Microwave Banana Oat Cakes

December begins. The Christmas decorations went up at the clinic Monday — wreaths on the doors, a small tree at reception, lights around the front desk. Janelle did most of it. I helped with the lights. The clinic looks better with lights.

I have not put up the tree at home yet. I will this weekend. The kids have been asking. Liam wants to do it tonight. Nora wants to do it on Saturday because she is a planner already.

Clinic Monday: sinus infection, sinus infection, ear infection, sinus infection. The cold has arrived for everyone at once. Wednesday a young father came in with his five-year-old who had a fever of one-oh-three for three days. RSV. We started him on the right path. The dad was scared. I sat with him while we waited for the call back from peds. He told me he had lost his own father to a heart attack at fifty. He said he did not want his son to lose him too. I said he is a good dad. He is.

Group Tuesday. December themes. Bernadette ran the room gently. The newer ones are nervous. The older ones know what to do. We hold them. They will hold the next round. That is how the chain works.

Wednesday Kettle. Eight quarts. The Hagerty quart was for the family — Mrs. Hagerty went into hospice Friday. Her daughter called me Saturday morning. She said Mom asked for the soup before she stopped eating. She said Mom said tell Kate. Tell Kate. I sat with the phone for a minute. Then I said tell your mom that I love her. The daughter cried. I cried.

I drove to her on Sunday. She was in bed in the front room of her daughter's house. She knew me. She held my hand. She did not eat. She did not need to. She had me there. I sat for forty minutes. I told her about Liam's pageant coming up. She smiled. I said the burned pancake is for Sean and now it is for you too. She squeezed my hand. I left. I will go again Tuesday.

Saturday pancakes. Burned the first. The burned pancake list is growing. The kitchen knows.

Sunday dinner at Ma's. Standard. I did not say where I had been after.

Food of the week: chicken broth, plain, sipped from a mug. Mrs. Hagerty had a spoonful Sunday afternoon. One spoonful. It mattered.

The burned pancake has become its own kind of prayer in my kitchen — one for Sean, and now one for Mrs. Hagerty too. I’ve been making Saturday pancakes long enough that the first one off the griddle belongs to the people I’m holding in my heart that week, and lately those people are many. On the mornings when the grief is close and time is short, these microwave banana oat cakes have become my version of that same ritual: simple, warm, made with what’s already on the counter, and honest in a way that more elaborate food sometimes isn’t. They won’t replace a full Saturday stack, but they carry the same intention.

Prep Time: 5 minutes | Cook Time: 3 minutes | Total Time: 8 minutes | Servings: 2

Ingredients

1 large ripe banana, mashed
1/2 cup rolled oats (not instant)
1 large egg
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 pinch of salt
1 tsp honey or pure maple syrup (optional)
1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract (optional)
Butter or cooking spray for greasing

Instructions

Mash the banana. In a medium bowl, mash the ripe banana thoroughly with a fork until smooth. A few small lumps are fine — they bake out.
Combine the batter. Add the egg, rolled oats, cinnamon, baking powder, salt, and honey or maple syrup if using. Stir well until everything is evenly incorporated. Let the batter rest for 1 minute so the oats can absorb the moisture.
Prepare your dish. Lightly grease a microwave-safe plate, shallow dish, or two small mugs with butter or cooking spray. Spoon the batter into two equal portions, shaping each into a rough round about 1/2 inch thick.
Microwave. Cook on high for 90 seconds. Check the center — it should be set and no longer wet. If needed, microwave in 20-second bursts until just done. Overcooking will make them rubbery, so pull them early if in doubt.
Rest and serve. Let the cakes rest for 30 seconds before eating. Serve plain, with a drizzle of honey, a pat of butter, or a few fresh berries if you have them. They’re honest food. They don’t need much.

Nutrition (per serving)

Microwave Banana Oat Cakes — The Pancake That Carries What Words Cannot