Friday baking-Banana & Walnut Loaf

Somehow in our house over the past few weeks we have had an over supply of bananas. We usually add a bunch into the trolley each food shop, but we have been putting more in the trolley than the little banana fairies are consuming at home.

Normally I make muffins- each batch varies with whatever might be in pantry- choc chips, chia seeds, LSA, nuts, etc. Muffins are very popular in our house and moreso with me as it means I can leave them on the bench and let the kids help themselves. Plus they are super easy to freeze and even better to defrost when a certain unorganised mother requires a snack to feed hungary kids.

Today, however, I needed a change, especially considering there are quite a few bananas to bake through…..this loaf is for the grown ups although the little ones loved it equally.

Simple Banana & Walnut Loaf
1 1/2 cups Self Raising Flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 cup brown sugar
pinch of nutmeg
1/4 cup finely chopped walnuts
125g melted butter
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup milk
3 large ripe bananas, mashed
Optional-Handful of roughly chopped walnuts- to sprinkle on top!

Grease loaf tin and line with baking paper. Preheat oven to 160 deg celcius.
Mix wet ingredients together then add to dry ingredients. Mix well then pour into baking tin. Sprinkle roughly chopped walnuts on top.
Bake for 45-55 minutes or until golden brown on top and skewer comes out clean.
Allow to cool on rack.

Best served whilst warm and lathered with butter and a glass of milk!
If the loaf happens to last longer then a day, it makes for a yummy breakfast- toasted if you please- lathered in butter or some yoghurt and honey drizzled over the top….and coffee xx

How do you use up your old bananas??

Any favourite recipes?

Starting the week with…..Orange & Yoghurt Cake!

Gosh, the weeks are just flying past…..it wont be long now until we start seeing (dare I say…) Christmas decorations up in the shops and told that it is only (so long) until the big man in red visits!

We woke up this morning to the most magical sunny winter's day. The sunshine just zaps me with energy, even when Im feeling so worn out. So, our bags are unpacked from a few days away, a zillion loads of washing almost washed and hung out (yes…outside on the clothesline and not inside in our makeshift chinese style laundry in living room) to swing in the wind and dry with natural sunlight and warmth. The house is still a mess but to be expected with three little monkeys running around. We have been painting this morning and playing barbie princess games. And we also baked using some oranges from our tree in the back yard- something yummy to look forward to after lunch and sleeps x

Orange & Yoghurt Cake
4 eggs
2 cups caster sugar
3 cups plain flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup natural yoghurt
Juice of 2 medium sized oranges
Zest of 2 oranges- half for cake mix and remaining half to sprinkle on top of cake before baking
1 tablespoon of brown sugar

Preheat oven to 180 degrees celcius. Line a 23cm baking tin and put aside.
Beat together eggs and sugar until light and 'fluffy'. Then add other ingredients and mix until combined well. Pour mixture into prepared tin. Sprinkle over remaining half of zest and the brown sugar. This will make the cake look darker on top but also give it a sweet crispy top too! Place in oven to bake for about 45 minutes- or until golden on top.

A lovely moist cake which can be eaten as is or with some yoghurt with a dash of honey.

Hope you are all having a lovely day too xx

Friday baking- Lemon Syrup Cake

So the end of another week has quickly arrived. And what a week….I thought winter had already arrived but oh no…it had just been teasing us with a wet month and dreary weather. The icy winds came a knocking this week and the wind has been chilling. Our kids have all had head colds and that horrible barking cough. There have been a few sleepless nights and even a midnight panic of should we head to the emergency ward and get this heavy whiziness checked out??? Thankfully they seem to be on the mend- a sign of this is 'back to active' kids racing around the house and creating complete kaos!

Yesterday I drove over to Barham which is about an hours drive to the west of Echuca. I met with Katrina and Tim Myers who own and run a fantastic farming business called Barham Avocados. Its hard to think that avocados can be grown here, but they do and the Myers certainly know how to grow beautiful and delicious Avocados! Im looking forward to sharing more about their business next week.

But, I have digressed a bit from todays recipe. As its been a week or so since my last lemon post, our tree is well and truly bursting with ripe fruit. Im so excited the day has finally come that we can just go out and pick lemons off the tree as we need them. It also does mean though that we have quite a few to chomp through and there are lots of new blossoms and young fruit starting to form too…so we won't be running out in the near future.

I can't quite remember where I found this Lemon Syrup cake recipe. I think it was found in a magazine back in the nineties during my Uni days. I handwrote it into my cooking journel and it has been one of those favourite cakes that never fails. I hope you enjoy it too!

Lemon Syrup Cake

250g unsalted butter, softened

The zest from a  finely grated lemon

1 cup caster sugar

4 large eggs, mixed together lightly

2 cups self raising flour with 1 teaspoon baking powder-mixed together and put aside

100ml milk

juice of one lemon

Syrup-

2/3 cup caster sugar

juice of 1 lemon

Heat oven to 180 deg celcius. Lightly grease and line with baking paper a 23 cm cake tin. Preferably springform.

Beat butter, sugar and zest together for 5-7 minutes or until mix is light and 'fluffy' in appearance.

Whilst still mixing, add the egg in four doses. In between each addition of egg, add a tablespoon of the flour and baking powder. Once eggs has been added, mix in remaining flour. Add the milk and lemon juice and gently continue to mix until combined. The mix is quite thick and foamy looking- so don't stress if you think it looks like it has curdled!

Pour cake mix into the cake tin then place in oven for 40-50 minutes, or until golden brown on top and skewer comes out clean when you poke into the centre of the cake.

Whilst cake is baking, quickly make up your syrup simply by putting bith sugar and juice into a small saucepan and stirring until sugar has dissolved. Then boil gently for a few minutes. Turn off heat and put aside to cool down a bit.

When cake is ready, place on a cooling rack (still in tin and straight from oven). Using a skewer, poke lots of holes into the top of the cake. Then pour over the warm syrup. Dont panic, it make look like a lot but the cake will absorb it. Once you have made it a few times you can alter the amount of syrup to your own liking.

You can drizzle over a simple lemon icing but I actually find it too sweet and prefer having it as is.

This cake can be frozen for up to a month- always a bonus! I have also made mini versions and patty cakes too- cooking time is just adjusted to whatever size you are baking- keep checking.

This cake is so moist and bursting with lemony flavours. 

Serve with some cream or lovely natural yoghurt. 

My kids love having this with cream or custard for dessert.

Hope you all have a warm and relaxing weekend……xx

Our favourite Chocolate Fudge Cake

Today is sunny, but cold and fresh….a lovely winter's day, well, the sort I love if it's going to be cold!

Such a lovely day calls for a delicious chocolate cake, and this one is a family favourite.

I wish so much I could share how good our house is smelling right now as I type this post…..Im wafting into chocoholics nirvana…..

As with all my recipes on this blog, this is easy and relatively quick. The only catch is the melting of the chocolate, butter, sugar and coffee- which needs to cool before continuing the baking process. So, it's not the kind of cake you can whip up in 20 mins, however, if you have a craving (and trust me its definitely a cake to crave for…) then I normally do my 'melting' before or during breakfast. Let it sit, and after everyone is dressed, the odd pre school drop off and so on, the mixture is cool. Add remaining ingredients, then bake and voila….the result will be a very memorable morning tea!

Our Favourite Chocolate Fudge Cake
250g butter, diced
150g dark chocolate, in pieces
1 cup caster sugar
1 cup strong coffee
1 cup self raising flour
1/2 cup cocoa
2 eggs
3/4 cup ground almonds

Preheat oven to 180 deg celcius. Grease and line a 22cm springform cake tin.

Place butter, chocolate, sugar and coffee in a large saucepan. Cook over a medium heat stirring until it melts. Remove from heat and pour into a bowl and leave to cool.
Add sifted flour and cocoa to melted chocolate mix. Then fold in eggs and almond meal. Mix until well combined. Pour into cake tin and bake for about 45 minutes, or until skewer is clean when inserted into middle of cake. Allow cake to cool before icing.

Chocolate Ganache
2 tablespoon cream
90g dark chocolate, chopped

Warm cream to just below boiling then remove from heat. add chocolate pieces and stir until well combined. Drizzle over cake.

Recipe from one of my favourite 'go to' cookbooks- In the Kitchen by Allan Campion & Michele Curtis

Now it is time to sign off and go eat some cake……xxx

When life gives you lemons……

Last week I was very lucky to be given a few bags full of lemons from both my Mum and my Mother in Law.  Our tree is also full of fruit which have just turned yellow but still need another week or so to ripen up completely. Ive been waiting for this moment for…well, ages! I love lemons and have been frustrated seeing them in the supermarket for such ridiculous prices. I use lemons alot in our kitchen, although, like avocados over the summer, I stopped buying them. Now it seems we have a glut…but Im ok with that!

Today's cooking session involved making some delicious lemon curd and then using the curd to make some simple tarts and friands. Curd is so versatile and handy to have in the fridge if wanting a quick dessert or adding it to a cake for an extra something special. Its even just lovely to have on a toasted muffin for a snack.

Lemon Curd

75g butter
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup caster sugar
Juice and finely grated rind of 2 lemons- I used Meyer Lemons

Melt butter in a metal bowl or saucepan over a larger saucepan filled with some barely simmering hot water. Once melted, whisk in eggs. Add the sugar and whisk until thoroughly combined. Still whisking continuously, add the lemon juice and zest. Cook over simmering water for about 20 minutes, stirring often, until thickened. Allow to cool to room temperature. Pour into a steralised jar and keep in fridge.

Recipe from Falling Cloudberries- Tessa Kiros

Lemon Curd Friands

1/2 cup plain flour

1 1/2 cups ground almonds

1/3 cup icing sugar, sifted

5 large egg whites

200g unsalted butter, melted and cooled

fine zest of 1 lemon

5 teaspoons of lemon curd

Icing sugar to dust tops of cake- optional

Natural Yoghurt or cream to serve- optional 

Pre heat the oven to 180 deg celcius. Grease and lightly dust with flour 10-12 hole friand pan really well. Set aside.

Mix the flour, ground almonds and sugar together in a bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites with a fork until foamy. Add to the almond mixture along with the butter and lemon zest, stirring to combine with a wooden spoon. Spoon into the prepared pan, dividing the mixture equally amongst the holes. Top each friend with 1/2 teaspoon of lemon curd. Use a toothpick to swirl the lemon curd lightly through the batter.

Bake for 20 minutes, or until a light golden brown. Remove from the oven. Let sit for a few minutes before loosening with a knife and removing to a wire rack to finish cooling completely. Dust the tops with some icing sugar- optional. You can serve these with some extra lemon curd for spooning and whipped cream or natural yoghurt if desired.

Recipe source found here on The English Kitchen Blog

Tart Cases

70g butter, slightly softened
30g sugar
70g plain flour
25g ground almonds
pinch of salt

Cream together the butter and sugar with wooden spoon or hands. Add the flour, ground almonds and  salt and mix well, using your hands when it becomes a little stiff, until the pastry comes together. I found the mix to be a bit 'wet' but just dusted in flour then shaped into a disc. Wrap with some cling wrap and place in fridge for 30 minutes. You can also choose to freeze the pastry at this stage if you want.

Grease and lightly dust with flour a shallow tart case tin. Once rested, take pastry out of fridge and roll out on a dusted bench top to about 5mm thickness. Cut out 12 or so circles to fit your tart tin. Place pastry in tin and place a small cut out square of greaseproof paper in each case followed by some baking beads or beans before blind baking for about 8-10 mins. Cases should come out with a golden glow. You could even bake for 6 or so minutes , take out of oven, remove paper and beads then put back in oven for remaing few minutes. Allow cases to cool once out of oven. Gently remove- these cases are quite delicate so be careful. Once cool, fill with curd…..mine were quite rustic looking but I actually dont mind the look! If you want to cheat, just buy some pre made cases from your local deli or supermarket, or even use some frozen sweet shortcrust pastry. I can say though this pastry is lovely and not difficult to make so definitely worth making.

Recipe from Falling Cloudberries- Tessa Kiros

This weekend I plan on baking some the all time favourite lemon slice which disappears very quickly in our house and perhaps this lemon and blueberry tea cake.

Have a great weekend!! xx

Sharing the love…Donna Hay's Pear, Yoghurt & Chia Muffins!

I love a good muffin….well, actually, my kids love a good muffin moreso than me. And, as they are all  going through that fussy toddler/infant age group, I actually just love the idea that they eat them (full stop) and I can take a deep breath knowing they are putting something relatively healthy into their little growing bodies.

So, a few weeks ago when reading through the Sunday Style magazine, I came across these delicious Donna Hay muffins …..that have a healthy twist to them!  To all they could quite easily just be a pear muffin, but to a mummy who so desperately wants her children to eat some extra goodness, these have  some LSA, chai seeds and yoghurt (rather then milk, butter,etc) very sneakily hidden into them.

Verdict- my kids loved them…..and I'm now thinking I might play around with the recipe and try substituting the pear for apple, carrot or zucchini.

Also- quite a handy little number to freeze and add to lunch boxes too!!! 

For those of you that may have missed the magazine, or don't read it, here below is the recipe. All I can say is, Donna…you have done it again! Hooray!!!

Pear, Yoghurt & Chia Muffins

2 1/4 cups self raising flour, sifted

2/3 cup caster sugar

1/4 cup LSA mix

2 tablespoons black chia seeds, plus extra for sprinkling

3 eggs, lightly beaten

3/4 cup lightly flavoured extra virgin olive oil

1/2 cup greek style (thick) yoghurt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups grated beurre bosc (firm) pear

Preheat oven to 180 deg celcius. Prepare muffin tray with paper cases. Recipe said 12, but using these cases in photos, I made about 20. Place the flour, sugar, LSA and chia seeds in a large bowl and mix to combine. Make a well in the centre and add the egg, oil, yoghurt, vanilla and pear. Mix until just combined. Spoon into paper cases and fill two thirds way up. Sprinkle with extra chia seeds. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden and cooked when tested with a skewer.

Recipe source- Donna Hay, Sunday Style Magazine, May 18 2014.

Enjoy!!!

Breakfast on the go- Two ways!

Do you have mornings that are just so crazy busy that you totally forget to have breakfast? Or perhaps you just aren't really a brekky person. I'm definitely a breakfast person (it's probably my most favourite meal- which makes me sound incredibly boring, I know….) but my problem isn't that we are crazy busy in the morning racing out the door to be places, but rather crazy busy feeding, changing nappies, cleaning up, getting dressed, deploying my conflict resolution skills targeted specically at toddlers, setting up activities, cleaning up, making coffee, changing another nappy, reading books, drawing princess castles, picking up crumbs off floor, wiping hands and faces…. and did I mention cleaning up???

Breakfast for me at best is often cold toast, leftover from the kids…..or a bowl of soggy cereal or cold porridge. I tend to fill up on coffee these days! So, in a way to get back in control of the most important meal of the day, I've been making home made granola and muesli bars so there is no excuse for not starting the day with some goodness. Here are two quick and easy recipes to help you get through your morning with something healthy in your tummy.

 Home made Muesli Bars

3 cups rolled oats

1/2 cup shredded coconut

1/2 cup almonds, roughly chopped (or other nuts of your choice)

1/2 cup wheatgerm

1/4 cup sesame seeds

1/4 cup sunflower seeds

1/4 cup pepita seeds

1 tablespoon chia seeds

1/3 cup dried cranberries- or your choice of dried fruit or choc chips

3/4 cup honey

1/4 cup soft brown sugar

1/2 vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 130 deg cel and line a baking tray with baking paper. Tray should be approx 25 cm x 35 cm in size. Put oats, coconut, wheatgerm, almonds, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, pepita seeds, chia seeds and cranberries into a bowl. Put honey, brown sugar and oil into a saucepan and stir over medium heat until sugar has dissolved. Pour over the dry ingredients and mix really well- might need to pull up your sleeves and use your hands to really mix through the syrup. Press mixture into tray  and bake for about 45-50 minutes or until it is golden brown. Allow to cool. Best to cut into slices whilst still a bit warm as the slice will go a bit hard when cool. If you slice whilst too warm, it will crumble. Store in airtight container. Will keep for up to a week in a cool place or 2 weeks in fridge.

Extra- Try drizzling some melted chocolate on top for something different!

Recipe found in my old recipe journal from 20 years ago- source unknown

Home made Granola-
4 cups rolled oats
3/4 shredded coconut
1/2 cup sesame seeds
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1/2 cup pepita seeds
1/2 cup almonds, roughly chopped (or other choice of nuts)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
pinch of salt
50 ml sunflower oil
3/4 cup honey
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup dried fruit or choc chips

Preheat the oven to 140 deg celcius. Combine the oats, coconut, sunflower and sesame seeds, pepitas, almonds, spices and salt in a bowl. Place oil, honey and sugar in a suacepan over medium heat and stir until combined. set aside to cool slightly before adding the vanilla. Pour this syrup mix over the dry ingredients and mix in well-again, hand action required, if you want too! Spread mix onto two trays, each lined with baking paper, and cook for about an hour. Check regularly and stir granola around to ensure that it cooks evenly. When finished, allow to cool, before storing in an airtight container or jar. When warm, it will still feel 'wet' but once it cools, it will be a lovely sweet, crunchy texture.

Perfect as a breakfast muesli, sprinkled on yoghurt and fruit, add a handful to your smoothie, a healthy energy snack throughout the day or a quick and easy crumble mix to add to some stewed fruit, served with warm custard. Also makes for a lovely gift- just thinking!!! For those on the go, try adding some to a small jar on top of some poached fruit and juice- my current favourite is poached quinces. Pop it in your bag and voila!!!

Recipe inspired & adapted from Sophie Hansen's Local is Lovely 

So, there you have it- two simple recipes that share very similar ingredients, which can be made into very quick and easy breakfasts depending on what you prefer. I try and keep all my nuts and seeds together in the pantry, along with the oats, wheatgerm, etc- so prep time is always quick. I also like that you can basically pick and choose what you add to both. As my husband would say, Welcome to Birdseed City!

Are you a breakfast person?

Enjoy x

It's a Jumble kind of Day …….

Last week  in the lead up to Mother's day I was feeling a tad nostalgic, thinking in particular about my favourite foods as a child and what my kids now like eating. I came across a recipe for these Iced Jumbles and had an instant flashback to my childhood. My mum (although an excellent cook) never made these but rather would buy the occassional pack from the supermarket- which was a very big treat! I do remember my Grandmother used to make Matchsticks though which looked similar- flaky sheets of cooked puffed pastry cut into fingers with whipped cream and strawberry jam layered in between and pink icing on top.

There really is something quite delicious about the thick gingerbread flavoured biscuit with a sweet icing on top. Our eldest licked the icing off- not really a big fan of cakes or biscuits- just the icing! The youngest two devoured them….they do look a bit like rustic yet pretty rusk sticks! I enjoyed them with a simple cup of tea!!!

Iced Jumbles

60g unsalted butter
2/3 cup Golden Syrup
2 cups Plain Flour
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
1 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon mixed spice

Preheat oven to 180 deg cel and line two baking trays with baking paper.
Stir the butter and golden syrup in a pan over medium heat until the butter has melted, then bring to the boil and remove from the heat. Leave to cool for 15 minutes. Sift the flour, baking soda and spices together, then stir into the syrup mixture.

Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface until smooth, and then divide into four. Roll each portion into a log about 1 cm in diameter, then cut into lengths of 6 cm pieces. Place these logs onto the trays and allow some space for logs to spread out. Bake for 10 minutes, or until light golden in colour. Cool on wire racks and then spread with icing.

Icing
1 egg white, lightly beaten
2 cups icing sugar
2 teaspoons lemon juice
food colouring

Stir together the the egg white and icing sugar until smooth. Add the lemon juice and a few drops of food colouring and stir well.

 -Recipe from Bill Granger's EveryDay Cookbook

Do you remember eating Jumbles when you were a child?

Perhaps you still eat them…..

Hope you enjoy x

In My Kitchen- May 2014

Have you read the blog Fig Jam and Lime Cordial?
Celia lives in Sydney and writes about all things foodie and other things in life she enjoys. She has a monthly post called In My Kitchen where she shares whats new in her kitchen for that month.
She also encourages other bloggers to join in, so here is my post for this month's In My Kitchen.

Quinces and Rhubarb- found at our local green grocer (which I absolutely love!!!!). With the cooler weather we have been spending more time inside and in the kitchen. I attempted to make a flourless rhubarb cake but it failed miserably so will stick to my trusty rhubarb crumble cake which is always a winner.

These quinces were poached. So simple and yet so deliciously rewarding. Slice, core and peel skin off four quinces. In a pot, bring to boil 4 cups of water, 1 cup of caster sugar, a strip of lemon rind and juice of half a lemon. For extra favouring, add half a vanilla bean, or some cloves or cinnamon stick. I added vanilla bean. Once boiling, add quinces and turn down heat so that they gently simmer for about 2 hours. Check after first 45 minutes that there is enough syrup- add extra water if you need too. Be careful when stirring as the quinces will break up. Once cooked, pour into steralised jars and store. So yummy as a dessert or for breakfast.

Home made Granola which go perfectly with poached quinces. I fill a small jar and keep in my bag when out and about- makes for an easy energy snack.

I have a cupboard of cookbooks and I keep promising myself I wont buy anymore but the odd temptation often pulls rank. These below are my current top five GO TO books for inspiration and good reliable recipes. Do you have any favourites to share???

Our Nespresso machine is probably the most used gadget in our kitchen. I would seriously not function without it! The best bit is how wonderful the service is for country people. I can order my capsules online and receive them in the post the next day. We also had an issue with one of the parts and after a phone call, we were advised to send the part back to them and it was replaced within a few days. I can not praise Nespresso enough for such wonderful customer service- especially when you live in a rural area. Oh, and the coffee is good every time!!!!

We recently had a garage sale which mean't going through old boxes in the shed. I came across my old teapot I bought from a friend's shop in Edinburgh about 20 years ago. Rachel made all sorts of kitchen pottery pieces and then painted them bright colours and patterns. I always loved the orange slices against the blue. So, as a celebration in finding this old friend, we made scones and drank tea.

Fresh eggs straight from the Little Forest Produce in Barham. These chooks live in caravans and graze in the paddocks- you cant get more free range then that! Nothing beats fresh farm eggs! I like to buy a tray every fortnite at the Echuca Farmer's Markets.

I also popped in to visit Lauren at Bundarra Berkshires , just down the road from Little Forest Produce, and bought this beautiful shoulder of pork and some bacon straight from her farm shop. I have the Gourmet Girlfriend's Pulled Pork recipe in mind for this, which I have tried a few times before and is always worth the wait!

 Time to clean my old silver cutlery collection.

How good is freshly made garlic bread? Although the trick is adding just the right amount of garlic.
I like to make a big batch and freeze as many little baguettes as possible…..always handy for the impromptu lazy pizza nights when I can't be bothered cooking anything else.

Home made crumpets. Ive been experimenting with various recipes and think I have finally found one that I like- or rather- works best for me. It has taken a few tries  to learn what the mixture is supposed to be like. They do require lots of love and time but they are seriously worth it. The recipe I used for this batch was from Elizabeth David shared on Hugo & Elsa's beautiful blog.

Some roses from our garden….just adds a pretty feminine touch to the kaos of our kitchen bench.

What is going on in your kitchen this month? 

Joining in with Celia from Fig Jam and Lime Cordial for In My Kitchen.

Be sure to pop over and visit Celia's blog and others too for some kitchen inspiration!