Canapes

This weekend I am throwing a little canape & cocktail party for some of my friends, well I say I'm throwing it but its all gone a bit wrong!

I had organised with another friend to host at my house for about 15 of us.  Plans had been made to pack the kids off to my parents for the night and hubby out to a friends. However due to the dreaded sickness bug doing the rounds, the twins have only just recovered and my parents are currently struggling with, hubby is now staying home with the kids and another friend has kindly offered to host it.

We've asked everyone to make different cocktails, so have a great selection including Woo Woo's, Sex on the Beach, Cosmopolitans, Margaritas - using tequila I have infused with jalapeno peppers, Mojitos, Harvey Wallbangers and Vodka Martinis.

My recipe for Strawberry Margarita with Triple Sec

First infuse the tequila for 2 days.  For half a bottle of tequila use 1 chill, cut up with seeds removed.  I used Jalapeno but you can use serrano or Habanor.  Try not to leave any longer than 2 days as will make a bit too hot!!

Ingredients:
Handful of strawberries
1 x shot of lime juice
1 x shot of tequila
1/2 x shot of Triple Sec
crushed ice
2 whole strawberries to decorate

Pour all the ingredients (except whole strawberries) into a blender.  Blend at high speed for about half a minute.  Pour into a margarita glass.  Decorate with the whole strawberry and put sugar round the rim of the glass (dip lip of glass in lime juice and then onto plate of sugar).  Serve while still cold.



My and my friend are making a small selection of canapes so thought I would share with you the recipes I will be using:

Spinach & Feta Falafel

Ingredients:
200g baby spinach
400g can drained chickpeas
100g feta cheese
2tsp cumin
100g plain flour
vegetable oil, for frying
tzatziki, to serve

1. Pour a kettle of boiling water over baby spinach in a colander. When cool enough to handle, squeeze out any water - do this really well or your falafels will be too soft.  Pulse in a food processor with drained chickpeas, feta, cumin and plain flour until just combined.  Roll into tbsp-sized balls with well floured hands, then flatten into paatties.

2. Fry in batch in vegetable oil for 2-3 mins each side, then leave to cool. Place on a baking tray, cover with cling film and freeze.  To serve, defrost in the fridge overnight and cook at 180C/160C Fan/Gas 4 for 5-10 mis.  Serve with tzatziki.

Have tasted a couple to make sure they are okay, they taste great and really easy to do.  The only thing I would change for next time is add more cumin or another spice to give it more of a kick. 


Moroccan Spiced Meatballs

Ingredients:
500g minced turkey
1 medium onion
2 garlic cloves, crushed or chopped
2 tsp mild or medium curry power
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tbsp fresh coriander, chopped
1 egg, beaten
50g fresh breadcrumbs
1 tbsp olive oil

1. Heat oven to 180C/160C Fan/Gas 4
2. Put the mince into the mixing bowl. Add the onions, garlic, curry powder, cumin, garam   
    masala, cayenne pepper and coriander then mix up well. 
3. Add the beaten egg ad breadcrumbs, then mix again.
4. Divide the meat mixture into even-sized pieces and shape into balls (tsp size).  You should
    get about 20 meatballs. 
5. Heat the oil in the fyring pan over a medium heat and add the meatballs.  Cook them for
    5 mins turning until golden brown.  Remove from the pan and place them onto a baking tray. 
    Bake in the oven for 15-20 mins.
6. Remove from the oven.  Cool slightly and serve with tomato salsa.


Goats Cheese and Tomato Tartlets

Serves 4
500g pack of Saxby's fresh puff pasty
1 egg
6-8 plum tomatoes, sliced
100g goats cheese, cut into 4 slices
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Bunch of fresh thyme
Splash of olive oil

1. Roll out the pastry to 1/2 inch thickness. As I'm using this recipe for canapes I have using the
    rim of a mug to cut out the circle, if doing a starter you could use a saucer as a guide.  Place
    circles on a damp baking sheet and brush with beaten egg.

2. Arrange a circle of sliced tomatoes around the edge.

3. Bake at Gas Mark 7/220C/425F for 10 minsm then put a slice of goats cheese in the middle
    of each tart, season and sprinkle with thyme leaves and oil.

4. Bake for a further 5-10 minutes, until the pastry is golden and the cheese has melted slightly.

5. Serve hot or cold.

Will post back some pics of the food and cocktails after the party plus some comments on the food.  Should be a good night, although not looking forward to the hangover the next day!!

Hope you enjoy the canape recipes if you try them!

Twins 1st birthday

I can't believe the twins are now 1!

Twins and their big sister on their 1st birthday (end of the day which is why they look shattered)

Where has the year gone, I can't believe this time a year ago I was recovering in hospital after having one twin naturally and one by emergency c-section!

The twins have been an absolute joy and so very laid back, they have slotted into our hectic lives amazingly well, and, apart from a few awful nights due to ear infections it has been pretty much plain sailing.

Both me & my husband work full time but have an amazing child minder who has them 4 days a week and an amazing mum who has them one day a week.  Apart from one incident at my mums involving twin boy, a fake fireplace and some coal (ending up over pink carpet), they both enjoy looking after the twins.

The twins are so mischeavious and definitely look to each other for encouragement to be naughty.  We've had clothes pulled out of the washing machine, items put in the washing machine, stair gates opened, cupboards emptied, speakers knocked over and tv hit with various objects!! 

Both twins adore their older sister Jasmine (7) particularly chasing her round the house.  What's more Jasmine is so helpful to have around, running upstairs for nappies and wipes or keeping the twins amused while I tidy up! 

For their 1st birthday we ummed and ahhhed about what to do, big party with everyone, small party with family or a day out at a farm.  We opted for the small party at home with family and had a lovely day with the twins being thoroughly spoilt!

Far too much food leftover so know I will be eating cake and pizza for the next week! Not great for the waistline, I'm a bridesmaid in June so need to diet soon!!

Nopi

I went to Nopi a couple of weeks ago, what can I say - it was amazing!  The food, decor and atmosphere were all fantastic.

Unfortunately I didn't have my camera on me so am unable to share any pics of the food, but if you want somewhere fun where you order lots of beautiful dishes to share, this place is spot on.

The dishes kept coming and there was not one dish I could find fault with!  My favourite veg dish was the Valdeon Cheesecake, pickled baby beetroot, truffle honey.  Fish, the Seared Prawns, tomato butter, fennel, olives, Pernod were to die for and for meat, the Seared lamb cannon, caleriac and barberry salad, green chilli sauce just delicious.

I'm already looking for an excuse to go back so if anyone wants to accompany me let me know!!

John Crane toys

John Crane Ltd are now working with Emma Talbot, the new face in the illustration industry.  I have been sent a limited print which I will definitely be framing for one of the twins bedrooms, it is gorgeous!

This year will see all the new Tidlo toys from John Crane Ltd featuring Emma's illsutrations - so make sure you keep your eyes open for them - it could be a puzzle, a farm or cuddly toy.  

I personally think the designs are fantastic, so bright and colourful and I'm sure all kids will love them.   

 

Emma Talbot has been a designer for over 14 years and has a passion for art, photography and making people smile with her work.  She has a baby daughter and loves rabbits so many of her illustrations include bunnies.

 

John Crane toys suppliers of beautiful toys suitable for ages 1+, they have their own range - Tidlo which include fantastic wooden toys - lovely train tracks with wooden trains, a baking set and some great chunky puddles.

I will be putting an order in for some belated goodies for the twins 1st birthday.  I particularly like the colour & shape matching puzzle and the pull-along alligator which I know the twins would love.

You can buy their toys from Next, Amazon, Great Little Trading Company. Visit site here - www.john-crane.co.uk to see their fantastic range of toys and full list of where you can buy.

Naty Babycare products

I recently took part in a nappy trial for Naty UK, the natural, environmentally friendly baby products.  I had not used any of the products before but can honestly say I was really impressed with the nappies.  The nappies absorbed well and the twins were both comfortable in them, they didn't leave any marks and were easy to put on and remove.  Will certainly swap my usual brand to purchase these in the future.


As a thank you for trailing the nappies on the twins, Naty UK sent me through a goodie box of products including some Eco bubble bath, Eco Shampoo, Eco body lotion, Eco body wash and Eco baby wipes.

After being so impressed with the nappies, I couldn't wait to try the products.  All the products use natural ingredients, they are based on biodegradable active ingredients, hypoallergenic and dermatologist tested.  They contain no perfumes, dyes or parabens and are mild on skin and eyes.  The packaging is also fully recyclable.

Starting with the bubble bath, we were very impressed, lots of fabulous white bubbles that certainly hasn't affected the twins skin in anyway.  There was no strong perfume and after a session with the twins splashing in the bath there were still lots of bubbles.

We were equally impressed with the other products, the wipes cleaned really well and again were not strongly perfumed.  The shampoo worked well and again was mild so no red eyes.  And the same goes for the Body Wash and Lotion.

I can definitely say I have found a range of products I really like and do not affect the twins skin.  They are natural and environmentally friendly.

I've also just found out the company are launching a range of organic children's clothes this year too - very exciting, so watch this space.  Will post more info as soon as I find out more!

Finally, I'm delighted to announce Naty UK have given us an extra set of their toiletries to give away here on the blog. To enter simply retweet and comment below and I will pick a lucky winner next week.  Good Luck!

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!