Banana Sour Cream Pancakes

Who wants a pancake, sweet and piping hot?

Good little Grace looks up and says, "I'll take the one off the top."

Who wants a pancake, hot off the griddle

Terrible Teresa grins and says, "I'll take the one in the middle."

Remember this silly Shel Silverstein poem with an illustration of a sky high pancake tower? Well, I wish I had a mountainous stack of these sour cream banana pancakes, dripping with maple syrup, slices of banana, a sprinkling of crunchy pecans and a dollop or fluffy whipped cream. (I'd want the one in the middle too, since it would have stayed nice and warm.) These pancakes will make you do a backflip and a somersault! I wouldn't normally go around craving banana pancakes, but now I know what I've been missing. They are fantastic! Count on Ina Garten to create a perfectly not-too-sweet, rich-but-light griddle cake. There is no butter or oil in the batter, just a bit of sour cream, and reduced fat worked just fine, plus I put in half whole wheat to boost the nutrition. Chopped bananas are added to the pancakes as they cook, so it's easy to leave them out for any of your banana-lambasters, like my sister Leslie. The next time I make pancakes, this will be THE recipe. And I'd be happy to eat one off the side, bottom or middle. Wish I had one right now.

Money Saving Tips: A half batch is perfect for a family of four. Use yogurt, sour cream or even buttermilk, depending on what you have on hand. We only used one banana, since half of our group preferred plain, so plan according to your family's tastes. Either way, you'll be saving a stack of cash over a pancake's house prices.

Estimated Cost for a 1/2 batch: $2.50

Link to the Barefoot Contessa's Recipe