Woodstock.....not USA but UK!

During the summer I had the pleasure of meeting up with our mates in England.  Each year, our "hosts" pick a place for us to visit.  This year it was Oxford and the University of Oxford with an overnight at a B&B in Woodstock.

We started with our visit to Oxford - the University is the town!  It was mid-August and it was filled with thousands of students arriving before the fall semester.  The student population was very international - it was so cool to see all the different nationalities and hear all the different languages.  Their energy filled the streets as they went from bookstores and shops to cafes and fast food eateries.

As we entered various colleges and campuses, the history was amazing.  Oxford is the oldest university in the English speaking world and the second-oldest surviving university in the world!  (http://www.ox.ac.uk)  We walked through one particular lecture hall that reminded me of Harry Potter.

There is so much history there; the architecture is magnificent and over the centuries these buildings have seen more students that one can imagine and the alumni list is formidable.  The lawns, meticulously cared for, have these majestic trees offering shade for students: some sit with friends, others enjoy an afternoon snack while some are taking in a few minutes of quiet rest.

We walked and walked, turning down cobble-stone streets, narrow little lanes and passed along a waterway where a many were enjoying a day of punting. (http://www.oxfordpunting.co.uk)

Afterwards, we headed back for the short, but lovely, drive to Woodstock.  We arrived to our B&B, "The TownHouse" (http://www.woodstock-townhouse.com).  It was charming, spotlessly clean and the most gracious of hosts.  After a short rest and freshening up, we went to our friends room for a bottle of "fizz" (sparkling wine) as a start to the evening.  After that refreshing "fizz" we headed out to walk around tiny, but charming, Woodstock in search of a place for the evening meal.  We peered into windows, walked into adorable courtyards filled with colorful flowers, scanned posted menus all in search of dinner.  We took a turn onto a lane, and as it curved around, it seemed a bit quiet with all but one little restaurant that stood out: The Kings Head.  We looked at the menu, "looks good", checked out the bar, "seems busy", and figured we'll stop here and have a little glass of wine and decide where to eat.  Well, The Kings Head is a local place and one by one, the locals came over to say we had made a great choice for a meal.  Hmmmm, we hadn't decided yet..... But as our glasses went empty, and the place became busier at both bar and dining room, we thought we hit upon a good place!  And it was!  We had an incredible meal with great service and a very gracious host.

Next morning, our B&B hosts awaited our arrival to the table where a full English breakfast was cooked to order right in front of us!  They were a charming couple and it is no wonder that they had a full house!  They run an exceptionally nice B&B; much success to them.

After that hearty breakfast, we did a second visit to Oxford to visit the (free, but donations accepted) Ashmolean Museum (http://www.ashmolean.org).  We spent a few hours going through the various collections; well worth the visit.  Afterwards, we headed back to the car for a drive back to our friends' home.  We had an incredible time...check out the short video:

Hope you enjoyed this short visit!  Until next post, happy travels!

"Madeline" Banana Bread

 I'm looking at all my bakeware and thinking it's the new year and want to make some changes....  Not wanting to give anything up, I decided a little bit of something sweet will satisfy the craving and dampen the urge to binge if I deprive myself.  Little "sweets" would do the job....but even mini-loaves could be too tempting; I need better portion control.  Enter the madeline pan*!  These delightful little molds will make the perfect little taste of sweetness I tend to crave after dinner.

I decided on a banana bread because I had 6 baby bananas that had started to ripen, black spots and all.

A quick survey of the pantry and found all that I needed: flour, light brown sugar, white sugar, salt, baking soda, butter, cinnamon, eggs and vanilla extract.  I was feeling a little lazy and didn't want to use the mixer, so I did it by hand.  You'll need two big bowls, two soup bowls, whisk and spatula.

Here is my recipe:

Preheat oven 350 degrees 

Butter/grease madeline molds

Mix together in a bowl and set aside:

1 1/2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 teaspoon cinnamon

2-3 large ripe bananas (I used the six little ones I had), mashed in a shallow/soup bowl and set aside

In a large bowl:

2 eggs - beat/whisk

THEN ADD IN and vigorously whisk:

1/2 cup salted butter, melted and cooled

1/2 cup light brown sugar (packed!)

1/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Now, add in the mashed bananas

Whisk, whisk, whisk

Finally, add in the dry ingredients and using a spatula, blend, blend, blend!

Drop a rounded (not overly heaping) Tablespoon of batter into each mold.

Bake mid-oven, 25-30 minutes.

When done, remove from mold and cool on wire rack.

When cooled, place the golden colored madelines into a freezer bag and freeze.

When I am ready to have a little sweet after dinner, I remove one from freezer and let it defrost a few minutes - for me, a perfect little dessert!

Filling the madeline molds
* I bought mine at Bed, Bath & Beyond

Tiny madeline banana breads ready for the freezer
I cut one in half and you can see the delicious dark "bread"