Banana - Banana & Honey

Banana and honey, is such a simple combination. To be honest, if the honey hand not fallen out of the pantry this morning, today’s toastie would have been a bit more complicated. Perhaps the pantry elves were trying to tell me something.

Like many things in life, it is good to go back and revisit the basics. This year, I am going to take some time to re-educate myself on simple flavour combinations that appear time and time again.

When you google banana recipes you are guaranteed to find at least one that uses honey. I can see why, it is yummy and perfect for a day when you do not what to eat or make something complicated.

Theme: Bananas

When I was a wee lass, bananas were a cheap snack food. These days, they are an expensive luxury. Thanks to changing weather patterns, the Australian banana plantations have taken a battering over the last couple of years. Bananas went from $2 per kilo to well over $12 per kilo. This spelled the end for home made banana cake, banana muffins and my personal favourite the banana sandwich.

The price of bananas has started to drop. A good banana will set you back around $6-7 per kilo, however the majority of bananas you see available are second grade. Despite being a couple of dollars per kilo cheaper, people are just not interested in a bruised banana. They are still too expensive for a banana cake!

On the weekend, I spotted some unripe bananas with only a few bruises for $2 per kilo. I jumped at the chance to for a banana sandwich and a breakfast of mashed banana on toast. To my surprise, these bananas have ripened beautifully. I though I celebrate my good banana luck, by dedicating this month to banana inspired toasted sandwiches!

Impromptu Toastie - Mjskit’s Thanksgiving Leftover Toastie

I would like to take the time to thank MJ for her lovely comments and suggestions. I really do appreciate them. When she suggested a toastie for me to try, I could not resist trying it. Her suggestion was to make a “Thanksgiving leftover toastie of dijon, turkey, cheese and cranberry sauce.”

I must admit, I was hesitant about mixing Dijon mustard and cranberry sauce. Turkey and cranberry goes together like two peas in a pod as does Dijon mustard and cheddar cheese. To my surprise, putting these two sets of peas in the same pod was magic.

For those who have spent time on MJ’s blog, my hesitations were completely unfounded and a little bit silly. She is a domestic goddess. Who am I to question a goddess? If you have not been to MJ’s blog, do stop past and take a look. It is well worth it. She provides a scrummy array of recipes for every meal, each of which are accompanied by a wealth of additional and background information.

MJ’s photography puts mine to shame. It is beautiful, cookbook quality. One of my favourites is the photograph for her Triple Cranberry Sauce recipe; I could almost pick the berries from the screen!

Food photography is the bane of my existence. How do you make a toastie look appetising when it is sitting in front of one of my coloured chopping boards (used to screen the view of the living area) The joys of apartment living, not enough room to swing a tripod.