.

In a frying pan, brush it with oil, heat medium low and add the batter in batches (see image above). Cook them pancakes until bubbles begin to form and the edges start to look dry. Flip with a spatula until the other side is golden and cooked through (usually goes faster). This will give the pancakes nice crisp ridges. Leaving the heat relatively low may take a little longer to make the pancakes, but it is worth the wait.

I ate them with Maples Syrup and later added strawberries. YUM. Next time I will eat with berries at the beginning.

My rating 8/10. (I did not put full 1/4 cup of walnuts, I’m sure it would have tasted better with more. Also plan to eat with at least 2 or more people)