Nigella's Coconut and Cherry Banana Bread

We've all fallen in love with this super moist and tasty loaf from Nigella Lawson's Kitchen:  Recipes from the Heart of the Home.  It's an unusual marriage of ingredients but it works very well.  This is another recipe that requires a home kitchen scale.  If you are thinking of investing in one, I recommend the electronic!

Coconut and Cherry Banana Bread


125g unsalted butter, melted and cooled
4 small bananas (about 500g with skin on), mashed
150g white sugar
2 eggs
175g flour
2 tsp b powder
1/2 tsp b soda
100g dried cherries
100g unsweetened dried coconut

Preheat oven to 340 degrees.  Line the bottom of a 900g (2lb) loaf tin with parchment paper and grease the sides.  (I find it useful to allow the parchment to carry on up the ends of the loaf pan to make it easier to get the loaf out later.)
Beat the sugar into the melted butter, then beat in mashed bananas and eggs.  Fold in flour, b powder and b soda.  Add dried cherries and coconut.
Fold well so everything is incorporated, pour into loaf pan and smooth the top.
Bake for 50-55 minutes, checking after 45 minutes.  The loaf is done when it is pulling away from the sides of the loaf pan and the top springs back to the touch.
Once out of the oven, let the loaf rest in the pan for 10 minutes, then slip out of the pan on the parchment paper and let cool on a wire rack.

Quick White Wine Sangria - for One!

Some days cry out for a perfect glass of sangria.  Sadly, sangria is usually only made by the bucket.  I decided to play around with some usual sangria ingredients to see if I could come up with a reasonable facsimile of sangria by the glass.  Turns out, I was able to create a white wine sangria that is about perfect for me.  There's some flexibility in portion and ingredients, as you'll see.  I prefer it with orange and cranberry juice because, honestly, I usually have those on hand.  See what you think!

Debra's "by the glass" White Wine Sangria

Mix together in a cocktail shaker with ice:

4 oz pinot grigio
1/2 to 1 oz grand marnier or triple sec
1 to 2 oz orange or peach juice
1 to 2 oz cranberry or pomegranate juice
1/2 oz Rose's lime cordial

Shake well and alter ingredient quantities to taste.