Chocolate Chip Pancakes with a Buttermilk Syrup

One day recently I found out that our little Spanish girl loves pancakes.  It just slipped out in a conversation as these things do . . .  and so I decided to treat her to a lovely batch of them one morning.   I know . . .  I am spoiling her, but it's just so darned nice to have a young person around.  I truly am enjoying the experience and her! 

Cut and Come Again Cake

How can you not love a cake which is called "Cut and Come Again Cake?"  It's just impossible I tell you . . .  well, it's impossible for me to at any rate.  

I am an old fashioned girl and I just adore these old fashioned names for things . . .  so just what is Cut and  Come Again Cake?  Well . . .


 

It's a deliciously moist and fruity loaf cake that begs you to cut a slice  . . .  and then once you've inhaled that slice, cut another one.   

Presumably because the first slice was just so delicious that you just have to have another one!

Works for me  . . . I say . . .  Works for me!  (at the risk of sounding like Fred Elliot ex butcher of Coronation Street!)

I love that show, been watching it since I was a girl.

  

If you're not fond of sultana raisins, and currants and mixed dried fruit  . . .  and toasted English walnuts . . .  then this is not the cake for you . . .  

I won't lie to you.

It's got plenty of them.   It is well loaded with them.

But if you happen to love those things like we do . . .  then you will totally adore this cake!  Seriously! You are in for a treat!

This is what a teatime cake is all about.  Moist.  Delicious.   Stogged full of fruit and nuts.   Sliced plain and spread with butter, or garnished as I have done with a tasty orange drizzle icing.  

Quite simply whisk enough fresh orange juice into 130g or 1 cup of sifted icing sugar to make a drizzle you can spoon over the warm cake.

Plain or iced.  Buttered or not.   This cake pleases on all levels.  It's a sturdy cake, more like a loaf and tastes better with each day that passes.  

You won't want to pass this one by.  I guarantee!  Now just where did I put my knife???  ☺

 

*Cut and Come Again Cake*

Makes one large loaf cake

Printable Recipe  

A simple and delicious cake stogged full of dried fruit and toasted walnuts.   This one which you will cut, eat,  and then want to cut again!  

115g of butter, softened (1/2 cup)

200g of sugar (1 cup)

2 large free range eggs, beaten

2 TBS mild molasses (you may use 1 TBS dark treacle and 1 TBS golden syrup)

225ml of hot water

1 rounded tsp of baking powder

150g of raisins (1 cup)

150g of currants (1 cup)

75g of mixed candied fruit (1/2 cup)

60g of toasted walnuts, chopped (1/2 cup)

280g of plain flour (2 cups)

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

a few drops almond extract    

Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4.  Butter large loaf tin really well (9 by 5), line with baking paper and butter the paper.  Set aside.  

Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.   Beat in the eggs a bit at a time.  Beat in the vanilla, almond and molasses.   Stir in the dried fruit and nuts.   Sift together the flour and baking powder.   Add this to the wet mixture, alternating with the hot water.   Turn the batter into the prepared loaf tin.


Bake in the preheated oven for 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean.  Allow to cool in the pan for 5 minutes before lifting carefully out onto a wire rack to finish cooling completely.   Store in a tightly covered container.


Casa Costello

Spaghetti with a Marinated Cherry Tomato Sauce

One of the nice things about having someone else in the house is that Ariana likes Pasta and now I have the perfect excuse to cook it and not feel guilty about it.   Today I made this simple and yet incredibly tasty pasta dish that  Ariana and I both really enjoyed, and the Toddster dined on leftover meat and potatoes.  Everybody was happy!

Cheese and Broccoli Stuffed Jacket Potatoes

I have to admit that broccoli is not one of the Toddster's favourite vegetables.  I love the stuff, but he's not so keen.   It's one of those vegetables however that is really very good for you and so I am always looking for ways to incorporate it into our diets, that are appealing to him at least in some small way.

Spicy Blueberry Sauce

I love, love blueberries and we are right in the midst of our blueberry season here in the UK at the moment.  I know my sister has been picking the juicy little blue jewels for a few weeks now in Canada.  I can never get enough of them during the season and I always freeze tons to use in the Winter months.  Today I decided to make a delicious sauce with them!

Grilled Cheese Encounters of a delicious kind . . .

 

I have to admit, that of all the sandwiches out there, and all the sandwiches I have eaten in my lifetime, my favourite has to be the good old fashioned Cheese Toastie, or Grilled Cheese as it is also called.  Over here they call sandwiches sarnies in some places.  Or Baps . . . 

Bap. Sarnie.  Toastie.   Sandwich.  Truth be told no matter what they are called this carb loving heart of mine just adores them whatever they be called, and the grilled cheese is my most favourite-est indulgence of all!

Spag Bol and Cheese Garlic Toastie

Occasionally you see something which is totally outrageous and yet strangely appealing at the same time.  That's the way it was for me when I saw these toasted Spaghetti and Cheese sandwiches popping up all over the net.  

Dark Chocolate Drizzled Ginger Butter Cookies

I don't mind admitting it.  I'm having a kind of a blah day.   I think everyone has days like that from time to time.  It's like I'm running on empty today and my battery just feels low . . .  low . . .  low.  I am totally lacking in energy and inspiration.  Totally.

Tuna, White Bean and Potato Salad

We have a lovely girl staying with us at the moment from Spain.   She is working at the hospital and so I have been making her a lunch to take with her each day.  Today, in my quest to get away from sandwiches, I made her a deliciously different salad for a change.

Lemon and Thyme Roasted Chicken and Potatoes

I love to cook and eat chicken.   Once upon a time, when I was working full time . . .  I was able to afford free range organic chicken, and I won't like . . . it was lovely.  These days all I can rise to buy with the budget I have to work with is higher welfare chicken.  I am not sure I want to really know what constitutes higher welfare, but  . . .  I like to believe that they are not that badly treated, or as badly treated as the other kind.    Unemployment is a great equalizer.  If I could afford it I would certainly still prefer to buy free range and organic, but one must do what one must do.

Cracker Lasagne

The temps have really dropped here these past couple of days.   It seems we are getting winds from the North and things are getting pretty cool, even down to they say only 3 degrees early tomorrow morning!  Who would believe it in August?  Crazy!

Nutella Cookies . . . only 3 ingredients!

Mondy evenings are always Family Home Evenings in our house.   This is a special night each week that we set apart to do things together as a family.   Usually we share a special thought, some fun activity and a special treat to share.  It's a church thing, and we feel it is inspired and it helps us to draw closer together as a family.

Cheese and Mashed Potato Fritters

I have always been a "foodie."  I've always loved food, eating, recipes, etc.  When I was between the ages of 5 and 9, my best friend in the world was a girl named Susan Warburton.  



Here we are at the end of Grade one, we would have both been six years old.  She is on the far left and I am right beside her.  It was the awards ceremony at the end of the year.

Some Tasty Pancakes for the Weekend!

Hooray for the weekend!  I usually reserve the weekends for cooking us a nice big breakfast. It might be a full on fry up . . . or it might be something as simple as muffins. It all depends on how I feel and how hungry we are. Generally though,  I like to pull out all the stops and cook something really scrummy for us to enjoy.

Banana, Coconut and Macadamia Nut Muffins

I usually like to bake something scrummy for our weekend breakfasts.  A breakfast cake of some sort, scones . . .  tea loaves, muffins.   

What I bake depends totally on what I have to hand and what kind of a mood I am in.   This week I had some bananas that needed using and so I decided to bake these delicious Banana, Coconut and Macadamia Nut Muffins!












I am a bit of an odd duck in that I actually hate eating bananas raw.  It's something to do with the texture.  They can leave somewhat of an astringent  feeling in my mouth which I am not altogether fond of, and so I usually avoid eating them raw, unless I am having rice crispies for breakfast.   

A sliced banana and some brown sugar on my rice crispies and I am in cold cereal heaven.

Bake them in a muffin or a cake however and I am all over them!  I do so love Bananas in baked goodies.   Not only does what you bake with them end up incredibly moist  . . .  but it also ends up being lower in fat.   

Yep!  Yep! Yep!  If you want to save on the fat calories, just bake with bananas or apple sauce.  

 








These muffins are nice and moist, low in fat and filled with the additional flavours and textures of shredded coconut and macadamia nuts!  Have I ever told you how much I love macadamia nuts?   Well, I'm telling you now!  I adore macadamia nuts!  

A friend sent me some really tasty ones from Hawaii once.  I think they were honey roasted or some such. They were so delicious!  I have thought about them ever since.   Mmm mmm mmm.

So anyways, back to these muffins.   Scrumdiddlyumptious.  They rise like a dream.   

They are chock full of lovely flavours and you will love them.  I don't think they could get any better.  Bake them and you will know what I mean!

 

 



RECIPE HERE

Yield: 12 medium muffins

Author: Marie Rayner

Banana, Coconut and Macadamia Nut Muffins

Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 25 MinTotal time: 40 Min

A deliciously moist muffin filled with lovely banana and coconut flavours, and the crunch of moreish macadamia nuts!

Ingredients

• 280g of plain flour (2 cups unbleached all purpose)
• 60g of shredded coconut (1/2 cup)
• 1 TBS baking powder (yes, 1 TBS)
• 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 65g of chopped raw unsalted macadamia nuts (1/2 cup)
• 125g of unsalted butter, at room temperature (1/2 cup)
• 100g of granulated sugar (1/2 cup)
• 2 large free range eggs
• 2 large ripe bananas, mashed (to make about 1 cup)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 190*C/375*F/ gas mark 5. Line a 12 medium cup muffin tin with paper lines, or butter very well.
2. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and macadamia nuts together in a large bowl.
3. Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Stir in the banana and vanilla to combine well. Pour into the flour mixture all at once. Mix together just
4. to moisten the flour. Use no more than 15 to 20 stirs. A lumpy batter is preferred rather than a smooth one.
5. Spoon into the muffin cups to fill level with the top of the muffin pan. Bake in the centre of the oven until the tops are golden brown and spring back when lightly touched. A toothpick inserted in the centre should come out clean. (20 to 25 minutes)
6. Allow to cool in the pan for about five minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool somewhat before serving. I like mine warm with lashings of fresh butter.
7. Note - if you only have salted nuts, rinse them well in warm water and then dry in a warm oven for a few minutes.

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @marierayner5530 on instagram and hashtag it #marierayner5530

Some other muffin recipes here in The English Kitchen that you might enjoy are:

SPECIAL K BREAKFAST MUFFINS

These are the PERFECT breakfast muffins. Quick and easy to make. Delicious. I highly recommend.  Simple and filled with fibre. You can use ordinary Special K cereal, or you can be a bit more extravagant and use one of the varieties which contain fruit.  This recipe makes half a dozen fabulous muffins. 

MORNING GLORY MUFFINS 

This is a small batch of one of my favorite muffin recipes. These re moist and filled with the goodness of carrot, apple, coconut, pineapple, toasted nuts and whole and regular wheat flours.

The recipe makes 6 largish muffins. 

CINNAMON ROLL MUFFINS

Prepare yourself to fall in love with this small batch muffin recipe with makes six gorgeously delicious muffins. They embody all the flavours of your favourite cinnamon rolls, except they are muffins, not a yeast bread.  I am of the school that cinnamon flavoured anything is good. It doesn't really matter too much what it is and these are OMG good! 

Yes . . . that is butter.   Don't judge me.  ☺


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Newman's Own American Rubs to make the BBQ Sizzle!

Three new cooking rubs have been added to the Newman's Own Range to help recreate a US-style BBQ!  You can bring these delicious American flavours to your own kitchen this summer with the new range of American style Rubs, an easy way to recreate the flavours of US low'n slow-style BBQ food at home.   The rubs deliver authentic succulent flavours. 

All natural, these delicious rubs are based on traditional USA regional recipes!




Kentucky Style Rub for Ribs!  For melt in the mouth ribs serving six to eight,  you only need a tube of this tasty rib rub, 2 kg of pork ribs and 100ml of cold water!

 

Texas Style Rub for Brisket! Now doesn't that look delicious!  Again, for a mouth watering Brisket that will feed six to eight people all you need is the tube of rub, a 2kg Beef brisket and 100ml of water.



Carolina Style Rub for Pulled Pork.  A taste sensation that is really catching on over here in the UK!  For six to eight you will need a tube of the Pulled Pork Rub,  2kg of pork shoulder and 100ml of water.



The rubs are available now from ASDA stores from the all-profits-to-charity brand, Newman's Own,  joining the rest of their American condiments range launched this year.   I just love LOVE their Smokin Hot Dog Sauce!  It packs a tasty punch.   The rubs retail for £1.59 per tube. 

Newman's Own, the all-profits-to-charity family favourite, already has a range of salad dressings (love the Blue Cheese and the Caesar), BBQ sauces, pasta sauces and marinades availale througout the UK.  Newman's own has already donated over £1 million to a wide range of charities in the UK alone and over £250 million donated around the world via the Newman's Own Foundation. 

I love that I can enjoy a tasty meal and know that at the same time a portion of the money I have spent is going to support charities both here in the UK and abroad!

Herb and Egg Gratins . . . simply indulgent

    

Here we are at day four of my week of celebrations cooking fest!  I have a fondness for eggs, especially good eggs.   I always buy free range eggs for baking with, but if I am going to eat eggs as a meal/dinner, I often splurge and get some really good eggs.



I really like these Burford Browns or the Costwald Legbars.  They have beautiful flavours and nice deep yellow yolks.   When you are having eggs for a meal you want an egg which has a flavour that will really shine through!  These are more expensive than regular free range eggs, but it's supper folks.  Just think about how much you would spend on a piece of meat and it puts things in perspective and they don't seem to be so expensive anymore.

Marie's Best Corn Chowder

Continuing on with my week of celebrations, I just have to share with you one of my favourite soup/stews!  Corn Chowder!   This is a hearty family favourite that I have been making for my family and myself for many, many years.  It is a tried and true!

 

It is chock full of vegetables . . .  potatoes (of course!) celery, onions, carrots . . . and of course bacon.  I use pancetta these days because I like the flavour of it, but you can use just ordinary bacon.  I like the thicker cut bacon, and if you are lucky enough to be able to find home smoked bacon, then you are in for a real treat!

Let Them Eat Cake and Ice Cream Clowns!

 Well today is my birthday.  Boo Hoo  Fifty nine years old.  However did that happen.  No matter, happen it did and I am celebrating!  Ten friends are coming over for lunch today and we are going to do it in style.  I am looking forward to seeing and spending time with them.



This is the cake that I always  make for my Birthday.  It just wouldn't be my birthday without it.  I make it every year, no fail, and this year it is no different.

A delicious Courgette (zucchini) Tomato Bake

This is the first of my week of celebrations posts!  It is my birthday on Wednesday of this week and it will mark the beginning of my last year as a fifty something year old!  (I know! Boo Hoo, how did that happen?  I still feel sixteen inside.  It's that first look in the mirror in the morning that's the kicker!)

Glazed Cinnamon Roll Muffins

Some days you just want something for breakfast that is really bad and a bit naughty.  I know cake is a good thing to fill that urge, but sometimes you want it only a bit naughty, but still a bit decadent . . . any woman would know what I am talking about I think . . .

Some delicious Almond Breakfast Pastries

 


I recently bought a little booklet at the grocery store, entitled Delicious Pastries.  I fear I have been in love with puff pastry my whole life, fueled by trips made to my French Grandmaman's home where we would feast on caramel filled puff pastry squares dolloped with thick sweet cream . . . mmmm . . . so good.

Some Simple Jammy Bites!

I have something spectacularly simple and yet very elegant to share with you today.

These little gems are quite old fashioned, coming from a recipe that's been around a very long time. (1933) I have a series of cookery books in my home library, called The Farmer's Wife cookbooks. I have the Baking one, the Comfort Foods one, and one simply entitled The Farmer's Wife. There are quite a few others as well, but I haven't managed to collect them just yet.



These are lovely ring bound cookery books, just stogged full of tried and trues, family and farm tested recipes, based on simple, wholesome and nourishing ingredients.

Sticky Gammon Steaks

During the week, I try to cook meals which are quick and easy and not too hard on the budget.  Living on a pension means we have a very basic fixed income, and so there is not a lot of room for playing around overly much, and with way food costs are rising, it gets harder and harder each week to make ends meet and still keep our meals interesting.



This means that I now do most of my shopping at one of the bargain supermarkets, usually Aldi.  It's actually a pretty good place to do your shopping as the prices are great and the quality is pretty good on most things.  There are no frills, and your choice is limited in comparison to the major shops, but overall it's a great place to shop.  I do my major shop there and then if there is something I really need that they don't have, I will whip into one of the other shops to get it.