Anyone for Pickles?

First attempt at pickling anything this year and this is my latest attempt.

6lbs of pickled onions ready in time for christmas...yummmm

Took ages peeling the little shallots but they looks good they better taste good after all this...lol

BANANA MUFFIN RECIPE

BANANA MUFFINS

Ingredients
75g/3oz melted butter 250g/9oz self-raising flour 1 tsp baking powder ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda pinch of salt ½ tsp ground cinnamon ½ tsp ground nutmeg 115g/4oz caster sugar 1 tsp vanilla extract 2 large, ripe bananas 2 medium eggs125ml/4fl oz milk 10 walnut kernels (optional) To serve2 bananas, sliced 50g/2oz walnut kernels 2 tbsp crème fraïche or yoghurt 2 tbsp runny honey
Method
1. Heat the oven to 190C/375F/Gas 5. Melt the butter and allow to cool. Mash the bananas well. Sift the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg together in a large bowl, add caster sugar and stir through. 2. With a fork, beat together the eggs, vanilla extract, melted butter and milk in a second bowl. Add the mashed banana and stir through. 3. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and add the egg mixture, stirring roughly with a fork (don't over mix) until it is a lumpy paste. 4. Set paper cases into the moulds, or grease the moulds well with a little extra oil or butter and spoon in the mixture until almost full. Top each one with a walnut kernel if you like. 5. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until the muffins come away from the side of the pan when touched. Rest the muffin tray on a wire rack for five minutes then remove the muffins and leave on the rack for another five minutes before serving. 6. Serve the muffins with sliced banana and a dollop of creme fraiche, scattered with walnuts and drizzled with honey (or with Caramel yoghurt).

my first attempt at muffins

I made some banana and choc chip muffins this week. I have never made them before but hubby and the kids loved them as they went in the matter of days.

Been making xmas cards

these are just a selection of the 170 odd cards i have made for xmas...i am making no more now.

Now i can concentrate on birthday cards again.

What do you think?

orange, yellow and purple cards

Not sure where i got the packs of card blanks but i thought i would sit and make some coloured cards with one of my favourite things.....Butterflies

Busy making preserves and jams

This is what i have been upto the last couple of months.

Thanks to my friend Amanda i have been making chutneys,jams and i have also attempted to pickle things.

I have jams like....strawberry, mixed fruit, damson, plum, bramble

Chutneys are mediteranean, peach, banana, apple, spicy apple, beetroot, mango, pear..the list goes on

I have also pickled home grown cucumbers and beetroot. I also attemped to pickle eggs for xmas and some yellow peppers

So nice not having to but it all i just have to go through to my little cupboard and get them.

Can you guess what everyone is getting for christmas...lol

I have done hampers for my parents and friends..which i wil also add sweets, shortbread, oatcakes and crackers and possible some cheese too to go with the chutneys and jams.

I found these medallion decoupages already made up in a lovely shop in forfar so i just matted and layered the back grounds and added peel offs and happy birthday tags
now i have finished doing my xmas cards i will get back to making some more birthday cards