Banana Coconut Muffins

More squishy fruit recipes! I don't know about you, but here at the moment I buy bananas..one moment they are all green, the next they are all heading towards being over-ripe!

So here is a favourite recipe of the moment.

Banana Coconut Muffins
1 (1/4) cups SR flour
2 very ripe bananas
1/2 cup butter, melted (also works well with dairy-free margarine if you're lactose free)
2/3 cup sugar
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup dessicated coconut (set 1/4 cup of this aside to use to sprinkle on top)

Set flour, sifted, aside. Mix all the other ingredients with an electric mixer (can do this by hand if you can't be bothered to get out mixer..still works ok!). Fold in flour mixture until just combined and divide between lined muffin tins. Sprinkle with lefover coconut (if I want to make them "fancy" I put that shredded coconut on top instead) Bake for about 25min at 180 degrees Celcius. Especially yummy when eaten warm!

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
We've had amazing summer storms here in the last week. I took this picture of the clouds above the house the other day!

I think God was having a particularly artistic moment!
Have a great week!

Squishy Fruit Recipe 2 - Banana Bread

Ingredients
2 tabs butter/margarine
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
2-3 ripe bananas - mashed
1/2 cup milk
1/2 tsp bicarb
1 1/2 cup SR flour

Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs and mashed banana. Mix the milk and bicarb soda in a separate bowl. Add the milk/soda mixture alternatively with the flour. (ie. a bit of the milk, then a bit of the flour, stirring in between.)

If you prefer not to have 'chunks' of banana, then you can stick a mixmaster through the mixture to make it more smooth.

Cook in loaf pan for 40-50min in moderate oven.

Hint - if you suddenly find yourself with 10 bananas all over-ripe at the same time, stick some in the freezer. You can freeze them peeled or unpeeled. (the peel goes black but the inside fruit is fine!)

A series of "Squishy Fruit" Recipes...

I hate waste. Maybe it is because I was raised by a mother, who in turn was raised by a mother who lived through the Depression and did it tough. Or maybe it's the adding up of the fruit and vege bills, trying to feed four children with healthy foods. Or maybe it's because I need the money for fabric,anyway, whatever the reason, I have a whole pile of recipes that use up "squishy fruit". You know, the kind of fruit that lives in the fruit bowl, untouched as it's no longer in it's prime.Or the kind of fruit that has travelled to school, remained uneaten, and then travelled home again...to live in the fruit bowl, until it's demise. Or the type of fruit that's been used as a bowling ball as the kids couldn't find the actual one that went with the plastic ten-pin bowling set..

Anyway, you get the idea...

So the first recipe is...



APPLE RAISIN CAKE

Ingredients
1 and 3/4 Apples peeled and diced ( the recipe says Granny Smith, I use whatever)
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups plain flour
1 teas baking soda
1 teas cinnamon
1/2 teas nutmeg
1/2 teas mixed spice
125 g margarine (my boys are lactose free and this works well with Nuttlex)
1 egg
1/2 cup sticky raisins
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Put diced apples in bowl, cover with sugar.Add margarine and eggs, mix. (It may look a little like the margarine isn't mixing in too well. Don't worry, it will work out fine when the flour is added.) Then add spices and raisins (and walnuts, if using). Sift baking soda and flour together. Add to mixture. Cook in square pan (20cm x 20cm) for approx 35-40 min at 180 degree C. It's cooked when it's golden on top and a skewer comes out clean.

This cake is good warm, with custard and icecream, as a dessert. It also lasts well...if it survives that long. To make it look a little nicer, add a dusting of icing sugar...

Have a great week!

Blackberry and Apple Crumble

Just thought I'd jot down a favourite recipe of mine (given me to by my friend, K)..in it's two versions. The first is the "I went shopping and bought all the ingredients" version and the second is the "My husband has bought visitors home for dinner without telling me and now I need to be serving up something more than icecream and ice-magic" version!

Version 1 - Apple and Berry Crumble
7 fresh green apples cored and chopped
1 cup of berries (I use mainly blackberries as we pick them fresh from a friend's farm)
1/3 cup sugar
1 teas grated lemon rind
2 teas of lemon juice

Topping
2 cups rolled oats
1 cup of brown sugar
1/2 cup of plain flour
150g butter
1 teas cinnamon

Preheat oven to 180C. Mix apples, berries, sugar and lemon in bowl and stir to combine. Transfer to a large ovenproof dish. To make topping, add all the ingredients and mix to combine- or use fingers if that's easier! Spoon the mixture all over the fruit and pat down. Bake for 50 min or until the topping is golden or apple is soft. I often put a baking tray on the top shelf with the Crumble on the bottom shelf, so that the top doesn't get too burnt, for the last 20 min or so.

Serve with custard and icecream!


Version 2
1 large can of tinned apples.
1 cup of frozen blackberries or raspberries
1/3 cup sugar
2 teas of lemon juice (normally have some frozen in freezer)

Topping - same as above

Method - same as above but cook for 25-30min (as apple is already soft)



Hope you're having a good week. Mine has been TOO busy..and throw in a vomiting child AND a vomiting cat (what the?) and life has been chaos. Here's to better things next week!

Tomato Relish Recipe

Sorry, there's not been a lot of spare time around here lately to blog! But just in case you have spare time..and some rapidly squishying (is that a word??) tomatoes, here's my Mum's famous Tomato Relish Recipe.

Tomato Relish Recipe

1.5 kgs (peeled and sliced)
500g onion- chopped
1/4 cup of salt
300 ml white vinegar
500g white sugar (or bit less is probably better)
2 tabs cornflour
1 tabs curry powder
1/2 teas ground pepper
1/2 teas ground cinnamon
1/2 teas ground ginger

Add tomatoes and onions together in big boiler. Sprinkle salt on top, so that it leaves a salt layer. Leave overnight. In the morning drain off all liquid and add sugar and 250ml of the vinegar (leaving 50ml until later). Boil until tender, usually 20-30min. Using the remaining vinegar, mix together with cornflour, curry powder and spices, until you have a smooth paste.
Add to the mixture and boil for another 15min.
Bottle and enjoy!


(contributed to the Caroona Cook Book (circa 1960?)by Mrs A Aitchison, Lismore)

In our family it's traditional to throw a tablespoon of this stuff in with the good old Dolmio jar to make a quick Spaghetti Bolognaise. (but we've been known to be a little strange...... hmmm......)

Have a great week!