Christmas Craft: Melted Snowman Biscuits

I saw these going around the internet on various sites and we had to have a go too.  I'm terrible at making dough - I've lost count of how many gingerbread men got binned as it wouldn't roll, I even burnt homemade playdough!!! So thought it best to buy some rich tea biscuits...... except I forgot and ended up hunting the internet for an easy recipe even I couldn't mess up, and it worked, the biscuits were perfect (well they could have done with more flavour but hey ho can't win 'em all).

These biscuits are perfect for cookie cutters as they do not get any bigger during the cooking process (yes I have also made GIANT cookies after forgetting this detail!)

Recipe: Um Bongo Jelly

Um Bongo, Um Bongo, They drink it in the Congo......

.....but in Sheffield we like to eat it as well.

Um Bongo first came to be in 1983, however as I was only 1 I'm guessing I didn't get to try it until a few years later.  It was certainly a staple drink in our house, the yummy combination of tropical flavours; apple, lemon, orange, pineapple, passion fruit and mandarin was far tastier then boring orange juice yet still super healthy.  And lets not forget that packaging and ever so catchy song that went along with it..... admit it, as soon as the product was re-launched in 2011 we were singing along to the words like it was only yesterday we last heard them.

Well 30 years later and the product is every bit as tasty as I remembered it, the packaging every bit as eye catching and the song exactly as I remembered.

Recipe: Rock Buns

This year was the 100 year centenary of Ben's school, which meant lots of fun and festivities.  Among this was a dress up day and a bake sale at the school fair.

The dressing up bit was relatively painless, thanks to ebay.

But the baking element ... well actually I had an idea for this before I was even asked.  You see 20+ years ago (ouch) we did exactly the same.  MY primary school took a step back to the Victorian age.  We dressed up, we had an experience day and we (well I guess my mum) did some baking.  What did she cook?  Rock Cakes (buns).

I distinctly remember dressing up and taking my basket of Rock Buns to Colne Valley Railway.  From what I remember these buns were slightly more rock then bun.  With this in mind my confidence was grown, even if I overcook these no one will notice :)

Make it: Turkey Twirls

Lots of things recently have had be reaching for the past and none more so then the other day when someone mentioned those immortal words "Turkey Twizzlers".  Produced by Bernard Matthews back in 2005, when your school dinner cost 45p a day, these yummy items were removed from schools and discontinued because Jamie Oliver branded them unhealthy.
  Excitement mounted in this house when, in 2014, Bernard Matthews applied to trademark "Oliver Twists" which sounded very similar, there doesn't appear to have been any movement since unfortunately.

So it got me thinking... how hard can they really be to make? They were basically turkey (34%) and 39 other ingredients (approx) including water, pork fat, rusk, wheat starch, three sweeteners, hardened or hydrogenated vegetable oil, colourings and flavourings. OK so mine will have to be a bit healthier then them
  Obviously Turkey Twizzlers would be trademarked so Ben re-named our version "Turkey Twirls".

Microwave "Jaffa Cake" Cake

Last weekend we decided it was time for baking,.. but what.  Then inspiration hit, how about a hugeee Jaffa Cake.  So I set about seeing how other people did it.

But then I remembered I don't 'do' baking (because my oven hates cakes).  So I set about thinking ... I am positive this can be done in the microwave.

Here's how we did it (over 2 days).

Homemade Garlic Bread

We were really excited to try Tesco Ingredients Garlic and Herb butter as part of the Tesco Orchard Programme the other week and decided this would be a great time to teach the boys how to make homemade garlic bread.
   It is soo easy to do and something we are sure to try again.

We went for the Tesco Crusty White Farmhouse Bread Mix at 80p for 500g. This mix will make 1 large loaf, 10 small rolls or 4 x 20cm (8 inch) thin pizza bases.  We went for rolls of various sizes.

The mix comes with instructions on for both oven bake and bread machine, and whilst I would love a bread machine we don't own one and had to go for the oven method.

The great thing about making bread is that the boys could be involved at every step, yes mummy had to step in and help to mix as it got thicker but they learnt loads not just about cooking processes but also about how bread rises.

Tesco Ingredients Dairy range - a review

Readers to my blog will know that I am part of the Tesco Orchard Programme which allows me to try their various services and foods for free or at a reduced price.  You will also know how picky my family are.

The Tesco Ingredients Dairy range is rather limiting at the moment.   It is designed to feature ingredients that will turn everyday cooking into something different, special.  They do this thanks to the special blend of flavours and ideas Tesco have obtained from around the world.

You should be able to buy items such as; “Spanish Chorizo and Smoked Paprika Cheesy Toppers”, “Parmesan and Tomato Butter” and “Stroganoff Cooking Sauce”,
  Tesco provide some amazing looking recipes:

Mince and Chips

It sounds a strange combination doesn't it, but when you have a fussy 6yr old when it comes to meat you will try anything to get them to eat cheaper meals.

Once he'd turned his nose up at it and I explained it was just broken up beefbuger and he'd worked out that by squishing it together he could make meatballs he soon ate it up.

Here's my recipe for quick n easy mince and chips.



1) Put some chips in the oven (if using a fryer then cook when appropriate)
2) Brown some mince. then drain off any fat.

Freshly harvested fruit and veg make the perfect .... dessert

If you were reading my blog the other week you'll have read all about how Tesco are passionate about bringing us seasonal flavours to enhance our meals.  Not only this but they like to ensure all their harvested fruit and vegetables is fresh and of the highest quality.  

You will already know that if you see the Red Tractor logo on their products you can be assured they are working with suppliers who have passed rigorous production standards to bring you the best possible food.  It's no secret where Red Tractor food comes from, you can trace it all back to the farm it originated on.

And of course you will already have seen that Tesco set some of their Orchard Club members a challenge, to use their freshly harvested products and let everyone know about them. 

Microwave chocolate chip brownie recipie

Back in February I posted my super quick, fool proof Microwave Chocolate Brownie recipe....today I'm going to introduce you to a variation born from necessity.

I'm not normally one to play around with recipes as I don't trust the outcomes... but needs must.  So with no cocoa powder in the cupboards (HOW expensive is that stuff at the moment!!) here's the amazing yummy chocolaty fix I came up with.

Lego cake

Noahs birthday started off much like any other soon to be 3 year old ..... with a request for a Hulk cake.  Sure I could buy some icing picture off ebay (or somewhere) and a sponge cake .... or I could make it myself .... that was where the trouble started!!




With the boys we did a trial run a couple of weeks ago using red food colouring (to make a spiderman cake) - it didn't give quite the colour intensity I was hoping for....




So armed with green gel colour (which my friend advised would work much better) I set about the cake making mission.  The flavour of the Spiderman cake was lovely so we used  the same recipe.

I also bought multicoloured ready rolled icing and dug out the Lego silicone moulds.  Hulk himself was going to prove a challenge ... there was nothing online I felt confident copying so I went with a simple (well ..) marble cake with green icing, Lego man and bricks.

'spiderman' cake

I was informed by my boys on Sunday that we were going to be "making a Spiderman cake today"....... reallly??!!

So we did .... and here is how we did in in case you want to try. It was the best recipe I've ever used soo moist, sweet and sugary with a beautiful flavour.
  It is taken from the "Chocolate Box" book, which has the scrummiest recipes in.  I liked this one because it used real chocolate instead of cocoa (which I refuse to pay over £2 a tub for!).
It does tell you the recipe for chocolate butter icing but we just used normal icing sugar and coloured it.

Slow Cooked Lasagne

An easy favourite in our house, especially with picky "that bits too hard" boys and a mum who will do anything for am easy tea.  Ok so it may not look as nice as when you make it in the oven but the taste is lovely.

Not just that but it's pretty cheap to make too.  We got a large pack (900g of mince conveniently already split into 2 halves) for half price as short dated.  The Dolmio Lasagne packs (5 family) are less than £2 in Home Bargains which is considerably cheaper then supermarkets.

Choccydreamalicious megachewy sundae

We love going to Sizzling Pubs and eating their absolutely amazing Supercurlycrunchielistic Choccaberry Sundae's.... unfortunately the last time we went we were a tight budget and arrived 30 mins too early for the
'grill night' so had to watch the boys eat their ice creams with none for us.




Armed with a microwave brownie recipe, some mini eggs, flumps, chocolate buttons, home made chocolates, squirty cream, butterscotch sauce, sprinkles and neapolitan ice cream i set about creating our own.

Microwave Chocolate Brownie recipe

We needed a quick chocolate fix and these Microwave Chocolate Brownies really fitted the bill

What you will need:

150g butter
65g unsweetened cocoa powder
200g sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
100g plain flour

A microwave tray - we used a silicone one as the flexibility also made it easy to remove the cooked brownies.

Winter Warming Recipe - Deconstructed Shepherds Pie

It's soo cold outside, we had snow this morning.  So as much as my post-Christmas body is crying out for salad and fruit my head is screaming junk food and fatty warm hearty meals.

After shopping in my local supermarket the other night I was drawn to some lamb mince.  So as part of the The Co-operative Electrical's competition for the chance to win  £750 worth of electrical goods here's tonight's very simple recipe for deconstructed shepherds pie..... ok mince, veg and mash.

I'll admit it, I am a little bit of a cheat, but I'm a full time working mum, there isn't time when I get in at 6 o'clock to make mash potato from scratch, especially when it is soo cheap to buy frozen.  I also don't 'do' quantities (as you'll know if you read my sweeter posts, such as Rocky Road) if I have it I throw it in.

Malteser Traybake

With Maltesers at around £1 a box in many supermarkets at the moment I felt the urge to make a maltesers traybake.

Although we didn't expect it to need quite as many maltesers as it took our version ended up very much like a rocky road with maltesers in. :) It still tasted fantastic.

Raspberry and Dark Chocolate Flapjack

WOW a completely different taste from the raspberry and white chocolate we made a few months ago. Still far too sticky tho, but this was because we didn't have enough oats (and yesss I put in too much golden syrup again). But the most amazing taste when the mixed spice hits.

It's a fantastically easy recipe for the kids to help with as well.

Easy Cheesy Muffins

Although I have loads of chocolate in the house that really needs eating up I just could not bring myself to make chocolate muffins (but guess what i now REALLY want sat here writing this post?!).  Instead we turned our attention to Cheese Muffins.

Christmas Rocky Road

I feel very privileged to be writing this blog post for Attachment Mummy as she settles into her crazy Christmas with her (now 3) lovely children.   When she requested Christmas themed posts I knew I had to share my favourite treat with you all .... Rocky Road Bites.

Yes sure, you can buy it from that well know high street bakery or your local supermarket but there's something special about making your own, not to mention you get a lot more for your money.

Out of everything I make this is the one that gets requested time and time again by small boys and husband alike....not to mention my work colleagues and (as of today) the builders putting our new windows in.