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You are here: Home / Archives for valentines

Valentines Gift Guide 2024

February 6, 2024 · by munchiesandmunchkins · Leave a Comment

This year is actually starting to fly along, can’t believe it’s Valentines Day next week. I’m not that big on Valentines if I’m honest, preferring to do a nice home cooked meal and maybe something small but thoughtful as a gift but I know a lot of people are on the hunt for gift ideas so as always here are a few for you:

Benecos nail polish. This is a really gorgeous set of reds perfect for the day of love. I can sense I’m going to be sharing my set with my youngest who is far more into make up and nails than I’ll ever be but I think I’ll be rocking a vibrant red by next week!

Max Spielmann – maybe you want a more personal gift? Well there are many from prints to mugs and cushions over on Max Spielmann. I love these origami bird mugs:

Play in Choc – most of us have hankering for some kind of chocolate and play in Choc have beautiful treats suitable for anyone with allergies. These Peruvian cacao dark chocolates are delicious!

Get Baked – now before I start I should warn you that it is almost impossible to get a slice of Bruce these days but I had a few pieces for my 40th birthday back in May and if you can get a slice in the lead up to the big day I highly recommend it. The Valentine special version sold out in seconds but you can log on each day at 10am and try to get a slice around the date!

Porky Punk annual – I am yet to treat myself to the Porky Punk annual but I will be doing it sometime soon I promise. I have heard so many good things about this book and I love being part of the Porky Punk Facebook group which is full of like minded food lovers.

Caru Spirits – could you get a more romantic sounding liqueur? Caru is Welsh for LOVE. Caru is a smooth British brandy liqueur which has a sweet seductive aroma of brandied raisins, vanilla and fresh orange.


Calvet Crémant de Bordeaux Brut Rosé is a perfectly pink bubbly. Hints of strawberry, biscuity notes, fine bubbles and a rounded finish. At a fraction of the price of a bottle of Champagne it’s a bit of a bargain too. Pair with strawberries and perhaps a little chantilly cream? £12 at Morrisons currently.

Nozeco is the zero alcohol bubbly which is perfect for pregnant women, those who are continuing a dry start to the year or those who do not like or wish to consume alcohol for whatever reason that may be. It is also vegan. It’s just £3.50 at nearly all of the major supermarkets.

And one of my absolute favourite brands Joe and Sephs. They always have the best selection of indulgent treats which are perfect for Valentines. I am especially excited about the new truffles as well as the collaboration with Manilife ( who make seriously good peanut butter without any nasties added in):

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Filed Under: Gift Guide · Tagged: valentines

Valentine’s Gift Guide 2023

February 6, 2023 · by munchiesandmunchkins · 1 Comment

The time of love is almost upon us and the scrabble to find the perfect gift is here. Worry not I have some great gift ideas from traditional gifts to something a little different.

For the traditional at heart Eflorist have incredibly beautiful bouquets. I love this 12 rose bouquet which comes with free chocs too!

For the person in your life who is still a big kid at heart why not opt for one of these amazing scooters from Micro-Scooters. They have an amazing selection and you can even buy a scooter to match with your kids. MicroScooters also have an incredible scheme called Scooter Aid, this is what they say about it:

The premise is simple. Every Micro Scooter is built to last. So when your child has outgrown theirs, send it back to us and we’ll do the rest.We revamp and rehome your used Micro Scooter with children in need across the UK. Every pre-loved scooter you donate to us is another child we can help.

Maybe your other half is a bookworm and there are some great picks here if so:

Rock n Roll Nanny:

A story of how Sally Arnold entered the world of rock n roll stars:

Once a mother, always a mother: Being a mother doesn’t stop when your kids grow up it just changes. This book explores this:

The Binding Room is the follow up book to The Jigsaw Man from bestselling author Nadine Matheson, perfect for people who enjoy thrillers:

Red Letter Days have a wide variety of gift experiences and letter box gifts, you could opt for a luxury hotel stay or something as simple yet thoughtful as a letterbox cheese subscription.

I’m a candle lover, well candle obsessed some may say and I adore these strongly scented candles from The Copenhagen Company:

I will always be happy with good pyjamas for any occasion and Pretty You London sell a range that normally only look super cute but feel great on your skin, made from Bamboo they can help regulate temperature and the fabric is soft and great for anyone with skin issues or nerve pain for this very reason.

* Items in this guide have been gifted for the purpose of this post.

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Filed Under: Gift Guide · Tagged: valentines

Cooking in the kitchen.. Having fun – Valentines treats

February 3, 2014 · by munchiesandmunchkins · 1 Comment

Last year sometime myself and Izzy watched an episode of Zingzillas.. In each episode they create a new song which they sing at the end and in this particular episode they sung about cooking in the kitchen. The lyrics go something like “Cooking in the kitchen ..having fun” da di da and for some reason this sentence stuck and quite often when I ask Izzy what she wants to do that day she will say Cook in kitchen? Having fun? Which of course is mega cute. Anyway on the weekend we decided to do a little baking in our pyjamas ( I was still unwell) while Chloe and Dad watched the rugby and we copied an idea which I used to make a long time ago from my Be-Ro book to make stained glass Valentines hearts.

You will need:

225g self raising flour
100g caster sugar
100g butter
1/2 lemon – grated zest and juice
1 medium egg -beaten
Boiled sweets
Heart shaped cutters

Preheat oven to gas mark 4. Grease and line your baking trays with baking paper.

Mix flour and sugar and rub in the butter, add lemon zest and juice and most of your egg.

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You may not need all the egg just use enough to make a stiff dough.

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Roll out your dough and using a heart shaped cutter cut out as many large hearts as you can.

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Then using a smaller heart cutter cut out a segment from each heart. Place your large hearts and small hearts on a baking tray and cook for approx 5 minutes.

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Remove from oven and place a boiled sweet in the middle of each large heart and bake for a further 5-7 minutes until the sweet has melted. Remove from oven and leave to cool for a few minutes on a wire rack.

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For the smaller hearts simply dust with icing sugar and munch away.

You could also use a skewer to place a small hole at top of the large hearts so you can hang with a ribbon. Do this prior to baking.

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Would make a cute gift from your children to their Dads to say Happy Valentines and they taste pretty good too!

COOKING WITH KIDS

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Filed Under: Cakes, bread and all things baking, Cooking with toddlers, Family, Recipes · Tagged: Cooking, craft, kids, valentines

Ultimate Chocolate Cake

February 11, 2013 · by munchiesandmunchkins · 5 Comments

I love chocolate and I love cake. I mostly enjoy chocolate cake but sometimes it’s either not quite chocolatey enough or far too chocolatey. If you are a fan of chocolate cake you will understand what I mean. Too chocolatey and it’s can be sickly, too rich and leave an unpleasant aftertaste.. Not chocolatey enough and it’s well a rather bland brown cake. I’ve played with recipes for ages now and I have found or rather worked away at various combinations until I’ve found the ULTIMATE chocolate cake – well for my tastebuds anyhow. I thought you may like to try it and seeing as it wouldn’t be possible to send you all a slice I will share the recipe with you, hoping you will try it and let me know what you think. I should add its simple enough for even the clumsiest baker and would be ideal as a dessert for Valentines day. Chocolate is the food of love – in my house anyway.

Ultimate Chocolate Cake

You will need:

150g of Cake flour ( this is a special flour from Flourbin) SR would also work
30g of Hersheys cocoa powder (any good quality cocoa would do)
175g softened butter ( I used lightly salted lurpak as its what I had )
175g Caster sugar
1 level tsp baking powder
3 large eggs
1 tbsp milk ( plus 1 extra if required)

Preheat your oven 180C or gas 4. Grease and line 2 x 20cm cake tins or use silicone! ( much easier )
Place all ingdients ( except milk) in a bowl and beat with an electric whisk until thick and creamy. You want a dropping consistency so add your milk and if needed the extra spoonful. Divide mixture between the tins and smooth until level.Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the sponge bounces back when pressed with 1 finger. Cool slightly before turning out onto a wire rack and cool completely.

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Filling:

If you served this as a dessert you could whisk double cream with 1 tbsp of baileys and a 2 tbsp of caster sugar until thick and use as a filling or you can do as I did and make a delicious chocolate & vanilla buttercream instead.

Chocolate and vanilla buttercream:

125g Butter – very soft
30g cocoa powder (sifted)
200g Icing Sugar (sifted)
1tbsp warmed milk
1tbsp Nielsen Massey vanilla or a vanilla pod or BOTH!

In a large bowl beat your butter with a wooden spoon or an electric whisk until light and fluffy.
Gradually mix in the icing sugar and cocoa powder until smooth and creamy.
Add the vanilla and sufficient milk to give a fairly firm spreading consistency. Delicious.

Icing:

I make a chocolate glacé icing to go on top. I used the silverspoon recipe for glacé icing and whisked in a little Hershey’s cocoa powder before spreading on top, leaving to set slightly and decorating with white vice versas as I thought it would look cute. There are so many ways in which you could make this cake extra special – such as by making a ganache to top or even completely cover your cake or by really going to town on the decoration!

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This cake is so moist it will taste delicious for several days but I doubt it will last that long.

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When making any kind of cake especially if for a special occasion always use the best, freshest ingredients you can afford. Always use free range eggs, the best vanilla ( Nielsen Masseys – not sponsored unfortunately) and its definitely worth using special Cake flour. This is a new discovery for me after a lovely parcel from The Flour Bin and I’m enjoying trying it in different recipes. Look out for my competition sometimes this week when you can win a £30 voucher to spend with them!

Happy baking x

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Filed Under: Cakes, bread and all things baking, Recipes · Tagged: buttercream, Chocolate cake, Chocolatey, indulgent, love, valentines

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