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

Love Music Love Food - The Rock Star Cookbook

I was so excited to review the Love Music Love Food - The Rock Star Cookbook, in support of Teenage Cancer Trust.    I had seen mentions of it on Twitter so was eager to see the final result.

When my copy arrived, I ripped open the envelope with delight, made myself a cuppa and retired to the lounge to study the book in peace and quiet.

The book is a fantastic, hardback, book with stunning photography of musicians and their favourite foods.  Over 60 musicians are featured in the book, each driven by their support for Teenage Cancer Trust.  Artists include rock legends and emerging artists, many I know really well but there are some I hadn't really heard of.

The intro is written by Heston Blumenthal with photographs by Patrice de Villiers, who has developed a unique style and approach to food photography which is now in worldwide demand.

Some of the food/drink suggestions are quite simple, for example Paul Weller of The Jam has chosen Caffe Latte & Amaretti Biscotti as his favourite.  Noel Gallagher has selected a cup of Yorkshire Tea.  Others are slightly more complex - Roger Daltry from The Who, loves Trout, so Heston has supplied a recipe for Hay-Smoked Rainbow Trout, Pickled Lemon & Pea Shoots.  Professor Green is in there with Jerk Chicken, even Tinie Tempah is included with a delicious recipe for Seafood Linguine.  Of course, a Rock Star Cookbook wouldn't be complete without Sir Cliff Richard, he chooses Chicken Tikka Masala as his favourite dish.

It is such a beautiful book and I can't wait to read it cover to cover, it will certainly be taking pride of place on my coffee table (well out of the twins reach!). 

The photographs aren't just standard recipe shots, they show each celeb with their chosen food.  There's a fab shot of Siouie Sioux holding a fan of toast and baked beans, another of Rapper Example juggling with his favourite food - Jaffa Cakes.  The photography really adds another dimension to the book, making it a must-have.

Background info and a biog is included with each celebrity contributor, including details on why they have selected their chosen food.  Tony Hadley of Spandau Ballet, chooses Curry & Poppadoms and explains he tried his first curry when he was 18, and this began a lifelong love of powerfully spiced food, he's now a hot freak!

There's also quirky brief biogs at the back of the book including the celebs Top Moments.  Highlights of these include Kelly Jones of Stereophonics who quotes his Top Moment as playing to 200,000 people at a 2-day festival in 2001.

The book would definitely make a fantastic gift for someone, they don't necessarily have to be into their food to to enjoy the book, as it is so much more than that.

So, just to round up, a brilliant book, that is a must-have for any music or food lover.  I will definitely be recommending as a top-gift this Christmas, I can't wait to finish reading it!

Christmas Biscuits

As I mentioned in a previous post, me and my eldest hit the kitchen to practice cooking our Christmas biscuits.  Here is the recipe:

250g Butter
140g Caster Sugar
1 x egg yolk
2 x tsp vanilla essence
300g Plain Flour
1/4 tsp salt

1. Put the butter, caster sugar, egg yolk and vanilla essence in a large bowl and mix well.

2. Sift in the flour and add the salt.  Mix again to form a dough.
You can add cocoa powder with the flour if you want to do chocolate cookies, we meant to but forgot!

3. Press the dough firmly to make into a ball, you're going to get messy!


4. Roll out the dough to about 5mm thick, make sure the surface is well floured as it's rather sticky!

5. Cut out the shapes using the cookie cutters, make sure you press down firmly.   We used a Christmas tree, a star, some different size snowflakes and an angel (although it could've been a ghost!)

6. Gather up the excess pastry, roll into a ball and use the shapes to cut out some more cookies.

7. Lift the shapes up with a palette knife and place on a non-stick baking tray.

8. Cook in an oven for about 14 mins, then place on a cooling rack.

9. We iced our shapes and decorated with Christmas baubles but they were delicious plain. They were great fun to make, and we will be making again for Christmas pressies!

Smoked Fish Pate

Try this delicious Smoked Fish Pate recipe, it's so easy to make and is perfect as a supper party starter, or even to keep in the fridge for lunch - although it doesn't tend to last very long in my fridge!

Ingredients

 

2 x smoked mackerel fillets - I buy ones with added papper

1 x packet Boursin Poivre

125ml single cream

Rind and juice of 1 lemon

Method

1. Place all ingredients in a blender and mix until smooth

2. Pour into small ramekin dishes or a large dish and chill in fridge for 2-3 hours before serving.

3. Serve with a selection of breads and garnish with lemon slices and dill.

Unfortunately I didn't have any nice bread - just your standard Hovis!!  I also didn't leave in the fridge long enough so definitely make sure you leave for at least 2-3 hours

Review - Plum Baby Food

When I weaned the twins I focused on giving them home cooked food, cooking up all sorts of weird and wonderful vegetables and freezing them.  But, there are times when you just need a handy jar or pouch of ready-made product, particularly when you've got two hungry mouths to feed!!  I became aware of the Plum Baby Food this Summer when I was asked to take part in a baby food trial.  The twins loved the range of products I tried them with and I have to say I am now a regular purchaser of the products. 

The twins favourite Plum meals at the moment are the Red Cabbage & Chicken Casserole Meal and the Salmon & Spinach Bake.    The meals are just so natural tasting, yes I have tried them!  Both babies sit with their mouths open waiting for more, which is definitely not something that happens all the time!

The meals use all organic ingredients and come in handy-size pots, retailing at about £2.69 for the pictured pack of two.  It does sound expensive but in my opinion definitely worth it, the Plum products are so much tastier than other baby foods.

I struggle to buy Plum products in my local Tesco so ordered a bumper pack online - http://www.plum-baby.co.uk/ - for just £10 (great value for money) I was sent the following: 

1 x lemon chicken & sweetcorn pouch

1 x bean & beef stew

1 x minted peas with lamb

1 x spinach & salmon bake

1 x sweet potato & lamb hotpot
1 x spelt & apple munch fingers
1 x four grain with apple & apricot porridge 

The twins have worked their way through, and loved, everything except the porridge.  They are just not big breakfast fans, particularly porridge that you have to mix up.  I have finally now got them into Shreddies so will stick with this until they get bored again!  Then I will retry all the usual suspects - porridge, Weetabix, toast, etc!

I definitely recommend the Plum range of baby food, we'll be moving on to stage 3 soon, although they pretty much eat what we eat now, it is definitely handy keeping some emergency supplies!