Banana Cakes

I'm not a raw banana lover by nature. I don't really like bananas as a fruit as they are rather filling. I do however love the smell and I like them stuffed in anything. I also love banana chips, Haribo banana sweets ... gosh bananas are actually really bad if they are not raw.

Bo does however like to eat bananas but he sometimes forgets about them and they will stay put and form a smell. It's then when I get a bit excited, when I find a bunch of overripe bananas in the top of the fruit rack. Overripe bananas means banana cakes.

Ingredients

• 4 ripe bananas
• 125 g butter
• 250 g caster sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 250 g plain flour
• 2 tsp baking powder

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 180°. Fill a cupcake tray with cupcake liners (I've used a 12 cupcake tray and a 6 one)

Mash the bananas with a fork, set aside.

Cream the butter and sugar until fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Then add the vanilla extract and mix.

Gradually add the flour and baking powder to the batter and beat well.

Add the mashed bananas to the mix.

Pour the mixture into the cupcake liners (3/4 full)  and bake in the centre of the oven for 25-30 minutes, until skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean.

Easter Prep: Day 1 - Egg Dude Hats

In less than a week it will be Easter and as I always host an Easter family brunch I have to crack on as I'm way behind. It's because of my book. So sorry to have bugged you with all the book launch stuff, it's just that I'm utterly excited and like to share everything with you. I hope you don't mind.

Back to Easter; today I bring you cute dude hats for your eggs. It makes me laugh when I see the eggs all tugged up in their little hats, they look like real cool dudes don't they?

These hats are based on the egg cosy pattern but I've simplified the pattern and added the side bits to it.

How to make these hats:

Foundation ring: Make a magic ring and hdc 6 in the ring, pull tight.

Row 1: ch 2 (counts as 1 hdc) hdc 1 in the same stitch, hdc 2 in all the next stitches (you multiply)

Row 2: ch 2 (counts as 1 hdc) hdc 1 in the same stitch, hdc 1 in the next stitch, hdc 2 in the next stitch. Repeat until end.

Row 3-6: ch2 (counts as 1 hdc) hdc 1 all around, fasten off.

Side bits: fold the hat in half and mark 5 stitches left and right to add the side bits. Start with either left or right. hdc 5 for the first row, decrease 4 for the second, 3 for the third and two for the fourth row. Fasten off en leave enough yarn to use as a tie. Repeat this for the other side.

I'll be back tomorrow with more Easter prep.

Would love to hear more often of your feedback (and not only to tell me off) as it's much appreciated and I like to be in touch with you. Happy Monday xox

Farm Bloggers at Walnuts Farm

Just for one day we were farm bloggers.

On Friday April 4 Geraldine, Lottie, Emily, Catherine, Tina, Igor, Bridgee, Kat and I got Walnuts Farm in East Sussex to ourselves for one whole day. 10 photographers and bloggers running wild at this beautiful farm was an idea that started on Twitter about six months ago. Emily wanted to go, Will, Igor and I wanted to join and soon others followed. Unfortunately Will couldn't make it in the end and he was dearly missed.

Stepping inside Walnuts Farm was like stepping inside an antique shop. Everything in the home of Nick and Bella is old and displayed as if one was travelling through time.

I love visiting properties like Walnuts Farm, I love how people can live simply and don't mind people running around their home. I couldn't deal with all the mess or with the chipping paint. I would love to go back with a bucket of hot water and fresh smelling soap, a paint brush and a hoover. I could spend all day cleaning, painting and washing until everything looked brand spanking fresh and new. How simple my life could be if I didn't care about mess and dirt ;o)

We had to play around with my book so Igor styled this nook using Kat's scones and props she brought with her from The Hambledon. Kat also made the beautiful spring wreath, you can find out how to on her blog.

Thanks gang for such a fun day xox

From left to right: Kat, Yvonne, Bridgee, Lottie, Tina, Geraldine, Emily, Igor, Heather and Catherine. Photo courtesy by Super Kat ©2014

Check out #farmbloggers for more photos inspiration.

And the winner of the Sissy-Boy Giveaway is ...

Thank you all for participating it always means a lot to me. There will be more giveaways on my blog so hopefully one day you all win a price. Have a lovely evening and see you tomorrow xox

Cookbook of The Month, Reviews and Launch

Phew what a crazy week. Last Thursday I launched my book, just two days after the launch the book got awarded to Cookbook of the month April in The Netherlands and Belgium and just now all the reviews are streaming in and they are just lovely. Just super duper lovely.

I'm not a nervous person by nature. I do not mind to speak in front of loads of people, show my emotions and share my flaws. I did however went to my doctor two days before the launch as I was having such massively painful stomach cramps almost every day for two weeks around 16:30 (?) He didn't really know what the problem was so he gave me a prescription to soothe the cramps. I didn't pick up the pills as I do not like pills and miraculously one day after the launch the pains were gone. Ooooooooh la-la my inner self was nervous and my outer self did not know. So I figured out that really deep down I do get nervous.

I guess it's the fear of reaction, will people like it, will people buy it? So far so good ...

Sissy-Boy is doing amazing displaying and selling the book. The Instagram #yvestownindekeuken is just so wonderful. People are taking so much effort in photographing the book and the recipes they've made. There are some fun photos of the launch but also behind the scenes.

Please read these wonderful reviews and launch reports:

• Wood & Wool Stool - [yvestown in de keuken] book launch
• MUS - Yvestown in de Keuken
• Costello Decorating - Book review Yvestown in de keuken
• IDA interior lifestyle - This week on my coffee table: Yvestown in de keuken
• More than Mayo - Foodboek Yvestown in de Keuken
• Fabulouscity - Yvestown in de Keuken Boeklancering
• ixxi - Yvestown in the Kitchen

Thank you all for participating in the Yvestown for Sissy-Boy Giveaway. I'll draw a winner later today so you still have time to enter.

Yvestown for Sissy-Boy Giveaway

Today is MY BIG day, today is the launch of my very first book at a very cool location. Sissy-Boy Homeland at KNSM-laan is one of my favourite places in the world so I couldn't be happier to launch my book there.

To celebrate the launch Sissy-Boy is giving away this pretty pile of goods. Containing my book (in Dutch) 3 of the Yvestown for Sissy-Boy tea towels and 3 Riess pans as seen in the picture.

All you have to do is like Sissy-Boy on Facebook or Instagram or Twitter and leave a comment on this post. I'll draw one lucky winner on Monday April 7 18:00 CET.

This giveaway is now closed!

I hope to see you guys today in Amsterdam. If you can't make it to Amsterdam check my events page as I'll be signing in more SB stores over the next few weeks. I wish to celebrate with all of you as you've made this book possible. Love you all xox

Starburst Granny Scarf Basics

Last November when Bo and I went to London for our Christmas shopping I snapped an Instagram photo of him on the train wearing my scarf (now his scarf) and got the question how to make this scarf. Not only did he do well on Instagram he actually got compliments from a bunch of girls in The national Gallery. So to all men out there that are scared of pretty colours, this is a lady magnet.

Down here the basic instructions on how to make a starburst granny scarf.

Ch 4, sl st in 4th ch to make a ring, ch 3 (counts as 1 dc) dc 11 more into the ring - a total of 12 dc, fasten off with a sl st.

Change colour, start between two dc's of the previous round, ch 3 (counts as 1 dc) 1 dc, keep crocheting 2 dc between the first dc's of the previous round, fasten off with a sl st.

Change colour, start between two dc's of the previous round, ch 3 (counts as 1 dc) 2 dc, keep crocheting 3 dc between the first dc's of the previous round, fasten off with a sl st.

Now you've made a starburst granny.

Next step is to add the grey all around and turn the circle into a square.

Start between two 3 dc's of the previous round, ch 4 (counts as 1 tr) 2 tr, ch 2, 3 tr (this is a corner) Move on to the next space between the previous round 3 dc's, 3 dc and so on.

Fasten off with a sl st and move on to joining the squares as seen in the image below.

1. I've used a simple sl st to join the squares.
2. Turn your work and line up the stitches so that they are exactly on top of one another, this is really important!
3. sl st from left to right only in the back of the stitch and fasten off on both sides.
4. This is what it should look like.

The next step is to dc all around the scarf using grey to make it wider en fuller. What I always do with my scarves, I add another sc coloured row all the way round and then another hdc row in grey all the way round.

I've used Annell Rapido 100% acrylic in combination with Scheepjes Roma 100% acrylic yarn, a 4.5 mm hook and used US terms.