Friday 18 October 2013

Friday Bake - Banana and choc chip muffins

Today has been the start of the school holiday for us and seeing that today is bake day the kids wanted to get their hands and  erm yes the kitchen dirty!. We always aim to be as frugal as possible and use up everything without much waste and bananas are always welcomed when it comes to baking in our house. We all love banana bread/cake/muffins, and the kids were more than happy to make banana and choc chip muffins today. We have tried and tested quite a few recipes over the years to achieve a good muffin, and going on the kids reactions today, these might very well have surpassed them all. Yes, you've guessed it we yet again referred to our latest compilation of recipes, the simply wonderful Simply Baking from the National Trust, which I have mentioned a fair bit over the last two weeks and it is  fast becoming a firm favourite with us all as is their Complete Country Cookbook, so if you want to grab yourself a bargain head off to WHSmiths and grab both these wonderful National Trust books for a tenner.

 






These two monkeys did it all on their own with a little guidance here and there. It is a super quick recipe to throw together and the end results are pretty good, so I am told. This weeks bake was the full dairy and gluten monty and to be honest I think my waistline is rather grateful.


 


This Wednesday we celebrated our 8 year wedding anniversary for which I did a simple, but wonderful 'Old Fashioned Chicken Pie', from the Country Cookbook. We had a meal as a family, like we do every night, but it was special, because eight years down the line our love has grown beyond anything we could possibly ever have imagined and I feel so incredibly blessed to have found my soul mate, my best friend, the love of my life and the most amazing father to our children. We didn't want to celebrate without the kids as they are now part of the bond and that makes it even more special. I filled a jug with the last of our blooms from the garden and I even had a very small drop of wine, something I very rarely do these days and it sure was fun.
 
 


 
This morning the kids had their hair cut and we enjoyed a lovely lunch out and then spent the rest of the afternoon doing a little drawing and playing. It's so lovely to have them home and I think they are loving staying in their pj's and being able to unwind.
 
 
 
This fab parcel arrived today and I can't wait to start working up a few projects from this lovely new yarn. Unfortunately I haven't done much hooking or stitching this week and suspect this pattern will continue till after the school holidays. For now it is reserving energy to spend with the kids.

 

Our weekend is looking rather busy, but in a good way, spending time with some friends and a few birthday parties for the kids. What do you all have planned this weekend?? Thank you for all your lovely comments on my fairy and also a warm welcome to my new followers.


Warm Wishes
Hannapat
xoxo

27 comments:

  1. What a lovely post, have a wonderful week full of fun with you're minis.
    Clare x

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  2. Hello my lovely Hannapat - I was thinking about you in work today and wondering what delights you would be cooking today - I am hoping to have my darling grandchildren over the week after next for half term and am going to make this wonderful recipe you have given today - they will love cooking those delights. Congratulations on your wedding anniversary - such a special time for you and your wonderful family - here is to the next 20 years which will be filled, I am sure, with love and fun. Big hug Hannapat
    Dorothy
    :-)xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

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    1. Thanks lovely Dorothy, I am sure they will enjoy these muffins. Thanks for your sweet wishes xoxo

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  3. What a beautiful, heartwarming post! Thank you for sharing more Friday bakes - I'm going to have to track down those cookbooks, they seem to be gems! Your little monkeys turn out some scrumptious-looking cakes, btw...and your sentiments about your anniversary and the way you celebrate ring so true to me, so nice to see how happy and grateful you are for your hubby! Enjoy your family weekend, and boy oh boy I can't wait to see what you have planned for those lovely yarns...Love and hugs, Chrissie x

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    1. You won't be disappointed in getting these books!! xoxo

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  4. What a gorgeous post. Happy anniversary and I love the way you celebrated it, so lovely . Your bake looks lovely as always, we love baking with bananas here too. I also really love the posy of flowers you have on your table, so colourful and pretty. I have attempted to add a link to my blog but I am so not technically minded at all so I do apologise if I have made a mess of it! Will try to add your button to my blog too...I really have to get better at all the techy blogging stuff, I am quite hopeless. Anyway, I am waffling on now, sorry! Thank you for a lovely post and thank you for the lovely comments you leave at mine, they are always so appreciated.
    Marianne xxx

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    1. Thanks Marianne for your sweet comments and also for linking in your very pretty bake!! I completely get this techy issues, you are not alone, I promise! xoxo

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  5. Happy Anniversary your special family celebration sounds perfect x

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    1. Thanks Sue and also for linking in another lovely looking bake and cooking!! xoxo

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  6. What a gorgeous post dear Hannapat! Congratulations on eight years of married bliss, and I wish you both a lifetime of love and happiness together. I love the pics of your 'monkeys' enjoying baking Friday, and their tempting muffins, as well as lovely drawings. What have you planned for that gorgeous yarn? The mustard and natural shades look wonderful together, and of course when it comes to pink - well - I'm a lost cause - I have so much love for 'pink' that there was a time when my younger daughter was saying "not pink again Mum!", so I try to vary my colour choices a bit more these days, haha!
    Have a wonderful weekend and enjoy all those family and friend activities, lovely Hannapat.
    Love and warm hugs, Joy xoxo

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    1. Thanks lovely Joy, yes actually it was more like one monkey and one dalmation, but they had heaps of fun. Yes I absolutely love mustard and can't wait working up this lovely yarn. I am finding time is against me right now, but I know it will soon get better xoxo

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  7. Happy Anniversary, family time is definitely the best time. Those muffins look delish,,, and was that a little Dalmatian doing some mixing? We have another week at school before we have half term here, I love school holidays :) xx

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  8. Happy Anniversary! Cute kids, it's always fun to involve children in the kitchen. Those yarns are gorgeous. I wonder what beautiful project they are going to turn into.

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    1. Thanks Pradeepa, yes I do so enjoy them in the kitchen and there are a few projects planned for that lovely yarn. xoxo

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  9. ah the simple things...baking , haircuts, drawing and craft.....life is good!!!...happy anniversary x

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  10. Happy Anniversary!!! Congratulations on 8 years. That's quite a milestone when you've faced so many challenges. Lets hope the years ahead are filled with the things that bring you joy....and better health too. Those muffins look delicious! Xx

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  11. Happy anniversary! The flowers are lovely. I'm so glad you had a nice dinner with the family. The muffins look so good! It's nice to know they're actually kind of healthy too. :)

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  12. Hi Hannapat. Lovely post - especially love the photo of your little girl concentrating hard with her tongue hanging out! I've made Mary Berry's banana and choc chip cake which is so scrum, think I'll give these a go for school lunch boxes (lovely with a coffee too). Happy Anniversary!! Wishing you many more happy years together with your soul mate. Enjoy the half term hols. XX
    P.s thanks so much for your suggestion for my basket liner...makes sense really to do it that way! XO

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  13. Gorgeous post, so many lovely things to look at. Your children look so happy!

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  14. Your little "monkeys" are adorable! I love to let kids bake! It is so good for them.
    Blessings,
    susie

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  15. Happy Anniversary!!!!! Those cakes look so yummy and your children are adorable. I look forward to seeing your new projects, I love Drops yarn, I've just started a new project using the Drops Nepal. Deb x

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  16. Sorry - me again. I have tried to add my Friday bake but it's not showing up, and when I try to enter it again it says it already exists. So apoplogies for being a complete tech' numpty! X

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  17. Those photos of your kids baking are adorable. I'm with you - love anything banana flavoured and homemade. I thought that was a bunch of flowers you had been given for your anniversary, but that is even better that they come straight out of your garden. Just delightful. xxxx

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  18. Happy Anniversary, and may there be many more happy ones x

    You do have two of the cutest kids :)

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  19. Hello Hannapat, thanks for visiting my blog. Happy Anniversary too. I loved your post. I miss baking with my now adult children. It was always fun and there was someone to share the food with. Your kids look like they thoroughly enjoyed themselves.

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