Rice Krispies Snowmen

I was recently invited to test some Christmas recipes that Jo Wheatley, winner of Great British Bake Off has developed for Kelloggs.  The recipes looked great, there were Rice Krispies Snowmen, a White Chocolate Tiffin or Christmas Star Biscuits.  I have already cooked up some Christmas biscuits with my daughter so thought we'd give the Rice Krispies Snowman a go as they look so cute.

Here is the recipe:

Rice Krispies Snowmen

200g Rice Krispies

400g white Marshmallows

50g butter

6 melted marshmallows

A handful of currants

Strips of jelly sweets (as many as you like)

300g fondant (either 2 different colours 200g for the hats & scarves 100g for scarves and noses or white and 2 gel colours)

Sprinkles for buttons

1.Melt the butter and marshmallows in a heat proof bowl in the microwave for about 60-90 seconds. Alternatively you can melt the butter in a pan, add the marshmallows and stir until melted.

2. Pour mixture into a large bowl and add Rice Krispies.  Mix all together until all the Rice Krispies are coated in marshmallow.

3. Use an Ice-cream scoop to get the snowmen’s body shapes, mould with buttered hands, compact together and then set the bodies to a side.

4. To make the heads, roll smaller amounts of mixture and mould with buttered hands, set aside to firm.  

5. To make fondant hats, roll out coloured fondant, about half a centimetre thick, cut 8 circles using a small round cutter (about 4cm), then shape a little top of the hat and glue together with a little water.

Make 16 sausages of fondant then twist together to make the scarves.

6. Shape 8 carrot noses.  

7. 'Glue' the snowman’s head and body together using the melted marshmallow, then cut 8 currants in half for his coal eyes. These should stick easily in to place, and then add three sprinkle buttons along his body. Finally add his hat, scarf and carrot nose.

The end result looked amazing and fantastic for my daughters Christmas party that took place yesterday.  My camera has given up the ghost so no pics I'm afraid.  But if you want a festive recipe that kids will love I definitely recommend this one.

Thanks to Kelloggs and Jo Wheatley for the recipe.

New Zealand Honey Co

Another fab item I have recently been sent is this amazing box full of natural remedies from the New Zealand Honey Co.  The wooden box itself is fantastic and my 7 year old daughter has already laid claim to it!  I'm sure it will be coloured in and decorated shortly for me to share with you.

The box was full of natural remedies including a selection of New Zealand Honey Co's goodies, a pack of peppermint tea, lemon juice, a clove of garlic, lavender oil, a packet of dried blueberries and some ground ginger.

The idea behing the box is everything you need to survive the winter season without grabbing packets of over-the-counter medicines from the local pharmacy.  The honey contains a range of antioxidant, antibacterial and pre-biotic properties to help keep our bodies in tip top shape and leaving us feeling full of vitality!  A definite must-have for a mother of twins working full-time!

I am a huge honey fan so very excited to look closely at the honey they sent through:

New Zealand Honey Co's Beech Forest Honeydew Honey - apparently ideal if you are in need of a little boost.  It has a pre-biotic rating of 20+ so one of the highest rated pre-biotic honeys in the world.  It is recommended to keep digestive systems in shape.  The honey feeds the good bacteria in the gut to neutralise harmful toxins and increases the absorption of nutrients.

New Zealand Honey Co's Thyme Honey - smells amazing and is meant to keep immune system on track.  Again a must-have when you have three kids at home carrying all sorts of bugs and germs!  This honey can help neutralise the harmful free radicals that cause anxiety, premature aging (sounds perfect) and other health problems.

Finally, the honey everyone knows - New Zealand Co's Manuka Honey - has an antibacterial rating of 15+, and is effective against a wide range of harmful bacteria, particularly coughs, colds and sore throats.  They recommend dissolving one tsp every few hours in your mouth.  Manuka honey has so many benefits, apparently it can also help treat skin infections, rashes, blemishes and sort spots.

I will be using this fabulous selection of natural remedies over the next few weeks so come back to see the results and whether I had to use any other forms of medication to get me and the family through the Winter!

Juppy Baby Walker

I was recently asked to review the Juppy Baby Walker and I have to admit I was not convinced either me or the twins would get along with it.  It is similar to a door bouncer, however you hold the straps and walk the baby round the room.  It looked slightly back aching so when it arrived it sat on the sideboard for a few days.

Last night, I decided to bite the bullet and try it on the twins, so we strapped them in and walked them round the room.  They both loved it!  They already love being on their feet so the idea of us walking them round the room totally appealed to them.   There was squeals of delight as we walked them towards each other and round to the Christmas tree.  They were so excited they were trying to bounce along rather than walk.

On to the technical side, it wasn't back aching at all and my twins are not small (18lb and 20lbs).  In fact it meant we didn't have to lean over holding on to their hands, we could stand upright holding their straps. 

I believe Juppy is American and there are a number of video clips on internet of how to use the walker, not that you need to watch them as it is so obvious how to use it.

One size fits all and it folds down so small you could carry it around in your changing bag.  In fact it comes in a lovely carrying bag.  Anyone can use it, my 7 year old daughter even had a go walking the twins round.  Using the Juppy Walker stops the babies falling over when they are walking along the furniture which is a definite plus point.  I'm forever hovering behind them in case they fall.

Both babies cried when we took them out of it so am sure we'll give it another go tonight.  Totally recommend buying it, trying to find out where it is stocked in the UK so will post asap along with price.  I'll be using them for a couple of months until the twins are walking properly so if anyone wants after me give me a shout and I'll forward them on.

The twins with their Nanny & Grandad in the Juppy Baby Walkers