Todd was just getting ready to throw the latest lot of over-ripe bananas the other day into the bin when I rescued them. Don't throw them away, I said! They are perfect for baking with!
I had been eye balling a recipe for a Chocolate Marbled Banana Bread in a book I have which is entitled The Best of Cooking Light, published by Oxmoor House in 2004.
Its a recipe I had been eyeballing for a very long time, but had never gotten around to baking until this week. Chocolate and Banana are two flavours that go very well together.
And at only 183 calories per slice, with less 5g of fat, it looked like a bread that someone who was watching the calories and fat could treat themselves to. Its a bit too high in the sugar department for me to indulge in however. That doesn't stop Todd from enjoying it though!
It is a very simple make. A cup of sugar gets creamed together with a small amount of butter. The original recipe suggested egg substitute, but I used regular large free range eggs.
Egg substitute is not something which is readily available over here, although you can get cartons of only egg whites.
I mashed and weighed the banana for the convenience of my British Friends. I had four smallish bananas and they worked out to the right amount of banana needed.
You will also need some low fat plain yogurt. This is something I always have in the house.
Also chocolate chips, which you melt and stir into a portion of the banana to provide the chocolate batter for the marbeling.
I weighed the batter needed for that process as well. You're welcome!!
I could have done a bit better on the marbeling I think. I didn't want to mix it in too much so I erred on the side of caution, but I could have been a bit more aggressive.
It doesn't make a massive loaf either, which suits us well as there is only Todd and myself, and he will basically be the only one eating it, which works.
I did have a taste however because I wanted to be able to give you my honest opinion of it!
*Chocolate Marbeled Banana Bread*
Serves 16
Whisk together the flour, soda and salt. Set aside.
Remove 210g (1 cup) of the batter from the main bowl to a smaller bowl. Stir in the melted chocolate chips to combine well. Spoon the batters alternately into the prepared pan. Swirl together lightly with a round bladed knife.
Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes, until a wooden pick inserted in the centre comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, prior to removing to a wire rack to cool completely. Wrap tightly to store. Cut into slices to serve.
It was not quite as moist as most banana breads, probably due to the lack of fat in the recipe. I wonder if that might change by using some brown sugar for a portion of the white? I will have to bake again, try that out, and let you know how it goes! In the meantime, this was a very good banana loaf and quite tasty for something which is half healthy for you! Bon Appetit!
This content (written and photography) is the sole property of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at: mariealicejoan at aol dot com Thanks so much for visiting. Do come again!
I have never been much of a flower arranger, just cut and drop, but I have always wanted to know the secrets and how to's of making beautiful arrangements. When I worked at the Manor down South, the Lady of the Manor always did all of her own flower arrangements for the dinner parties and luncheons. Money was really no object, and she created really stunning arrangements every time. She whetted in me an appetite for and a desire to know more. I was recently afforded the opportunity to review a book on the subject of flower arranging entitled . . . My Soulful Home, a year in flowers, by blogger Kelly Wilkness. I was really excited about this as I have been a fan of her beautiful blog for a few years now.
Kelly writes a lovely blog about her Soulful Home, a beautiful Victorian she and her
husband are renovating now. You really need to check it out. It is a feast for the eyes, as is this gorgeous book!!
If you are a novice flower arranger, or a well seasoned one this book holds something for every range of experience and aptitude. It takes you through all the back ground information that you might need to know from the basic principles and rules of flower arranging to the whats, wheres and hows of purchasing flowers for your arrangements. . . plus a whole lot more! "Key" concepts that can be applied whenever you want to add a little beauty to your day and your home!
A wealth of knowledge, it also includes 12 complete tutorials for beautiful arrangements to take you through every month of the year . . . complete with pictures and with step by step instructions which I think even I could handle. This book is for you if you are a novice flower arranger, if you love
flowers, if you love stories woven in about gardening and flowers, if you love filling your life with beauty, and if you have a desire to make arrangements easily
and inexpensively.
The photography in the book is simply breathtaking. No surprise that Kelly took all of her own photographs of the book, and, I believe . . . grows most if not all of the flowers herself! All I can say is WOW!
There is a wealth of ideas and information in the book for so many styles, types, and colors of flowers, whether you buy them at the grocery store or if, like Kelly, you grow your own.
This book covers all aspects of cut flowers, such as when and how to cut, what to grow, where to buy, how to handle, etc. along with her fool proof formula
for design, as well as her step by step tutorials. I can't wait for the coming growing season to see if I can't do something beautiful with what I already have in my own garden. It is somewhat limited, but I feel very confident I can do something with what is there with maybe only the purchase of a few others to make up the difference.
With tons of inspiration, beautiful photos and excellent tutorials, this book would make an excellent gift for any flower lover. Mother's Day is only a week or so away here in the UK, and a few months away in North America and I highly recommend this book as a gift for your flower loving mum/daughter/friend, perhaps with an arrangement you have put together yourself! What a lovely gift that would be!
In addition to writing this book, Kelly authors the blog My Soulful Home, is the creator of the app bHome & produces/co-hosts the popular podcast Decorating Tips & Tricks.
MY SOULFUL HOME, a year in flowers
by Kelly Wilkniss
Published by Passageway Press, 2017
ISBN 978-1-223-99908-6
Available via Amazon worldwide, and by order through your favourite book shops.
Oh boy are we ever having some tumultuous weather here in the UK at the moment. The temperatures are positively frigid and a lot of our country has been under a "RED" Alert, almost unheard of in this country. Scotland and the North country has been really hit bad with some people having to spend overnight in their cars actually. (Not a prospect I would enjoy for sure!) If you don't need to go out, stay home because chances are you won't get very far if you try. Here in Chester, we are very lucky. We don't really get a lot of snow even when the rest of the country is being hammered. We've had a tiny bit but nothing untoward . . . so far. It is bitterly cold however.
We haven't turned our heat off for two days now. Normally in the Winter, we turn it on for a few hours in the morning and a few at night, so to have it on full stop all day and evening is unheard of, but it is just too cold to do otherwise!! This is the perfect type of weather for staying close to home and canoodling indoors with something hot to keep you warm. Something like this delicious White Bean Turkey Chili I am showing you today!
I have used one turkey tenderloin fillet for this. You could certainly use ground turkey in its place if you wanted to, but I really like the tender chunks of turkey in this. I am not a huge fan of ground meat per se . . . that is why you don't see a lot of it on here. Its a texture thing . . .
This is so simple to make and uses only a few store cupboard ingredients . . . onions, a green chili, some dried herbs and spices, tinned beans, some frozen corn and mushrooms, the turkey of course, and some tinned white cannellini beans. Oh and some low fat sour cream, although in all truth low far Greek yogurt would also work well.
It is very low in fat as well as being very Diabetic friendly! Its a very healthy bowl of nutrition! I like to sprinkle it with a bit of low fat cheddar. (Low low is very good.) And I add a spoonful of cooked brown rice when I serve it as well. That makes for a very hearty, yet . . . . nutritious meal.
If you are going to eat carbs, make them carbs worth eating! With the spoonful of brown rice, neither Todd nor I are tempted to have a piece of bread on the side because this fills us up to the brim with tasty goodness! High in protein and fibre, low in fat and carbs, and very very delicious!!! This ticks all the boxes! You couldn't ask for better on a cold, cold day!
*White BeanTurkey Chili*
Serves 42 large onion, peeled and finely chopped
75g of frozen sweet corn (1/2 cup)
a large handful of sliced frozen mushrooms
480ml chicken stock (2 cups)
To serve:
grated low fat cheddar, pickled jalapenos, light sour cream, chopped spring onions (all optional)
Trim the tough sinew from the turkey tenderloin if not already
done. You can leave it in if you want, but I like to take it out
because I don't like the texture when cooked. (It kind of gets gelatinous. Not a texture I like.) Simply find it and then
scrape it out with the edge of a sharp knife. Cut the turkey into
cubes.
Add the chicken stock, a splash of hot sauce, the frozen corn and the beans. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer, cover and then simmer for about 45 minutes, stirring every now and then. Stir in the sour cream and heat for about 5 minutes. Spoon out into heated soup bowls, and pass the accompaniements at the table.
I don't think I have ever met a scone that I did not fall in love with. Sweet or savoury, they all hit the spot with me. People tend to think that scones and biscuits are the same thing, which is not exactly true, although they may seem very similar in texture and taste. And that is not to confuse British biscuits (which are cookies) with North American Biscuits (which are a type of quick bread similar to a scone!) Are you confused yet?
A biscuit is not a scone people and a scone is not a biscuit. The two are definitely not interchangeable! To be sure, they are composed of basically the same things . . . fat, leavener, dairy and flour . . . but the very way that they are put together generally results in a somewhat different animal altogether. Biscuits tend to be light and airy, with almost visibly defined, flaky layers. A scone, on the other hand, whilst also light and somewhat airy, has an almost crumbly texture. When you are making a good biscuit, the fat is "Cut" into the flour mixture with a pastry blender until the mixture has lumps of fat in it the size of small peas. Fat in a scone is "Rubbed" in with your fingertips, in an almost snapping motion, until the mixture resembles fine bread crumbs.
See, two different creations entirely . . . and both can have various amounts of sugar in them, or no sugar in them, and can come in sweet and savoury versions.
Now lets talk about Bacon. Who doesn't love Bacon (barring all vegetarians.) I don't know any meat lover that doesn't wax poetic about a lovely piece of bacon. Before I moved here to the UK, I only knew one kind of bacon, and that was . . . well . . . bacon. Oh, and Canadian bacon, which was quite nice and meaty. Since moving over here I discovered that there are all kinds of bacon. First there is smoked and non-smoked. Then there is dry cured and wet cured. Bacon over here mostly looked like the kind you see in the bottom of the above photo, which is kind of like Canadian bacon with a leg of streaky bacon attached. Streaky bacon is the type that I had grown up with for the most part, like you see in the upper right hand photo. Fattier. And then there was rind on and rind off. I have never come to enjoy it with the rind on. I don't like bacon rinds. So I always buy it rind removed, dry cured and depending on what I am using it for either smoked or non-smoked, and they are now bringing in nitrate free cured bacon, which is good news for us who want to avoid nitrates.
Cheese. Before moving to the UK, the most adventurous I got with cheese was having sliced Havarti on a sandwich, or treating us to a small block of marble cheese if we were having company, or, yes . . . a piece of Kraft Cracker Barrel Cheese at Christmas. We did use smelly-sock (Parmesan) from the green can (I put my hand up) on our spaghetti, but that was the whole extent of my cheese usage. I was a cheese virgin so to speak. Living in the UK has been a wonderful education to me of all the wonderful cheeses that are available here in the UK, and indeed Europe altogether. It has been an education and a journey I have greatly enjoyed. My husband will tell you (and he is a Brit through and through) that there is no cheese worth eating except for Cheddar. He is a huge fan and was very disappointed when we were on the continent and couldn't find good old cheddar cheese in the shops there. Never mind, when I do a cheese tray, he happily helps himself to all the cheeses, but lets just say that a good strong cheddar is his favourite. And I have to agree that a good strong cheddar, slightly crumbly and sharp flavoured, is a thing of beautiful taste to be sure.
So what do you get when you combine the three of those things? A good strong cheddar. Some crisp streaky dry cured smoked bacon. And a good scone?
Well, you get another thing of beauty . . . Cheese and Bacon Scones. Crunchy on the outside and so soft and flaky on the insides . . . all
buttery and stogged full of strong cheddar cheese and . . . lovely
salty, smoky bacon. Perfect for serving with soups, salads, or even just hot and buttered with a nice hot cuppa on a leisurely afternoon.
*Cheese and Bacon Scones*
Makes 15 to 20, depending on how big you cut them
Makes 15 to 20, depending on how big you cut them
Scrumdiddlyumpitiously savoury. Perfect with some sliced ham or cheese, or both. You can vary the spiciness of them by adjusting the amount of cayenne used.
490g plain flour (about 3 1/2 cups)
1 level tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 level tsp of cayenne pepper (or to taste)
1 tsp salt
2 TBS cold butter, cubed
4 ounces bacon, grilled and finely chopped with a sharp knife, or
in the food processor
115g strong cheddar cheese, grated (1 cup)
1 medium free range egg
375ml of sour milk or buttermilk (1 2/3 cup)
Preheat the oven to 220*C/425*F/ gas mark 7. Dust a large baking sheet lightly with flour. Set aside.
Sift the flour, soda, cayenne pepper and salt into a large bowl. Drop in the butter and then rub it in with your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine dry bread crumbs. Stir in the bacon and cheese.
Whisk together the egg and milk.
Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and pour in the wet. Mix to a soft dough with your hand by running it around the bowl. Try not to knead it as this will develop the gluten which will toughen the scones. Dump the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. (The dough will be quite sticky) Pat out with floured hands until you get a square 3/4 inch thick. Using a pizza cutter, cut it into 15 to 20 squares. (Alternately you can cut them out with a sharp knife or a 2 inch round cutter) Place onto the floured baking sheet leaving about 2 inches between each.
Bake for 10 to 14 minutes until well risen and golden brown. Allow to cool on a wire rack.
Sift the flour, soda, cayenne pepper and salt into a large bowl. Drop in the butter and then rub it in with your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine dry bread crumbs. Stir in the bacon and cheese.
Whisk together the egg and milk.
Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and pour in the wet. Mix to a soft dough with your hand by running it around the bowl. Try not to knead it as this will develop the gluten which will toughen the scones. Dump the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. (The dough will be quite sticky) Pat out with floured hands until you get a square 3/4 inch thick. Using a pizza cutter, cut it into 15 to 20 squares. (Alternately you can cut them out with a sharp knife or a 2 inch round cutter) Place onto the floured baking sheet leaving about 2 inches between each.
Bake for 10 to 14 minutes until well risen and golden brown. Allow to cool on a wire rack.
I cooked a roast chicken at the weekend. We love roast chicken in this house. You can't beat it. With a roast chicken you always get at least three meals from it.
One on the day, one with the leftovers and another with the bones when you make a delicious soup. With Roast Chicken, its always a winner/winner chicken dinner!
I have tried all sorts of recipes for roast chicken, all good . . . but this one here is my absolute favourite. way of doing it.
You always end up with a tender, well flavoured, moist chicken, with crisp skin. Its so delicious!
After we have had our chicken dinner, I always like to strip the meat off the bones. I may be odd, but I don't like the flavour of chicken that has been chilled on the bone.
I prefer it off the bone once it has been cooked and cooled. So just strip it off and chill it in the refrigerator, ready to use for casseroles or sandwiches, fried rice, etc.
Don't ever get rid of the bones! That's a big no/no.
I usually leave a few scraps of meat on the bones, and then you can either use them right away to make a tasty chicken stock, or freeze them in an airtight container to make a stock or soup on another day when you have more time.
A roast chicken just makes for great economy!
So, today I used the leftover meat to make us a delicious Scalloped Chicken, and not just a Scalloped Chicken, but a Scalloped Chicken Supreme!
How can you not love it! This recipe was adapted from one I found in Betty Crocker's Picture Cookbook, so its a really old recipe. It is in the Supper Dishes Chapter.
I have updated it for my own use by using low fat evaporated milk, which cuts down on fat and calories.
I also used my tip I shared the other day about blitzing the flour and chicken stock in a blender, along with the seasonings, pouring into a saucepan and then adding the cream, before thickening.
This cuts even further down on the fat and calories, but I have given you the full fat version recipe here. If you want any help in cutting back on it, just let me know.
I also used cooked brown rice, which adds favour and makes it lower GI. Every little helps.
With its delicious sauce, tender chicken and layers of sauteed mushrooms and toasted almonds, this went down a real treat.
Oh yes, I also used whole wheat bread crumbs on top, which I spritzed with low fat cooking spray instead of butter.
*Scalloped Chicken Supreme*
Serves 8
6 TBS butter
6 TBS plain flour
1 tsp salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
480ml chicken stock (2 cups)
You will also need:
325g of cooked rice (2 cups)
325g of cooked rice (2 cups)
240ml chicken Stock (1 cup)
375g of cooked chicken, torn up or cut into cubes (3 cups)85g flaked toasted almonds (1/2 cuup)
75g of sliced mushrooms, sauteed (1 cup)
2 TBS finely chopped red pepper
a handful of buttered bread crumbs
Pour the second amount of chicken stock over the cooked rice, and stir. Set aside until you need it.
First
make the gravy. Melt the butter in a saucepan. Whisk in the flour and
cook for several minutes. Whisk in all og the seasonings/herbs. Slowly
whisk in the stock and then the cream. Cook, whisking constantly,
until the mixture bubbles and thickens. Set aside and keep warm.Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4. Butter an 12 by 7 inch deep baking dish. Begin layering in as follows: Half the rice, half the chicken, half the sauce, half the mushrooms, half the peppers and half the toasted almonds. Repeat. Top with the buttered bread crumbs.
Bake in the preheated oven for 40 to 45 minutes. Serve hot with your favourite vegetables on the side.
I was able to very successfully cut the recip in half as there are only the two of us, and we now have leftovers of this tasty casserole to eat tomorrow. So, really from this chicken I will have gotten 4 meals, and I still have some roast chicken in the refrigerator to do a fried rice or some such. You really can't go wrong with a roast chicken, you really can't! Bon Appetit!
This content (written and photography) is the sole property of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at: mariealicejoan at aol dot com Thanks so much for visiting. Do come again!
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