I think two of the cookbooks I'm informally testing are keepers. (Although did anyone who knows me really think I would be getting rid of anything?)

We had Oatmeal Pancakes from Elizabeth Alston's book yesterday, and I was very pleased with them (they'd be good for people who are trying to avoid refined carbohydrates, too, I think, except for the sugar - I wonder if you can leave it out?). You start by pulverizing 2 cups of uncooked oatmeal into a flour in the blender or food processor along with 1 tablespoon brown sugar, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon baking soda. Then you add 2 eggs, 1 cup plain yogurt and 2/3 cup milk and blend until smooth. The batter's really thin at this point, but you leave it set for 5 minutes and it thickens up nicely. The finished pancakes have a pretty brown color and a nice, hearty texture without being the kind of pancakes that sit at the bottom of your stomach all day. I went ahead and made the extra batter into pancakes and froze them. I just pop them in the toaster when I feel like having them for breakfast.

On Friday, I used Bittman's technique for pan-frying salmon fillets and then finishing them in the oven, and, although the apartment smelled like fish all weekend, we did like the crispy results. I'll try a different spice mix, though. I used 5-spice powder and really didn't like the flavor.