A Tale of Two Loaves

As my maternity leave rapidly draws to an end I find myself doing things I wanted to do at the very start of it. Before Carter arrived I had visions of a baby sleeping soundly, me full of energy baking and cooking everyday. Of course this was shot to s#!*. In reality the baby did sleep soundly but only during the daytime turning me into a sleep deprived zombie just trying to dig myself out of the tired hole I was in. Sod's law that now that he sleeps through the night and I'm getting into the swing of things it's time to haul my butt back to the office. Anyway with just over  month to go, I am determined to do some of the things on my 'mat leave' list and baking was definitely one of them. Now Carter can enjoy food (when he isn't in teething hell - more on that in another post) I am eager to try as many recipes as possible. This week I baked something old and something new. An all time favourite, Mary Berry's Banana Loaf and something I had not considered before, Courgette and Lemon Loaf.

First up, Mary Berry's Banana Loaf.

I've been baking this for years and with the use of my beloved KitchenAid I can whip it up, bung it in the oven and finish the washing up in 20 minutes. Perfect for when Carter is having his afternoon nap. The loaf is pretty much fool proof and yum to boot. It's not too dense but has a nice firm texture that I can give to Carter to hold and eat himself without crumbling into a mess. I leave out the sugar but it tastes just as good without it and my diabetic dad can have a slice without feeling guilty. A true family pleaser. 

Ingredients
175g Caster Sugar (Optional - I have used zero sugar and at times just a teaspoon or so and it still tastes great)
2 Large Eggs
2 Ripe Bananas (mashed)
225g Self Raising Flour
1 tsp. Baking Powder
2 tbsp. Milk
100g Softened Butter

Method1. Preheat the oven to 180C / Fan 160C / Gas 4.

2. Lightly grease a 2lb loaf tin, then line the base and sides with baking parchment

3. Measure all ingredients into a mixing bowl and beat for about 2 minutes, until well blended

4. Spoon the mixture into the tin and level the surface

5. Bake in the pre-heated oven for about 1 hour, until well risen and golden brown.  A fine skewer inserted in the centre should come out clean if the loaf is ready.

6. Leave to cool in the tin for a few minutes, then turn out, peel of the parchment and finish cooling on a wire rack.

Second bake of the week, Courgette and Lemon Loaf.

Being a Pinterest addict I must stumble across hundreds of cool recipes I want to try but when I saw Courgette cake I stopped in my tracks. Courgette? In a loaf? Then after realising carrot cakes are one of my favourite guilty pleasures it didn't seem that odd to have courgette in a cake or loaf. The original recipe I found said to use limes but I only had lemons so Courgette and Lemon it was. I also left off the frosting because a) Carter might get hyper from it b) I had no cream cheese and c) I'm back on Weightwatchers and could not justify the points. The end result was a delicious and light loaf that I will definitely bake again. My only niggle is the oil in the recipe, the next time I bake it I might try and substitute with butter and milk. Do you think that's a good idea or will it be a disaster? A friend did suggest coconut oil too, so that could be another option. Anyway, do give this lovely loaf a go, so light and fragrant with the lemons it feels like it should count as one of your five a day.

Ingredients

For the cake

3 eggs200g caster sugar
150ml sunflower oil
50g melted butter
1tsp vanilla extract
Zest of 2 lemons
Juice of 1 lemon
1 large courgette approx 250-300g
200g self-raising flour
1tsp baking powder

For those who have cream cheese and the calorie allowance - frosting

250g Philadelphia cream cheese 
25g butter

100g icing sugar 

Juice of 1 lemon 

Method
1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, oil, sugar, melted butter and vanilla extract.2. Add in the lemon zest and juice. Chop the ends off the courgette and then grate into the bowl. Add in the flour and baking powder and then mix well with a wooden spoon until combined.3. Pour the cake mixture into a greased and lined 2lb loaf tin and bake in the preheated oven for around 35-40 minutes until golden brown and springy. Insert a skewer into the middle of the cake and if it comes out clean, the cake is cooked.4. Cool the cake on a wire cooling rack whilst you make your frosting. For the frosting, whisk together the cream cheese, soft butter, icing sugar and lemon juice.5. Spread the frosting evenly over the top of the cake. Enjoy when the baby naps with a large cup of tea.

Top 5 Weaning Products

I admit I didn’t look forward to weaning like the other mums I know. For some reason I had visions of my baby keeping his mouth firmly closed and refusing to eat. Turns out, I need not have worried because Carter has loved food from his very first mouthful of baby rice. Also, weaning meant I had a valid excuse to buy baby stuff we actually needed. The below are my top five must haves for successful weaning.

1.       Beaba Babycook Neon Food Processor, John Lewis, £119.00

If you are going to try spoon feeding (rather than baby led weaning) a Beaba Babycook can be a massive help. It is certainly my ultimate weaning product. Not only do I have a kitchen gadget that is getting actually used every day (unlike my Nutribullet and KitchenAid) but with its extra-large capacity 1100ml bowl I can see myself using it beyond the weaning stage. Despite its bigger bowl it is compact in size and sits neatly on the counter top. A lot of mums I know made do with a hand blender or Nutribullet but I tried (I really did!) and failed. The Nutribullet was great for my smoothies but I found when it comes to blending small portions of baby food it just blasted it around and the puree wasn’t very smooth unlike the Beaba Babycook. In addition to steaming and blending it also defrosts and reheats, handy for when you are having a lazy day and want to take something out of the freezer.

2.       OXO Tot Food Freezer Trays, John Lewis, £5.11

You will find that a lot of the recipes make more than one portion so storing the excess in a handy freezer tray is perfect. Once frozen solid I would pop out the cubes into a freezer bag to save space and enable the tray to be used for another batch of purees. Then on lazy days you can pick and mix to create different combinations for different tastes for your little one.

3.       Munchkin White Hot Safety Spoons, Tesco, £3.00

These shallow soft tipped spoons are nice and gentle on baby’s gums and the clever thing about them is that the spoon tip turns white when the food is too hot.

4.       Doidy Cup, Kiddicare, £3.99

I was keen to introduce a cup as soon as possible as opposed to using a bottle. Luckily for me Carter loves water and when he sees his funny slanted Doidy cup he gets all excited and tries to grab it himself. The cup is slanted so the baby can see the contents easily. There are a whole host of other benefits to using the cup including preventing tooth decay and speech problems.

5.       Mamas and Papas Baby Snug, Mamas and Papas, £39.00

There is mixed opinions on when to start weaning. The general rule is not before four months as the kidneys and gut will not be ready so four to six months is ideal. However I read in some books that the baby should be able to sit up unaided before you start weaning but I ignored this and fed him in his Mamas and Papas Baby Snug and it went swimmingly. I’m glad I did not wait until he could sit up unaided as he didn't start doing so until about 9 months so it would have been a long wait!

Morrck Travel Blanket

Having a winter baby meant I was super paranoid of him catching a cold every time we left the house so I always tried to bundle Carter up good and proper! However, I think anyone with a baby can vouch for the fact that they all seem to hate coats, snowsuits and hats. This meant that every time we ventured out we would have to battle a screaming baby into a snowsuit or coat and hat and then strap him into the car seat by which point I’d have lost the will to live, let alone go out. After spotting a few of my mummy friends slipping their babies in and out the car seat without a fuss thanks to the Morrck travel blanket I followed suit and bought one. I haven’t looked back since and have recommended to all my fellow mummy friends. Do see below for the difference between coat and hat vs Morrck blanket (https://www.morrck.co.uk/). Although it is summer I am still conscious of any slight breeze so I am going to look into getting the lightweight summer one.

Sad face with no Morrck 

Happy face with his beloved Morrck

Brownies, Blush & Baby

Gosh after such a long absence I would like to introduce my new alarm clock, Carter Caleb Christian! Carter is 16 weeks today and I thought high time I get back to the blog and back to exercising. From now on I will be blogging about food and beauty when possible but it looks like it will mainly be about the trials and tribulations of being a new mum, the hardest job ever but also the most rewarding.

Russell Hobbs Bread Maker Review

I have a new toy in the kitchen! The Russell Hobbs Bread Maker has ruined me forever, shop bought bread will never taste the same again. It was so easy to use and my bread turned out perfect. The smell of fresh bread in the house alone was worth it.

I look forward to experimenting different recipes, especially the pizza dough.

This is very dangerous for a self confessed carboholic...

x

My new favourite discovery – WorldFoods sauces

 

 

Last month I was lucky enough to attend a fabulous blogger event at School of Wok. The reason? To learn all about WorldFood sauces, an authentic ready-made range of sauces made with 100% natural ingredients. Now, having been practically bought up in a Chinese take away (both sets of grandparents and my parents had their own) I have had an aversion to using bottled stuff. However, after my evening at School of Wok I can honestly say I have been converted! I could not believe the delicious dishes that we sliced and stir fried our way to was basically from a jar. Jeremy Pang, owner and head chef at School of Wok showed us the basics of how to prepare and cook a range of über tasty dishes such as Rendang Potatoes, Masaman Roast Poussin and Coconut & Lemongrass Drizzle Cake. As you can see the pictures speak for themselves.

Pan fried duck breast for the Curry Duck Breast dish

A wonderfully moreish Rendang Potato Curry

Masaman Roast Poussin

Tomato Kaffir Lime Salsa

School of Wok owner, Jeremy, showing us how its done

Having way more fun than I ever did working at my parents shop

 

Since attending the event I have made the Coconut & Lemongrass Drizzle Cake twice and it has become my fussy husband’s favourite cake, no mean feat. I urge you all to have a go! You will not be disappointed.

Coconut & Lemongrass Drizzle Cake

 

 

It may not look as pretty but it tasted just as good!

Stock up now at www.worldfoodsdirect.co.uk. 

Housewife life recipe - Chicken in Black Bean Sauce Ho Fun

With my husband being a huge fan of black bean sauce and I a fan of ho fun (flat white rice noodles) I thought I should attempt to merge the two for dinner one night.

I did have second thoughts about attempting this dish because a) I always thought ho fun would be a nightmare to cook and stick to the pan but I needed have worried. As long as you add to the sauce it is completely fine. b) Not only had I not cooked ho fun before but black bean sauce from scratch is also new to me.

My mum is a pro at making beef with green peppers in black bean sauce (I guess many chinese mums with a background in the take away business would be) and tried her best to tell me the method over the phone while I was dashing around Wing Yip looking for the fermented black beans. Anyway, overall I was very pleased with the results. I used up some left over broccoli in the fridge rather than purposely going out to buy red peppers and mushrooms which lead to a happy discovery. The broccoli actually works very well with black bean sauce and the florets holds the sauce so each bite is full of flavour.

This dish is super versatile, you can substitute the chicken with any meat (beef or prawns are popular) or even tofu. Egg noodles or rice noodles can be used instead of ho fun. Indeed, you could even just cook the black bean sauce dish and serve with boiled rice. Also, as mentioned before, experiment with the vegetables and make some interesting discoveries of your own.

Time: 25 mins approx. (including prep)
Serves: 4 (in our case two dinners and two packed lunches)

Ingredients

2 x 400g packs of fresh ho fun (anymore than this and it wouldn't have fit into my pan)
6 x pieces of skinless and boneless chicken thigh sliced.

2 x tablespoon of oil
2 x tablespoons of fermented black beans (washed and mashed)
2 x cloves of garlic
1 x slice of ginger (crushed and sliced into smaller pieces)
2 x tablespoon of soy sauce
1 x tablespoon of oyster sauce
1 x tablespoon of sugar
1 x table spoon of cornstarch (mixed in with water)
half a cup of water

1 x red onion (diced or sliced, however you prefer)
1 full head of broccoli cut into small florets

In a large frying pan or wok, heat the oil until very hot before throwing in the garlic, ginger and black beans and frying for a few minutes and transferring to a bowl.

Then stir-fry the onions, broccoli and chicken. Once the chicken is browned, add the black bean sauce mixture and fry until the chicken is almost cooked before adding the water, soy sauce, oyster sauce and sugar. Taste and amend flavour according to how you prefer then add in the cornstarch. Once you get a thicker consistency to the sauce add in the ho fun. Continue to cook until the ho fun is cooked through and enjoy!

So easy you will wonder why you didn't try to make it before!