Munchies and Munchkins

Food and travel

You are here: Home / Archives for munchiesandmunchkins

Homemade Bread For Christmas

· by · Leave a Comment

Is there anything better than that smell of homemade bread wafting through your home?

Fresh, crusty and warm slathered in salty butter – bliss. Perhaps not the best for my diet but it’s a treat.

I’ve just started planning our Christmas food – yes I’m that person. I’ve got ideas for Christmas Eve – Sous Vide Gammon and salad bits..Turkey for the big day and party food for the next week šŸ˜‰

We tend to eat a lot of bread based products over the festive period.. From Toasted Pannetone to slices of French baguette smothered with my gooey cranberry Camembert YUM.

I’ve decided I really want that fresh bread smell as we wake on Christmas Day so of course I’m going to need a new breadmaker for the kitchen.. My old one died last year after a LOT of use and since them I’ve been kneading by hand and baking in the oven which is very satisfying although time consuming but I do like the idea of being able to set a timer so its ready and still warm for breakfast.

One of my more rustic looking loaves:

image

I’m not planning any old bread though, it’s Christmas so it needs to be a fruity, festive spiced treat and it will be spread with homemade cinnamon butter. This bread is also great to use a few days later ( if there is any left) for a special french toast or even a bread and butter pudding – would be a lovely Boxing Day dessert.

I’ll be posting my own recipe for festive bread next month but you could also try this one from BBC Good Food which I have made before and it’s really good!

What do you like to have for breakfast on Christmas morning? I’m also hoping to make these cinnamon buns from Belleau kitchen – well a girls got to have options right?

Next week look out for some special sides to accompany your Christmas Turkey and some cocktail recipes too.

*This is a collaborated post

Being Thankful

· by · Leave a Comment

It’s Thanksgiving in America next week.. But tonight I watched Children In Need and realised I’m thankful now.

Thankful that I have my children here to hold. Thankful for their good health. Thankful that we live in a country that has such an amazing and FREE health service so that if anything did ever go wrong we would have treatment options and support.

This photo was taken this evening of our girls who are fast becoming best buddies. They light up every day of our lives and I’ve no idea what I would do if anything were to happen to either of them.

So this is me being thankful on this Children In Need Night.

image

For lots of way to donate to Children In Need 2014 please click here I have.

Bathtime Fun With Munchkin

· by · Leave a Comment

We have been blogger ambassadors for Munchkin for nearly a year now and I can honestly say we haven’t been disappointed by a single product. By far our favourite products are their bath toys.

The Munchkin Mission is to rid the world of mundane baby products and they are definitely succeeding. They have won over 100 awards worldwide for their innovative products.

Their bath toys are durable, bright and easy for little hands to grasp and play with. I’ve always had a love/hate relationship with bath products because the bath used to be my peaceful haven and I found it hard when it was taken over by funny yellow ducks or water squirters but I make an exception for Munchkin.

Every few months we receive a bundle of products to enjoy and test and this month it arrived on a day when both girls had been really unwell. We opened the parcel together and it was lovely to see their faces light up.

image

Of course having all of these new goodies meant we had to run a bubble bath immediately so they could thoroughly enjoy them.

Izzys favourite was the bath shape sorter (rrp Ā£9.99) – mainly because she is a bit in love with turtles at the moment. Suitable from 12months+. Clearly not just for bath time use.. Not in our house anyway:

image

She has also had a lot of fun with The Undersea Explorer (rrp Ā£5.99) and loves to push it under water to create bubbles.

image

Chloe loves the float & play bath bubbles (rrp Ā£4.99) She enjoys playing with these both in and out of the bath. They rattle as well as bob about in the water and are great for teaching hand-eye co-ordination. Suitable from 3months+

image

Look out for my Christmas Eve post coming up next week where I recommend some more cute bath bits for that extra special bath before you put on the Christmas PJ’s.

* We received a box of products to test as part of our role as blog ambassadors.

T Is For Tea. A Day With Sage Appliances

· by · 2 Comments

A few weeks ago I travelled up to London with a fellow blogger Lovely Appetite to visit the offices of Sage Appliances for a blogger event.

I quite often get invited to fun events in London and obviously I can’t go to them all due to the distance but I knew as soon as I heard about this event with Sage that I was going to be there. I’ve long been an admirer of their products and the chance to get up close and have a fiddle with them was just too much of a temptation.

And there was always the possibility that Heston Blumenthal would make a surprise appearance too.. Well a girl can dream hey?

First of all, let me share a little info about Sage:

Gastronomy has reached new heights at home with the introduction of Sageā„¢ kitchen appliances. Tried and tested by three-Michelin starred chef Heston Blumenthal, this impressive range delivers innovative, yet simple solutions, to produce the best results yet.
Who better to apply the science behind great tasting food, than one of the worldā€™s most exciting and creative professionals? Through his understanding of food challenges, Heston has ensured the precision range creates authentic cafĆ© style coffee, velvety smooth cocktails and smoothies, patisserie quality cakes, plus so much more.
The Sageā„¢ range includes 16 products, each meticulously designed to make everyday food and drink preparation more efficient and delicious than ever.

The day began with a welcome brew from the super swanky Tea Maker. I’m a massive tea lover so this was a product I really enjoyed getting to grips with.

We then moved onto the very versatile waffle machine which made us incredible potato waffles with the obligatory cheese and bacon before making us proper sweet traditional waffles…served with melted chocolate and strawberries of course.

image

image

Then our wonderful hosts Harriet from Sage Appliances, T from Mummy Barrow and Bruce made us a rather perfect pea n mint soup in The Boss along with an easy peasy no fuss risotto using the risotto machine.
image

image

In between the soup and the risotto we sampled an Oreo Vanilla Icecream which was divine and no fiddly custard base here just a whipping cream and condensed milk delight. YUM.

To drink we had various juices made using the extremely impressive juice maker which not only takes whole fruits therefore cutting out ALL the fuss but it then holds the pulp in a separate container for you to use for veggie burgers or to throw into other dishes so it means you really are using it all up – I hate waste so this was really appealing.

To make a fantastic day a little more fantastic we were given a special gift of a Teamaker to go home with. This made my month and I soon discarded ( passed onto my mum) my boring old kettle and replaced it with my gorgeous new machine.
image

image

Here is what Heston has to say about the Tea Maker:

ā€œThe right time and temperature are critical for a great cuppa.ā€ Heston.
Brewing tea at the wrong temperature can destroy flavour balance. Brewing too hot or for too long pulls tannins from the tea leaf which results in a bitter after taste. The Sageā„¢ Tea Makerā„¢ (RRP Ā£199.99) is the worldā€™s first fully automatic tea maker, it brews for exactly the right time and at precisely the right temperature keeping the tannins of the tea leaf intact.

I’ve used it so many times since and I’m just a little bit in love with it. I’ll probably give it a full review on here once I’ve had it a little longer and once I receive my special new tea leaves to use in it but let’s just say it already has a huge thumbs up.

* We were given this Teamaker as a gift for attending the event, I am not obligated to write a review.

Kebab Rotisserie Grill Review

· by · 5 Comments

A few months ago I was sent a Kebab Grill from UK Fine Foods to review.

What do they say about it?:

Bringing a new style of cooking into your home, the Vertical Kebab Rotisserie Grill has 5 rotating skewers which can be used to cook the meat or vegetables of your choice. Make healthy kebabs from the comfort of your home or garden and wow your guests with great results every time. Five large skewers ensure you can cook large quantities for family meals or dinner with friends. Put the meat in and step away without the worry of burning.

We have already used it a number of times and each time we have been thrilled with the results. We have made veggie kebabs as well as meat ones and the flavour you get is so different to when you make this sort of meal in the oven. It’s more comparable with a BBQ taste or an authentic Turkish kebab – slighly charred, succulent meat with a good flavour.

It’s incredibly simple to use and the components are dish washer safe which is always a big perk in my opinion.

Here are some photos from last nights chicken kebab supper:

image

image

image

image

If you marinade your chicken in spices/herbs for a few hours and just layer up with some peppers and tomatoes you will have an incredibly tasty and juicy kebab. It’s also a very healthy way to cook, any fat drains off into the individual trays making this a perfect dish for anyone trying to cut calories or live a healthy lifestyle.

Next up we are trying some lamb meatball skewers – I will keep you posted on how they turn out.

The grill is currently on offer at a bargain Ā£55 ( down from Ā£99) so it’s definitely worth buying now!

* I was sent this kebab grill for the purpose of a review.

Christmas Before Children V Christmas After Children

· by · 2 Comments

I have spent a lot of time thinking about Christmas this year. Already. I’m really excited about it. I’ve also been thinking about the changes my life has seen over the last four years – I know..deep for a Thursday afternoon right?

Because 4 Christmases ago I was foot loose and fancy free. To a degree anyway. I had a sensible, full time job and a man who I loved very much and we spent most of our money travelling or enjoying good meals in nice restaurants. Christmas was a time to spend relaxing, indulging and enjoying our friends and family. Not much of it was completely sober and at least 2 – 3 hours on Christmas Day were spent cosy and wrapped up watching a film or two.

Oh how times have changed. In a good way of course but really how massive is that leap? I think Christmas is one of the major occasions which highlights the very obvious differences between our lives since becoming parents and our lives before.

So just for fun I thought I would share some of them:

PC ( Pre Children ) Christmas Eve was for catching up with friends I hadn’t seen for ohhhh at least a week in the local pub over a rather silly amount of wine.

AC ( After Children) Christmas Eve is spent in a blind panic as you realise you don’t have the only ONE present they have ever wanted ever. Oh and the shops are closed. Mum Fail.

PC – Christmas Morning involved something sparkly to drink and hunks of freshly baked bread toasted with pate.

AC – The stocking full of chocolate ( to make up for the present they always wanted) has kicked in and your children are on the beginning of a roller coaster of sugar fuelled emotion.
image
Breakfast? Hahah. The morning is spent trying to make sure they look appropriately pleased when they receive the same gift twice from well meaning relatives.

PC – Lunch was a long drawn out affair, Wine? Baileys? Why not it’s Christmas. Some chocolates too.. Ok after all I don’t need to move from the sofa for at least two hours.

AC – Lunch is hurriedly forced down your throat as you spoon feed one and stop the other one eating the insides of a cracker. At the end of it you are exhausted and yes your wine glass is still full.

PC – Christmas afternoon was definitely spent watching sleeping through the Queens speech and then eating a box of roses in front of the Gavin & Stacey Christmas special followed by The Royle Family, Only fools and horses and whatever cheesy rom com you received for Christmas back when people actually bought DVDs.

AC – The sugar high is fizzling out and you know they need a nap but instead they want to play with the only toy you forgot to get batteries for. You lie down in a slump on the sofa and suddenly they ignore all their toys instead choosing to jump on your overly full stomach. The joy.

The day winds to an end and you can finally spot relaxation in the distance, your children are rubbing their eyes and you carry them up to bed. Peace at last. The house is a chaotic mess of chocolate coins and wrapping paper but it’s quiet and all of a sudden it hits you that this was the best Christmas ever.

More More S’mores – Toasted Marshmallow Banana Boats

· by · Leave a Comment

If you are an avid Pinterest user like me then you will probably have seen at least one image of a banana stuffed with chocolate and other treats and cooked on a campfire. I know I’ve seen it thousands of times and every time I drooled a little and thought I must try that.

Well last week I received my Degustabox subscription and in the box was a pot of Solo Toasted Marshmallow Creme. This is every bit as good as it sounds. The box actually suggests s’mores as a serving option so I thought why not try the campfire s’more style banana boats so.. I did and they are incredible. So simple, a perfect last minute dessert and it tastes extremely indulgent. I added peanut butter to ours as I think it works really well with banana and some chocolate chips – because chocolate enhances most dishes.

I hardly feel this needs a recipe but here we go:

You will need:

image

1 Banana
1 tbsp of peanut butter
1.5 tbsp of toasted marshmallow creme OR a handful of mini marshmallows
1 tsp of chocolate chips

Slice through the peel of your banana almost through to the peel on the other side but not quite.

image Open the peel up to create a pouch and fill the inside with your peanut butter and top with the marshmallow creme and choc chips.
image

image
Wrap in a loose foil pouch and bake in a very hot oven ( gas mark 6) for about 15 minutes. Eat fairly quickly whilst your ingredients are melted and oozing but watch you don’t burn your tongue. You could serve with icecream or whipped cream but it’s perfectly awesome on its own. Enjoy.

image

You can buy Solo Toasted Marshmallow Creme from American Soda.

* I was gifted a Degustabox box for the purposes of a review.

Munchkin Latch Review – The Miracle Bottle

· by · Leave a Comment

If you are a regular reader of this blog you will know that we had quite a lot of difficulty getting Chloe to accept a bottle.

She is nearly 1 ( next week – arrgghh) and for most of her life she has been exclusively breastfed from me. I tried quite a few times at the beginning of our breastfeeding journey to get her to take a bottle – I expressed when I could and built up a little stock in the freezer but I was spending a lot of my time pumping and the majority of it was being poured away.

At around the 10 month mark we had a little success using a beaker but we found she would never take more than an ounce or so and it made her very windy as she seemed to gulp at it.

Then I decided to try a Latch bottle that I had been gifted at Britmums Live from Munchkin UK. This bottle seemed different. The teat was soft and flexible and it didn’t just look like a nipple as some brands do but it also mimics the action of a nipple while the baby feeds.

“A correct latch is achieved when mums nipple reaches all the way back to baby’s soft palate. The accordion-style teat on the LATCHā„¢ bottle stretches like the breast, helping baby latch easily & correctly.”

image

Chloe took the bottle immediately. She drank 4oz on that first attempt and we have used it every day since. It’s helped us so much. It’s meant that I can continue breastfeeding but I can also have a much needed break. Chloe has one bottle now during the day and also one from her Dad during the night at some point. She still has feeds from me in the evening, morning and at least twice in the night so it hasn’t affected our breastfeeding relationship at all. Later this month I am having a night away with Andrew and it makes me feel so much better knowing she will happily take a bottle.

image

I cannot recommend this bottle enough for parents who are looking to combine breastfeeding with bottle feeding.

image

* I received one bottle free at the Britmums live conference and a starter set was sent to me for the purpose of a review.

Peanut Butter & Nutella Cream Pie

· by · 3 Comments

This is one of those recipes that I can promise you is just as epic as it sounds. It’s also got every bit as many calories as you imagine and probably a teaspoon more too. It’s one of those pies you should make on a special occasion when there are a few of you around so you aren’t tempted to just inhale the entire thing.

This pie was inspired by the last issue of Jamie Oliver magazine. In the mag Jamie shared a recipe for chocolate & peanut butter cream pie which quite frankly sounds stupendous and of course I read it, instantly wanted it but firstly I didn’t have all the ingredients and secondly I had about a tenth of the energy required for all the stages. So I made up my own version stealing sneaky bits of his and creating cheats for the others. It doesn’t take lots of effort but looks quite impressive and tastes like everything good – creamy and buttery.

Peanut Butter & Nutella Cream Pie:

For the crust:

250g of bourbon cream biscuits ( I believe the Jamie recipe uses Oreos but I had cheap own brand bourbons in my cupboard so that’s what I used)
1 tbsp of Plain flour
75g of melted butter

For the filling:

200g of smooth peanut butter
1 tbsp of sifted icing sugar
50g melted butter
300ml of double cream
1tbsp of icing sugar
2tbsp of Nutella ( or other hazelnut chocolate spread)
Some kind of chocolate chips or shavings to decorate

Preheat your oven to gas mark 4/180C

First up melt your butter for the crust and leave to cool. Now blend the bourbons and the flour together until you have a fine crumb. Mix in your cooled, melted butter and press into a 23cm pie tin ( or loose bottomed baking tin like me)you want an even base and the mixture to go about an inch or so up the sides – place this in the fridge for about 20 minutes to chill.

image

Remove from fridge and bake for 10 minutes until crisp then leave to cool while you prepare your fillings.
image

Beat your peanut butter with the icing sugar and cooled, melted butter until smooth and set aside.

Now whip your cream and icing sugar until soft peaks are formed and then fold in your Nutella. Chill until ready to use.

When your crust is completely cool cover the base with the peanut butter mixture, followed by your cream mixture and your chocolate decorations. Chill until ready to consume.

image

image

Then just try not to eat it all at once.

I cannot tell you just how good this is. I insist you try it!
Enjoy.

image