Thank You Christopher Columbus

Thank you Christopher Columbus for inspiring a holiday. A 3-day weekend where I'm not invited to do anything special- no obligatory Labor Day barbeque, or 4th of July fireworks, just an excuse to take an extra day. And relax. And enjoy the possibly perfect fall weather.

And go harvest grapes at a vineyard. Where I cut grapes from the vine, shaking off the lacadaisacally drunk bees, and checking for mushy overripe grapes, before adding the bunch to the basket. And then was rewarded with lunch and lasagna and plenty of wine.



And sit in my backyard with the dahlias and mums.

And eat banana cardamom pancakes.

And picnic with friends in Meridian Park, with cheap champagne and caviar sandwiches. And sit and read the entire Paris Review. And poems by Naomi Shihab Nye.


It was exactly what a day off is for.

Banana-Cardamom Pancakes
Don't be tempted to smash the bananas into the batter, these work best when the bananas are distinct within the pancakes, soft compliments to the fluffy batter.

2 large eggs
2 cups buttermilk
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/8 teaspoon cardamom
1 cup diced bananas (2 large)

In a medium bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients (eggs, buttermilk, melted butter).
In a small bowl, mix the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking soda, cardamom and salt).

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, stirring until just combined — don't worry if there are a few lumps. Stir in the bananas.

Lightly grease a large sauté pan or griddle with the nonstick spray or butter. Heat the pan until hot and then spoon out 1/4 cup of batter per pancake. Cook the pancakes until the tops look dull and a few of the bubbles pop, about 3 minutes. Turn the pancakes over and cook for another minute.