Game of Thrones Food Day

We had such a great day of food, and fun, and friends on our GoT day.  For breakfast we had bacon, soft boiled eggs, gluten free seeded bread with butter and homemade jam, poached pears, cheddar cheese, coffee, apple cider, and mint tea.

Lunch was amazing roasted chicken quarters with honey vinegar sauce, a beautiful salad of mixed greens roasted chickpeas and raisins with homemade vinaigrette, and buttered beets.

Snacks were feta cheese, more gf bread, gf crackers, nice olives, apricots, dates, homemade hummus.  And lots of mulled wine, hard cider, beer, and lots of other libations, including some fantastic mead.

Dinner was venison with leeks, onions in gravy, buttered carrots, medieval armoured turnips, and iced blueberries with almond cream for dessert.  Everything was amazing.  Most of the recipes were based on the wonderful cookbook pictured above.  Feast of Ice and Fire  I love it!  We enjoyed all of this amazing food.

Happy Game of Thrones day!!!

Organization, I haz it!

Sorry, I'm just so proud of my new baking and dry goods shelf...  Even after moving the fridge and turning the fridge cubby into pantry shelves I was STILL running out of room for all of my different flours and other projects.  I plan to try out making my own extracts and doing some more dehydrating (and maybe even some canning) now that I have offloaded all my flours and dry goods to this shelf.

Just had to share!

Yes We Have Some Bananas Today: Awesome Banana Cake!

We always have bananas.  The kids love to snack on them, they are super cheap all the time, easy to eat, portable, great for me to eat before and after exercise, and they are extremely nutritious.  We almost always buy more than we need, and there seem to be a few overbrown soft bananas hanging around every couple of weeks.  Since developing the following recipe I have been buying EXTRA bananas every time to make sure I have enough to make this delicious treat.  I love it because it is moist, healthful, adaptable, and I have yet to meet someone who didn't enjoy it.  You can use any flour you want, white, whole wheat, gluten free mix, straight sorghum or rice flour all work equally well here.  Add in ideas include dried fruit, nuts, seeds, chips in any flavor, or keeping it natural.  Plus it is a healthy version of cake.  And it makes me happy to make and eat it :)

Banana Cake:

1/2 cup of your favorite fat, I like coconut oil, but softened butter or grapeseed oil or shortening or any other oil work equally well in this, so really use whatever you like and have on hand, combine fats if you like
3/4 cup sugar, white brown coconut or maple all work
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp xantham gum if using gluten free flours
5 really ripe bananas
1 egg
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups flour, any type you like, I use a gf blend or straight sorghum, often I use 1/4 cup flax as part of this
1/2 to 3/4 cup nuts, seeds, dried fruit, or (my favorite choice) chocolate chips, I especially like the enjoy life brand, as they are free from many allergens, this is optional

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees, and grease a 13x9.
2.  Cream the fat and sugar together with the salt, baking powder, baking soda, and xantham.  I like to use my stand mixer, but a hand mixer would work.  Best not to do this by hand.
3.  Beat in bananas, egg, and vanilla really well, till fairly smooth.
4.  Beat in flour just till combined.
5.  Fold in add ins by hand.
6.  Pour into pan, and bake 30 minutes.
7.  Cool in pan and enjoy for up to a week.  Store covered at room temperature.

What you will see is missing is a picture of the finished cake, as the family tore into it before I had a chance to take a picture.  I have made this 8 times, and we never get tired of it.  I hope you enjoy it.