reetings to you, dear Outliners, and thank you for having me here
on these glossy pages. I am Morgan (the female variety) and I am here to furnish you with a monthly dose of food and foul-mouthery. Having been reading Outline since my teens, I must say I am thrilled that the magazine is gradually becoming as middle aged as I am and taking an interest in cookery. So sit back, put your slippers on, and let me tell you about something ‘Te Kids’ are up to these days.
Along with tax avoidance, black ankle boots and the Kardashians, one of the biggest trends of 2012 was the website Pinterest - the latest way to dick about on the Internet. Not familiar? Well, essentially it is an interactive pinboard. You find something online that takes your fancy – a recipe, a lamp, a spouse – and you ‘pin’ a photograph and link onto your board, as a handy future reference. Simple, no? But there’s also a social networking element, because these days, like the Mayans, we’re not happy unless we’ve got a dedicated following. If you like someone’s taste then you follow them, and peruse all the lovely shiny things they’ve found, and comment on how jolly clever they are.
In its simplest form it is really rather useful; finally, somewhere to store all the things you lust over in life, rather than wracking your brains every time you’re asked by Auntie Maud what you want for Christmas. But the fly in the beautifully packaged ointment with Pinterest, is that there is also an utter fuck tonne of twee on there. A few wrong clicks and it can feel a little like you’ve strayed into
28 /February 2013/
outlineonline.co.uk
Kirsty Allsop’s homemade-vintage wet dream.
Unsure whether it’s for you? Well, ask yourself if you like browsing the following:
Animals. Usually pugs. Usually wearing outfits Beautiful people and their beautiful homes Life affirming mottos embroidered on cushions Crafts Food
LIVES YOU ARE NEVER GOING TO HAVE
And that last one’s vitally important, because the main thing you do on Pinterest is create a bank of things which you are never going to get around to doing. I have often thought that it would make an excellent documentary to follow the real lives of those who have the most aesthetically pleasing and creative boards. I can imagine you’d find them in a white-washed suburban bedsit, clicking away furiously at the Urban Outfitters website, and eating a microwave lasagne in their pants. And I am no exception to this rule.
To try and disprove the theory, I was tasked this month with recreating one of the long neglected recipe pins from my own account. Tere was a lot to choose from, but - rather rivetingly – it all came down to the need to polish off a few manky bananas. And this is the result; a banana and Nutella cake, which I – being the shit-hot wordsmith that I am – have renamed ‘Bananutella cake’. Whilst I didn’t actually use the given recipe, it’s where I got the idea from, and at the end of the day that’s what Pinterest is; a place for ideas... which you may or may not ever get off your arse and see to fruition.
Bananutella Cake
4 eggs 8oz caster sugar 8oz butter, softened 10oz plain flour 2 tsp baking powder 1tsp vanilla extract 3 ripe bananas, mashed 2tsp cinnamon
Icing 300g icing sugar 200g cream cheese 2 heaped tbsp Nutella
METHOD Mix together all of the cake ingredients, except the banana. I’m a great fan of bunging it all in together, but you can cream your butter and sugar and so forth, if you’re that way inclined. When smooth, stir in your bananas.
Decant into two round, greased cake tins and bake for about 45 mins at gas mark 3/160C. Check after half an hour by inserting a skewer into the middle – if it comes out clean your cake is done, if it’s got some mix on, shove it back in for another ten mins at a time until done.
Once cooked, allow your cake to cool and make the icing by mixing the icing sugar (you do have to sieve that I’m afraid), cream cheese and Nutella. Make sure to mix it well, so you have a smooth consistency. Ten splodge it on to your cake in whatever manner takes your fancy, and scoff.
Morgan writes her own, hilarious blog on the internet. You can visit it and do a laugh wee wee at
sodnigella.blogspot.co.uk
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