Monday, December 19, 2016

Coconutty Banana Bread

Since I've been on sick leave, one of my favourite breakfasts is peanut butter & sliced banana on toast. Just add coffee and I'm happy.  However, I invariably buy too many bananas which then linger in the kitchen transforming from bright happy yellow to sullen brown spottiness.  It's use them or lose them time, so I decided to seal their fate by baking a deliciously tender banana loaf, full of crunchy walnuts and dessicated coconut to sweeten the deal.  I wonder what a slice will taste like if I slather it with peanut butter...



Monday, December 12, 2016

My Christmas Books for Cooks List

There's nothing I like more than opening a new cookery book, flicking quickly through the photos & mentally noting the ones that immediately appeal to me, before reading the contents list.  It's always a voyage of discovery, with some recipes I am familiar with, together with many new and exciting ones.  I am a huge fan of ebooks and my Kindle is crammed with books to enjoy, but I can't imagine ever completely moving from the traditional cookery book to an electronic version.  There's nowhere for flour encrusted slips of paper to mark my favourite recipes and my indelible buttery fingerprints on the cover - my cookbooks all happily bear traces of my presence. Today, I'm bringing you some of my favourites from 2016 which might bring you some gift inspiration, either for yourself or for somebody you love.

Wednesday, December 7, 2016

It's (been) oh so quiet

Eagle eyed readers might have noticed that Babaduck came to a screeching halt three months ago, so I thought I should explain myself.  Since my early 20's, I've had endometriosis which was controlled by all sorts of treatments : hormonal, medical, surgical, you name it, I've tried it, but I seemed to be fighting a losing battle.  A chat with my GP sent me back to my consultant, the super glamorous Sharon, and after scans, tests and an MRI, it was decided that I'd be better off without my bits as they weren't fit for purpose any more.  A hilarious chat followed where Sharon declared that she didn't do enough hysterectomies to keep her hand in, so to speak, and I fell off the chair laughing.  That's me, always finding the funny and sniggering inappropriately.  So off I went to her colleague Dr. K.  He wasn't as glam, and would have looked ridiculous in Sharon's heels, but he certainly knows his stuff.  More scans, the discussion that I could also possibly have cancer, and a biopsy was needed to be sure, to be sure.  Dr, K is not a man to walk into a situation unprepared, and I'm all the better because of it.

My nurse.  Napping on the job...