Banana and Chocolate Pancakes

 This delicious recipe is a perfect teatime treat

Ingredients

Pancake Mix:

4oz. (100g) flour
Approx. 8fl.oz (200mls) milk
1-2 eggs (depending on size)
A little cooking oil


Filling:

1-2 bananas
2oz. (50g) dark chocolate (keeping it healthy!)
1 tablespoon honey


Method:

To make pancakes:

1. Sift flour into a bowl and make a well in the centre

2. Break an egg into the well and add a little milk.

3. Mix well, adding more milk gradually and mixing until all milk has been used and you have a fairly thick batter mix.

4. Heat oil in a frying pan and pour in a little batter and cook for a minute or two.

5. Turn over - or flip if you can! - and cook gently on the other side for a minute or two.

6. Serve warm


To Make Filling:

1. Gently warm honey and chocolate in a pan to melt. (Stir to avoid burning)

2. Slice bananas and add to the pan.

3. Cook gently for a minute or two, stirring all the time, then spread over cooked pancake.

4. Eat immediately!


Enjoy :-)

Shabby Chic Purse

I've just started making these cute little purses - perfect for lunch money or a lucky charm... and tres chic don't you think?

They're simple and quick to make. And cost very little.



You need one pair of 3.75mm knitting needles, and a 4.00mm crochet hook.(or a length of thin cord)
And less than 25g of double knitting yarn.

Experiment with different size needles and different types of yarn. There are some great alternate yarns on the market - some with lurex sparkly bits - maybe good for an evening purse?

In case you're new to knitting, stocking stitch is 'knit one row, purl one row'


Method:

So, cast on 16 sts and starting with a knit row, stocking stitch 13 rows.

Next Row: Purl 2sts together at beginning and end of  row (14sts)
Next Row: Knit 2sts together at beginning and end of  row (12sts)

Increase 1 stitch at beginning and end of next 2 rows (16sts)

Then starting with a purl row, stocking stitch 13 rows.

Cast off.


Making Up:

Fold bag in half with right sides facing and sew up the side seams. Turn right side out.

Crochet about a metre length for strap or use thin cord or ribbon - or plait a few lengths of yarn together.

Thread strap through 3rd or 4th row of knitting from the top. Then knot to length you want it, and cut off excess.

NB: To make a stripe, work the 4th and 5th row (of the first 13 rows) and the 9th and 10th row (of the 2nd 13 rows) in a contrasting colour.

Altogether, this bag took about an hour to make.


Cost? 

Presuming you already have the knitting needles, a suitable sewing needle for yarn and a crochet hook if you're using one, there is only the yarn to buy and any little extras you may want!

You could tie a couple of charms onto the cord to personalize it more. Look for packs in craft stores. They are often very inexpensive.

And the yarn - well you could probably get half a dozen purses out of 50g of yarn (50g of yarn maybe a couple of quid?) I haven't tested the exact amount of yarn needed yet so don't quote me on this!

Happy Knitting!