Blog - Munchies and Munchkins

Keema Nachos

September 5, 2016 · by munchiesandmunchkins · 10 Comments

I was recently invited to take part in a new campaign from Red Tractor Lamb, The Keema Sutra – all about the pleasures and delights of cooking. Keema is a spicy minced meat dish, typically using lamb and often including peas. Keema Nachos sounded right up my street.

I had only ever had Keema before inside of a Keema Naan, I had never thought of it as a standalone dish and one which could be the base of so many different meals.

On the subject of Keema Naans.. if you would like to meet the Keema Nans ( Mamta Gupta & Pervin Todiwala ) go check out this video.

If you visit the Red Tractor website you can find recipes for the base Keema and then lots of recipes for ways to use it such as pasta bakes, meatballs, hash, tacos and the dish I recreated which was Keema Nachos. You will also find tips from the Keema Nans and a bit of history behind Keema, click here.

I also really want to try these Scotch Eggs:

The great thing about the base keema recipe is that you can adjust the level of heat in it by adding more or less chillies/hot sauce so that you can make it just the way you like it. Keema is a like an Indian version of bolognese, minced meat, tomatoes, onions but with a lot more added in and like bolognese sauce it has endless uses.

I made a double batch of the Keema as the intention was to use one batch for my Keema Nachos and make a different dish the following night..however the nachos were so good they were made again the next day!

I don’t often cook with minced lamb, I am not sure why but that is going to change as I loved the flavour it produced. It is also budget friendly which is handy if you are trying to cut back. When cooking with Beef or Lamb always look out for a quality mark like Red Tractor logo – It means the meat is farm assured and is of top quality. You can find out more here.

Take a look below at the creation and end result of my Keema Nachos:

The Nachos were served with simple dips made up with greek yoghurt and lime pickle and mango chutney.

I urge you to try Keema for yourself and give some of the Keema Sutra recipes a whirl.

Check out some of the recipes my fellow bloggers have been trying out:

Indian Lamb Meatball Curry

Spicy Lamb Keema Pizza

Lamb Keema Tacos

Keema Meatball Curry

This post was commissioned by Red Tractor and I was compensated for my time.

Ultimate Outdoors – Vango Inflatable Tent Review

September 1, 2016 · by munchiesandmunchkins · Leave a Comment

At the very start of the Summer I was sent a Vango Inflatable Tent to review and I was pretty excited. I had wanted an inflatable tent since last Summer after spotting one being put up with effortless ease at a festival last year. Typically weather, illness and other issues meant I haven’t even had a chance to go camping again this year.

Yet I wanted to know what it was like, so what do you do when you haven’t got a chance to review yourself?

Yes, you send a friend to do the job for you! Luckily some of my friends were eager to give it a whirl.

Here is what they thought:

It’s an impressive bit of kit. The bag is pretty big and reasonably heavy but has strong straps if you had to carry it a long way.

The tent comes with a good dual action pump and plenty of pegs.
Putting it up was straight forward, being male we decided to not read the instructions and it went up in no time.

We spread the tent out and pegged one end then working backwards inflated a pole at a time.
The poles felt solid when inflated, much sturdier than plastic poles.
The AirSpeed valves are simple to operate and make inflating and deflating quick and easy.

The 2 rooms were big and we could both stand up and move around in there pretty easily. There are lots of vents and mesh to allow air circulation, also handy pockets in the sides of the tents and quick zip curtains.

It’s probably the best tent I’ve used because of the size, ease to put up and pack away and the fact that it doesn’t really move if there is any wind – it’s rock solid.

Packing away a tent is always a pain, but this was reasonably straight forward. I would definitely recommend it.

Thanks Ceri for reviewing on my behalf, as well as a great guest reviewer he is a pretty awesome photographer – go check out his work here.

I was sent the Vango tent for the purpose of a review

Back To School Lunch Ideas – The Power Of Frozen

August 31, 2016 · by munchiesandmunchkins · 6 Comments

This week sees a big step in our house. Izzy starts full time school. I must admit to feeling ever so slightly emotional about it. I currently work on a job share basis which means every other week I get a full week of time with the girls and I will miss my afternoons with her. I think the scariest part is that she is growing up, no longer is she my little girl. The move to her new class also means a full day in school including lunches for the first time. Packed lunches can get boring, the same sandwiches and bits of fruit get old really quickly so to encourage variety and goodness I have decided to experiment over the coming months with a few different styles of packed lunches.

Both girls will eat nearly everything I put in front of them which does make life a lot easier. Izzy in particular has always enjoyed dipping her food in various sauces, I often buy houmous for her as a healthier alternative to ketchup and recently I make it from scratch a lot more. Do you call it hummus, humus or houmous?? Everyone seems to choose different ways of spelling it. All tastes the same.

This time I used frozen rainbow carrots from Iceland to give the houmous a little extra goodness and flavour, it adds a sweetness and the girls adore it. I rarely add Tahini to my houmous, instead opting for a tablespoon of peanut butter ( either store bought or home made depending on how much time I have ) which gives it the slight nuttiness. You can really play about with flavours, roasted red peppers work particularly well as does a teaspoon of Harissa or Paprika. For this recipe I added cumin as I find it compliments the carrots.

Easy Carrot Houmous

You will need:

250g Frozen Rainbow Carrots

1 tin of Chickpeas ( 400g )

2 tbsp olive oil

1 garlic clove, minced or diced finely

2 tbsp lemon juice

1 tbsp peanut butter

1 tsp of ground cumin

pinch of salt and pepper

Cook your carrots as per packet instructions, set aside. Drain and rinse your chickpeas before adding to a saucepan of cold water, bring to the boil and then simmer for 5 minutes until softened. Drain and add to a large bowl with all of your other ingredients. Using a stick blender, blitz until the required texture. I like it quite chunky but the girls prefer it smoother. This makes the equivalent of two standard store bought tubs.

Popped into a tub with a firmly secured lid this will keep well in a lunch bag until lunch time.

Now the tortilla chips are barely a recipe, more of a how to:

Homemade Tortilla Chips

You will need:

Tortilla wraps

Olive oil

Preheat your oven to 200c. Cut your tortillas into triangles or perhaps some fun animal shapes? Place in one layer on a baking tray and spray or brush lightly with oil – I tend to use the spray bottles of pure olive oil. Bake for 15 minutes until crisp. You could add herbs or spices to the top depending on what your children enjoy but we quite enjoy them plain with a flavoured dip.

I recommend adding some pepper and cucumber batons to dip also, the different colours make the meal more visually appealing to a child.

Check out these other packs lunch ideas from some of my fellow food bloggers for some inspiration:

Sausage Wheel Flatbreads

Healthy Pancake Muffins

*This post was commissioned by Iceland I was compensated for my time.

Change Is Good

August 28, 2016 · by munchiesandmunchkins · 14 Comments

It has been a while since I wrote a post which wasn’t focused solely on food or travel. It feels a little odd. No recipes or reviews in this post.

Let’s throw a food pic in to make me feel better:

I have seen huge life changes since I began this blog.

Some of you have been readers since day one, you congratulated me when I was pregnant, you messaged me when you knew I needed support after Chloe arrived and you tell me excitedly when you make one of my recipes – can I just tell you all now what a thrill that is? To know that someone, possibly someone who has never even interacted with you before has made your recipe and has loved it so much that they share it online and with their friends and family. It makes me so happy. I have written about dark days and the happiest and lightest of days too. I have had emails from men and women who have asked questions or taken comfort in my posts about post natal depression and birth trauma and helped raise awareness about topics which I know needed to be highlighted.

Yet now it may seem as though all I do is write about food. In fact a reader emailed me a few months ago and asked if I would be writing more posts on personal topics as they had enjoyed them. I think the answer to that is maybe. The blog has changed and I have changed with it. Creating recipes and sharing them with you is something which I truly love. Blogging is not this easy, show me the freebies ..blaggers world that some believe it to be. A blog can be a hobby, it can be a job. If you are willing to work really hard and be passionate about it then it can be both. It is for me. I am passionate about blogging, about writing generally and about food. Mostly about food. It does however take an awful lot of time. For every recipe post you will see, there will be several recipe attempts to ensure what I am sharing with you will work every time, around 80 -100 photos taken for every dish when you only ever use 3-4.

Then you have to edit every photo, write up the post, share the post socially and continue to promote the post afterwards. If a brand has commissioned a recipe there is often additional work involved. And of course the hardest part of every post.. you have to eat it too!! HA. It is the norm for me to be working on the blog from the time the kids go to bed until midnight as I also have a house to organise and a day job too. I do believe it will be worth it, I always wanted to be a writer in some shape or form.

“The three great essentials to achieve anything worthwhile are, first, hard work; second, stick-to-itiveness; third, common sense.”
― Thomas A. Edison

These faces need my attention too:

Writing about personal and difficult times was a type of therapy I think and I won’t be removing those posts from the blog as I know they continue to be a support for some people and I know as much as anyone how some people need that support. But you probably won’t see much of that on here anymore. Firstly – I am a very different person and in a very different place to when those posts were written – thankfully. Secondly – the blog has become my happy place and a second job for me. Thirdly – change is good.

I am moving away from writing so many reviews, you will have noticed this slowly decreasing over the past year. I will still be reviewing items and sharing gift guides but not as frequently. What you can expect to continue are the cakes and bakes, the simple family meals with more complicated dishes occasionally. Indulgent hot drinks and cocktails will feature frequently and you can expect some coffee related recipes soon too.

Did I tell you that I finally made myself like coffee??? I am a lot more excited about that than I should be. I started off slow with flat whites and mochas but I am edging towards the stronger stuff and I love it. I am thinking I may already have that strange addiction and inability to function in the morning without one that so many of you seem to have.

You will see brand collaborations with recipes developed around products which I hope you will enjoy and the occasional food or family festival coverage. You will only see brands that I would personally use and any reviews I do post will be thorough and honest. You will definitely see more hotel and travel related posts, I am getting invited on more press trips and actually saying yes to them – I have finally realised my children can cope without me for a night or two. In fact they love it. I want to see more of the world, try new food, dabble my feet in different waters and accept opportunities as they arise and I have accepted that is not a selfish thing to want.

A recent press trip to Bavaria ( not too shabby huh? )

Over the past year I have made a really great group of blogger friends who are supportive and have helped me really progress. By attending events that I wouldn’t have always said yes to I have made some amazing new friends and contacts who have encouraged me to push my boundaries, made me even more enthusiastic about what I do and are always ready to help. I have some great collaborations both on and off the blog coming up. All in all this is an exciting time for bloggers generally and for my blog and I would most certainly not still be blogging 4.5 years on without the support of my readers. So thank you!

Apologies if this has been a bit of a ramble.. I do tend to do that.

In the next few weeks there will be packed lunch ideas, some healthier bakes and some Autumnal slow cooker dishes. I will be also sharing some of my readers favourite recipes, so if you have tried and loved any of my recipes let me know as I would love to include them. On the same note if you ever try something and it doesn’t work out for you – TELL ME PLEASE.

The Cocktail Collection – 10 Recipes For Bank Holiday Weekend

August 27, 2016 · by munchiesandmunchkins · 11 Comments

Almost time for the last and in my opinion..the best Bank Holiday of the Summer. I am probably jinxing it but generally we get glorious weather on this weekend and there is a reason why the supermarkets sell out of burgers and bread rolls every year! Yes, you know it. Everyone is getting in on some BBQ action and I don’t know about you but it wouldn’t feel complete without a chilled cocktail to accompany it.

Here we have some of my favourite cocktails from my fellow food bloggers as well as one or two of mine, go get shopping for supplies and keep everything crossed for the sunshine:

Let’s start with this beautiful Tropical Layered Cocktail from Coriander Queen, it is Rum based ( my favourite ) and flavoured with passionfruit and grenadine. It is almost too pretty to drink..ALMOST.

Next up is The Bramble from Supergolden Bakes, Gin based this time and I bet it has such a sweet yet sharp kick from the blackberry liqueur:

Or perhaps her Raspberry & Champagne Tommys Margarita ?

My Mango & Lime Rum Punch packs a refreshing kick – almost my favourite rum based cocktail although the Mojito will always hold that number one spot!

This Watermelon Prosecco Cocktail from Feeding Boys looks like it would be ever so refreshing

Mango Margarita from The Petite Cook would go down a treat – mango makes such a great addition to any summery cocktail!

Or perhaps her Melon and Tequila Cups would be more your thing, ok so not technically a cocktail but …

Now for some Gin Cocktails starting with my Elderflower and Lime Gin Cocktail:

Here are two options from Sew White for Apple or Raspberry Gin Cocktails:

And finally this Gin, Strawberry & Cranberry Cocktail from Foodie Quine:

Cooking With Kids – The Power Of Frozen With Iceland

August 23, 2016 · by munchiesandmunchkins · 6 Comments

I started cooking with the girls from a pretty young age, Izzy was just under 2 years old the first time she got her hands into a bowl of cake mix and made one heck of a mess all over the kitchen. Since then we have made various cakes and bakes and have now moved onto savoury dishes. I also encourage her to help when making simple lunches such as sandwiches or wraps. She loves to be involved. We make batches of cookies each month together with the help of Chloe as she has a number of allergies and can’t eat a lot of store bought treats.

When Iceland got into touch to ask if I would like to create a recipe with Izzy for their Power Of Frozen campaign I didn’t hesitate, I knew Izzy would be excited by it also. I have been really impressed by the new and improved Iceland. For a long time I thought of it as a party food shop – the kind of place you visited when creating a cheap and easy buffet table at Christmas. It has dramatically changed in the past few years, with items such as Wagyu Beef, Frozen zesty bean quinoa and more.. I have so far been more than happy with the quality of the products and they do sell a pretty good Prosecco also – an essential I am sure you will agree.

Both of my girls have been fascinated by the Rainbow Carrots – a frozen bag of various varieties of carrots. Pretty tasty too! I always find it handy having frozen vegetables ready for quick meals.

We tried various dishes in the kitchen before deciding on this Cheesy Vegetable Bake – the recipe is created using ingredients all purchased from Iceland and aside from the cheese it was all from the frozen food aisle. Just four ingredients and minimal prep. It contains potato, broccoli, rainbow carrots and mature cheddar – this can be substituted for mild cheddar if your child doesn’t enjoy the stronger flavour.

One additional perk is that it doesn’t create too much mess.

Before cooking with your children always ensure they thoroughly clean their hands as they will not be able to resist poking their fingers in and tie long hair back.

Cheesy Vegetable Bake

You will need:

250g frozen mashed potato
200g frozen rainbow carrots
150g frozen broccoli florets
50g grated mature cheddar

Preheat your oven to 180c. Cook the frozen vegetables to packet instructions ( I zapped mine in the microwave for the recommended 5 minutes ), leave to cool slightly then add to one large bowl. Encourage your child to stir and mash the ingredients together – leave some of the veggies whole as it creates a nice texture.

Then place into an ovenproof dish, let your child sprinkle with the grated cheese and pop into your preheated oven ( this step should be just for adults ).

Bake for 20 minutes until the cheese is bubbling and golden.

Izzy was so proud of the resulting dish and managed to eat most of it to herself as Chloe can’t have dairy but it would easily serve 3 children.

If you haven’t been to an Iceland store recently or if you have never tried it I would recommend you go take a look.

This post was commissioned by Iceland and I was compensated for my time.

Summer BBQ Fun With Homebase

August 20, 2016 · by munchiesandmunchkins · 11 Comments

There is something about barbecued food that has always appealed to me. The eating outdoors aspect as well as the smokey taste enhances meals and even the simplest of food can be transformed by the charcoal. Peppers rubbed with a little oil and spice blackened and full of flavour and do not even get me started on S’mores.

Homebase have recently conducted a survey into the BBQ habits of the British public and created an infographic to show the results, you can check it out here. They have also joined up with celebrity chef Aldo Zilli to create a gorgeous BBQ recipe and to talk about his BBQ tips. I particularly like this tip:

Par-boil your sausages for 5 minutes before you place them on the BBQ – you can’t go wrong as this will ensure they are cooked thoroughly when it comes to the eating. When they’re on the grill, they’ll get that lovely caramelised, char-grilled outside whilst being perfectly cooked on the inside.

A recent addition to my garden is this half drum BBQ, you can find similar BBQ’s here.

It is so much more than a standard BBQ letting you cook using direct and indirect heat, with the lid up or lid down. It also has loads of space for all of your meat and veggies. I recently used mine to cook sweet potatoes, it really takes them up a notch – I got this tip from DJ BBQ – the king of all thing cooked low and slow BBQ style. It is the perfect vessel to cook large joints of meat over a low heat and the flavour it gives them is just out of this world. You can see some similar versions here.I thought I would share some of my ideas for easy BBQ food:

Create a compound butter by adding the zest of 1 lime and a teaspoon of dried chill flakes to 250g of butter and whip until smooth. Roll into a sausage shape and wrap in clingfilm. Refrigerate until set. This can be used for all kinds of things on the BBQ but my favourite is to grill corn on the cob until browned and rub the butter all over. Zesty with a chilli kick.
S’mores – originally an American treat, we seem to have adopted it here in the UK and I love the digestive, marshmallow and chocolate combination, make it even easier by using chocolate digestives. You can even make BBQ’d banana boat s’mores, check out this recipe from my friend Claire of the Foodie Quine blog.
Rub slices of Halloumi in chilli oil and grill until golden, I adore this squeaky cheese and the addition of chilli makes it a little more interesting
Add chunks of courgette, peppers and chicken to skewers and cook over the charcoal. Minimum effort but so tasty, you can also make a dessert version by layering marshmallows and strawberries – add a small tub of melted chocolate to dip in and you will be in food heaven.
Jacket potatoes and sweet potatoes both take well to the BBQ creating a crispy skin with a soft and fluffy interior.
Side dishes can make a BBQ really special. I recently made a maple and mustard potato salad – I will share the recipe on the blog soon. Other sides which always make my garden table include homemade slaw, flavoured mayos and a large green salad.
It’s summertime and you are in the garden so it would be wrong to not have a cocktail..right? I normally opt for a Mojito but lately I have been enjoying this Rum Punch and this Gin, Elderflower and Lime cocktail.

Here are a few BBQ recipes from my fellow food bloggers:

BBQ Thai Chicken Thighs from Fab Food 4 All

BBQ Koftas from Elizabeth’s Kitchen Diary

BBQ Sauce from Natural Kitchen Adventures

Summer Country Burger from The Petite Cook

Sticky Pulled Chicken from Eats Amazing

Maple Tofu Skewers from Tin & Thyme

What do you love about BBQ season?

This post was commissioned by Homebase and I have been compensated for my time.

Livestock Festival 2016

August 17, 2016 · by munchiesandmunchkins · 2 Comments

Sometimes as a blogger you get invited to two events happening at the same time and if you REALLY want to go to both of them it can be frustrating. I was invited to this years Livestock Festival and it happened to coincide with Camp Bestival for whom I am a Blog Ambassador. The Fratellis and Reef were there this year – I saw Reef when I was 16 at my first ever large concert and I loved them so I was a little disappointed I couldn’t make it. Not wanting to waste the invite, I decided to ask my siblings if one of them would like to attend on my behalf and review the festival for me – my youngest brother thought it was his lucky day and eagerly snapped up the invite.

From what I have heard since it was an incredible, chilled out festival. And here he is to tell you what he thought, over to Josh:

I was lucky enough to have two VIP tickets to Livestock Festival given to me by my older sister with just a small request of a post festival review write up – I couldn’t say no. The festival took place near Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire in stunning surroundings.

In only its second year running, the festival was brilliantly organised, with a very relaxed family orientated environment. Upon arrival we were greeted by the steward team who gave us our passes and a ‘goodie’ bag with necessities and information for the festival, which came in handy for the weekend ahead.

Last years festival saw some brilliant acts, such as The Feeling, Scouting For Girls, The Hoosiers and Toploader the creators of anthem ‘Dancing in the Moonlight’. This meant this years line up had a lot to live up to, and it definitely didn’t disappoint.

Friday

After a bumpy and narrow journey on the road leading to the campsite we arrived (unscathed) at our campsite bathed in glorious sunshine, with a beautiful view overlooking mountains and fields. The first day was spent exploring the site, meeting new people and trying out the food stalls ( a real highlight of the festival ) After a few hours we stumbled across the Hidden Forest, where we watched some great acts and tried the infamous ‘Wobble Juice’ which lives up to its name for sure. We finally made our way to the main stage just in time to hear a ferocious roar from the fans awaiting Reef! It was a brilliant performance and set the tone for the whole evening, with fans chanting ‘Place your hands’ well into the night. After the performance I was very lucky to meet Reef and have a couple of photographs with the band, which was brilliant after being a fan for years (just a shame that I then sadly lost my camera at the event). Later on that night we went to the bar with some friends we had made, and enjoyed cocktails and music. After a tiring evening we made the short walk back to camp, to get some shut eye before the next day.

Saturday

The sun was beaming through the tent at half 7am meaning it was time to get up and start the day. We took the short walk to the nearest food stall to get a ‘Brekkie Bap’ to help us recover from last nights antics. The day then started, with a group of us sitting around playing games and getting to know each other, all sharing the same excitement for the Fratelli’s that evening!

As we headed over to the main arena, we stumbled across a pizza food stall named ‘Just Wood Fired Pizza’ which would become our main food stall for the weekend, delicious food served with a smile. The food at music festivals has improved so much in the last few years and the food traders ensured we were all happily fed for the weekend.

Perfect festival food:

Reverend and the makers were first up of the headline acts for Saturday, and delivered a brilliant performance. They managed to get everyone in the field involved with their performance of which was spectacular, in fact I consider them as being the performers of the weekend. The Fratellis followed and absolutely nailed it, Chelsea Dagger and Whistle for the Choir being obvious highlights!

The Fratellis rocking the main stage:

Sunday

Waking up Sunday morning knowing it was our last day was a little sad, as it had been such a brilliant weekend that I did not want to end. The day was spent bathing in the sun, playing football with people we had met and enjoying some of the activities on site. The bouncy balls were a personal highlight for myself, watching adults having fun bouncing into each other reliving their childhood was hilarious. The music that evening started with Chesney Hawkes and he delivered a great rendition of some popular covers which had all the crowd singing along. Chesney finished the evening with his classic hit ‘I am the one and only’ which is something I’ll always remember. It was a great performance and he is a lovely guy, as I found out after his set whilst sitting in his Teepee enjoying a nice cold bottle of Sol discussing festivals he had played at. Jason Donovan had all the mothers in the crowd going crazy during his set which was note perfect, the only downside was not getting to meet Jason as he had to leave straight after the Festival to do another show.

The night ended with a silent disco of which was a massive hit, and ended a perfect weekend, spent with great company and in a spectacular venue, would definitely recommend and will definitely go again in the future. Thanks Livestock for inviting us ( well Becky ) to review and if you want us next year we will certainly be back!
#LOVELIVESTOCK2016

*All images from David Savill courtesy of Livestock Festival. As stated we were invited to review the festival and as such were provided with press tickets.

Elderflower And Lime Gin Cocktail

August 14, 2016 · by munchiesandmunchkins · 11 Comments

Gin is a bit trendy these days isn’t it? All of my friends and family seem to love it and everywhere you see recipes for Gin cocktails or Gin Punch. I always thought I hated the taste of Gin..but guess what? I actually hate the taste of Tonic. I only discovered that when I had a cocktail forced upon me by a friend insisting I would love it. And she was right, I did. I had to create my own and I came up with this Elderflower and Lime Gin cocktail.

So much so that I have been experimenting with my own. This one in particular is refreshing and zesty with just a hint of Gin. It is perfect for summer BBQ’s and dinner parties.

I missed out on the opportunity to go foraging ready to make Elderflower syrup or cordial this year so I have used store bought ( another amazing Homesense find ) but if you have made your own from your foraging trips I think it would taste even better.

Elderflower and Lime Gin Cocktail

You will need:

125ml Gin

80ml Elderflower Syrup/Cordial

40ml Lime Juice

300ml Chilled Soda water

Mint Leaves

Lime wedges to garnish

Combine your Gin, Elderflower syrup, Mint leaves and Lime juice in a jug and refrigerate for at least two hours. Top up with your chilled soda water and ice if desired. Serve immediately. This should make 4 servings.

This went down a storm at a recent BBQ with friends although it does slip down a little easily so be careful.. it may taste light but it does contain alcohol! I used Martin Millers Gin which I was gifted for review purposes recently. I also used PLj Lime Juice however you could use the juice of a fresh lime.

Any Gin cocktail recommendations for me?

For general summer cocktails check out this post.

The Ultimate Nutella Hot Chocolate Hack

August 11, 2016 · by munchiesandmunchkins · 8 Comments

Ok so this may not be the ultimate Nutella hot chocolate hack.. in fact I don’t know if other Nutella hot chocolate hacks exist. It is however extremely good. This came about after a rather frustrating trip to my pantry ready to make my traditional hot chocolate led me to a deceptive jar of Nutella..deceptive in that the outside looked like it contained all of the wicked indulgence but in reality there were mere scrapings around the edges. Argghhhh.

What was a girl to do?

Well, I really wanted that Nutella hot chocolate so I found a way and as soon as I did I thought..HOW have I never thought of doing this before??

This is not a recipe, just a how to. All you need is a mug full of milk, an almost empty jar of Nutella and a few minutes of your time.

Step 1:

Heat your milk in the microwave until almost boiling.

Step 2:

Remove the lid from your Nutella jar and fill with the hot milk. A little note here – the smallest retail jar of Nutella simply will not do. I mean why would you even buy the small one?

Step 3:

Replace the lid, swirl the jar very slightly and leave to stand for a minute or two.

Step 4:

Ever so gently shake your jar, cover the lid with a tea towel to avoid any possible hot spillages. Please do not vigorously shake the jar. You should see most of the Nutella from the side of the jar start to disappear into your gorgeously frothy milk.

Step 5:

Remove the lid and pour into a mug and enjoy immediately. Heck you don’t even need a mug..drink from the jar!

The only problem you may find is that you may end up working your way through your jars of Nutella a little quicker in order to make your hot chocolates..at least that is my excuse!

Enjoy.

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