Monday, May 23, 2011

Where are the sparrows ?? Also a recipe for Banana Bread


The sudden appearance of twigs, old cotton balls and wool in our dining room puzzled us until we looked up. Mr and Mrs Sparrow had found a safe abode in the hustle bustle of the town to build their nest. Maa would sweep away the twigs, dry grass,cotton and feathers every day that would fall off the skylight......

Mr & Mrs Sparrow would fly out of the window every now and then and come back with tiny twigs and grasses in their beaks. It was a lot of hard work for these small birds .... yah making a house is no joke after all ! Be it humans or birds. I and my sister were pretty amused seeing the upcoming nest. After days of hard work the birds had put their nest together. We knew something was happening up there. Maa told us that Mr & Mrs Sparrow were busy decking up a nursery and making a comfortable home before their bundle of joy hatched.

We waited as much as the sparrows and one morning we heard the babies chirp. The chirping was sharp and shrill and would continue from dawn to dusk. The hungry babies kept their parents on the toes. The mother sparrow would fly out of the window and come back with worms in her beak to feed her babies while the father would guard their nest.This was a regular affair for the sparrow family.
I and my sister would pull up a chair and take turns to climb on it to have a glimpse of the babies. They looked ugly without feathers and had small red beaks. Maa warned us from getting close to their nest and we would obediently stare at the babies from a safe distance.

It was not very long when the baby sparrows developed tiny wings and had feathers on them. They looked so similar that t was difficult to differentiate one from the other. It was time for flying lessons. The 'sparrow parents' would teach the babies to fly.
Phurrrr Phurrrrr , the feathered family would fly all over our house ... or rather their house. They would fearlessly perch every where .... on the wash basin mirror, the sink, on the fridge and table top.The dining room fan was not switched on to keep the family and it's babies safe during their flying sessions.
One day they flew out of the window and never came back...... I stared out of the window and waited for days for them to return but alas !! The nest was empty and the birds were gone.I was sad but life took it's course and the memories of the sparrow family faded.

Today after many years I saw sparrows playing in a puddle of water outside my house. I remembered the sparrow family which once made our house their home. And these birds which were once so common have become a rare sight.

So where have the sparrows gone ???





Ingredients

All Purpose Flour - 2 cups
Powdered Sugar - 1 cup
Flax Seed - 1 tbsp
Crushed Walnuts - 1/2 cup
Baking Powder - 1 tsp
Salt - 1 tsp
Ripe Banana - 3
Vegetable Oil/ Canola Oil - 1/4 cup
Milk - to adjust consistency



Method of Preparation

1 Mash the bananas with a fork. Add sugar and oil to the mashed bananas and mix well.
2 Add all the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl (Flour + Salt + Baking Powder + Flax seeds + crushed walnuts). Mix these ingredients well.
3 Add the mashed banana mixture to these dry ingredients and mix well to make a batter. If needed add little milk to adjust the consistency.
4 Grease a loaf pan with little oil and add the batter to it.
5 Bake at 350 degrees F for 45 - 60 minutes depending on the oven.
6 Insert a tooth pick or skewer to check if the bread is baked through.
7 Remove to a cooling rack and cut into slices once the bread is cool.

Note
Cutting the bread before cooling it may break it. So allow the bread to cool down before slicing it.

30 comments:

chef and her kitchen said...

I baked one yesterday...just love it..looks yummy

Hari Chandana P said...

Looks so soft and tempting :)
Indian Cuisine

Indian Khana said...

Bread looks so yum n nice pics

Sunanda said...

Banana bread looks perfect..Love the sparrow story..True we rarely could get to see sparrow even here in Bangalore..

Sunanda's Kitchen

Unknown said...

Banana bread is new for me. Bread looks perfect and delicious.

Priya Suresh said...

Wow lovely sparrow story, enjoyed reading,its happens rarely na, enjoy gal..

Bread looks super moist and prefect..

Plateful said...

Great memories, took me back to similar incidents in my childhood. Sigh.

I've been thinking of making banana bread for a while now. Thanks for the sweet reminder :)

Ms.Chitchat said...

True that we r missing those sparrows nowadays, this year lucky to have a nest in my garden with a couple of eggs. Love to have banana bread any time, urs look perfect.

marianna franchi said...

Bellissimi! Il banana bread รจ tra i miei preferiti in assoluto!!!!! Un abbraccio

Sandhya Hariharan said...

It looks heavenly.. .Pics... are just out of the world!!

Suja Manoj said...

Loved reading about the sparrow family..childhood memories...
Beautiful pictures dear,banana bread looks perfect..soft and delicious.

Raks said...

Bread has come out super gud,and loved those cute pans :) Yummy!

Cool Lassi(e) said...

Lovely looking bread. I just posted mine today and I am surprised that we chose the same ingredient to replace the egg: Flaxseed meal. Nice story about the Sparrows!

Reshmi Mahesh said...

Nice write up...took back through the memory lane...bread looks delicious...nice clicks...

Ritika said...

ur way of making banana bread is super easy...tempted to give it a try... :)

Rani acharyulu said...

Wow,banana bread looks so soft and perfect.I love those baked tins..

Unknown said...

Nice presentation and yummy looking banana bread

Deepthi KR said...

looking soo yummy....
well written....I like mr & mrs sparrow story...
every blogger will wrk in the similar way....hard wrk is hidden back the beautiful blog....
u hav gt wonderful space here...first time to ur space.....do visit my blog when u find time...

DeepthiDigvijay
Good Food Recipes
Coffe With Me Deepthi

My Kitchen Antics said...

u know what im paranoid of birds..if i was in ur sit i would have shifted my house.. :) not joking!
those tiny loaves look so damn amazing..i love bb but i suck at making it

Rekha said...

Gr9 pics as always :) would love to try that banana bread.

Sandhya Hariharan said...

Nice write up ...
Beautifully baked up Banana Bread :)

Cheers
Sandhya's Kitchen

Taste Melanger said...

Interesting story and nice pictures!!

aipi said...

A regular in our household ~ one of the most easy breezy bread recipe out there :) Great memories n a beautiful writeup!
US Masala

Jayanthy Kumaran said...

looks so yummy....fantastic bread recipe..:P

Tasty Appetite
Event: Letz Relishh Ice Creams

Vardhini said...

Lovely write up .. banana bread looks so yummy.

Vardhini
VardhinisKitchen

My Unfinished Life said...

the banana bread recipe looks easy...my only problem is im not able to find baking moulds and liners in my city(delhi)..i know they can be found..only question is where??!!!

Ramya said...

Such a comforting cake..i love the fruity , nutty flavor of this one:-)

Bong Mom said...

This looks delicious Satrupa, beautiful pics. Flax seed powder 1 tbsp ? Am going to do this soon

Xiaolu @ 6 Bittersweets said...

Love the mini loaves and the banana bread -- I just happen to have some overripe bananas I need to use.

Rinku Naveen said...

Beautifully baked breads..Loved those pans.
First time here. U have beautiful blog.
Do visit mine when time permits.Thanks

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