Sep 6, 2012

Back in the kitchen...

Yesterday my gorgeous mum dropped some things by that she was giving me (she's moving house and is doing a bit of a cull of unneeded bits and pieces at the same time).

Look at one of the items I scored... I am in love with its slightly battered, rusty, definitely seen better days exterior and the fact that this little beauty looks like it would have a story or two or more to share if only it could.


I have a thing for vintage, retro, and or old... things were just made different back then - it wasn't a throw away society and items had a definite style and class about them... these days it seems things are made to get through the warranty period and then break, cease up, or stop working within the month or so following... hmmm... I wonder what from now will make the distance to be classified as definitively of the present era and worthy of vintage or retro in another 50plus years? What would your pick for future retro be? My whizz stick? (seriously, just kidding - I'm sure it will have been melted down and turned into plastic bottles and reincarnated likewise another dozen times or so!)

Here's a couple of retro/vintage pieces that grace my kitchen shelves at present...

I love-love these "Capri" Kitchen Canisters that I picked up for a steal on ebay a while back... they are seriously in near perfect condition with no damage, cracking or discolouring! The gold trim and designs are all pretty much perfect...



I love glass ware too, so when I saw this pretty cranberry "Pyrex Visionware" double boiler (again in perfect condition) at a garage sale (again for a steal) I had. to. have. it!



Then there was my thrift shop bargain - a fully working retro Sunbeam Mixmaster (this one not perfect - it is missing a capping piece to the front of the body - but still as resplendently retro) that came with the two milk glass bowls (and no, I didn't pay the ticketed price you see there ☺)...


Hmm... it's all kitcheny - I do love other non-kitchen pieces of bygone era's but I was in the kitchen today baking so my thoughts were all about kitchen and cooking related things... (it's been a little while... all that party baking a couple of months ago meant a self imposed respite from what I'd like to think of as kitchen wizardry - modest, I know... but we're all queens of our own kitchen aren't we?)...

Here's today's creation:



Seriously, if I wasn't trying to shed the winter weight in anticipation of summer I could have inhaled the entire bowl of frosting in a nano-second... Separately, I LOVE maple syrup and cream cheese frosting... and together... OMGoosh!

Anyway, super easy to recreate... all done in just on an hour - give or take a few minutes for the cooling time before frosting. To print a PDF of the below recipe CLICK HERE


MAPLE BANANA & DATE MUFFINS
With Maple Cream Cheese Frosting


(makes 18 regular patty pan sized muffins)
4 bananas (the blacker & riper the better)
1 egg
¼ cup butter (melted)
¼ cup maple syrup
½ tsp nutmeg
1 tsp cinnamon                   
1 ½ cups S/R flour
½ cup quick cooking oats
½ cup dates (roughly chopped)

Preheat oven to 180°c (350°f)

In a large bowl mash your bananas with the egg then add in melted butter and syrup. Mix/mash until all combined. Mix in nutmeg, cinnamon, flour, oats and dates until moistened. Spoon mixture into patty cases, muffin cases or directly into pan (however you prefer just remember to grease your pan well if baking directly in pan).
(I used doubled up patty pans)

Bake for 20 minutes until golden brown cake should spring back to the touch.     

Allow to cool whilst mixing up the frosting… 

FROSTING: Take 120gms cream cheese and 60gms of butter and soften in microwave for about 25seconds. Using either a mixmaster, or blender, or - my weapon of choice for lazy kitchen goddesses a whizz stick; Add in ¼ cup maple syrup and 1 ½ cups sifted pure icing sugar and beat, blitz or whizz till all blended and smooth (add more or less icing sugar to get the consistency you desire today I wanted it slightly runny so that it kind of spread and drizzled a little; If you wanted a piping consistency I’d cut down the maple syrup by ½ and add more icing sugar and even refridgerate the frosting for a few minutes before piping). Spoon on or pipe your frosting, dust with a little cinnamon and decorate with a sliced date.



DONE save for the victory dance about the kitchen whilst scarfing down a delectably, sumptuous MBD Muffin ooh and if you’re not a frosting fan these taste AMAZING alone or heated with a smear of butter. ENJOY & don’t forget to let me know what you think in the comment box below - I'd love to know your thoughts, opinions and reviews or modifications


xoxo

1 comment:

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