Fat Free Banana Ice Cream

Nothing but bananas, and maybe a little something to slightly sweeten, and you can make your own fat free banana ice cream.  You can use any sort of blitzer but I find this stick hand blender that I use here makes just enough for one person.

Before you go, why not check out my recipes index page, or my craft projects index page, I am sure you will find something there to interest you.

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Toffee Apple Pudding

Continuing the series of Traditional Pudding Recipes, today we have Toffee Apple Pudding and a warning for you.
ALWAYS CHECK the temperature you have put your oven on at!  I put mine up to 200c every time I switch it on, to get it warmed up.  This recipe cooks at 190c and I forgot to turn it down when I put the pudding in the oven.  Ooops!
After baking the Sticky Toffee Pudding a few weeks ago, I was not pleased with the date flavour as they are not something I particularly enjoy, and asked friends on facebook how they would improve it.  Someone suggested apples instead and this recipe was born.
You will need dark brown sugar for this recipe.  I have a favourite dark brown sugar, in fact I call it my secret weapon in my gingerbread recipe.  A molasses unrefined sugar.  HOWEVER, if you read my tasting notes at the end you will see that I suggest you don't use this unless you like a really treacly taste to your toffee sauce, and go instead for a standard dark brown sugar.  Or if you don't like it treacly at all, go for a light brown sugar, I am sure it would still work.

For 8 portions

Ingredients

FOR THE CAKE:

100g dark muscovado sugar

175g self-raising flour

125ml full-fat milk

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

50g unsalted butter, melted

150g dried apples, cut into pieces

FOR THE SAUCE:

200g dark muscovado sugar

Approx. 25g unsalted butter in little blobs

400ml boiling water  (I used 500ml which was the amount in the sticky toffee pudding but I forgot I had added moisture to the pudding in soaking the apples.  I suggest you use the lower amount of 400ml)

Preheat the oven to 190°C/gas mark 5 (375f for my American friends) and butter a 1 ½ litre capacity pudding dish.  This time I did remember to butter the dish but I really don't think it made the slightest difference to how the pudding turned out or came out of the dish.  Use your sense on this one, you know your pans and baking dishes, you know whether you can get away with not buttering the dish.

 Weigh out your first 100g of the sugar

This particular sugar does have a tendency to harden when stored for a while , if yours is the same you might want to crumble it up between your fingers.

Add the self raising flour and mix together.

Measure out your milk, beat 1 egg into it and add the vanilla extract.  

I use the cap of the bottle to measure my vanilla as I know that these caps happen to hold 1/4 tsp.

Melt the first 50g of butter and add that to the milk mixture.

In the sticky toffee pudding you add the dates AFTER you have added the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients, but the dates were rolled in sugar.  The apples have no coating and have now been soaked.  You don't want them to sink to the bottom of the pudding, so add the apples to the dry ingredients first, mix those in, then add the liquid ingredients and stir until mixed together.

Then scrape into the prepared pudding dish.

Take the 2nd lot of sugar and spread over the top of the pudding.  Take the 2nd lot of butter and in small pieces dot the top of the pudding.

Now take 500ml of boiling water.  YES, boiling water.  And pour it all over the pudding.  

Transfer that to the oven and bake for 45 minutes.  You may need 5 to 10 minutes longer.  The top of the pudding should be springy and spongy when it is cooked.  With the sauce having formed in the bottom of the baking dish.

REMEMBER your oven should be on at 190°C/gas mark 5 (375f for my American friends) not any higher like I did.  Then your pudding might not burn a bit like mine did.

Although you can see that the most burnt sections are where the apples were sticking through the top and it is the edges of the apples pieces that burnt.  Maybe covering it with foil for part of the cooking would help.

Let's get a portion out and see . . . .

Well, other than being a bit burnt it looks good!  It tastes good too, better for me than the sticky toffee pudding, although a bit too treacly still.  Next time I would use ordinary dark brown sugar rather than that molasses stuff.  The molasses sugar is excellent in Gingerbread and really MAKES that recipe, but not quite right here.

You could serve it with custard, cream, ice cream or just as it is.  Eldest son is home from university and he just had a piece for breakfast and says it was really good.

This is not the first time a recipe has ended up not quite looking the way it should.  Check out how I ended up making Lemon Surprise Dessert.

If you're after a more summery dessert, why not check out Nigella's Pomegranate Ice Cream.

So far in the Traditional Puddings recipes I have done

1. Gingerbread
2. Eve's Pudding
3. Sticky Toffee Pudding
4. Jam Roly Poly

Before you go, why not check out my recipes index page where you will find savoury recipes as well as these puddings, or my craft projects index page, I am sure you will find something there to interest you.

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Living Thankfully

Another week, another list.  Here we go then, in no particular order, On Sunday 26th February 2012 I am thankful for . . . . 

634.  Church meeting guidelines which can be flexible to allow for important news to be shared.

635.  Visiting speakers who bring a message we needed to hear.

636.  Shrove Tuesday fun with our small group.

637.  Great evening at youngest's college, speaking to representatives from various universities and professions and hearing about the things you need to know if applying to top flight universities.

638.  A few days of being able to use the car while hubby worked from home.

639.  Eldest son safely home for reading week (which he has decided should be renamed sleeping week).

640.  Recognition of a stranger.  Not that I was known from the past but his spirit recognised something in mine.

641.  Living close enough to the church building to head back down there when someone that we will see later on realises they have left something behind.

642.  The smiles it brings to see that there are still people down there who haven't left, and we've already been home and eaten lunch.

643.  New families, beautiful curls, and English language skills growing.

644.  Hugs from children at church, both unexpected and asked for, especially when one leaps right up into your arms.

645.  Trust in the way forward, that has been set out, that finally I will get to BE ME at church, and not so caught up in rotas.

646.  Leftovers stored in the freezer, that meant we all got to eat our favourites tonight.

647.  Answered prayers for a local school in one respect.

648.  The opportunity to be around tomorrow for school staff who need to talk in relation to the other prayers that sadly were not answered.

649.

If you wish to participate in blogging about your list of 1000 gifts or in Thankful Thursday, you can do so by clicking on the banners at the top of this post.

Before you go, why not check out my recipes index page, or my craft projects index page, I am sure you will find something there to interest you.

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Little Mermaid Seashell Bra Top

My Ariel seashell bra has juuuust about given up the ghost.  It gave me years of (mostly) loyal service, but elastic and sequins only last so long, and it was time for a new one.

I started with a very comfy purple bra from Victoria's Secret.  Hopefully it'll have lots and lots and lots of wear!

For the shells, I got "serving dish" shells from World Market and got some porcelain paint from Michael's.  I did a purple to white gradient and then baked the shells with the paint on, and this created a sort of porcelain-style glaze.  It made the shells both shiny and dimensional, and also added a lot to their durability (important, when you're wearing these to loads of kids' parties).

I drilled a few holes in the shells so I could sew them onto the bra, in addition to sticking them on with industrial strength velcro.  (In rev.1 of this style of seashell bra, I just relied on the industrial velcro alone.  This works fine for walk-around Mermaid shows, but as soon as I started using it for swimming mermaid gigs, it became a bit of a problem: the water in the pool just LOVED to scoop in over the top of the shells and pull them right off, where they floated daintily to the bottom.  "Okay kids!," I'd call, with my hands covering the empty spots on the bra, "Who can dive all the way down there and get Ariel's sea shells?")

I wanted extra-fancyness so I added some blue jeweled trim to the neckline and dangled two different sizes of pearl trim to the bottom.  Then I did the labor-intensive sequin application.  The sequins are GORGEOUS - they're little bitty iridescent seashells and they sparkle and shine and I just love the way it turned out.

I finished up with a sea-anenome-looking flower with a jewel replacing the center, right in the middle.  There's velcro all along the inside too, so I can easily attach a flesh colored bodysuit to wear underneath (so I'm less "naked" for the kids' shows).  It's super comfy and it looks absolutely amazing.. I'm SO proud of it!

Today I'm doing a swimming mermaid party (thank heavens for this gorgeous weather!) and so I'll have the opportunity to give it a really good water-test.  Here's hoping it all holds together okay.  :)

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Quick Coq Au Vin

Well, when I say QUICK, I mean quicker than a proper French Coq au Vin cooked low and slow.

Hubby and I celebrated our wedding anniversary at our favourite French restaurant as part of the year of dates gift I gave him for Christmas.  I had Coq au Vin and decided to reproduce it at home this week.
This is what I ate at the restaurant:

And this is what we came up with at home

Now I admit that my presentation skills leave a little to be desired but it tasted good.

Amounts needed will be in the text only instructions at the bottom of this post.

You will need:
Chicken portions  (A traditional Coq au Vin would use a jointed chicken but I found the breast in the one I ate at the restaurant a bit dry, so I suggest using drumsticks and thighs)
1 oz butter + a knob of butter for the end

Red wine
Balsamic vinegar
chicken stock
crushed garlic
baby button mushrooms
shallots

flat leaf parsley
fresh or dried thyme
bacon lardons (or thick sliced streaky bacon which you will dice)

Marinade the chicken portions in the red wine.  I only did mine for about 2 hours, I would suggest doing it for longer if you can.

Melt the butter in a heavy based pan.

Fry the shallots until browned.

Add the garlic, bacon and thyme.

followed by the mushrooms.

Add the red wine and chicken portions, balsamic vinegar and the stock to the pan, bring to a boil then simmer for 25 - 30 minutes with the lid off.

Remove the chicken from the pan after that time and keep warm.

Meanwhile turn the heat right up and reduce the liquid in the pan.  I gave mine a good 5 minutes or more.

Return the chicken portions to the pan and add the knob of butter and the parsley.

Serve with Buttery mashed potato or crusty French bread.

You can find the sites that I link up to, over in my sidebars.  Before you go, why not check out my recipes index page, or my craft projects index page, I am sure you will find something there to interest you.

Coq au vin

Ingredients

• 25g Butter (plus a knob for near the end)
• 200g shallots, peeled, but left whole
• 5 garlic cloves, crushed (I use 3 decent tsp from a jar of crushed garlic)
• 150g bacon lardons or thick cut streaky bacon, diced
• sprig of fresh thyme or a good pinch of dried
• 150g baby button mushrooms
• 500ml (2/3 standard bottle) red wine
• 250 ml chicken stock
• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 8 - 10 chicken pieces (thighs and drumsticks, if using larger pieces such as whole legs, you will need less portions)
• small bunch flat leaf parsley, chopped
• salt and fresh ground black pepper

Preparation method

1. Heat a thick bottomed pan on the stove.  Melt the 25g butter and add the shallots.  Cook until browned, then stir in the garlic.  Add the bacon and thyme and cook for 2 - 3 minutes.
2. Add the mushrooms, turn up the heat and add the red wine, chicken stock and vinegar.  Add the chicken portions to the pan.  
3. Bring to a boil and then simmer for about 25 - 30 minutes, or until the chicken is tender and cooked through.
4. Remove the chicken once it is cooked, and keep warm.  Transfer the pan to a high heat and cook the sauce for at least 5 minutes, until the volume of sauce decreases.  Return the chicken to the pan.
5. Add the reserved knob of butter and the parsley to the pan.  Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
6. Serve with buttery mashed potatoes, or crusty French bread.

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Top 10 Short Celebrity Hair Styles Short Hair Cuts

Short hair has always been known for being easy to take care of. These celebs show us they can also be super cute and stylish, Check out our 10 of our favorite short celebrity hair cuts below:

Michelle Williams is Elfin Adorable with this cute sassy cut

Jennie Garth looks amazing as always. Short hair really brings out her cheekbones

Posh Beckham was the short hair trend setter

BFF Katie Holmes loved it and went with a short style of her own

We love Hilary Swank's layered short hair

Ashlee Simpsons looks adorable in this fashionable short cut

Pink rocks on with her trendy short locks

Rhianna looks amazing with this adorable short cut but when doesn't Rhianna look amazing?

Keira Knightley is always gorgeous but we love this look

Last but not least on our list is the iconic Sharon Stone. Sharon is known for her trendy, short, spiky. locks

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Herman Pear & Apple Cake

Last week a friend gave me a portion of Herman.  From my research online opinion is divided on whether it is the SAME as an Amish Friendship bread starter or just the same kind of idea.  I received my portion of starter with a set of instructions on when to stir it, when to feed, and when to bake.  It even came with a recipe for baking it.

But being me, I went looking for another recipe to use when baking it and even ended up changing that recipe because I didn't have everything it called for.

Amounts needed will be in the easier to print section at the bottom of the post.

Pear & Apple Herman Cake

You will need

Sugar,
Plain flour (all purpose)
Oil
Bicarb of soda (baking soda)
Vanilla
Cinnamon
Eggs
Salt

The original recipe called for 3 cups of chopped apples, you can see I only had 2 apples in the house, 1 eating apple and 1 cooking apple, so I added the 1 remaining pear from the fruit bowl too.

Finally you will also need 1 cup of starter.

See those bubbles?  It's nice and healthy.

The original recipe also called for chopped nuts, but we were out of those, so I just left them out, although you could add some back in if you had them.

Grease and sugar your baking tin.  The recipe called for a 9" x 13" tin, this was the closest I had.

Normally I would use a silicone liner rather than greasing but I know the sugar is going to give an extra texture to the outside of the cake so this time I did grease and sugar.

Preheat the oven to 190c, 375f, Gas 5

Beat the eggs and vanilla into the oil.

Sift all the dry ingredients together then peel, core and chop the fruit and mix it into the dry ingredients.

Add the oil and egg mixture and the Herman starter to the bowl.

And stir until thoroughly mixed.

Transfer this mixture to your prepared cake tin.

And bake in the oven for 45 to 55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the centre (missing bits of fruit obviously) comes out clean.

Leave to cool in the tin for about 10 minutes.

Then run a knife around the edges to loosen the sides and turn onto a cooling rack to finish cooling.

And there you have it, Pear and Apple Herman Cake.  Excellent with cream, custard or ice cream, or just as good on its own.

If you like apple cake recipes, why not try the Eve's pudding I made a few weeks ago.  Or if you prefer a bit of a denser cake, maybe my Secret Weapon Gingerbread would suit you better.

You can find the sites that I link up to over in my sidebars.
Before you go, why not check out my recipes index page, or my craft projects index page, I am sure you will find something there to interest you.

Herman Pear & Apple Cake Recipe
1 1/2 cups     Sugar
3/4 cup         Oil
1tsp              Vanilla
2 cups           Flour
2 tsp             Cinnamon
2                   Eggs
1 cup            Herman Starter
1/2 tsp          Baking Soda
1tsp              Salt
3 cups          Peeled, cored and diced apples and pears

Oven temp ~ 190c, 375f, Gas 5
Baking Time ~ 45 - 55 minutes
Pan Type ~ greased and sugared 9" x 13" cake tin

• Beat the eggs and vanilla into the oil.
• Sift all the dry ingredients together then peel, core and chop the fruit and mix it into the dry ingredients.
• Add the oil and egg mixture and the Herman starter to the bowl.
• And stir until thoroughly mixed.
• Transfer this mixture to your prepared cake tin.
• And bake in the oven for 45 to 55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the centre (missing bits of fruit obviously) comes out clean.
• Leave to cool in the tin for about 10 minutes.
• Then run a knife around the edges to loosen the sides and turn onto a cooling rack to finish cooling.

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