Bank Holiday Baking

I know, I know, I know that I have been rubbish at blogging recently I guess life has got in the way a bit. Ive spent the past week working like crazy and all my spare time dealing with my darling friends and their various dramas - which is fine, my role as supportive friend is one I'm both accustomed too and good at. I love them all very dearly, truly i do but it is sometimes exhausting and after such a busy and full week i have absolutely been craving my own time. So when I'm stressed and a bit overwhelmed from it all my favourite thing to is bake.....Now I'm not a natural baker by any stretch of the imagination - I like to be instinctive in my kitchen and I'm usually too impatient to bake. however when stressed and weary from life there's something instantly soothing and calming about measuring out lots ingredients and combining them to make little morsels of heaven - the chemistry of it all it makes life make sense again and peace is restored in my life (especially as I turn my phone off whilst I'm baking)!

Banana Bread (with a little twist)

2 large eggs (beaten together)

300g plain flour

1 tsp baking powder

pinch of salt

120g butter

100g caster sugar

Around 500g of bananas- mashed up (I use my hands because its strangely satisfying)

Some raspberries (i used around 200g of frozen fruit)

Preheat your oven at 180oC and brush a loaf tin with melted butter in preparation

I would say sift the flour in a bowl with the baking powder and salt but i don't own a sift (I'm 26 years old, buying a sift is low on my list of priorities) so just bung it all in a bowl together. Cream together your butter and sugar and then slowly add in the eggs. Your mixture will look a bit like scrambled eggs but trust me that's ok. mix in the mashed bananas and then gently fold in the flour a bit at a time. You don't want to overwork this just do this, just gently fold until its all incorporated. Stir in the raspberries gently (you could always add walnuts or blueberries or chocolate chips) and then dump it all in your loaf tin. Cook for around 45mins until its firm but a little moist! Viola -  perfect warm whilst enjoying peace and quiet and a cup of tea

Simple Sunday Supper

I very much enjoy Sundays; there is something rather luxurious about pottering around in a pair of ex boyfriends pj bottoms (well they say you should take something from every relationship you have and I've found this to be far the most effective thing) after a long weekend at work and a busy Saturday. Sometimes I'll mix it up and go for a swim or a walk, often I'll do some form of cleaning and of course when your in a relationship you tend to do couply things but I like my Sundays to be peaceful and quiet and preferably spent on my own.

Foodwise sometimes I'll be sociable have everyone over and cook one of my rather awesome roasts. As much as I'm at my happiest feeding my nearest and dearest, roasts create so much washing up and leave my cheeks so very flushed. Sometimes I'll go out for a meal with my beloved friends and sometimes when I have no work on the Monday I'll drag my friend Timmy to the pub to get drunk! Today after a bit of a mad girly night out I just decided that a nice simple supper on my own was all I needed.....

I made the pate the day before and this recipe is very much influenced by Mr Slater the God of all cooks but I've tweaked it around a bit and I absolutely insist on the peppercorns - the fireiness sets of the smooth texture of the pate perfectly! Once you've realised how easy and tasty this is you will find it hard to justify picking up a pack of the shop bought stuff!

Chicken liver pate with Peppercorns

400g chicken livers (average pack size me thinks)
milk
150g butter (nice and soft)
100ml double cream
glug of white wine / brandy - most recipes call for brandy but i must confess i had none in my house so white wine was substituted, but it tasted delicious so we'll go with it!
1tbsp green peppercorns (as I've instructed before drain them first on kitchen paper

You start by de-viening the livers, this isn't the nicest job in the world and I do tend to hack away a bit but practise makes perfect. Place the livers into a bowl, cover with milk and leave them for about an hour - plenty of time to have a soak in the bath or do your nails!! Melt a third of the butter in the pan and let it froth and then add the livers one by one - stand well away these babies spit like nothing else! they need about 5-6 minutes and a couple of turns so they are lightly golden but not overcooked after all you want a pink pate! put all contents of pan (juices and everything) into a blender with the cream and the rest of the butter, start to blend. Put the pan back on the heat and add a couple of glugs of brandy, let is reduce a bit and then add it into the blender. Blend it until nice and smooth and there you have it! Most recipes say to sieve this mixture but I find you don't really need to, just mix in the peppercorns and pour into ramekins!

Now leave them to set in the fridge for about an hour. Melt some butter and then pour over each ramekin this helps the pate keep a bit better and makes it look a little bit more professional!

And so my pate's sat looking rather scrummy in the fridge and my lazy Sunday supper involved the great task of making some toast, spreading on some pate and onion marmalade and demolishing in front of BBC 4's "The story of Musicals". Rock n Roll is my middle name honest.