Turning a gloomy day orange

Phew, I have not had time to post for ages as I have been rather busy with work,  craft fairs and life in general. Family life as been tricky as Cheese is currently wading through a sea of tweenage hormones and causing arguments and rifts. There have been end of term activities such as sports days and dress up days and Sausage has had his starting school introductory sessions.

I have been feeling utterly exhausted due to a combination of the littlies' night time waking shenanigans and associated musical beds, plus a new episode of anaemia.  I have had some long, tiring days at work and I think, even though I only work part time, I really 'feel' the generalised increased irritability and fatigue that comes towards the end of term.  Having a husband who works in education seems to amplify the end of term feeling as he gets busier, then suddenly  there is a lovely lull.

Things have been feeling rather gloomy of late due to health niggles,  the things mentioned above and some awkward friendship moments. So, as ever, I am trying to be positive and appreciate life's simple pleasures.

Today I am thinking about orange!  Orange is a lovely bright colour and it was my favourite as a child. Orange is (sort of) the colour of my lovely dog Wobble and of foxes who have today received a temporary reprieve with the government's decision not to repeal the fox hunting ban (hooray - for now!).

It is a very drizzly, gloomy day here in Cornwall so I have raided the fridge and have turned a pile of slightly wobbly carrots into carrot and lentil soup and carrot and orange cake. Yum. I love soup and cake and they will both be ready soon to warm and cheer. Sausage helped to make the cake and that made him happy as we haven't baked for ages. In case you are interested here are my recipes:

Carrot and lentil soup:

I am not giving exact quantities here as I am a 'bung it all in' kind of soup maker but I used, approximately, 100g red lentils, 3 medium carrots,  one onion,  one clove of garlic,  a slice of ginger,  a teaspoon each of ground coriander and cumin seed. This makes approximately 3 portions.

Cook the onion in a glug of olive oil until soft, add the spices, ginger and garlic and cook for another minute or so. Add the rinsed lentils with enough hot stock to cover plus a bit more. Bring to the boil then simmer until soft, adding the carrots after about ten minutes. Add more stock as necessary.  When cooked allow to cool a little then puree, taste, reheat and season to your liking.  Serve as it is or with chunky bread and butter, cheese scones oe similar.  I like it with a topping of toasted sunflower seeds and some grated cheese.  You may want to experiment with more garlic or some chili.

Carrot and orange cake:

175g each of sugar (I use brown), selfraising flour and sunflower oil
3 eggs
140g carrots,  finely grated
Grated zest of one orange
1tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 170 degrees C. Whisk all ingredients except carrots together unit smooth and well mixed. Fold in the carrots.  Add a splash of orange juice to loosen if necessary.  Pour into a prepared tin (I make this in a 7" round tin but it works in a loaf tin). Bake for approximately 45 minutes until well risen,  golden and a skewer comes out clean. Top with a simple orange icing or buttercream. Enjoy with a cuppa whilst waiting for the sun to come back out.

Since starting this post I have prepared and eaten lunch with Sausage,  taken a phone call from the school nurse, been used as a ladder and resting place by a small kitten and taken the cake out of the oven. I was going to photograph the soup but, erm...I was too hungry.  I will try to photograph the cake in between icing and eating it!

It is still raining and grey outside but my tummy is full and warm and I am snuggling up with my littlest. I need to make the most of these times before he starts school. But that is another story.

What do you do to brighten up gloomy days? Until next time,

Green x

Go bananas!

Good morning.  On this drizzly day I thought I would share a couple of recipes. Bananas feature heavily in our househould and the fruit bowl is rarely free of them. I eat them fresh,  but only when they are perfectly yellow as I find them far too sweet when overripe. The children are less fussy but don't like them too brown so we often have squidgy specimens perfect for baking. 

I have been eating banana cake all my life.  My grandma was a great cook and her banana cake was the ultimate comfort food.  It was simple and only adorned with a few flaked almonds but the whole family adored it. When I left home for Uni she presented me with a handwritten copy of her recipe and I have been baking it ever since.  Sadly,  with the passing of time I have lost the original recipe and having modified it over the years I don't properly remember it. So now I make a version of a basic sponge recipe with a mashed banana added.  It's nice but bit tired.  I have recently developed a new, lighter version of a banana cake using oil instead of butter.  It's lovely topped with a white chocolate and honey icing. If I can ever master how to add pictures to the blog using my phone I will include one, but until then I will just share the recipe with you. Here it is:

Banana cake

2 medium ripe bananas

125g brown sugar

180g self raising flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 egg

100ml oil (sunflower works well but you could use coconut)

Preheat the oven to 170 degrees c (160 fan). Mash the bananas really well then whisk in the other ingredients and mix well. Add a pinch of cinnamon if you like.  I cook in a round baking tin for about 45 minutes.  Test for springiness or a clean skewer. Leave to cool then top with icing of your choice or leave plain.  I melted white chocolate with honey,  a little butter and milk and sieved in some icing sugar.  I'm sorry I can't give you quantities but I tend to make icings by eye. Enjoy.

The next recipe is for a banana granola.  I love granola but don't love the cost and sugar content so this home made version is great.  It's not very sweet so you may want to add more honey or syrup.  I like it how it is and Cheese and Apple love it.

Banana granola

1 ripe banana, mashed really well

Approx 300g / 3 cups oats

60ml oil (sunflower / olive / coconut - I use sunflower)

80 ml maple syrup, honey or a mixture

Approx 100g / 1 cup nuts and seeds of your choice

Vanilla , cinnamon or other flavourings - optional

Preheat oven to about 150 degrees c (140 fan), grease a large baking sheet or line with baking paper. Mix the bananas with the oil and syrup then stir into the oats with the nuts and seeds. Add spices if using. Mix everything really well then spread out on the baking tray. Bake in the centre of the oven for approx half an hour but check and stir at least every ten minutes to allow even cooking. It needs to be a lovely golden colour but burns easily so be careful.  It will crisp up as it cools. Eat with milk, yoghurt or nibble from the tub! Keep in an airtight container. Enjoy!