more veggies, please!

20 minutes – makes about 18 pancakes, serves 6 1 ¼ cups whole wheat flour ¾ cup unbleached all purpose flour 3 tablespoons sugar 4 teaspoons baking powder ¾ teaspoon salt 2 cups milk 2 large eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla extract ¼ cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted, plus more for frying and serving 3 large bananas, peeled, cut into 1/4-inch-thick rounds 1 cup pecan halves Pure maple syrup 1. Preheat oven to 300°F. Place baking sheet in oven. Whisk first 5 ingredients in large bowl. 2. Whisk milk, eggs, and vanilla in medium bowl, then whisk in 1/4 cup butter. Stir milk mixture into dry ingredients. 3. Heat large nonstick griddle or skillet over medium heat; brush with butter. For each pancake, drop ¼ cup batter onto griddle. Arrange 3 banana rounds and 3 pecan halves on each pancake. Cook until brown, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer to baking sheet in oven. Repeat with remaining batter, bananas, and pecans. Serve with syrup and butter. Note: I didn’t have bananas, peca...

While I studied abroad in college, I decided to visit Eastern Spain for a couple of days. The most ubiquitous vegetarian option was tortilla española. Unfortunately, the slices I was served were always on the cold side of room temperature, a little hard because they were cooked hours beforehand, and generously sprinkled with paprika as an excuse for their mediocrity. I hadn't had tortilla española since, until Hurricane Irene passed through New York. Dave was in full emergency mode, duct taping things shut, and filling up our bathtub and every other receptacle in the house with tap water. He also insisted that we cook everything in our fridge. All I wanted to do was watch Edward Scissorhands and take a nap. But he looked so busy and earnest, I couldn't not help him. Our perishable items were eggs, butter, and potatoes (these are not really perishable; we could always save them to grow a victory garden after the zombie apocalypse). Anyway, all the grocery stores were closed, so...