Banana and Walnut Bread

I am a firm believer in not wasting things so, this morning when I woke up and found some very sad looking bananas on my kitchen counter, I decided it was time to make some delicious Banana and Walnut Bread.

It was so worth it...oh yeah and did I mention it is fat free?

You will need*:
3 over ripe bananas
A packet of walnuts
150g of granulated sugar
225g of self raising flour
2 eggs

1. Mush together all the bananas so they look like baby food and then add your chopped up walnuts. It is really up to you how many you put in depending on how nutty you want the bread to be.
2. Add the eggs and beat together so you have a nice liquid consistency.
3. Pour in the sugar and flour and fold them into the mixture with a metal spoon. The mixture will go quite stiff but don't worry it will be great!
4. Spoon the mix into a greased baking tin and put in the oven for an hour at 160C.
5. Sprinkle sugar on top and serve warm with a cup of tea.

* These aren't the only ingredients you can add. If you are feeling adventurous add 3 rings of tinned pineapple (chopped) into the first step as well, it is delicious! Or you could add a teaspoon of cinnamon, some honey or some nutella. Banana bread is so easy to adapt depending on your mood which makes it so great. If you are making it for a special occasion why not add some icing?

Happy baking! Pin It

Lazy Days.

For three weeks now I have been living in Italy and there is one thing that comes to my attention every day. Italians are the most laid back people in the world! They don't walk with a purpose or speed, their administration systems are completely lacking in organisation (which for an English girl makes everything all the more stressful) , there are no exact plans about what to do or how to do them just a rough idea about what is going on. You get the point. In a way it is nice to know that noone will care if I don't do something right on time but it is also a little frustrating when the only response you receive to questions is 'domani'.

So, being in the spirit of trying new experiences I have decided to embrace the Italian way of life.

Hanging out on Piazza Vecchia like the tourists before heading off for a glass of wine at one of the nearby caffes...somewhere in the world it was past 5pm.

Alcatraz, Milan. A huge warehouse of a nightclub, not exactly my cup of tea but and interesting experience all the same.

Il Fornaio in Citta Alta is literally the best bakery here. You can get pizza the size of your face, fresh sandwiches, pasta dishes or something a little bit sweet if you fancy. It beats a Boots meal deal any day!

The thickest hot chocolate you will ever have will be Italian.

Practising my baking skills like any good Italian girl should! These Slutty Brownies were AMAZING!

And finally lunch of Casoncelli alla Bergamasca with fresh orange juice and Pride and Prejudice to keep me company at Via Tasso Cafe. Pin It

Trains and Lakes

The jaunt to Milan inspired us to go travelling all around Italy and so we began thinking of who we knew where and prices and times...it was all very exciting. However, once we realised there was going to be a little more to budget in other than the train fair our plans were put on hold. They didn't come to a complete standstill but, we chose some where close to home. Lake Garda. It seemed simple enough to get to and it was a beautiful day, nothing was going to stop us. Except perhaps the high speed train we hopped on to in Brescia which glided right on by Peschiera del Garda and straight into Verona. The scummy part. It took us some time to decide whether to go into Verona or if we should go back to the Lake and how we would go about doing it. Eventually it was decided to return to the Lake and stick to the plan, it was more a decision based on the grumbling of our stomachs than anything else.

Arriving into the city of Peschiera, we hunted down some food which I now do not like to look back on but, at the time was delicious. 

We then just sat by the edge of the lake watching the world pass us by...

Until it was time to get on the wrong train home and pay 16 euros for the privilige 

Pin It