Gingerbread Men (kinda)

This recipe originates from a book from 'Sainsbury's Recipe Library', entitled Healthy Food For Kids and is approximately 3 years older than me (#woh).

I have never understood the choice of this photo as the front cover

It was obviously a great excuse for my Mum to get us doing something hands on, without her putting in that much effort herself and therefore has been well used over the years. 

The success of this recipe is such that the book now falls open at that page with minimal encouragement, bringing with it a delicious waft of ginger and spices.

Here is proof (my gingerbread men never looked like that)

The spices themselves are the only real splurge in this, but if you call them an investment for the future (ginger is great for more oriental recipes and cinnamon is a useful ingredient for any baking) then they definitely prove their worth.

Although, obviously, baking is never guilt-free, gingerbread is definitely one of the healthier options out there. This recipe uses wholemeal flour (i.e. longer lasting energy) and minimal sugar (i.e. less badness in your body) so is a definite win all round.

I've doubled the original recipe as it never seemed to make enough (or my family devoured them before they'd even cooled) so theoretically it should make 24-26 men, however I never actually make men (or women #equalrights) as they're too darn fiddly with our cutters. Whatever cheap cutters you can find (have a look in charity shops) will do just fine, I personally prefer making hearts because I'm loving like that.

Ingredients (makes as many as you possibly can)

250g   plain wholemeal flour
1 tsp   bicarb. of soda
1 tsp   ground cinnamon
2 tsp   ground ginger
50g     margerine
100g   muscovado (or any vaguely brown) sugar
2 tbsp honey
1 large dollop of orange juice (or whatever fruit juice you've got to hand)


Recipe

• In an smallish saucepan (saves washing up) melt together gently the margarine, sugar and honey (keep stirring occasionally as it does).
• Whilst this is all happening, wack the flour in a large bowl and sift in the soda, cinnamon and ginger and mix together with a wooden spoon.
• Once the saucepan mixture is all melted, wait for it to vaguely cool and then bung it in with the flour and add the juice.
• Give it all a good stir with a wooden spoon until it becomes a stiff dough (if it is too sticky add some more flour and if it seems to dry add some more juice).

I apologise for the extremely dodgy shape of my dough 

• Flour your chosen surface, and roll out with a large rolling pin until the dough is a decent centimetre thick (keep it thicker rather than thinner otherwise it is liable to burn).

I'm so impressed by my own photography here it's unreal

• Cut out with whatever cutters you can get your hands on into as many shapes as you can and wack them on a baking tray.
• Make sure they are well spaced out or they tend to merge and lose their shape (if in doubt lay them out on multiple trays and bake consecutively).

The neatest I've ever made

• Bake in an oven preheated to 170 degrees for about 10 minutes (check after 5 min as they cook faster at the back of the oven so you may need to swap the tray around).
• They should be a nice golden brown colour when done, n.b they will not be solid at this point as this only occurs after they have cooled.

• Take them out of the oven when done and leave to set, only once they are solid should you move them to a wire rack to cool.

• This is a really quick and easy recipe to do and will leave your kitchen smelling lush for hours!

Complimentary tune: Return Of The Mack - Mark Morrison one of those tunes for one of those days

Tip of the day: Charity shops are absolute gems for money saving students: affordable, original clothing and for a good cause. Had a great haul looking in them today and so I cannot emphasise enough their brilliance! Make sure you commit to having a look around though, as a half-hearted wander is not enough to find that vintage Topshop jumper you've always wanted.

---C

Banana Bread

This recipe involves very simple baking ingredients that you should have in decent quantities for any of your baking needs: flour, sugar, butter, baking powder etc. However the key ingredient is (surprise, surprise) BANANAS!

The best thing about this recipe is you can use anything from 2-5 bananas, and they can be in as much a sate of ripeness as you like (and I mean any). See below for an example of the excessively blackened bad boys that I happened to use this time.

Trust me; they work.

The bonus of them being extremely ripe is that mashing beforehand is not needed and you can just wack them in to be whisked in with the rest of the ingredients.

This particular recipe is from Nigella Lawson's How to be a Domestic Goddess which, despite not actually teaching me to be a domestic goddess, offers this beautifully healthy breakfast (or snack option) which is perfect for students.

The culinary bible in all its glory

Although the walnuts and sultanas may seem like luxury items, both can be used as great fibre-filled salad ingredients or healthy snacking options. Walnuts are a great snack to nibble on whilst revising, especially if you toast them first -put them in the oven at 200 degrees for about 10 minutes, but keep watching so they don't burn-.


Ingredients

100g sultanas
75ml rum (I don't need to tell you what excess of this can be used for)
175g plain flour (wholemeal if poss.)
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1/2 teaspoon of salt
125g unsalted butter (melted or just softened by being taken out of fridge in advance)
150g sugar
2 large eggs (if you don't have enough eggs, a couple of tbsp per egg of plain yoghurt is fine)
2-4 bananas (as ripe as poss)
60g chopped walnuts
1 tsp vanilla extract


Recipe

• Wack the sultanas and rum into a smallish saucepan and bring to boil.
• Once bubbling take off the heat, cover, and put it aside for later use (this allows the sultanas plumpen and absorb the alcohol and therefore adds strong taste to the bread).
• Mix together with a wooden spoon all the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, bicarb and salt, then transfer to a smaller (dishwasher proof-less washing up) bowl and set aside also.
• Using the mixing bowl you've just emptied, whisk together the sugar and butter until well combined, and then add in slowly both eggs and all the bananas (beating them as you go).
• Then, using the wooden spoon, stir in and add gradually the walnuts, vanilla essence and the drained sultanas.
• Shove in the flour mixture a third at a time and stir well.
• Turn on the oven to 170 degrees and place the mixture into a greased loaf tin, see below picture for approx. size.
• Cook for 1-1 and a quarter hours (definitely check after 55 minutes and adjust timings accordingly).
• To check if its properly baked, insert a skewer or toothpick into the loaf and it comes back batter free it is done.
• Leave to cool and eat sliced (with extra walnuts and sprinkled icing sugar if you're feeling extra special).
• It keeps well (and even longer if refrigerated) and so will do you well as a breakfast option over the next couple of days or week.

A simple tin:cookbook scale for you

Enjoy this scrumptious home cooked healthiness! It's the only cake doesn't make you feel guilty afterwards!

Complimentary tune: Bob Marley - Is This Love (Montmatre Remix) A question I asked myself many a time whilst making this baked beauty.

Tip of the day: If you're hungry between meals (especially whilst revising or doing coursework) snack on nuts. They aren't as addictive as salty snacks like crisps and they fill you up for a lot longer (also a great source of protein). As with the walnuts earlier, most nuts taste better toasted (as do seeds). 

---C

Side note: since posting this recipe, two of my friends have professed an intense hatred for this sacred yellow fruit. Therefore I intend ti win them back to the crazy side(go bananas so to speak) by listing their many merits...
(actually that'll take too long so here's a link that does: 25 Powerful Reasons To Eat Bananas)

Scones

Scones can be made cheaply and deliciously at home, even though we often go to tea shops and pay good money for them. My mum taught me this easy recipe (hence it's all in ounces and pints), and although it may not be exactly healthy, it's delicious, summery and we all need a treat every now and then! Get some clotted cream and a pot of jam, and share with friends for pudding after a light, healthy meal.

Ingredients (makes about 8):

• 8oz self-raising flour (flour keeps for ages, so it's worth keeping a bag in stock for birthday cakes etc.)
• 1/2oz butter at room temperature
• 1 dessert spoon of sugar
• 1 egg made up to 1/4 pint with whole milk

For ounces to grams conversion click here

For pints to milliliters conversion click here

Recipe:

• Preheat the oven to 200 degrees
• Rub the butter into the flour in a large bowl until it's fully integrated, by picking up handfuls of flour and butter and rubbing them between fingers and thumb. 
• Stir in the sugar
• Beat together the milk and egg, and pour it into the flour mix.
• Stir and knead to make a dough
• Roll out the dough to about 3cm thick
• Use a circular cutter or a knife to cut out your scones but don't twist the cutter.
• Place on a floured baking tray in the oven for about 10 minutes, or until risen and golden brown.

Claire being oh so proud of our scones

Being at uni in Exeter means we can't help but be conscious of the dispute about the correct way of eating scones - Devon versus Cornwall. We definitely side with Devon; cream first, then jam. It's the only way, and believe us, we're experts having been to our favourite afternoon tea haunt Tea on the Green in Exeter.

Complimentary tune: Dean Martin - Volare,this is a little bit of a vintage tune inspired by our mutual love of Call the Midwife: 

Tip of the day: Make Tea Not War. There are not many things in life that a good cup of tea cannot help and a better accompaniment to scones does not exist.

Side note: Claire is a faithful tea drinker and prefers a good brew with loose leaf tea in an actual tea pot. Her top tips include:

• Warming the teapot before adding tea leaves by swirling around some of the water from the kettle mid-boil.
• Adding about 1 heaped teaspoon of tea leaves per person to the pot
• Stirring the teapot well soon after adding boiled water and make sure the water added is literally just boiled
• Putting the milk in the cup before adding the tea (less is always more as you can always add more after)
• Never adding sugar as this is just plain sacrilege
• Keeping the tea pot warm whilst it is brewing (whack a tea towel on top if you are without an actual tea cosy), no-one likes a cold cup of tea (except maybe Kitty, but she's odd like that).

---K