Banana Bread Scones

S made this. The little one has a bit of banana each day and S was left with a pile of over-ripe bananas.  And then browsing through The Kitchn  she found this recipe.  We were chatting with her (on Skype) as she made it and I can swear that the aroma wafted through.

This recipe is a variation of the Banana Bread. The scones are not too sweet.  It can be had with butter and jam, had plain or even with golden syrup.

Ingredients:

Bananas - very ripe - 2 nos ( or 1 cup mashed )
Milk - 2-4 tbsp
Yogurt - 1/2 cup
All purpose flour - 2 1/2 cup
Granulated sugar - 4 tbsp
Baking powder - 2 tsp
Salt - 1/2 tsp
Cinnamon - 1 tsp
Butter unsalted - 4 tbsp
Walnuts chopped - 1/2 cup - optional - S used almonds

Mash bananas.  Add milk and then the yoghurt.
Keep aside
In a large bowl whisk the flour, salt, baking powder, cinnamon, sugar together
Cut the butter into pieces.
Either with your finger tips or a fork, work the butter into the flour till there are no large pieces at all.

Now add the banana-milk-yogurt mixture into the flour.
Stir just enough to get it altogether
Fold in the nuts.
This is a wet dough.

Line a plate with wax paper.
Turn the dough on to the paper. Pat it into a 1" disk.  Cover with another wax paper
Freeze the scone dough for half an hour

Preheat oven to 200C
Line a baking tray with parchment paper
Turn the frozen dough onto the tray after peeling off the top wax paper
Now remove the second wax paper too
Slice into eight wedges.  Place apart as they expand during the baking

Bake for 25-30 minutes till firm to touch and the edges start turning golden brown.
Cool completely. Cut apart any scone that might have come together with a sharp knife

Note:
S said if you like the scones sweeter to increase the sugar slightly.  Or have them with golden syrup as she did !

If you would like to glaze them with brown sugar - hop over to  The Kitchn link given at the top. Very simple - made in a couple of minutes in a microwave.

Banana Blueberry Muffins

Guest Post from Mpls I -
Courtesy my brother and sister-in-law

Ingredients:
Shortening (we use vegetable shortening)1/2 cup
Sugar 1 cup
Eggs 2
Sour milk (add two teaspoons lemon juice to milk to make sour)- ¼ cup
Baking soda 1 tsp
Vanilla 1 tsp
Salt pinch
Ripe bananas -2 large mashed ( the bananas should be over ripe and soft, ideal way to use those fruits that you cannot eat!! Do not use firm bananas)
Flour -2 cups
1 cup blueberries or 1/2 cup walnuts (fold in later)

Mix in order given -
Beat ingredients until all are completely mixed.










Fold the blueberries or walnuts in (drop gently into batter and slowly using a spatula mix it into the batter


Grease a muffin container with butter or spray mix.




Turn the oven on to 350 degrees and then bake

(for approximately 18 minutes if blueberries are frozen - if fresh or using walnuts, check muffins after 15 minutes by poking a toothpick in and seeing if it comes out clean)
If done, remove immediately from muffin tin. Leaving them sit in there even outside the oven will make them dry.

If using a bread pan, bake for at least 25-30 minutes at a minimum. With frozen blueberries, it may even need baking up to 40 minutes.

Delicious banana-blueberry muffins are ready!

Tasty Ideas for left-over Salad

If you have left over salads - here are some nice ways to use them

Add it to nicely mashed left over rice. Add thick curd, a little salt ( there already is salt in the salad - keep that in mind), season with a little oil, mustard seeds, black gram dal, hing, cashew bits, raisins and curry leaves. Garnish with corriander leaves. Make this half hour before you consume, so that the dal in the seasoning gets soaked in the curd rice and is slight soft.






Or take a slice of bread, spread a generous layer of cheese/ cheese spread and place the salad on it. Cover with another slice - and you have a delicious sandwich.
Better still - take a left over chappati - warm for 10 secs in the micro. Spread the cheese, and the salad. Roll. A tasty, healthy wrap!
Enjoy!