mid morning experiments - coffee bags & brown bananas

Yesterday morning I decided to tick off a few things on my steadily growing to do list.. First up was transforming a bunch of forgotten and very brown bananas, into some kind of banana bread/cake thing.

Having never made banana loaf before and not being one to stick to a recipe, I did as I always do.., started with a basic idea and then made it up as I went..

Then with the loaf baking away and Thom tucked in for his morning nap, I got to work on a new lampshade for a favorite vintage lamp. I've been meaning to replace the shade forever, the current one is all cracked inside and to be honest is just boring..

Awhile ago I picked up a burlap coffee sack from Reverse Garbage and then found a simple polypropylene drum shade at Ikea. After a quick google search for diy lampshades, it was a matter of grabbing scissors, spray adhesive, a bunch of pegs and voila, I have myself a spiffing new shade!! I admit it still needs couple of lengths of fabric binding to finish it off in the inside, but not bad for less than 20 dollars and 15 or so minutes of my time..!

one..

two..

three..

ta da!!

and here's the other side.

The banana loaf turned out ok too. Here's the recipe (of sorts)..

130g white self-raising flour
130g whole meal self-raising flour
40g plain flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1/2 cup walnuts (roughly chopped), plus extra for the top
1/3 cup shredded coconut
2/3 cup brown sugar

2 ripe bananas (mashed)
1/2 cup milk
2 eggs (lightly whisked)
50g melted butter (cooled)
1 tsp vanilla essence

1. Preheat oven at 180 degrees
2. Grease and line a loaf tin with baking paper.
3. Add dry ingredients to a large mixing bowl.
4. Combine wet ingredients in another bowl and then add to the dry ingredients.
5. Mix together until well combined.
6. Spoon mixture into lined tin and top with the extra walnuts.
7. Bake for 45 - 50 mins or until golden on top (or a skewer to the centre comes out clean).

Cool, then slice and enjoy with a nice cuppa..

for the road - pea, feta & mint muffins

Aaah what a lovely week!! We've just returned from several lazy days spent on the Tweed Coast, swimming, reading and eating..

Even better, this beautiful part of the world is practically on our doorstep (an hour and a half drive away). Still, like my Mother and my Nanna used to, I baked some road trip munchies to take along just in case...

Peas with fresh mint is one of my favourite things, add a little crumbled feta and you have a very yummy combination indeed!  I used Stephanie Alexander's failsafe muffin mix recipe as a base, all too easy..

• 2/3 cup of peas (I normally use frozen but fresh would be lovely if you have them)
• 1/2 cup of crumbled feta cheese
• 1/4 cup of finely chopped mint
• 1 egg
• 3/4 cup of milk
• 3/4 cup of grape seed or light olive oil
• 220g of self raising flour (I like to use half wholemeal for this recipe, for added texture)
• generous pinch of salt

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees and grease a 12 muffin tin.
2. Mix all wet ingredients together in a bowl.
3. In another larger bowl sift the flour and salt.
4. Add wet mixture to flour and mix until combined.
5. Spoon batter into muffin tray until 2/3s full and bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown on top.
6. Remove from oven and allow to stand in tray for 5 minutes before turning out onto wire rack to cool.

Perfect for a little snack on the road, washed down with a lemon iced tea...

Have a lovely weekend and to those who hail from the Emerald Isle, Happy St Patricks Day!

El xx

ps. Here's a sunny little tune for my Dad, who no doubt will be enjoying a couple of favourite Van albums today..

What's cooking through the round window..

Not so long ago a quick flick through the latest Delicious mag would be what inspired a new culinary adventure in the kitchen..

Yesterday I picked up a recipe idea from a slightly different source.., Thom's favourite show, Playschool!!

In between all the singing, dancing around and the pretend play, Playschool sometimes throws in the odd 'cooking' segment, you know pizza with toppings arranged to make a face.. 

In this particular episode, they made Cheesy/Vegemite Scrolls. They looked pretty yummy and really easy, so I thought we'd try a batch..

25 minutes later my happy little Vegemite was very much enjoying his tasty new snack.

I tweaked the recipe we saw a little bit, like using wholemeal flour instead of white and the result was not half bad..

Here's our version -

• 2 1/3 cups of wholemeal self raising flour
• 40g of butter, cubed
• a pinch of salt
• 200mls of milk
• 2/3 a cup of colby or mild cheddar cheese, grated
• 2 tablespoons of Vegemite
• extra butter and Vegemite melted to brush on.

1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees.
2. Mix flour, salt and butter together in a food processor to form a fine bread crumb like texture.
3. Add milk and mix until combined.
4. Turn out dough mixture onto a well floured board and lightly knead into a ball.
5. Roll out dough to form a rectangle approximately 30 x 20cm.
6. Add a teaspoon of boiling water to the Vegemite and stir until smooth.
7. Spread the dough with the Vegemite and then sprinkle the cheese top.
8. Roll up the dough length ways to form a log.
9. Slice the log up into 2cm thick pieces and place on a tray lined with baking paper.
10. Brush scrolls with the melted butter/Vegemite and bake for 15mins or until lightly browned.

This is a good easy recipe to modify too.. Next time we might try herb and feta or aged cheddar and mustard etc. 

Who knows where this new source of inspiration will lead, decorating ideas via 'The Night Garden' perhaps..?

Have a lovely weekend!! xx

and in other news..!!

I have something rather exciting to share..

There's going to be a wee addition to our family this year. Yep, bambino number two is on the way!! 

We're all very excited!! Even Thom points to my ever expanding belly regularly, exclaiming 'Baaayyybeee'. I have no idea what he could possibly imagine that means however..

Now 17 weeks up the duff and thankfully over some pretty horrendous 'morning' sickness, I've reached that happy, slightly more energetic stage...  

I'm soo hungry too!! I've had some ferocious cravings this time... Anything pickled (I know, such a cliche), naughty quite disgusting things like chicken nuggets and really hot/sour foods, like Vindaloo and jalapenos straight from the jar.. 

I'm sure all this acid can't be good for my poor stomach, but I can't help myself! 

pickles, pickles, pickles!!

A couple of weeks ago, I couldn't stop thinking about the spicy Buffalo Wings.. 

It got so bad, I nearly convinced my husband to drive an hour and a half down the coast so I could satisfy my craving.  Luckily he brought me to my senses and suggested I try making my own..

I found this recipe on the web had a crack. They turned out quite well, maybe a tad to sticky. I would use a lot less butter next time and bake them again, basted with the sauce. Still they did the trick..

 

Anyone else with crazy cravings to share??

stained glass window cake...

This year I put my hand up to tackle one of the family Christmas cakes, previously the sole responsibility of my Mother and as Sunday was grey and drizzly here, it was perfect for a little festive baking...

We traditionally have two cakes at Christmas.., a lusciously rich fruit cake with lots of brandy and a marzipan/royal icing and the 'Stained Glass Window Cake' laden with nuggets of glace fruit and nuts, which is the one I decided to attempt (the easier of  the two).

Ingredients

3/4 cup of plain flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon of salt.

3/4 cup of caster sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

3 eggs   

1 cup of chopped dried figs

1  & 1/2 cups of whole brazil nuts

1 & 1/2 cups of whole walnuts or pecans

1/2 a cup of glacé ginger

1 cup of maraschino cherries

1 cup of dried Turkish apricots

• Preheat the oven to 160 degrees (150 for fan forced).
• Triple sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a large bowl.
• Add the sugar, fruit and nuts and combine.
• Whisk the eggs well and add to the bowl, along with the vanilla.
• Stir all ingredients until really well combined (it's a Christmas tradition in our family to all have a  good stir and make a wish).
• Press firmly into a greased and paper lined bar tin (approx 200 x 125mm) and level out on top.
• Bake on the centre rack for 1 & 3/4 - 2 hours or until firm.
• Allow to cool for half an hour before turning out of pan and then cool completely before removing paper.
• Once cool, wrap cake tightly in foil and cling wrap and then refrigerate.
• Slice very thinly with a sharp knife to serve and enjoy!!

I love this cake because beside from being really yummy (especially if you're  a nut fan like me), when sliced it really does remind you of stained glass. Making this cake turned out to be pretty easy too...

Now it will sit in the fridge (untouched) until Christmas. I will be strong...

love it!

I'm not usually one for gimmicks, especially in the lead up to Christmas... But how cute is this??!! Typography you can eat!! You can snap them up here.

Have a great weekend!! xx

salvaged crystal for Summer cocktails..

Recently I came across these four crystal tumblers at a local opshop. I immediately fell for their simple lines and the fact they were all slightly irregular in size (a sign that they were handmade I'm told).

They were however very cloudy, which was probably why they were 50 cents each. I had a vague recollection of reading how to correct the cloudy issue and brought them home...

Then I consulted my somewhat trusty friend Google and came across everything from soaking in lemon juice or vinegar, scrubbing with toothpaste to using fine sandpaper to rid crystal of this seemingly common problem.

A gentle wash and polish, still quite hazy..

 

post vinegar bath, getting there...

After a little consideration, I decided on the vinegar solution, as it seemed the most gentle... Several hours in a diluted white vinegar bath (balsamic didn't seem right)and my tumblers do look a whole lot more sparkly. A couple more dunks, maybe with a stronger solution this time and hopefully they'll be good as new! If anyone has any better ideas though, I love to hear them...

In the meantime we road tested our (almost) lovely new tumblers with a kiwi/apple/vodka concoction...

We agreed, they do the job nicely!

Bananas are back!!

Paul Colin's Josephine Baker. Amazing!!

It's been a tough ol year for bananas.. First the Carnavon crops were flooded and then Cyclone Yasi wiped out what was left of a vital industry here in Queensland! Many livelihoods were devastated and an Aussie fruit bowl staple became a rare luxury.

Yasi's devastation captured by photo journalist Rob Maccoll

The good news is, after many months, things look to be on the up... At the front door of my grocery store on the weekend was a sight for sore eyes. An abundant display of banana yellow goodness topped with a ticketed price that was almost back to normal!

So yesterday to celebrate we did as Jack Johnson would and made a batch of banana pancakes for breakfast... Yum!!

Mmm bananas and butter...

Sunday breakfasts just got a whole lot yummier!

Today Thom had banana topped weetbix, I'm having a banana smoothie for lunch and I think I'll pop to the shops for a couple more bunches and whip up a banana and walnut loaf for tomorrow's morning tea...

What's your favourite banana recipe?

mmm cake...

A little birdie sent me this link to a clever friend's new blog.. I am notoriously bad at keeping in touch with people and I've been wondering what she's been up to...  Baking fabulously cakes, that's what!!
They look amazing and yum, what's in them sounds just as good..,  'lemon cake with lemon curd buttercream filling' anyone!

Check them out here at Rachel Warner Cakes . I'm particularly in love with these two kids Birthday cakes, aren't they cute??!!








If only she Rachel didn't live so far away.., it's my husbands birthday this Sunday and I fear I'll be reaching for the packet mix...
Have a great weekend!! xx

I know.., it's been awhile

Hello slacko here...

Up until the past few days, the weather has been pretty much perfect, so I've been looking for any excuse to get out and enjoy it, ignoring the indoor stuff I should be doing like study, filing and tackling the mountain of laundry. This has also meant zero blogging...

When I have been spending time inside, I'm in the kitchen.  Inspired by a big basket of home grown goodies I received from the Cloudlake veggie patch, I've been cooking up a storm...

A classic winter staple Rhubarb.., always good with a little crumble and vanilla ice-cream. This time, on Mum's advice, I slow roasted it with orange juice, lots of honey and a little butter, Yum! It's made a great twist to the morning drop of porridge too..








These pretty Winter jonquils, that line the driveway at Cloudlake, sit on our dining table, making the house smell sweet..
They're doing a stellar job camouflaging the remaining odours of last night's pan seared salmon too. Another winter favourite, we had ours with a kind of salsa verde, creamy mashed potato and beans. So good but man, sooo stinky!

I've never cooked with Warrigal Greens before and had no idea how versatile they are. I used mine in place of spinach and served them as a simple side dish, blanched then tossed with lemon and olive oil and topped with with feta and pine nuts. They made a terrific accompaniment to these delicious filo pastries from my new Turkish cookbook.

A new favourite thing.. drying herbs to store.  No wastage and they look lovely hanging in bunches above the kitchen bench.

Next up, the big bowl of lemons. Lemon curd or preserved or both..!! And some study I suppose...

home remedies...

When the icy southern wind blew up yesterday it brought with it our first family cold...

Darling husband was first to fall (part & parcel of working in a busy air-conditioned office I guess), then me and now our little one's nose is a dripping tap (his second cold already this season, poor thing).

Husband doesn't have time to muck around and has already hit the hardcore cold & flu drugs, where as I'm going to try a more homeopathic route...

First up, swapping the flat white for the old hot lemon & honey... with a teaspoon of grated ginger for an extra kick.

And perhaps some homemade chicken soup for tonight's dinner.

I found this recipe on  James (Grow Your Own Drugs) Wong's website. Looks like it could do the trick although I don't know if I feel like venturing out just to hunt down some Goji berries...

If anyone has a tried, tested and easy recipe or remedy they can share, we'd all be very appreciative! In the meantime, we'll bunker down and hope it blows through as quickly as yesterday's wintry wind did...

Ps. Might need a couple of these cute handmade tissue box covers to see me through too. I'm sure seeing the ugly branded ones all over those house makes me feel worse...

found on Etsy here

another Etsy cutie

love the spots... seen here on Etsy (again)

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

great country faire & crisp mountain air...

Half the week's gone already and another weekend is on the horizon... With perfect Autumn weather predicted, I'll be heading to the hills this weekend, for the annual Hampton High Country Food & Arts Festival

country grown... photo by Fiona Stone

how does my garden grow?

It's been one whole month since I planted my little garden and I'm happy to say (that against the odds), it's well... thriving!

Maybe as I blogged about lacking a green thumb early on, I now feel especially responsible for this little endeavour's survival... 

The tomato for example has almost quadrupled in size and even though it's not bearing any fruit yet (my little collage is a tad exaggerated), it is covered in flowers which means baby tomatoes are on the way right?

sign of good things to come... 

my asst gardener on snail watch

Now that our little patch is a bit more established, we've started to reap the rewards as well... Last night we had scrummy pumpkin and sage risotto! Now if only I could claim the pumpkin was mine as well...  

Happy gardening! 

my babies...

risotto with home grown sage