Banana Cake with a Cinnamon Swirl

Description:
I tried this recipe yesterday, which I shamelessly stole from BrokeAss Gourmet.

You can check out some more of her cool recipes here

My marbling technique was utterly crap (it looked nothing like the picture) but I threw on some chocolate icing (frosting) & problem solved!
It tastes fantastic & I'm going to have to try it again to see if I can get the marbling right next time.


Ingredients:
1/2 cup Sugar
1/2 stick unsalted butter at room temperature, plus more for greasing the pan
1 egg
1/8 cup milk
2 ripe bananas, smashed with the back of a fork
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 cup flour Pantry
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp honey

Directions:
Preheat oven to 180 degrees C ( 350 degrees F). Lightly butter an 8” round or square cake pan. Set aside.
Whisk together the sugar and butter until fluffy. Whisk in egg, milk, bananas, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Continue stirring until batter has been fully incorporated.
Scoop out about 1/3 cup batter and transfer to a small bowl. Use a rubber spatula to scrape the remaining batter into the prepared pan.
Whisk reserved 1/3 cup batter with honey and 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon. It should be dark brown in color.
Use a spoon to drizzle the dark batter in a spiral over the regular batter. Drag the blade of a butter knife over the batter to create a swirly, marbled look.
Bake for 22-26 minutes, or until a knife or toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
Let cool for a few minutes before slicing and serving.

Sun-Dried Tomato Ricotta GNOCCHI (or Claytons Gnocchi)

Ingredients:
2/3 cup ricotta
8 sun-dried tomatoes, plus more for garnish
1/8 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for garnish
1 1/4 cups flour, plus more as needed
1 egg yolk
salt and pepper
1/8 cup olive oil
1 small bunch parsley, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced


Directions:
In a food processor, combine ricotta, sun-dried tomatoes, Parmesan, flour, egg yolk and a pinch of salt. Pulse to form a sticky dough, adding a bit more flour if necessary. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Form dough into several long snakes, about 3/4” thick. Using a very sharp knife, cut into 1” “pillows.” Set aside on a clean plate.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a light boil over high heat. Add gnocchi, working in batches if necessary, and cook for 4-5 minutes, or until gnocchi float to the surface of the pot. Drain and return to pot.
While gnocchi cook, heat olive oil in a small frying pan over medium heat. Add garlic, parsley, salt and pepper and cook just until garlic is very fragrant, 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat.
Toss gnocchi with olive oil mixture and a small handful of Parmesan. Serve garnished with a few sun-dried tomatoes, sliced if necessary.

Balsamic tomato chorizo and rocket fettuccine

Description:
I promised to post this recipe for a friend a while back. It's one that Lee found & tried, & it was so good that it's been on the menu several times now.

Not being a huge fan of olives I leave them out altogether & we add freshly grated/shaved parmesan as a garnish.

It's quick, easy & inexpensive.

Ingredients:
• 400g dried fettuccine pasta
• 2 (125g each) smoked chorizo sausages, sliced diagonally
• 1 red onion, finely chopped
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 2 medium tomatoes, chopped
• 500g jar tomato pasta sauce
• 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
• 100g pitted kalamata olives
• 70g baby rocket leaves, to serve


Directions:
1. Cook pasta in a large saucepan of boiling water, following packet directions, until tender.
2. Meanwhile, heat a deep, non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat. Add chorizo. Cook, stirring, for 2 to 3 minutes or until browned and crisp. Using a slotted spoon, remove to a plate lined with paper towel. Set aside.
3. Add onion and garlic to pan. Cook, stirring, for 3 minutes or until onion is tender. Add tomatoes. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Stir in pasta sauce and vinegar. Cover and bring to the boil. Reduce heat to medium. Simmer for 1 minute or until slightly thickened.
4. Drain pasta. Return to pan. Add tomato mixture, olives, chorizo & rocket. Season with pepper. Toss gently to combine. Serve.

Furry Vengeance (2010)

Rating:
Category:	Movies
Genre:	Comedy

Tonight I was checking out a few movie trailers to see if there were any recent movies I want to put on my list to see. I decided it would be easier to compile a list of the movies I have "no intention of ever seeing" & thought it might be fun to review one of these movies.

I always struggle with comedies, I have to admit I don't find many American comedians all that funny, my taste is definitely more British/Australian.
In fact I secretly suspect that the "real joke" behind most American comedy movies is some kind of secret bet between the likes of Eddie Murphy, Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, Brendan Fraser etc is about which one of them can make the most horrible hollywood movie & still rake in the cash.

I'm not sure whether or not this particular movie is aimed at environmentalists or geared more towards people whose comprehension level peaks at enjoying jokes involving flatulence.

We can try a little experiement. Let's see how much of the following trailer you can stand to watch before it gives you brain damage.

(Caution: Do not drive a car or operate machinery after watching this trailer)



So?? Did you make it past the squirrel? If so, I offer you my condelences. Yes I did watch the whole thing (for the good of the team).
It appears this movie is full of those photo-realistic animated critters which are made to appear to be doing tasks & full of cutesy human affectations.
I hate this type of thing! What's even worse is that the animal antics still look more natural than the human counterparts in the movie.

I wouldn't go see this movie if I was offered free tickets & the "all you can eat" popcorn deal!