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The Garden House (Devon, England)

The destinations are beginning to blur but looking at the tour guide booklet, I see that we are now in Plymouth. Today, we visited two gardens designed by Keith Wiley.  The first is The Garden House , where Wiley worked as Head Gardener for 25 years (from 1978-2003). The 10-acre estate was purchased in the 1940s by former Eton schoolmaster Lionel Fortescue and his wife Katherine. It was formerly home to the  vicars of Buckland Monachronum. The Fortescue's renovated the gardens and ran a market garden business and raised cattle.  The remains of some of the original buildings in the vicarage still stand in the garden and serve as a romantic backdrop in the Walled Garden - I loved the way they had massed ferns together. Just stunning! Surrounding the walled garden and venturing out away from the house are more naturalistic plantings  - Today, the head gardener is Nick Haworth, who was previously head gardener at Greenway , which we visited earlier.  Keith Wiley lef...
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Chocolate Banana Bread



More chocolate (can you tell I love it?) This one comes from AllRecipes.com. This is a good way to wreck your diet!

Chocolate Banana Bread

Ingredients

  • 1 cup butter or margarine, softened
  • 2 cups white sugar
  • 4 eggs
  • 6 ripe bananas, mashed
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease two 9x5 inch loaf pans.
  2. In a large bowl, cream together butter, sugar and eggs. Stir in bananas and vanilla. Sift in flour, baking soda and cocoa; mix well. Blend in sour cream and chocolate chips. Pour batter into prepared pans.
  3. Bake in preheated oven for 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into center of a loaf comes out clean.


Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy
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  1. DDecember 22, 2010 at 4:54 PM

    Good looking goodies, Phillip, this and the yule log. We love anything chocolate! all I have to do is look at it and I gain. ;) I shall have to try at least one of them.

    I wanted to be sure to wish you and your family a joyous and blessed Christmas, and say thank you for sharing in this past year.

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  2. EveDecember 22, 2010 at 7:21 PM

    OH MAN!!!
    I'm going to have to try this one!

    ReplyDelete
  3. serial tillerDecember 22, 2010 at 7:46 PM

    Phillip...you must stop posting all this food! I have gained 5# just from reading your recipes! LOL Have a great Christmas!

    ReplyDelete
  4. meemsnycDecember 22, 2010 at 9:31 PM

    Oooh, I love banana bread! And with chocolate, yummy goodness.

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  5. still goodDecember 23, 2010 at 6:10 AM

    What a beautiful photograph!!!!!!!!!!!

    I'm going to the kitchen now to make your chocolate mint cookies for Todd's b'day!!!

    ReplyDelete
  6. still goodDecember 23, 2010 at 6:14 AM

    that last post was from me (rebecca).

    ReplyDelete
  7. KellyDecember 23, 2010 at 10:39 AM

    I made this and it is AWESOME! Thanks Mr. Therapy!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Rob (ourfrenchgarden)December 24, 2010 at 12:34 AM

    Merry Christmas!

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  9. scottweberpdxDecember 24, 2010 at 11:57 AM

    mmmmmm...you had me at "chocolate"

    ReplyDelete
  10. compost in my shoeDecember 25, 2010 at 6:25 AM

    Diet, what is that about.......looks yummy!!

    ReplyDelete

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