Billy Bobbin : Bake Day & Sew Sunday

Sundays are becoming my baking day and it's because, as I have said before, I like to make Ruby a homemade treat for her packed lunch at school. And recently I've got into a routine of doing it first thing after breakfast on a Sundy.

As I had some ripe bananas, I thought banana bread would be perfect and I love this recipe I use it's so moist and delicious. The recipe is by Martha Stewart and I found it on Pinterest

The Best Banana Bread

Ingredients
1/2 cup (1 stick/113g) butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1&1/2 cups of flour (plain)
1 teaspoon of baking soda (bi-carb)
1 teaspoon of salt
1 cup of mashed very ripe bananas (the riper the better)
1/2 cup of sour cream
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1/2 cup of walnuts/chocolate chips (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350F and butter a standard loaf pan.

2. In an electric beater fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, Add eggs one at a time fully incorporating before adding the next, and beat to incorporate.

3. In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda and salt.

4. Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture, and mix until just combined.

5. Add bananas, sour cream and vanilla, mix to combine. Stir in nuts of chocolate chips if using and pour into your prepared tin.

6. Bake in oven for 1 hour 10 mins or until a cake tester/skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean.

7. Let rest in the pan for 10 mins then turn out onto a rack to cool

8. Make a cup of tea, cut a slice and enjoy.

cream together butter and sugar

Combine flour, baking soda & salt in a separate bowl

And for the first time I didn't have my little baking helpers with me why? because they were too busy constructing a Lego Friends town - they were busy with all their sets of Lego Friends rebuilding them all at once to create a town. Well I couldn't interrupt that now could I.

Add flour mixture bit by bit

Then add bananas, sour cream and vanilla

I think it is the addition of the sour cream that make this banana bread so delicious and moist.

Once combined pour into a loaf pan and bake

So with the banana bread in the oven and the girls still busy building all their Lego Friend kits with Mr C. This is them engrossed in their building.

Tilly following the Lego instructions of the Mac

Ruby immersed in the Lego instruction booklet

I snuck off to my sewing room. I knew I wanted to make Tilly a corduroy dress, after all, I had whipped up 2 corduroy skirts for Ruby this week for school, and I had a lot of corduroy already pre-cut, but silly me had pre-cut the corduroy, (yonks ago to whip up some skirts) the wrong way with the grain going across rather than down silly silly me, so doing a dress gave me a great excuse to use up this corduroy.

I had hardly got sewing before the buzzer was going on my oven, so with the Banana Bread out and resting and the kettle on, it was time for morning tea

One freshly baked Banana Bread

Ruby enjoying the fruits of my labour

After morning tea it was back to the dress, the pattern was great and easy to follow, it's a Simplicity one, a sew simple pattern no 1836, and I inserted my first ever zip, I was surprised at how easy it was and how nice it looks.

The Dress and a peek a boo Tilly

Tilly was so pleased with it and it fit her perfectly.

I also got chance to finish off some bids and burp cloths for a lady at my hubby's work who is due anytime now.

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And my next sewing job is Ruby's Halloween costume - she wants to be a bat and I'd better get on with that quick quick quick.

Oh and by the way here is the finished Lego Friends town complete with a vet's, beauty salon, cafe just to name a few.