Banana and walnut cake - scrumptious

Ingredients

• 125g (4oz) butter
• 180g (6oz) dark brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1tsp vanilla essence
• 1tsp (5ml) ground cinnamon
• pinch of salt
• 4 medium bananas
• 250g (8oz) plain flour
• 1tsp baking powder
• ¾tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 3tbsp warm milk
• 125g (4oz) walnuts

Method

Preheat the oven to Gas 4, 180°C, fan 160°C.
Butter a 1kg (2lb) loaf tin.
Cream the butter and sugar until smooth and then whisk in the mashed bananas.
Add the eggs. vanilla, cinnamon and a pinch of salt and whisk well.
Sieve the flour and baking powder and add to the mix, and beat until smooth.
Mix the bicarbonate of soda into the milk and stir into the mix. Toss the walnuts in a little flour before adding to the mixture to prevent them from sinking.
Scrape the mixture into the tin and bake for about 50 minutes, until it is crusty on the top and a skewer poked into the middle comes out clean. Cool in the tin, and then turn out onto a cooling rack.

Add caption

When cool slice into 12, butter if you wish, and enjoy - it's delish!

This week I have.......

 Cleaned out the chickens

 Mowed all the lawns front and back

 Did some weeding of the flower beds

 Had to spread the mowing over several days due to the weather

 Still have some flowers - this  fuschia is looking spectacular and very tall

Alstromeria are regrown and flowering again after been cut right down

 The duck gets to see daylight again

 Moved everything around in our little conservatory/diner/laundry room - to fit my keyboard in - I need to practice every day, and would not do that if it stayed in the studio at the end of the garden during the winter

 More mowing

 Some flower arranging today - done in the garage as there isn't much room elsewhere

 The gladioli arrived yesterday in tight bud, but overnight are just starting to open up - they'll look a picture by Monday

Spent another 3 hours up the allotment, took lots of photos with my little camera - but had a malfunction so nothing to show for it.   Mr Lottie dug up the last row of potatoes which are now in sacks and hanging in the garage.  We have another three full carrier bags of French and Runner beans to prepare for freezing, and have cooked another 20lb of mixed veggies yesterday, and apart from all the veggies mentioned in the previous post with roast veggies, this one has mushrooms pumpkin and lots of french beans, bagged them up and put them in the freezer this morning.  The above is a curry flavour one.

Heavy rain today - but still achieved lots!

Off to the 'pictures' tonight in a village hall a few miles away to see The Best Exotic Magnolia Hotel.

Could do with a laugh - taking cushions for backs and botties as the seats are so hard!

Harvest Cookup

 You can see the above photo on yesterday's post.

 I really didn't intend to 'process' all the veggies - I ache from yesterday's hard physical work up the allotment!

 But I decided to get them done whilst still absolutely fresh with the help of Mr Lottie

When we sorted out the potatoes there were lots of tiny ones - and we couldn't just throw them away, so Mr L washed them and I put them into the mix as well.

Absolutely delicious roasted vegetable mixes are such joy in the dark winter months.
 So I shall be busy tomorrow weighing and bagging these

 Remember the big trays with lids that the school dinner ladies used

Well I cooked three trays full - they were  heaped up high and gradually cooked down

 This bowl is as large as a  big washing up bowl!
I just don't have any more energy left to bag them up tonight.

 

Apart from the contents of the wheelbarrow 

 

Here are some of the ingredients that went into the mix.

I used all the above plus.........

Tiny potatoes that most folks would throw away

Fresh Oregano from the garden

                            Onions                   (33p)

                            Celery                    (49p)

2 large jars of roasted red peppers    (£3.58)

4 tins economy chopped tomatoes    (£1.24)

                          Total                        £5.64

A provisonal guess would be that I have 10lb - 15lb of roasted veggies here - enough for 20 - 30 meals  - not bad for an outlay of £5.64 is it!

I have used 8oz today which I added to 1lb lamb mince, with mint sauce and mushrooms and made a delicious huge Shepherds Pie topped with creamy mash made with more of the little potatoes and have half the mince mix in  the freezer for another meal.

Edited

I got up early and bagged the mix up and popped it in the freezer

20lb 12oz

Yummy