Amazing Banana Bread

There seems to be way to much bad news in the press recently (I know it is always bad news) that I thought I would share my recipe for amazing Banana bread (bonus it is lactose free). Why don't you give it try and have a cuppa with someone you care about and forget your troubles for a while.

Amazing Banana Bread

 

Amazing banana bread

 

 

Ingredients

1 1/3 cups self-raising flour (wholemeal can be used)

1 cup flour (wholemeal can be used)

2/3 cup sugar

1/4 cup desiccated coconut

1tsp ground cinnamon ( I use a generous teaspoon)

450g mashed bananas

2/3 cup of pureed apple ( jars of baby food are fine)

2 tsp vanilla essence

125g berries (I use frozen raspberries or blueberries. Use as much or as little as you like)

Nuts (I have used hazelnuts, pecans, and walnuts. Again use as many or as little as you like)

Seed mix to garnish (the one i use has sunflower and pumpkin seeds with pine nuts, this is optional)

 

Method

1. preheat oven to 150 degrees Celsius and grease loaf tin 7cm deep, 10x20cm base

2. Sift both flours into large bowl. Add sugar, coconut and cinnamon. Then add eggs, banana, pureed apple and vanilla. Stir till combined

3. gently fold in berries and nuts

4. pour into pan and smooth top. Garnish with seed mix. Bake for 1 1/2 hours

5. cool in pan before turning onto wire rack.

 

This amazing banana bread can be eaten warm or cold, with or with out butter. it keeps for about a week in a sealed container in the fridge. This not only makes a great morning/afternoon tea but also a nice dessert if you wish.

 

I hope you enjoy this recipe, and it gives you a chance to catch up and live in a peaceful moment if only for a little while.



Make love not war!

 

 

 



Work, rest and play

I listened to a comment made today at lunch it went a little like this. "honestly why can't people be happy to go to work, come home have tea and go to bed." The discussion had been about Turkey and all the countries that it is neighbours with which are currently in the middle of civil war or do not have the most stable of governments.
I think at the core of every human is a want for some kind of peace in their lives and also their families. At least I would hope so otherwise this a sad world we are existing in. I also realise life is not as simple as getting up and going to work, and coming home for rest.
I do wonder how worth it, it is, to fight so hard for your beliefs to put your life and family at constant risk.  Also I am at a loss at how people believe so easily in something that has such little fact behind it. I guess that is why it is called faith! Cause it seems to me that, that is all it is. However I have no problem accepting peoples belief systems cause I know at times mine make very little sense. I.e. I absolutely believe in evolution, but I do believe there is more to this world than what I am capable of sensing and understanding. Go figure or not!
Why is it so hard to except that every individual on this planet has a different belief system and that is perfectly ok. Your beliefs do not need to be any one else's'. You just need to respect that what is yours is yours and what is theirs is theirs. We only have this world to physically exist on, as far as we know. No-one has any guaranties about what happens next, so surely we need to love what we have, and be tolerant of others.
Tomorrow I will wake up and go to work, come home and have tea and sleep. It will be wonderful. I am truly thankful that i live in a country where i am free to believe what i choose, and so does everyone else. I am also grateful that our government allows me to have a say. I also have faith that peace is achievable.
Please be kind to each other. That's all that needs to be done.

Polish

I have recently become quite interested in nail polish. So I thought I would show you some of my creations. Please keep in mind I am very mush an amateur! More photos will probably come as I continue with this interest


Butter London Disco biscuit



Butter London Slapper with Zoya Opal



O.P.I Eurso Euro and O.P.I polka.com



I have to say I really loved the OPI eurso euro with polka.com

More polish

Well here they are more polish picks from the new hoppy of nail polish. Enjoy!

Orly liquid vinyl and Zoya Opal

 

 

Orly liquid vinyl and Zoya Twila

 

 

OPI number one nemesis

 

 

Zoya storm from the ornate collection

 

 

There are no friends like you had in high school

I went out for dinner last night with some old friends from high school. I would like to think we are just like the sex and the city girls, but we are not. We are who we are and that is so much better! We all met in our first year of high school and we have remained friends ever since. We are all nearly 30 now. We have all taken different directions in life, some have married and have had children. Some like me just love to travel, some both. We don't see each other often even though we all live in the same area. Although when we do catch up, it's like there is no time distance between us. I felt a little sorry for the restaurant that was waiting for us to finish up last night so they could close up, also for the dinners who had to put up with a quartet of giggling women who sound like high school girls. I guess in some ways we always will be. There is such an amount of love and respect for each other, I can honestly call them my sisters. Which seeing I don't have any biological ones, these relationships I truly treasure.
Friendship is a wonderful gift, and must be treasured.
When was the last time you caught up with an old friend or two? Maybe today should be the day.

lessons my cat has taught me

I wrote on an earlier post about adopting my cat Missy, and how wonderful she is. When I figure out how to create a link to that post I will put one in. In the mean time you can look at the previous post titled Missy.
Anyway here is a list of the things so far that little Missy has taught me
1. Find some simple pleasures in life. Yesterday she was laying in my bed soaking up the sunshine. It reminded my of taking time out to just be. Here was my little cat in big bed simply enjoying the sun. There is defiantly something therapeutic about soaking up some rays.

2. Sometime you have to make your own fun. Missy is an inside cat, so she doesn't have the luxury of exploring the street as some other cats do. that being said she wont end up like the cat that use to live next door, with a tyre print on it's back. Quite often I get home and consider the possibility that maybe I have broken into. Alas Missy has just been playing. Her toys are spread all over the house. Cushions are everywhere, and her scratching post is tipped over and preventing me from opening the door properly. I love watching her create her own little games with her toys. So lesson, if you can't get to the fun, create your own

3. Sometimes when you want something you have to get a little pushy. There are many times when I am reading a paper or a book on the couch, and Missy decides that is cuddle time. She simply just negotiates herself between me and whatever I am reading and demands the attention. If you want something bad enough sometimes you just need to remove the obstacles, or at least find a way around them.

Little miss demanding attention!

I have given serious thought to starting a blog about the life lessons Missy has taught me. Let me know what you think

happiness is....

an oversized bed in the sunshine.......
stay cool and happy.

Miss you Nero

Nero

This is Nero. Or perhaps now I should be saying this was Nero. Nero was a family cat that has simply disappeared. We went out for dinner a couple of weeks ago and he has never been seen since. He had not been part of the family long, however he had made a huge impact. Every time I looked at him, I couldn't get over how long his tail was. It seemed out of proportion to the rest of him. He was very talkative so you were never lonely when he was around. He loved chasing butterflies and moths, and was usually had a bug or two to keep him busy. Like all pets he had a very distinctive personality and has left a hole in the family dynamic.
I have been to the pound a couple of times thinking I have seen him there. Always aware that this is wishful thinking. If in fact Nero was there he would be easily identified because he was micro chipped. I have called all local vets, put shout-outs on facebook, and even had the local adoption group that we adopted him from put up a missing post as well.
Nero you are very much missed and I hope that wherever you are now, that you are ok.
The death of a pet is always a time for grief, a lost pet is always worse because there is no conclusion. Just a half read book.
Love ya Nero!