LAZY SUNDAY: BANANA PANCAKES

28 SEPTEMBER 2014

Now that we live together and we have to do our own shopping, I never seem to know how much fruit to buy each week. I hate waste, so if we have any leftovers I try to use them at the weekend. This week we had two overripe bananas left so I thought I'd use them up by making some banana pancakes this morning. A naughty start to the day, but who cares - it's Sunday!

INGREDIENTS:

150g plain flour

100ml milk

2 ripe bananas

1 egg

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

1 tsp runny honey

1/2 tsp cinnamon

Butter for frying

METHOD:

Mash the bananas with a fork and combine in a mixing bowl with the flour, milk, egg, honey, bicarb and cinnamon. Mix together until you have a lumpy batter.

Melt a knob of butter in your frying pan and spoon about 2 tablespoons of batter into the centre (if your pan is big enough you can do two at a time). Cook on one side until golden brown and then flip onto the other side, again cooking until golden brown. Repeat until all your batter is used up - this should make 6 - 8 pancakes.

When cooked serve warm and drizzle with maple syrup.

BBQ CHICKEN

23 JUNE 2014

So much sunshine! Tom and I just had to make the most of it and have a barbecue yesterday. Not wanting to indulge too heavily, we stayed true to form and invented our own recipe for BBQ chicken using only herbs and spices that we already had in the cupboard. Just marinate for a couple of hours before throwing on the barbecue!


INGREDIENTS:

1 tbsp smoked paprika
1 tbsp onion granules
1 tbsp garlic granules
1 tbsp golden caster sugar
1 tsp sea salt/pink salt
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp allspice
A pinch of freshly ground black pepper


METHOD:

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and mix thoroughly. Rub into your chicken pieces (leave the skin on!) and leave to marinate for a few hours before barbecuing.

HOMEMADE SCONES & RASPBERRY JAM

1 JUNE 2014

Happy June everyone! And what a beautiful start to the summer today has been. With the sun shining and flavours of summer in the air, we felt like indulging in something delicious and quintessentially British. A quick scout around our fridge uncovered a punnet of raspberries, and with it came my inspiration for a home-made cream tea of raspberry jam and freshly baked scones.

This was a double-team effort by myself and my boy. Whilst I tackled the jam, he donned his apron and got baking! As recipes go, I definitely got the better end of the deal with the jam as scones are notoriously difficult to perfect. Good job my boy is good at baking because these scones were delicious - well done baby!

Fancy your own summer cream tea? Have a look at the recipes we followed from the Women's Institute and Paul Hollywood. Simply follow the links and enjoy.

RATATOUILLE

25 MARCH 2013

No, I'm not talking about the Disney film, although that was the inspiration behind making this dish! Don't get me wrong, I love the UK chunky vegetable version of ratatouille, but there's something so pretty and precise about this traditional French version that I just couldn't resist trying it for myself!

INGREDIENTS

1 aubergine
1 courgette
1 sweet red bell pepper (the long ones)
1 yellow squash (if you can get your hands on one - these are called yellow courgettes in the UK, but I'm yet to find a supermarket that stocks them. If you can't get one, just use an extra green courgette)
200g tomato puree (1 tube)
1 small red onion
2 small cloves of garlic
1/4 tsp chilli flakes
1/4 tsp oregano
2 tbsp olive oil
A few small sprigs of fresh thyme
Salt and pepper

Finely chop the onion and garlic, and add to the tomato puree along with the oregano, chilli flakes, 1 tbsp of olive oil and salt and pepper. Spread this mixture around the base of an oval baking dish (approx. 10 inches).

Slice the aubergine, courgette, red pepper and yellow squash into thin slices, approximately 1/16th inch thick. Lay the slices on top of the tomato puree mixture, alternating vegetables and overlapping so that most of each slice is covered by the slice on top of it. Drizzle with the remaining olive oil, season with salt and pepper and top with the fresh thyme.

Cut out an oval of greaseproof paper to fit inside your dish and place on top of your sliced vegetables. Bake in the oven at 180 degrees Celsius for 45 minutes. This dish is beautiful on its own, but tastes even better served with grilled lamb steaks. A perfect winter-warmer, or for those grey and rainy days.

LAZY SUNDAY: BLUEBERRY PANCAKES

9 FEBRUARY 2014

It's the last day of the weekend again, boo! What better day then to have some pancakes for breakfast? Once again, Elise Bauer from Simply Recipes has been my saviour, providing this delicious recipe for wonderfully fluffy, American buttermilk pancakes. Thanks, Elise! 

To show you just how simple they are to make, here's the ones I made this morning, mmmm. Enjoy your sunday, everyone!

LAZY MONDAY: FRENCH TOAST

27 JANUARY 2013

I skipped lazy Sunday this week and decided to do lazy Monday instead. A very much spontaneous use of my remaining annual leave had me sleeping soundly rather than dragging myself out of bed at 6am this morning. With the extra time on my hands I thought I'd have something a bit different for breakfast. It's been a long time since I've had French toast - cinnamony and indulgent, this recipe for French toast is the perfect lazy morning treat. Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS: (serves 2)

4 slices of white bread (crusty bread works best)

1 large egg

2-3 tablespoons of full fat milk

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Maple syrup to taste

1 banana (optional)

METHOD:

Whisk together the egg, milk and cinnamon in a shallow bowl until fully combined. Coat either side of each slice of bread by dipping it in the mixture. 

Melt a knob of butter in a frying pan or griddle pan. Fry your bread until golden brown on both sides. Serve with fresh sliced banana and a drizzle of maple syrup.

LOVE | Hannah