Thursday, March 23, 2006

B is for bananas and buttons

no I didn't have an "A" and I probably won't have a "C"

I have been working on baby cardi commissions, which I can't show you yet, so that is "B" for boring you, as a peace offering I give you my banana bread recipe.




1/2 c butter or margarine (or 1/3 c oil)
1/2 c white sugar
1/2 c dark brown sugar (muscovado or molasses sugar)
2 beaten eggs
3 big bananas (or equivalent) mashed (must be very soft spotty bananas)
1 1/2 c plain flour
1/4 c ground hazelnuts (can substitute ground almonds - or just more flour)
1 1/2 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
2 t vanilla
2 t ground cinnamon
1 c raisins/ sultanas/ dried cherries or other berries

grease a loaf pan and line with baking paper
heat oven to 180 (350) degrees

Cream butter and sugar, add mashed bananas, vanilla and eggs, beat well. Sift flour, baking powder and baking soda, mix in ground nuts and cinnamon and add all to banana mixture, mix well. Add dried fruit. Pour into loaf pan, bake for an hour, check with skewer before removing from oven, outside should be quite dark, but not burnt.


As for the buttons,
I don't like putting plastic buttons on baby garments as a rule, its not a snobby thing, just a personal taste thing, if the buttons are decorative as well as practical, then I find it hard to use plastic. If they are just for closure, or need to be subtle, then there are many suitable plastic buttons.


Fine yarn doesn't mix well with ceramic or glass (too heavy) imagine my delight on discovering these sweet dyed shell buttons at my local button shop. They are so light, and the natural material catches the light beautifully. I'm thinking of buying some plain ones and experimenting to see if I can dye them when I dye yarn, matching buttons and yarns - a whole new realm of possibilities... I have 2 pages on my "to do" list...somebody stop me!