food

The one hour Valentine

- TracyB 8 Comments

So I was on Twitter and Facebook for a while yesterday having a nosey at what everyone was getting up to on Valentines Day. We don’t really ‘do’ valentines after being married for almost 20 years! I prefer to have something planned on my anniversary instead.

Yesterday was no different and we just exchanged cards before OH went off to work. The kids were at school all day and OH wasn’t going to be in until almost 7pm. Instead of a relaxing Friday night my taxi duties started at around 5ish as I had to go and pick up my 13yr old from a friends house and drop him to his drama class. My eldest was cooked some food before he headed of to his club and was due to be picked up around 9.30pm.

As you all know the weather was horrendous so I spent much longer in the car on my journey’s than I had intended but I did manage to pop into a local Sainsbury’s and grab a £10 meal deal complete with wine!

So, after my youngest was home from drama and my OH had returned home I had the dinner ready as we had ONE WHOLE HOUR to eat and chill before the last club pick up. So not exactly a big extravaganza but at least I didn’t have to cook.

I did manage to clear half the table from the rubbish that gets piled on top of it and we did sit there for our food, and I even went to the trouble of lighting candles and everything LOL

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But we were not alone!!

Talk about being watched!
Talk about being watched!

Then our youngest decided he would have some too so he came and joined us as well. We had our yummy desert before my OH left on the last pick up but unfortunately I was so eager to tuck in I didn’t take a picture but I can assure you it was lush. My OH did partake in alcohol once he had finished driving and by then I was in bed …………… and not for the reason you would expect!!

So that was it, all thrown together in an hour but at least the sentiment was there.

How was your Valentines?

 

Best ‘Feel Good’ Chicken soup ever!

- TracyB 2 Comments

Well in my opinion obviously. In the winter I love soups, my boys don’t generally unless it’s tinned tomato and my OH generally is of the opinion soup is not a proper dinner!

However, I could live off the stuff and in the winter when everyone is more tired and run down they can be great immune system busters.

This chicken soup I have made lots recently and will have it at lunchtime on it’s own or for dinner with some crusty bread. It’s warming, filling and altogether yummy.

Ingredients

1x leek chopped

1x large carrot chopped

1x celery stalk chopped

1x medium potato chopped

1x sweet potato chopped / or a good handful of chopped swede

800ml chicken or vegetable stock ( I use 1 veg and 1 chicken cube in 800mls water)

2-3 chicken legs or thighs raw

some mixed herbs

salt and plenty of black cracked pepper

* Put all the ingredients in a large pot, bring to the boil and then simmer for about an hour.

*Take out the chicken pieces and remove the meat from the bone, then put the meat back in the soup.

* Mix the chicken through and if you need to mash some of the veg against the side of the pot to thicken and add any extra salt and pepper to taste

LUSH, full of veg, all the goodness from the chicken……………….like I said ‘The Best Feel Good Chicken Soup Ever!

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Walkers Mighty Lights Review

- TracyB Leave a comment

I was lucky enough to come home from a great camping holiday, with the home journey from hell (thanks to the very lovely M25!) to these beauties:

 

 

 

 

 

 

I know a fab welcome home gift! Sent for us to review and give our opinion on.

Now I could just open them and throw them at the tween and teen as though they were wild animals in the zoo ( let’s face it they act like it most of the time) however, the most I would get from them is a grunt of approval for not force feeding them fruit and veg.

It became apparent that the only one showing lots of interest in both the box and the bags was the ‘Diva’ of the house- No not me you evil lot *glares all around* my 3 year old cat who literally rules this school!

So much so that I couldn’t even turn my back from a bag or I was faced with this:

CAUGHT IN THE ACT!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

She’s a bit like the man from Del Monte (remember him or am I just showing my age?- no don’t answer that) if she approves then it’s a YES all round!

The DIVA CAT says YES!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now these crisps were given the thumbs up in this gaff and not just because the Diva Cat said so. First of all we like ridged crisps- they just make you feel your getting more for your money somehow ( c’mon you know the feeling of opening a bag of crisps and being disappointed at the measly amount inside). To be honest ready salted goes down well with us and these Walkers Mighty Lights were no different, in fact they had almost a ‘meaty’ flavour of their own which we all commented on (apart from the cat as that would be silly!).

Here’s the technical stuff:

 They come in 3 flavours- Roast Chicken, Cheese and Onion and Lightly Salted

There is approx 114 cals / 4.7g fat (0.5g sats) in each bag

They are 30% less fat than normal crisps

They are ridged (my fav’s)

There are no artificial flavours or preservatives or MSG, they are suitable for vegetarians, and are a source of Fibre!

So being lower in fat you don’t feel as guilty when you treat yourself to a bag or pop them into the kids lunches.

Now my absolute fav flavour crisp is Salt and Vinegar however they don’t do this flavour in Mighty Lights as yet but I will keep my fingers crossed for the future.

But don’t just take the Diva Cat’s word for it why not try them for yourselves?

 

DISCLOSURE: I was sent the items for review purposes and was compensated for my time- however, all words and views are my own- I can’t help it I like crisps!

My Hungry2Happy Challenge

- TracyB 3 Comments

Hungry2Happy Challenge

I came across Britmums Hungry2Happy Challenge and it isn’t something I would normally do but lets face it £200 Tesco vouchers or £700 Centre Parcs Vouchers is nothing to be sniffed at.

Normally when I see these food challenges a lot of them are aimed at getting younger children to eat and that’s one of the reasons I wanted to join in with this one. My boys are now 12 and 15 years old and seem to be always hungry.  So this one is for the teens.

When I saw it was to use Richmond’s new mini meatballs I knew my boys would eat them, we already like Richmond’s Irish recipe sausages. So with that in mind I aimed the meal at something more teen friendly with an element of fast food.

There are days where we have after school clubs that are timed so that dinner would be too early but they wouldn’t feel like eating if it was too late!! So I decided that my meatball  sub would be a great fast food alternative for teens.

This was very quick to make up and cook through and with ingredients that I would naturally have in my house. Nothing fancy needed, that’s a bonus!

Hungry2Happy challenge

1. Put the meatballs in the oven to cook for 8minutes, add the ciabbatta rolls, 1 for each person.

2. Dice the onion and the mushrooms, cook in a little olive oil while the meatballs are cooking.

3. Once the meatballs are done add to the pot with the onion and mushrooms and crumble on the Oxo cube.

Hungry2Happy challenge

4. Stir in the tomatoes and add a decent shake of the Italian spice and cook through for around 10 minutes until the sauce has thickened.

Hungry2Happy challenge

5. Cut the rolls open, butter if you prefer, and add a couple of spoonfuls of the meatball mixture and serve!

* you could add cheese on top

* you could serve open with salad or closed as a sub!

Time taken- 20 minutes in total and I would bet that it would be great kept in the fridge and reheated the next day for seconds.

hungry2happy challenge
I added a compulsory bit of greenery!!

Simples!!

This post is an entry for BritMums Hungry to Happy Challenge sponsored by Richmond Mini Meatballs. You will find more details of the challenge here

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A hidden treasure found in Greenwich!

- TracyB Leave a comment

I stumbled upon this little hidden treasure in Greenwich a week or two ago. I hadn’t been down to the market ( which I love to mooch around) for quite some time, but I was chaperoning my son on a photo shoot there and he happened to be in the next shop!

Mighty Fine Choc and Fudge!

Granted it doesn’t look too eye grabbing, however, this is a new venture after starting on a stall in Spittlefield Market. This is their 1st premises and they do make everything FRESH in their kitchen here!

This is what caught our eye initially……….

YES THAT IS A BATHTUB FULL OF MINI EGGS!!!!!

Enough to entice anyone in I should think. They have a great competition running at the moment (probably a week or two left) where you have to guess how many eggs in the tub……………BRILLIANT!

Try a guess on their Twitter feed @chocandfudge

I’m going to guess but send my OH if I win as he weighs much more than me LOL

I cheekily asked to try some of their signature makes, salted caramel fudge, milk and dark chocolate, chocolate fudge to name a few……………………………..

but check out the pics below to see some of the more unusual makes

just some of the fudge on display and freshly made
Check out some of the more unusual makes
Some freshly made just out of their kitchen!!!

I feel it is important to help promote local businesses in these far from easy economic times, especially one as ‘feel good’ as this little treasure.

The staff were VERY friendly and in fact encouraged you to come in and have a taste test before you buy- that’s how strongly they believe in their products.

Their name basically says what it is on the tin…………...Mighty Fine Choc and Fudge………in my humble opinion it totally lives up to the name. My OH totally endorses their dark chocolate saying it was much nicer than the regular Bournville! I am a total milk chocolate snob with only Galaxy and Diary milk meeting my high criteria, however, I tried their milk chocolate and biscuit slab which just melted in my mouth leaving no bitter cocoa aftertaste and absolutely went down a storm with a good ol’ cuppa.

My favourite had to be the Salted Caramel fudge, as fudge should be, sweet and sickly but oh soooooo moreish! So if you are watching your weight this probably isn’t the shop for you , but for a total treat or a great pressie for someone with a sweet tooth then this is the place to go.

I will go back, in fact I have to go back as they had told me about one of their signature makes that they unfortunately didn’t have at the time…………..CHOCOLATE BACON!!!

Yes you heard it here first, chocolate bacon??? I can see how this would work but I will DEFINITELY need to try.

Be warned @chocandfudge I will be back!

 

DISCLAIMER: I was not approached by this company for a review I simply saw it and tried and wanted to promote. I have not received any payment for this review and the opinions are totally my own view!

 

St Patrick’s Day!

- TracyB 2 Comments

Yesterday we celebrated St Patrick’s Day. Not that I am southern Irish or catholic!! I do have the accent though. However, living in England, married to an Englishman with 2 English sons it’s just nice to get them thinking about the fact I’M NOT FROM HERE!! LOL

Anyway it is a true excuse to terrorize them with LOADS of diddly diddly music, Irish food and all things green.

So here’s how it went:

Yummy beef in Guinness with a clover shaped pastry top, champ and cabbage!
A bit of this also…………..the teen is NOT happy!

I would have liked to head up to the parade in London this year, however, one son had extra piano lessons today and the other had his Lamda practice…………..so it wasn’t to be.

I am waiting until they are both over 18 so we can go on a proper long weekend in Dublin, complete with a tour of diddly diddly bars, a few Guinness’s and yummy food! Until then my friends it’s down to me to keep the madness going!

What did you get up to?

Life since my trauma!

- TracyB 2 Comments

So I haven’t posted for a while since my trauma in London a few weeks ago- if you haven’t already then check it out here . It has taken me a while to get over the shock.

But I have also had a lot of mundane normal stuff going on. My youngest is in yr 6 and due to leave so we have been organising the Leavers party

We wont mention the Ralph Lauren Polo top I had to drive to Ashford for on my birthday!!

CD photo books and after school picnic’s and water fights!!

In between that I had my birthday. Yes *groan* another year older and wiser. Although I had to drive to Ashford designer outlet for my son’s Leaver’s party shirt (typical) I had a great day. It was very chilled, me and the OH had a lunch out and did my pressies when the boys came home from school.

A nice roast dinner out with the boys!
Complete with dessert

Sorry for the bad pics they were taken on my phone by my youngest in poor light!!

Anyway, moving on I came home to these…………

I also managed to squeeze a relaxing day fishing with the OH ( YES I DID SAY FISHING!) and I caught………………………………….wait for it……………………………….57 fish!!! AMAZING!

Ok I will admit some of them really were tiddlers however I was pleased to be catching some slightly bigger ones too.

Now concentrate on the size of the fish rather than the state of my barnet!! It had been raining people!!!

Sadly, I really have got into this fishing malarkey- even to the point of taking the hooks out after the catch!!! Something I thought I would never do.

Then we had some Groupon vouchers to use up for Namco up in London. I must say the deal was fab as we got over £50 in tokens for only £14!! Now I wasn’t expecting too much of the place, never having been there myself. I thought we would be in and out in an hour. How wrong could I be we spent several hours in there enjoying bowling, bumper cars, and arcade games!!!

The boys racing each other on the bikes!
The 3 of them gearing up for the race!

So that’s me caught up I think. I’m now preparing myself for an emotional week as my youngest goes through the traditions of the last week of primary school!

Cue the tears……………………………….

What have you all been up too??

Top tips for camping with families

- TracyB 6 Comments

Top tips for camping with families

Having just had a week away at half term camping in Dorset, I started thinking why I love being away camping. Something that would have had me breaking out in a sweat a few years ago. So I thought I would share a few top tips for camping with families.

Top Tips for camping with families
This is me and my friend celebrating getting set up and starting a week away!

THE TRICK IS TO BE ORGANISED!

 Print off a camping list…

Of any of the main camping equipment online. Or make your own using their list as a starting point. Check the  list against your equipment several weeks before you go. Tick off the stuff you have and listing the stuff you need to get.

Make a shopping list..

Make a shopping list just for the time you are away. PLAN YOUR MEALS and take the basics with you. So, if your plan is to have a curry make sure you have the jar of sauce and then buy your meat fresh on the day.

Cool box and freezer blocks…

A good cool box and freezer blocks are essential for milks and butter to keep cold. I tend to freeze a pack of bacon and sausages to take for a cooked breakfast on our 1st morning there. They will also act as freezer blocks for the first day but will have defrosted well for the first mornings breakfast.

Go prepared…

Go prepared for cold and warm weather this is the UK after all.. Woolly hats and hot water bottles for the colder evenings and possible shorts and sun cream for warmer days.

Take games…

Take games suitable for your children and family to play. We take Uno cards and several decks of cards for Black Jack and Solitaire. Pens and writing pads for Hangman/ Battleship. These really don’t take up much space but can provide a few hours of entertainment on a rainy day. Don’t forget games for outsidetoo, such as,  football/ bats and balls/ Frisbees. These will all help keep the kids entertained after dinner in the evening.

Get the kids involved…

Get the kids involved by giving them some responsibility. Let them pack a small bag of things they want to bring for their own amusement like books, head torches, trump cards etc. Also during the camp try giving older kids a chore, such as, filling the water bottles, washing up, or taking rubbish to the bins etc.

Take Flasks…

Take flasks because not only are these fab to take out with you during the day for a sneaky cuppa. But we fill them at dinner time to make teas and hot chocolates before bed. Instant hot water when the kids are tired and don’t want to wait for the kettle to boil.

Take a windbreaker…

Take a windbreaker to mark an area close to your tent space. These can help create a great cooking area if your tent does not have a porch. Also they are easy to uproot and take with you for a day at the beach, presuming you get sunshine.

Disposable BBQ…

Disposable BBQ’s can be picked up for a few quid in most places. They are great alternative to take to the beach for a lovely evening with a Hot Dog or Burger thrown in for a cheap and easy dinner. Sometimes we don’t even bother with the BBQ.  We just use one of our single stoves and a frying pan for the same results. They are portable so make use of them.

Relax and enjoy…

Relax and enjoy the time. There doesn’t need to be a strict regime like at home. No one will be knocking at your door. The ironing and cleaning do not need doing. Have a break from social media. Take each day as it comes, late mornings/ late bedtimes/ extra snacks and treats. THIS IS YOUR HOLIDAY AFTER ALL!

Let me know if you go camping and have some tips I haven’t mentioned here.

Top tips on getting your family involved in party planning.

- TracyB Leave a comment

With all the celebrations coming up you can find great hints and tips for parties, picnics, tea party’s all over the Internet.

I think it’s important with any occasion ( birthdays, Christmas, Easter etc) that the kids get fully involved otherwise I think it would be difficult to celebrate these events as they get older. I believe in the importance of celebrating things along the way and would love my boys to still be doing some of my little traditions when they both have children.

If your the same and love to get the children involved then tune into a great WebTV show today at 3pm.

With last year’s Royal Wedding celebrations still a fond memory for most; the excitement is now building for this summer’s celebration – The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee! It is fast approaching and many of us are preparing to party – and panic!  

Whether you are attending one of the thousands of street parties that are set to take place, or having your own Jubilee celebrations, there are lots of ways to get the whole family involved and take the pressure off at the same time…

The Flour Advisory Bureau is launching a campaign to remind people to Love their Loaf this Jubilee year and to help us avoid any catering crises, they have put together an invaluable free party planning tool kit to help people across Britain plan effectively for what looks sure to be a record breaking few months of socialising and entertaining.

From classic buffet recipes, tips for truly modern sandwiches, delicious drinks to pour and advice on handling your guests, the guide contains everything you might need to deliver a Jubilee party to remember.

Over half of those planning on organising parties during this summer of celebration, whether it is street or back garden based, proudly proclaim they will be making everything, or almost all of their party food from scratch. But what will feature on our menus and what quintessential British dishes are the must-haves for our patriotic parties?

Tune into our live and interactive webTV show where celebrity baker, Paul Hollywood, and event planner, Catherine Borowski, show you how to party plan as a family.

Show date: Thursday 24th May

Show time:  3pm

Tune into our live and interactive webTV show to hear more from Paul Hollywood, Celebrity Master Baker and judge on the BBC’s Great British Bake Off and event planner Catherine Borowski.

Paul Hollywood and Catherine Borowski join us live online at http://www.studiotalk.co.uk/show/party-planning-masterclass on 24th May 2012 at 3pm

Click here to submit questions before the show: http://www.studiotalk.co.uk/show/party-planning-masterclass

Rowntrees Fruit Bottle Review

- TracyB Leave a comment

Rowntrees Fruit Bottle ReviewI was lucky enough or should I say my boys were very happy to get the opportunity to review the new Rowntrees Fruit Bottles that have hit the shops.

As many of you know we are a sweet loving family!! My OH mainly who could eat a whole bag of wine gums without blinking an eye.

Anyway this is what we were sent:

Look good don’t they. Very retro with the bottle carrier and placed in bottles giving them an added curiosity.

So here are the bags on which you can see it states 25% fruit juice an they have NO artificial colours,flavours or preservatives.

Now although we love a sweet or two here we are also very picky about what we like. I’m very old style with traditional ‘sweet shop’ sweets being my fav’s…………..you know Cherry Lips, Fruit Salads, Cola Bottles.

Mr B  likes his wine gums and American hard gums.

The kids like a mixture and not the same thing either!! One likes fizzy and the other doesn’t.

So probably the best household to send them to as we all have our own opinions and don’t mine saying them!!

What Rountrees say:

fruit bottles are the perfect throwback to the retro cola bottles of old, only now they come in 5 fruity flavours and contain 25% fruit juice! We hope they give you a delicious blast from the past….

 SO OUR VERDICT ON THE ROWNTREES FRUIT BOTTLES?

Me : nice flavour and quite fruity but a bit too soft for me- sorry I like a chewy sweet!!

Mr B : loved them for taste and softness. A hit with the sweetie lover!

Eldest: liked them but Rowntrees Randoms are still his favourite!!

Youngest : Liked them, couldn’t say why, he likes sweets- all kinds and these were a hit with him!

So there you have it- you can’t please everyone but you can certainly please most! A hit in our view as a treat for your young ones or yourself if your anything like us.

You can visit their Facebook page atwww.facebook.com/rowntrees for more info.

DISCLOSURE- we were sent the above six bottle pack of Rowntrees fruit Bottles free for review purposes only.