Sunday, October 14, 2018

Welcome guest author Ellen Byron + book #giveaway!





Ellen Byron authors the Cajun Country Mystery series. A Cajun Christmas Killing and Body on the Bayou both won the Lefty Award for Best Humorous Mystery and were nominated for Agatha awards in the category of Best Contemporary Novel. Plantation Shudders was nominated for Agatha, Lefty, and Daphne awards. Mardi Gras Murder was deemed “a winner” by Publishers Weekly. Ellen’s TV credits include Wings, Just Shoot Me, and Fairly Odd Parents. She’s written over 200 national magazine articles, and her published plays include the award-winning Graceland. She also worked as a cater-waiter for the legendary Martha Stewart, a credit she never tires of sharing.

Check out the giveaway below!

Take it away, Ellen!

BANANA PANCAKES WITH BROWN SUGAR BUTTER

Bananas have been imported to the U.S. through New Orleans since the mid-1800s. By the 1950s, the Crescent City was the major port of entry for bananas being shipped from Central and South America. In Body on the Bayou, my second Cajun Country Mystery, I created a recipe for Bananas Foster Coffee Cake, inspired by the iconic dessert served at Brennan’s, a legendary NOLA restaurant. When I was mulling over ideas for another banana-centric recipe to include in my fourth book, Mardi Gras Murder, I found inspiration in a delicious mix of butter, sugar cane syrup, and pecans served with bread at Houmas House Plantation’s Café Burnside.

I came up with my own take on a sweet butter and then worked backwards to match it with a dish. Pancakes seemed the perfect choice. But not just any pancakes — banana pancakes.

The Butter:

Ingredients:
1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened
½ cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla (or rum, if you’re not serving kids)
¼ teaspoon salt

Instructions:
Combine ingredients in a mixing bowl and mix until thoroughly blended. Set aside.

The Pancakes:

Ingredients:
2 cups Bisquick flour
1 and ½ cups milk
1 ripe banana, cut up
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 egg whites

Chopped raw pecans (optional)

Instructions:
Combine all ingredients in a clean mixing bowl. Using a mixer, mix slowly at first to gently combine the ingredients, and then increase speed until the ingredients are well blended.

Pour in ¼ cups onto a hot griddle. Flip when the pancakes start to bubble. Press down on them if you need to in order to make sure they cook through.

To assemble, take one pancake and slather on the brown sugar butter. Top with another pancake and do the same. If you want a third pancake, follow the previous instructions. Sprinkle with chopped pecans, if you’d like.

Serves 4-6.

NOTE: you’ll have lots of brown sugar butter left over. It stores for a couple of weeks if you want to wait until your next batch of banana pancakes. Or, here are a few bonus recipes:

  1. Spread on toast and sprinkle with pecan pieces.
  2. Mix a ½ cup of the brown sugar with a ¼ cup of rum and melt in a skillet or frying pan. Add a cut banana to the butter and cook until the banana is soft. Serve over vanilla ice cream. Voila! Your very own Bananas Foster.
  3. Blend ¼ cup with a ¼ to a ½ cup of light cream cheese and serve as a dip with cinnamon pita chips.





GIVEAWAY

One commenter will win a copy of my latest book.  
Leave a comment and tell me your favorite pancake!  
Leave your email address so I can contact you if you win! Winner picked Wednesday.


Connect with Ellen online here:
https://www.goodreads.com/author/dashboard

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71 comments:

  1. I think pancakes are my favorite breakfast food! There are endless ways to make them seasonal, they are easy and fast and can really be eaten at any meal. The butter recipe is one I will be using for pancakes and toast!
    I have started reading the Cajun Country series again. I really do enjoy it!
    Thank you for the chance to win this new book.
    debprice60@gmail.com

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    1. The butter recipe is so useful. Thanks for the re-read!

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  2. NOLA - one of my favorite places to go, and to eat! Thanks for this chance to win.

    pjcoldren[at]tm.net

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  3. Yum! Plus you reminded me of Bouchercon, when two friends and I seized some free time just to wander around and sightsee. We were sitting on a bench across from Jackson Square, and I looked up and said, "uh, those are bananas, aren't they?" Just a bit unexpected. (And the rest of the food is wonderful too.)

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    1. NOLA was the main port of U.S. entry for bananas for years!

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  4. I have a fluffy pancake recipe that is awesome! I like them with maple syrup, bananas and walnuts.

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  5. Blueberry pancakes are my favorite but these banana pancakes look awfully yummy. ckmbeg (at) gmail (at) com

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  6. Banana pancakes are a lovely treat. Had not considered gilding them with a sweet butter. What a great and simple idea for a special breakfast.
    little lamb lst at yahoo dot com

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  7. I guess I'm boring, plain old buttermilk has been my fave but banana does sound interesting. barbie17(at)gmail(dot)com Thanks for the giveaway!

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  8. Ok a moments pause here as I wipe the drool off the keyboard. Oh my goodness the recipe BANANA PANCAKES WITH BROWN SUGAR BUTTER sounds to die for. I will be making this - and soon.

    One of our favorite pancake recipes is my homemade pecan pancakes with praline syrup. I also love blueberry pancakes especially when made from blueberries right off the bush.

    Thank you for the fabulous chance to win a copy of Ellen's wonderful book!
    2clowns at arkansas dot net

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    1. Thank you so much. Now I want YOUR recipe for praline syrup!

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  9. My favorite pancakes would be those that I do not make. I just can't make a light and fluffy pancake. I like most kinds of pancakes and enjoy going to places such as IHOP and Perkins who offer seasonal pancakes. dbahn@iw.net

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  10. Good morning. those pancakes look delicious - will try. Thanks for chance to win. My favorite? blueberry

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  11. Strawberry pancakes with strawberry syrup.

    Becky Prazak
    rjprazak6@gmail.com

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  12. Welcome, Ellen! My favorite pancake is classic Blueberry. EMS591@aol.com

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  13. I actually love plain old buttermilk pancakes with strawberries all over!!!!
    Oneponychick66@hotmail.com

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  14. This time of year, pumpkin pancakes! marthajane758@gmail.com

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    Replies
    1. What a great idea. Especially with pumpkin butter and maple syrup. #sugarhigh

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  15. Yum. Bananas foster meets a southern praline!
    libbydodd at comcast dot net

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    1. You got it, Libby! I could have called these Bananas Foster pancakes but since I already have a Bananas Foster Coffee Cake recipe in a previous book, I decided to mix it up a bit.

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  16. I thought those were pralines in the picture at first, but those pancakes look equally tasty! I don't usually eat pancakes, but I like them plain with real butter & real maple syrup. Thanks for sharing this yummy recipe, Ellen! Please don't include me in the giveaway, as I already have a copy of Mardi Gras Murder. Love this series so much!!

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    Replies
    1. Amanda, thank you so much!! And you're right. They do like pralines. Which are surprisingly difficult to make. (See future book #5.)

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  17. Your books sound great ! Thanks for the contest. At least if I don't win I can get them from the library. trwilliams 69 at msn dot com

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    1. Absolutely. I half-live at the library. I have four books on hold there right now. Libraries are a reader's best friend. AND an author's!

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  18. I like plain ole buttermilk pancakes with syrup. Nothing fancy here.
    lkish77123 at gmail dot com

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  19. These sound great! I like buttermilk, blueberry, chocolate chip, and banana pancakes. Can't wait to read this book!!! mcastor07 (at) gmail (dot) com.

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  20. Be still my heart -- these look amazing! My favorite pancakes (until these) are Oatmeal Buttermilk Pancakes. bobandcelia@sbcglobal.net

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    1. Oatmeal buttermilk. New to me. With syrup, I bet they're like an oatmeal cookie!

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  21. Those look delicious! I've always been fond of simple blueberry pancakes. mbradeen [at] yahoo [dot] com

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    Replies
    1. LOVE blueberries in every way, shape, and form.

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  22. I love adding walnuts to the top of my pancakes. The nuttiness makes it taste wholesome. It would be great to read your book. bluedawn95864 at gmail dot com

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    1. Nuts - a nice contrast to all the sugar in the butter!

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  23. I love any pancake, but I once made some confetti birthday cake pancakes that were yummo.
    donah42 at aol dot com

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  24. Pecan pancakes with warm butter pecan syrup and butter are my favorite pancakes. lnchudej@yahoo.com

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  25. Chocolate chip pancakes are my favorite. The recipes looks and sounds delicious. I love this series. Thank you for this chance! areewekidding(at)yahoo(dot)com

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    Replies
    1. I love chocolate chip pancakes, especially the ones from IHOP.

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  26. The pancakes sound delicious. I prefer waffles which I take out of the freezer and put into the toaster. I'm not an adventurous cook in the mornings. I do love your series, though.

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    1. thank you so much! You know what, just make the butter. My husband loves toaster oven waffles. He slathers one with my brown sugar butter and toasts it. So good!

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  27. I like pancakes of all flavors! Legallyblonde1961@yahoo.com

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  28. I love blueberry pancakes. This recipe sounds great though! Love the pecans!! ljbonkoski@yahoo.com

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  29. I like plain old pancakes - on the thin side - with butter and maple syrup. Not a fan of bananas but am a fan of your books!.
    kpbarnett1941[at]aol.com

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  30. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  31. I may sound boring, but plain buttermilk pancakes are my favorite food, period. Smothered in real butter. Don't even use syrup! And nobody can compete with IHOP for the best. I worked there for about 1 1/2 yrs, & the job sucked, but can't say anything negative about the food! As a waitress they had the weirdest/ hardest to use tickets, known as circle & slash.
    cameronbarbara@ymail.com

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    1. I know exactly what you're talking about. Those were weird tickets. I love IHOP, though. It was my late nonna's favorite restaurant. We'd always take her there on her birthday.

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    2. Nonna had good taste.
      Did you waitress? I'm amazed that anybody knows what I mean if they didn't wait tables.

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  32. My favorite pancakes are pecan pancakes, but your recipe looks amazing. Love this series, makes me want to take another trip to New Orleans. Looking forward to reading "Mardi Gras Murder".
    diannekc8(at)gmail(dot)com

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    1. Thanks so much! And make another trip as soon as you can. ;-)

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  33. I usually make plain pancakes for our family because that is what my husband prefers but I am keeping your recipe because it sounds so good! When I was growing up we usually had pancakes on Sunday and my mom often boiled her own syrup using butter, brown sugar and water. It always tasted so much better than syrup from the store. Thanks for sharing!
    Connie
    cps1950@(at)gmail(dot)om

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    1. This sounds delicious. Now I want your mom's recipe!

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  34. Buttermilk Pancakes with honey butter and syrup is still my favorite. Sometimes I substitute fruit for the butter...yum...
    thank you for the chance.
    Marilyn ewatvess@yahoo.com

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  35. Blueberry pancakes are my favorite & I definitely need to try that brown sugar butter.
    turtle6422(at)gmail(dot)com

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  36. Love blueberry walnut pancakes!
    Currently reading A Cajun Christmas Killing - love the recipes included at the end of your books.

    jtcgc at yahoo dot com

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  37. I'm so glad you're enjoy the book AND the recipes!

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  38. Blueberry pancakes! (Yum!)
    rebarger(at)bellsouth(dot)net

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  39. Love this series. Thanks for the chance to win a copy of the new one. I love banana pancakes, but will take any kind as long as it is covered in syrup, lol. kayt18 (at) comcast (dot) net

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  40. I’m just a plain original pancake gal... nothing fancy for me 😀
    L L M (ninetysix) at A O L (dot) com

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  41. A plain pancake with butter and syrup.
    clarksrfun at gmail dot com

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  42. Hello Ellen! I think brown sugar butter just became a staple in our kitchen! Dang it! I have been eating healthier for a few weeks and have lost a few pounds...I fear that ride has come to an end. I love all types of pancakes, I'm afraid I don't really have a favorite. I did find a love for coconut syrup while in Hawaii several years ago. I had never liked coconut and declined tasting the syrup several times, but alas I succumbed to the sweet, sweet liquidy goodness on our last morning there. konecny7(at)gmail(dot)com

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  43. Thanks for this delectable recipe and your book would be greatly enjoyed. I love buttermilk pancakes all winter and fall. saubleb(at)gmail(dot)com

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  44. Pancakes are soothing and whole wheat pancakes made with love are my favorite. elliotbencan(at)hotmail(dot)com

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  45. Pancakes with pecans and maple syrup!! lindaherold999(at)gmail(dot)com

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