My week in review…..

Last weekend I was feeling the bloom of activity.  I had completed a project and found a few needing work when I cleaned up my sewing room.

If I could remember where, on the www, I found the tutorial to these blocks I began quite some time ago, I would share it once again, for that matter I would have gone there for the cutting and stitching instructions….but alas I have no idea how long ago I began them or what post I first blogged about them, so wing it I did.

I began with three 12 “ (finished) blocks, I had cut the fabrics from my red and green scrap containers, I really liked the combination of colours and once again delved into those scrap containers to add more blocks.

Today I have 16 blocks, and strange, but true, the scrap containers remain quite full!  I have come to think that scraps multiply when left to their own devices!!!

This week I’ve done a little cooking too, my now family famous Banana & Pear cake was once again a hit, and I’ve added a Date Loaf to my weekly repertoire that seems to have as much appeal, even without any custard cream icing!!

What started out as a simple Banana Cake has been tweaked due to a fruit bowl containing less than perfect pears right next to the less than perfect bananas.

Banana & Pear Cake

125g butter softened

1 cup caster sugar

2 mashed banana & 2 peeled, deseeded & mashed pears

1 teaspoon vanilla essence

2 eggs

100ml buttermilk (100ml milk + 1 teasp. white vinegar)

1 1/2 cup SR flour

1/2 teaspoon bi-carb soda

1. Preheat oven to 180 C (160C fan forced) Grease or line a large loaf pan.
2. Place butter, sugar, bananas, pears, eggs & vanilla in a mixing bowl and beat with an electric beater until well combined.
3. Scrape down sides, add buttermilk with beaters still turning.
4. Add flour and bi-carb to bowl and continue beating until combined.
5. Pour into tin
6. Bake for approx. 50 min.
7. Cool cake and ice.

Custard Cream Butter Icing

1. 30g softened butter
2. 2 tbsp. custard powder
3. 1 cup icing sugar
4. 2 teasp. milk

Combine dry ingredients, adding only enough milk to make a spreading consistency,mix until smooth, spread on cooled cake and keep refrigerated.

My icing mix is not an exact science, I add my ingredients to suit my mood, and depending on how much butter I add as I don’t weigh it.

My friend Sue from my LPWC made a Date Loaf for supper one evening last year and shared her recipe with us.  This is the one I have been using with great success.

The first time I made it exactly to Sue’s recipe, the second time I again tweaked it to suit my tastes., this is my version.

Date Loaf

1 1/2 cups chopped pitted dates (extra 1/2 cup my addition)

1 cup chopped pecans (nuts my addition, Sue’s allergic)

1 cup brown sugar

60 g butter chopped

1 3/4 cups SR flour

1 teasp. vanilla essence

1 teasp. bi-carb soda

1. Place chopped dates, sugar and chopped butter in a bowl, add boiling water and stir until butter has melted and sugar dissolved.
2. Combine flour and bi-carb, add to wet mix, along with vanilla essence and pecans,  mix well
3. Pour into a greased or paper lined loaf pan and bake in  moderate oven 45 min.
4. No icing for this little beauty, but I have been known to had a generous slice of butter to the portion I have, but only when I think no one is looking!!!

So far no photograph as it goes too quickly….next time perhaps!

Brooklynn has a new game, pushing Georgie around the house in my washing basket!

 

Then she gets in with her and we push her and Georgie around the house!!! Who needs expensive toys when you have grandparents, a dog and a washing basket?

Well once again it’s raining here, I’m a bit over it? Bring back the drought I say!!!LOL

It’s less than three weeks until my trip to Hawaii and I’m beginning to get a little excited!

Thanks for visiting,

Julie xxx