Lemon and saffron pot roast chicken...

Not your usual Sunday roast chicken, but if you like spices (and I don't mean spicy food but flavoursome!) and if you like to try something different this dish is definitely for you!
You really don't have to be a huge fan of Indian cuisine, as this chicken is quite a mellow spiced bird, and I think that if you're not familiar with Indian food that much, it can be a perfect introduction to it.
Beside beautifully roast chicken you're also getting a creamy sauce, which we couldn't get enough of - even my two lil girls! We ate it with rice and Polish "mizeria" (sliced cucumber with cream, green onions and some salt), but if you have some Naan bread or roast/boiled potatoes it will be a great accompaniment too.

It's been ages since I've roasted the chicken whole, meaning in its normal round shape. I always cut it along the spine and flatten it. Not really sure if it cooks quicker or not, but it definitely fits better in my dish and it's easier to cut/portion afterwards.

The recipe comes from new Amandip Uppal's book "Indian made easy" - which is slowly becoming my favourite cookbook about Indian cuisine.

How to make it...

My own banana bread...

My own banana bread, and what I mean by that is, that it's my own tried and tested recipe. I'm on a look out for a good banana recipes since I can remember. It's way to often that we're left with very ripe, brown bananas that are in need of some love and attention. Banana bread/cake is usually the quickest and easiest way of using those over ripe bananas, but I'm also looking for other ways, even how to use them in some savory dishes, any ideas?

This recipe is a result of good few banana bread baked, and it's finished with caramelized banana on top - something that wasn't planned, but was a result of me wanting to use that one last banana somehow. It worked, and it worked brilliantly!
You can easily omit that step, and not put anything on the top, it will be equally good, but I think it makes it that little bit more special, ideal for when you have some guests visiting. It's what takes that humble banana bread a step further :)
I'm also using butter and coconut oil in equal amounts, just to give it a slightly different taste and uniqueness. You can easily substitute the coconut oil for butter, if you don't like the coconut, or the other way round - swap butter for coconut oil, if that's the fat of your choice and use only that.

Hope you'll try to make my banana bread - and do let me know about the result!

How to make it...

Sweet Dough Lemon Loaf...

I'm here and I'm alive! It's the middle of the summer season here in Ireland (yes, even though it definitely doesn't feel like summer, with all that wind and rain...). Summer season means holidays, which means lots of visitors to this Green Isle, and Kerry is one of the most visited destinations - really no surprise here, with that stunning wild Atlantic coastline, mountains with Carrantouhill and many, many more (not to mention Irish pubs and Guinness!). All that means that hotels, and restaurants within them are busy, crazy busy on times, and that's exactly where I work :) but after coming home, usually all I want to do is just collapse on my couch, which luckily I sometimes get to do. Unfortunately all that means that when I cook/bake (which I'm still doing!) I just simply don't have that much time to take photos, write up posts etc. But I'm trying hard to change that - it's all about that time management! I know I can conquer it! ;)

This lemon loaf is simply delicious, and while I'm not the biggest fan of lemony bakes (they usually taste artificial to me) I really, really like this one! Don't be scared or intimidated by the fact that it is yeast dough, it's really simple and surprisingly quick to make! It reminds me slightly of the cinnamon buns - soft, rich dough, which separates on its own when pulled apart (the chunks are quite big though! ;) ).

This recipe comes from one of my favourite "go to baking books" The Humming Bird Bakery "Home sweet home".

How to make it...