Thanks, everybody, for the oven feedback! Michelle correctly diagnosed the problem :) And thanks to Liz for asking me about the holes, which led me to check out the oven again, and now I'm sure I could fix it by myself :)

In the meantime, it's exhilarating to have an oven where all 4 burners work. It has not been that way since I moved here in 1999. To celebrate, I dug out 4 skillets and made pancakes for me and D. Here's the recipe, from Moosewood Restaurant New Classics:

Dry ingredients:
1 c unbleached white flour
1/2 t salt
2 t baking powder
1/4 t ground nutmeg
1/4 c quick-cooking oats

Wet ingredients:
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 c 2% milk (I used soy milk instead)
1 T vegetable oil
2 T maple syrup or sugar
1 c sliced ripe bananas

Sift together the flour, salt, baking powder and nutmeg. Add the oats and mix well. In a separate bowl, stir together all of the wet ingredients. Make a well in the dry ingredients and stir in the wet ingredients just to combine.

Lightly oil a skillet or griddle and place on medium-high heat. Use about 1/4 c of batter for each pancake and cook until bubbles appear on the top, about 1 to 1 1/2 minutes. The bananas will settle to the bottom, so you want to flip these pancakes just as soon as bubbles start to form to avoid scorching them. Cook on the second side until golden brown, about 1 minute.

Serve hot.

In other news, I have to drag my carcass to Macy's today and look for a gift for my sister. My sisters, who are twins, have their birthday on August 23rd. I already got 2 Rachael Ray cookbooks for one sister. My other sister asked for a T-shirt from petfinder.com, which I ordered, and also mentioned that she'd like a cat charm for her charm bracelet, or pins or earrings that have a cat theme. (My sister LOVES cats, has two small black ones, and calls them her "babies".)

So I will brave Macy's for her. The reason that this is a big deal? I avoid department stores whenever possible. I am a big fan of Gap (though not so much lately), Old Navy, Urban Outfitters, and anyplace else that I can walk in/walk out. If I need something for a wedding, I go to eBay and get a Betsey Johnson dress (sometimes new with tags - you can get a dress that would sell for $300+ in the store for $40-$70!) I heartily recommend this route to anybody. Whenever I wear a Betsey dress to a wedding, at least one person (usually three or four) asks me where I got it. I have got some great little black dresses that way. And red ones.

I'm currently reading The Au Pairs by Melissa de la Cruz. It's really fun. I recommend it to anyone who's in the mood for a "beach read."

Comments

oooh, love your recipes! :-) thanks for stopping by, your blog is a great read...will keep a-comin'! cheers!

p.s., might be in NY by Nov or late Oct., any places/restos i should try out? please recommend! thanks!
Bearette said…
oh my goodness, there are so many!

i like:

hangawi - korean, vegan, elegant - 32nd St. between 5th Ave & Madison Ave

chennai garden - indian - 26th St between Park Ave & Lexington Ave

angelica kitchen - vegan - 2nd Ave around 12th St

grimaldi's - near the brooklyn bridge on old fulton st. in brooklyn - yummiest pizza in the city

thailand restaurant - really good thai food - corner of baxter & bayard, near canal st.

chinatown ice cream factory - i forget the exact address, but their URL is www.chinatownicecreamfactory.com

I haven't been there in a while, but Gennaro (around Amsterdam Ave and 92nd St) has really good Italian food.

Le Gamin (9th Ave and 21st St) has really good French toast (or pain perdu, as they call it).
Anonymous said…
August 23 is Charlie's birthday too :-)
Bearette said…
Happy birthday, Charlie!

;)

I hope he has a lot of fun swimming and getting muddy paws (I think they secretly enjoy that).
Bearette said…
Lette, I went to Chennai today and realized it's on 27th, not 26th...all the other addresses should be correct.
Caro said…
I have a sister born on the 24th, but am having trouble getting her to answer my e-mails. (She moves a lot - military) Hope your sisters have a Happy Birthday.
Bearette said…
Thanks Carolyn :)

I couldn't find a cat charm for her, so I ended up getting a charm shaped like a sandal with a blue flower over the toe (well, where a toe would be) and a charm shaped like little sunglasses with pink lenses and tiny red beads. I also enclosed a trusty gift receipt.

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