This recipe comes from my uncle Steve (aka Stevie). As the family lore goes, he got it from Parade magazine 25-30 years ago when it was listed one of the Best Pancakes in USA. It was originally from a truck stop or little cafe somewhere in the Midwest. The origins are a bit sketchy; the pancakes are not.

I've made them nearly every weekend for my kids for the past decade. They simply ask, "Will you make Stevie's?" Yes. Yes, I will.

STEVIE PANCAKES

Warning: Follow the directions as written. The order is crucial to success.

2 cups milk

1/4 cup vegetable oil

2 eggs

Dash of vanilla

Whisk the above together (in Steve's words, I kind of emulsify them). Then whisk in until batter is smooth:

2 cup flour

2 T baking powder

4 T sugar

When batter is smooth, you are ready to drop on your prepared griddle.

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Banana Bread. The recipe that launched Jana Vee and Marjorie. Every time I bake the bread, every time I eat bite or watch my family enjoy a loaf, memories of my grandmothers come flooding back.

While eating a slice (years ago) at one house, I commented on how much I loved the banana bread. It was simply the best. My grandma laughed, "Honey, that's your other grandma's recipe." Ah, of course the recipes between two friends were exchanged.

Enjoy.

BANANA BREAD

Cooking time: 1 hour

3 ripe or overripe bananas (4 if small)

1 cup sugar

1 egg

1 1/2 cup flour

1/4 cup melted butter

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 cup chopped walnuts, if desired (a note on the recipe card from one grandmother to the other: the original recipe doesn't call for them but I usually add)

Mash bananas with fork. Stir in other ingredients. Pour into well greased 8 1/2" x 4 1/2" x 2 1/2" loaf pan. Bake for 1 hour at 325 in preheated oven. Remove from pan to cool.

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