Thursday, November 14, 2013

Paleo No Grain Banana Pancakes with Honey Caramel Sauce




This is one of my very favorite ways to have pancakes! They're easy, you normally have all the ingredients on hand and most importantly, they're good!

I actually ran across a recipe for two ingredient banana pancakes using just a banana and two eggs, tried them and liked them, but decided to add a few things to mine and I liked the results even better.

Paleo No Grain Banana Pancakes


  1. One large banana, sliced
  2. Two eggs
  3. One tablespoon coconut flour(optional if you want a thicker batter)
  4. 2 drops Cinnamon Bark Essential Oil(see footnote below) or a dash of cinnamon*
  5. 1/2 tsp vanilla flavoring
  6. Butter or oil for frying pancakes
  7. Toppings such as banana slices, pecans, walnuts, etc.(optional)
In food processor or blender(I use my blender for this) whip eggs, then add banana, cinnamon and vanilla. Pulse briefly, it only takes a few seconds for the banana to become very thin. This is where you decide whether you need the coconut flour or not. I did, the batter was way too thin. However, I use a Vitamix blender and it will liquefy most things in seconds, your blender may not. If your batter needs a little thickening, add one tablespoon of coconut flour and pulse briefly. Allow the batter to stand for two-three minutes for the coconut flour to absorb the liquid and thicken the batter. This is important to remember when using coconut flour, it takes a few minutes for absorption!

Melt a small amount of butter or oil in skillet or on grill and pour desired amount of batter in pan. These brown quickly and you have to turn them over gently because it is a thinner batter. This is a good thing however, because many times your grain free pancakes have a heavy texture and these are very light, that's one reason I like them so much!

This recipe makes six small pancakes(some call them pikelets). I just call them little pancakes, I'm a simple person. It's just the right amount for two three people. 

Serve with pastured or clarified butter, caramel sauce(recipe below), almond butter, maple syrup, honey, etc. If you really like bananas, you can top with some banana slices and pecans or walnuts.





Honey Caramel Sauce

3/4 cup natural pure honey(none of that made in China not really honey stuff)
1/2 cup organic heavy whipping cream
2 tablespoons pastured butter
1/2 tsp sea salt

In a heavy bottomed saucepan, combine all ingredients, bring to boil on medium heat and boil around 5-8 minutes, stirring constantly. Lower heat and continue to cook five minutes more until it turns a rich creamy brown and coats the spoon, technically....take it off the heat when it reaches 230 degrees, just before the soft ball stage. The amount of time you cook this will depend on your individual stove. The first time I made it, I followed instructions I had read to cook it 8-10 minutes and mine was way overcooked and I had to thin it down. It's best to use a candy thermometer or at least some sort of cooking thermometer so you don't overcook. If you do cook it too long and it's too thick or even hard, don't dump it out, just add some more whipping cream, heat it back up and thin it down. 

This is a good dipping sauce for fruit, it's good in hot apple cider and it's good on these banana pancakes. It's also pretty good just straight out of the pan with a spoon, but I don't know who would do such a thing, do you?

*You can find quality Cinnamon Bark Essential Oil at Spark Naturals. Use coupon code PATTI for 10% off!

Breakfast blessings from Patti's Place to Your Place!




Saturday, November 9, 2013

A Tribute to Veterans





My Tribute to America's Heroes

I am proud to be the wife of a Vietnam Veteran and the daughter of a World War II Veteran. This blog is intended to be a small tribute to them and the many others who were willing to fight for the freedom I am so richly blessed with today.

Thank You Veterans!

"I could not love thee, deare, so much,
loved I not honor more." 
To Lucasta, On Going to War
Richard Lovelace 1618-1658




I watched the flag pass by one day.
It fluttered in the breeze
A young Marine saluted it, and then
He stood at ease. 

I looked at him in uniform
So young, so tall, so proud
With hair cut square and eyes alert
He'd stand out in any crowd. 

I thought how many men like him
Had fallen through the years? 
How many died on foreign soil? 
How many mothers' tears? 
How many pilot's planes shot down? 
How many foxholes were soldiers' graves? 







No, Freedom is not Free

I heard the sound of Taps one night,
When everything was still
I listened to the bugler play
And felt a sudden chill
I wondered just how many times
That Taps had meant "Amen"

When a flag had draped a coffin
Of a brother or a friend
I thought of all the children
Of the mothers and the wives,
Of fathers, sons and husbands
With interrupted lives

I thought about a graveyard
At the bottom of the sea
Of unmarked graves in Arlington
No, Freedom is not Free!!
Copyright 1981
Lcdr Kelly Strong




My husband is....







Billy Joe White
Viet Nam 1968

While my biggest worry was what to wear to the Senior Prom, many young American heroes were in the middle of the most terrible period of the Vietnam War, Tet of 68. Many didn't make it home. My future husband was one of the blessed, he did.
The following poem is a small tribute to him.

I Wish I'd Known You Then

I wish I'd known you then...
When you were young
And you stood so proudly
So brave and strong.

I wish I'd known you then...
When for freedom's sake
The ultimate sacrifice
You were willing to make.

I wish I'd known you then...
With your medals on your chest
An American Fighting Man
Courageous and blest.

I didn't know you then...

But I know you now...
And an honor it's been
For in your heart you're still
An American Fighting Man.

Patti Page White




Getting a rubbing off the Viet Nam Veterans' Memorial Wall in Washington, D.C.



A Memorial for War Heroes at our Angelina County Courthouse

Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; 
thy walls are continually before me. 
Isaiah 49:16


THE SOLDIER

They shall not die, so long as we remember they lived…

The Flag's been folded, and passed to his wife,
All that is left, of a soldier's life.
The casket is lowered, and a prayer is said.
But wait a minute, he can't be dead.
He's much too young, to be lying here,
He goes to college, in one more year.

We knew this soldier; he was our friend,
He defended us, through thick and thin.
We trusted him, in moments of strife,
He honored that trust and gave his life.
At least he gave up, this mortal clay,
But his spirit lives on, from day to day.

He lives in our minds, and in our hearts,
And though we miss him, though we're apart,
The ties that bind, will not be shattered,
If we always remember, how his life mattered.
He loved his country, so proudly he served,
He was sometimes scared, but never unnerved.

He fought our battles, far across the sea,
And kept us safe, in this land of the free.
So keep the vigil, in this home of the brave,
And remember the life, he so gallantly gave.
He loved the Flag, the Red, White, and Blue,
Keep it flying high, It's your flag too.

When the trumpets sound, with the final call,
When Taps is played, for one and all,
When peace shall reign, and we give thanks,
When there's no more guns, no shooting tanks,
When we come to the day, when we shall meet
And see him again, on that golden street.

Al Gamel USMC
1999




A Prayer For The POW/MIA

What if it were my husband.. daddy.. brother.. or son... would I forget?
Dear GOD, let me pray each day just as fervently for those I've never met as I would if it were those near and dear to me. Remind me, GOD, that there will be an ache in the heart of each loved one until the day they come home to stay. Remind me that the freedom I enjoy each day didn't come without cost. Dear GOD,
don't let me forget.




My daddy, Eulon Adron Page, US Navy, WWII







My husband's daddy, Marshall Charlton White, US Army WWII

Many women are also heroes





Thank you once again!