Fluffy Banana Pancakes

This has been the most hectic of months; a lot of preparation, planning, excitement, disappointment, acceptance, happiness. It's been a bit of rollercoaster, but I suppose that's adult life (in truth I'm only just getting to grips with it, but I'm remaining hopeful). Well, mama always said life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're going to get. 

Just kidding, my mama never said that, it was Forrest Gump's and in truth I don't know if I agree with the analogy, I only get the chocolate selections that I like and so I know exactly what I'm going to get/enjoy.

However if we look at the complete other end of the health spectrum.. fruit, I am far more indecisive. For example, I sometimes like melon and other times I hate the taste of it, I prefer oranges in the evenings (crazy, I know), I don't eat fresh blueberries but love them in food and when it comes to bananas, I'm very conflicted. Its the texture of raw banana that's a no-go but I do have a few banana recipes that I adore.

This being one of them - fluffy banana pancakes, one of my favourite and most requested breakfast items. And so apt considering its actually pancake day!

These pancakes are so easy to make, but have a beautifully delicate flavour and they're actually quite filling; so great for a long work day or lazy weekend brunch or pancake day (or any day in-between).

To make these pancakes you will need a few ingredients: 

1. Plain flour
2. Banana
3. Vanilla essence
4. Eggs
5. Baking powder
6. Brown sugar
7. Cinnamon
8. Milk

To start with grab your selected banana, mine is less ripe than I would have liked but I was a bit impatient. Then you just want to mash it with a fork until it is a smooth creamy consistency with minimal lumps.

To this, add in two whisked eggs and give everything a good mix.

Whisk in a generous dash of vanilla flavouring and half a teaspoon of cinnamon.

Follow up with a three tablespoons of brown sugar, I prefer this as it lends a subtle almost caramel tasting sweetness to the pancakes.

Now to thin down the batter to create the right consistency, whisk in one cup of milk - use whatever type you prefer.

And finally, whisk in one and a half cups of plain flour and one tsp of baking powder.

Give the batter and good mix, although it is likely that some lumps may remain. 

To a heated non-stick pan drop on a ladleful of the mixture and let it cook until you see little bubbles and the bottom is golden brown.

Then flip (no acrobat skills required) and cook for a few more minutes til the other side is also well cooked.

Repeat the process for the remaining batter and serve your pancakes warm with a selection of toppings - banana slices, golden syrup, cinnamon, powdered sugar, or nutella.

😋

Enjoy!

 Q x 

Golden Milk ☼

Hey! 
 السَّلاَمُ عَلَيْكُمْ وَرَحْمَةُ اللهِ وَبَرَكَاتُهُ 

I just found out that today was 'Blue Monday', a term they coined to describe the most depressing day of the year. 'They' should have chosen a better name I think because this just reminds of an Icelandic holiday - think Blue Lagoon, the geothermal spa. I want to go travelling so bad its ridiculous but life (and myself) just keep getting in the way; I admire and envy people who are able to buy a plane ticket, just pack up and be off... how?! 
Anyway its past eight in evening so I think I can be cautiously optimistic in saying today wasn't that bad. I mean I did wake up late, have a few mishaps, leave half my lunch at home and feel less than fabulous, but its not blue Monday worthy. 
Other folk haven't been quite so lucky, we have a nasty cold going round and so I've been making gallons of remedial drinks to soothe the sore throats (and stop the coughing!), its a work in progress.

So if you too are feeling a little under the weather I couldn't recommend the following drink enough. 

Known as 'Golden Milk', this is an age old Ayurvedic remedy that originates from Asian culture, my grandma used to give it to my dad and his siblings! They were definitely onto something, because with a little research I found that turmeric has tons of health benefits.

Now I don't want to bore you too much, but of course its good to put good stuff into our bodies and know why they're good, right?

As for the for turmeric its hella good - promotes digestion, is an antioxidant, supports the brain, liver, joints and nervous system, nourishes the heart etc. Combine this with pepper which enhances the good properties of turmeric by increasing the body's absorption by 2000% and you're on to a winning combo. 

Read on for the recipe!

Golden Milk Ingredients

You will need: cinnamon (bark or powdered), honey, freshly ground pepper, milk and the star of the show - the tumeric!

To start with heat up your milk (this can be almond, coconut, soy, whatever floats your boat), I did this in the microwave but if you have time add all the ingredients to a pan and heat them together.  

Next we add a teaspoon of turmeric, half a tsp of cinnamon, a tablespoon of honey and a sprinkle of pepper.

Give this a thorough mixing using a milk frother, cue the action shots!

Top with a little powdered cinnamon and there we have it, the end result; a beautifully frothy, delicious and beneficial Golden drink that's sure to brighten your evening. 

😋

Enjoy!

Q x

It's my birthday and I'll eat what I want to ♪

Happy Monday!

Can you guess that one of my NY resolutions was to try to be more optimistic, it isn't going quite so well.. I still hate Mondays.

Although if I'm being truthful I doubt that's ever going to change, that and my equal distaste for mornings in general.

On a happier but undoubtedly relevant note I recently came across this amazing alarm clock called the Barisieur and before you start thinking I'm crazy to get excited over a clock, this is no ordinary clock but one that wakes you up with freshly brewed coffee. Ingenious, right? It's definitely on my birthday wish list.

And with that smooth transition, lets talk about birthdays!

I feel like as I've been getting older my excitement for my yearly milestones has pretty much diminished but one thing that I still love is other people's birthdays. Especially for family, when I can put on my birthday fairy hat (or I should I say wings?) and do the whole shebang, in other words present buying, wrapping, balloons, flowers, of course the food and most importantly the cake!

My little brother's birthday is coming up later this month and I was flicking through my photo gallery for some inspo, then I had a light bulb moment, why not compile some of my favourites into a blog post. Enjoy!

Birthday Brunch ♡

Breakfast, the most important meal of the day and the perfect opportunity to load up on delicious sugars (I'm being sarcastic, but its your bday and calories don't count).  
The above pictures are from my sister's surprise breakfast spread, the menu was as follows:

• mini cakes - red velvet, carrot & white chocolate and strawberry, dark chocolate
• pancakes 
• doughnuts
• hot cross buns
• pain au chocolat 
• waffles
• hot cocoa, orange juice, tea

Here's some pictures from my birthday brunch, we had a chocolate gateau (not actually consumed at breakfast time btw), fruit, croissants, sugar waffles and copious amounts of tea for yours truly. 

Birthday Lunch ♡

The best birthday lunch in my opinion is a good roast, chicken can be flavoured with an array of spices and slow cooked in the oven - easy and very flavoursome (watch this space, recipe coming soon iA!). 
Vegetables such as sweet potato, broccoli and peppers can also be roasted with lemon, garlic, herbs and olive oil and flavour pay-off is great. One a side note, don't roast dinners just look so pretty? and they make your house warm and smell amazing, ticking all the boxes. 

Birthday Spread ♡

A compilation of birthday feasts past! The top one is actually a mother's day picnic surprise that we did, but it was very close to my mum's birthday so it still counts.
As for the food, some notable mentions include, a prettily decorated veg pasty, a burger bar, potato fritters, a cheese board, samosas, home-made macarons, fruit arrangements, salads and my peaches & cream cupcakes.

Birthday Cake ♡

I mean it kind-of a necessity right? And above you'll see a couple of Q's Kitchen creations. 
I have a standard sponge that I usually use and then I decorate as I wish, although fresh fruit, cream and chocolate decorations are a common occurrence.  

And that concludes our little birthday food adventure! I hope you've enjoyed looking at the pictures & let me know in the comments of any recipes that I should upload on the blog. 

Have a great rest of the week.
Q x