WIAW #36 + Paleo Chocolate Chip Pancakes

Hey friends! I hope everyone had an EXCELLENT Thanksgiving! 

I'm going to apologize right off the bat - I forget to take pictures of my Thanksgiving meal for WIAW this week. So, instead, you can read what I ate on Thanksgiving below!

Gardein's Holiday Roast...and some real turkey as well :)

Green Bean Casserole - The Post Punk Kitchen

Pumpkin Tiramisu - Chloe Coscarelli

Shredded Brussels Sprout Salad - FitSugar

Mashed Cauliflower 

Here's a look at some other things I ate this week.....

{Left to right} Snickerdoodle Cookie Dough Cake (recipe coming soon...)

Paleo Chocolate Chip Pancakes (recipe below)

Lunch at the Cincinnatian Hotel (items in picture: chocolate mousse cake and moscato)

Chocolate covered bacon

So....these Paleo Chocolate Chip Pancakes.

The recipe is THIS ONE, slightly modified. The recipe is good on its own, but EVERYTHING is better with chocolate. 

Paleo Chocolate Chip Pancakes

{Ingredients}

1 banana

2 eggs

Chocolate chips

Strawberries + sugar {optional}

{Directions}

1. In a small food processor, blend banana and eggs. You can mash the banana if you want, but I think the food processor is WAY easier. 

2. Allow to rest for a couple minutes (this allows the batter to thicken slightly).

3. Heat a lightly greased skillet to medium-high heat. Place one ladle of batter into pan. Sprinkle a handful of chocolate chips on top.

4. Cook until you see bubbles forming on the surface, and the bottom is slightly brown. Flip to other side. 

5. Cook for about 30 seconds and then place on a plate.

6. {optional} Slice some strawberries and sprinkle with sugar. Allow to sit for a few minutes to create a sweet syrup. Spoon strawberries on top of pancakes. 

7. Enjoy!

Pretty straightforward.... right?!

Here are some things that will soon come to Passing Daisies! Get excited!

{Advent Calendar printable}
{More holiday gift guides}
{Snickerdoodle Cookie Dough Cake}
{Whirlybird Granola review/giveaway}
{PASSING DAISIES BIRTHDAY LINKUP}*
{NuNaturals Review/giveaway}

*I'm looking for bloggers to participate in a link up with me and create a fun birthday recipe! I've got the details. EMAIL ME to find out more <3

Have a lovely week and let me know what you ate for Thanksgiving!

Successful Pinterest Recipes {Part 2}

You are all about to see just how obsessed I am with cupcakes by reading this post. 

On the bright side, you know all these cupcake recipes were successful and taste delicious, right?!

Cheesecake Strawberries (you can find a million recipes for this. all you need to do is fill a Ziplog bag with pre-made cheesecake filling and pipe it into a strawberry that's been cut open!)

Cinnamon Apple Chips by Delighted Momma

Raspberry Hot Chocolate Cupcakes by Your Cup of Cake

Pumpkin Ale Cupcakes with Maple Bacon Frosting by Gen Foodie

Chocolate Stout Cupcakes by Pixelated Crumb (my friend made these!)

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes by Serious Eats

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcakes by The Girl Who Ate Everything

Honey Cupcakes from The Cake Blog

Maple Bacon Cupcakes

These cupcakes marked the end of a journey for my old boss at Cincinnati Magazine - where my journey will soon be coming to an end as well. 

Cupcakes have really become one of my favorite things to make when baking. I'm not sure why - I used to hate cake in all its forms, and now I suddenly enjoy it. Weird, isn't it? They are just so cute, fun. and festive - they are perfect for any occasion. 

I think I had mentioned before that Cincinnati Magazine really likes cupcakes and we often have them at work. Well, Jonah (my old boss, who now works for Outside Magazine in Santa Fe) just happens to like cupcakes, so Tess (the other intern) and I decided to make him some. Upon Tess's request, I whipped up these little beauties. We also made him trail mix - another of his favorites - for his trip to Santa Fe. Aren't we the greatest interns you've ever met? 

It's bittersweet, really. I honestly feel like I just started working here a few days ago, because time has flown so quickly. It's been a wonderful experience. My last day is next Friday - November 30, I believe. I was supposed to stay on until sometime in May 2013, but I truly feel that God is calling me to do other things. I think He is going to use me in big ways next semester in the lives of some people on Navigators on campus. If I wanted to focus my time and efforts on the people in Navs, I knew Cincinnati Magazine would have to go. I love it and I will miss working there, but better things are ahead of me.

So go ahead - have a cupcake for me. I apologize this isn't the most original of recipes - I'm basically telling you to use another pumpkin cupcake recipe and then just add pecans and bacon. Still, these are good. You could even make them with a box mix, if you wanted. To make the maple icing easier, you can use a can of icing and add maple extract or maple syrup. Even better - this recipe is perfect for the guys in your life because it contains bacon. Bacon. And yes, they are delicious!

Maple Bacon Cupcakes
Ingredients:
1 recipe pumpkin cupcakes (I recommend this recipe from Food Network)
1 recipe maple icing (the recipe above has one!)
Chopped pecans
Bacon, thinly sliced

Directions: 
1. Make cupcakes as directed. Let cool.
2. Make icing as directed. Spread on top of cupcakes.
3. Sprinkle chopped pecans and bacon on top.
4. Enjoy!