I bought some bananas earlier this week and they all turned as quick as a wink.  They didn't last very long at all.  

I know you can freeze bananas to use later in baking, but I used one today to bake my husband  these delicious Chocolate Chip Banana Brownies! 

 

He loves them . . .  they are everything a good brownie should be  . . .  dense, fudgy, and moist.  They are only lacking in one thing that regular brownies have and that is a chocolate batter.  

Its not chocolate . . .  it's banana fudge . . . stogged full of chocolate chips and topped with a brown sugar fudge frosting.  Easy Peasy. 

 

Bananas are really great for making cakes and bakes really moist and cutting back a bit on the fat that would normally be used.  

They also had a touch of natural sweetness . . . although in all truth these have plenty of sweet going for them by the use of brown sugar, which is also a great moistener . . .

 

Both in the batter and then in that delicious fudge frosting.  The first time I tasted this kind of frosting was when I was in high school. 

My ex husband's mum used to bake these fabulous Caramel squares and they had a frosting just like this.  

We always called them "Camel" squares because when my ex copied the recipe down for me, he wrote camel instead of caramel! (I was collecting recipes even then!)

 

These squared are baked in an 8 inch square pan, and cut into 16 servings. In all truth and all joking aside, one of these at a time with a nice hot cup of something to drink is plenty!  

They are quite sweet. (Just like the Camel squares!) 

 

They are studded with milk chocolate chips, but you could also use dark chocolate chips in their place.  I like to stir them in with the flour and then sprinkle a few more on top prior to baking so that you have them evenly distributed throughout.  

Also stirring them in with the flour prevents them from sinking  to the bottom.

  

I blitz the banana in my mini food processor so that it is really smooth and you don't end up with lumps of bananas in the squares.  

Sometimes lumps of banana are a good thing, but in a square fudgy brownie like this, you want them to have a smooth texture!! 

 

 

Preheat the oven to 180*c/350*F/ gas mark 4.  Line an 8 inch square baking tin with non stick baking paper and spray with non-stick spray.

 

Oh, I do hope you have some really ripe bananas around the house so that you can bake these lovely bars this weekend! If you wanted to you could leave the chocolate chips out entirely and replace them with toasted pecans or walnuts.  Either way, you are going to fall in love!  Bon Appetit! 

 

I don't think anyone would argue the fact that it is becoming more difficult as each day passes to make our food budgets stretch as far as we would like them to.   

I know for myself, I have had to make quite a few adjustments in order to make ends meet.  It's hard, but it's not impossible to do.  

It just means eating a little bit differently, and relying  more on store cupboard essentials . . .

 

One thing we are doing here is stocking up on tinned fish and the like when it is on special.  We don't mind tinned salmon or tuna . . . and we don't mind tinned corned beef either.  

Truth is they are often on offer and you can make some very tasty and nutritious meals for your family by using them.  

No, you would not want to eat them every day of the week, but one or two meals a week made using these staples can cut down one's budget quite substantially.

 

One thing which I like to do with tinned salmon is to make this Crustless Salmon Pie.  

It's a pretty delicious way to stretch a tall tin of salmon, or two smaller ones (they are usually on special offer more than the tall ones)  into a substantial meal large enough to feed four to six people!

 

 

I was recently asked if I would like to try a recipe from the new Cirio cookery book.  I would be sent the tomato ingredients to do so.   I said sure, I am always happy to try out a new recipe.  

This one was for Tagilatelle with Ragu Sauce, and if you are thinking that doesn't look like Tagilatelle, you are right. Its not.  Its whole wheat spaghetti.  

As a diabetic, I only eat whole wheat pasta and I did not know how to convert the recipe for the tagliatelle into whole wheat, so I didn't make the tagliatelle, but don't let that stop you from trying it! 

 

As you all know I am a huge fan of the Cirio products.  I use them all the time.  When it comes to anything to do with tomatoes or tinned beans, I always buy Cirio.  

That's because I know that they are always going to be really good.  A lot of people don't realise that the flavour of the tomatoes they choose to use in a dish can mean the difference between a dish being so/so and a dish being wow!

 

Which is strange really because if you choose to use so/so products when you are cooking, why wouldn't you expect the end result to be so/so as well!   

A good quality tinned tomato can make a huge difference to the taste, consistency and quality of any dish. 

In my opinion Cirio is one of the highest quality brands of tinned tomatoes on the market, produced lovingly in Italy for an authentic Italian flavour.

 

The recipe they sent me was a tiny bit ambiguous as far as amounts of some of the ingredients, trusting I suppose on a cooks ability to know for themself how much of certain things they wanted to use.  

I have added the amounts I used for these to the recipe.  The end result was very tasty indeed!  (Even without the Tagliatelle!)

 

 

To make the pasta beat the eggs with a dash of oil and salt.  Add the flour to make a firm and elastic dough.  Cover and let rest for an hour and a half in the refrigerator.  Flatten the dough with a rolling pin on a lightly floured surface.  Roll out into thin pasta sheets, less than 1 mm thick and cut into 7mm strips.  Dust the strips with flour to keep from sticking.

For the ragu, heat a splash of olive oil along with a knob of butter in a large saucepan. Add the celery, carrot, onion and garlic and lightly fry to soften over medium low heat.  Add the meat and cook, stirring until the meat is quite dry.  Add the wine and bring to the boil and then simmer quickly until the wine is almost evaporated.  Stir in the tomato puree and Passata. Bring to the boil, REduce to a simmer and then adjust the acidity with some sugar.  Add salt to taste.  Simmer while you cook the pasta.

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to the boil.  Add the tagliatelle and cook for 3 minutes.  Drain well and then serve with the Ragu sauce.

 

This was delicious and because there are only two of us I had enough to freeze in a container for another meal.   Cirio tomatoes are available at all the grocery shops in the UK.  For more recipes and cooking inspiration and ideas do be sure to check out their recipe pages. 

Note - I was sent a range of Cirio products to use in the recipe free of charge, but not required to write a positive review of anything.  I quite simply like Cirio products and as you know, I have never made that a secret!  I do love them!  Buon Appetito!

 

One thing that I miss from home that I really, really used to love is the Robin Hood Oatmeal Muffin Mix.  It was something which I always bought and my family enjoyed.  We often added chocolate chips to it or raisins, and they went down a real treat!  They were family favourites.

  

I have never quite been able to replicate the flavour of those muffins, and I have really tried! 

  

This recipe I am showing you today is adapted from one which I found in this little book, Muffinss, by Susan Reimer.  I did add some grated nutmeg to the mix because I was thinking that  might be the elusive flavour that I keep missing  . . .

 

They still don't taste quite the same, although . . .  in truth they are very VERY good, nonetheless! 

 

Today I used a mix of both milk and semi sweet chocolate chips.  If you are not fond of chocolate chips you could use chopped dates, or sultanas, dried apricots or even currants.

 

Whatever you choose, I think you are in for a real breakfast treat!

 

 

Preheat the oven to 190*C/375*F/ gas mark 5.  Line a 12 cup medium muffin tin with paper liners, or butter very well.  Set aside.

Measure the oats into a bowl and add the milk.  Set aside while you put together the remaining ingredients.  Sift the flour into a bowl with the baking powder, salt and nutmeg.  Stir in the chocolate chips.  Add the beaten egg, brown sugar, oil and vanilla to the oat mixture.  Add all at once to the dry mixture and stir to just combine, so no dry bits of flour are left.  Don't overcombine.  Divide between the muffin cups, filling about 2/3 full.

Bake for 20 minutes, until well risen and the tops feel quite firm.  They should also be golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the centre of one should come out clean. (There might be melted chocolate on it however!)  Tip out onto a wire rack to cool.

 

These would also make great lunch box additions for the kiddles, or even to bring to work for coffee break.  They would also be great served afterschool with glasses of cold milk.  Now my taste buds are tingling!  Bon Appetit! 

 

This recipe I am showing you here today is a prime example of how we eat here in Casa de Rayner, most of the time.  Its fast.  Its easy and . . .  most importantly . . .  its delicious!

 

I like to think its also fairly economical in that it uses things I generally have in my freezer and storecupboard, like rice, milk, chicken stock, frozen vegetables, onions and I confess  . . .  frozen mushrooms.  I always keep frozen sliced mushrooms in my freezer.  They are perfect for dishes like this where appearance doesn't really matter that much.

 

I picked up some packs of fresh cubed turkey breast the other day.  One of them was perfect for this dish.  The other was frozen, so now I have some cubed turkey breast for the future when I want to make something quick and easy for another meal.

 

You could of course use cubed chicken breast meat, or even leftover cooked turkey or chicken from the Sunday roast!

  

All are put together in a simple way and in one pot, making it an easy put together not to mention an easy clean up!

 

Yes, it all gets cooked in the one pan . . . first the turkey . . .  then the onions, mushrooms and garlic . . .

  

Some flour and seasonings go next, and then you add some chicken stock and milk . . . bring it to the boil, where it thickens a bit  . . . nice and creamy  . . .

 

And then finally the rice.  Covered, it cooks to perfection over very low heat in about 15 minutes or so.  A bit of salad on the side, maybe a crusty bun if you are so inclined and dinner is served!

 

 

Melt the butter in dutch oven (with a lid). (I use my medium La Crueset pan.)  Add the turkey and cook, stirring until it is no longer pink.  Add the onions, garlic and mushrooms.  Cook, stirring, for 3 to 4 minutes until they begin to soften.  Stir in the flour, seasoning salt, black pepper, and thyme.  Cook, stirring, for a further minute.  Slowly stir in the chicken stock and then the milk.  Add the rice and bring to the boil.  Reduce to a very low heat, cover and simmer  for 15 to 20 minutes until tender.  Stir frequently to prevent the rice from catching on the bottom of the pan. Because I use gas, I always have my pan on a heat diffuser, which helps to keep the temperature down.  Stir in the frozen vegetables, recover and take off heat.  Let stand for a few minutes to  heat through.  Serve immediately.