I don't know about anyone else, but I tend to find it difficult to feed the kids healthy snacks whilst they are at home all day. There's only so many bowls of fruit, unsalted peanuts and carrots they will eat, before they start pulling faces and saying, "Oh, not again!" So, in a flash of inspiration I thought I would try to make something healthy and exciting ;-). Cue..... Strawberry Greek Yoghurt Popsicles.... Anything to grab their attention!
Ingredients:
Punnet of Strawberries.
Carton of 0% fat free Greek Yoghurt.
Method:
Chop fresh strawberries into chunks.
In a bowl, pour in the yoghurt, then add a teaspoon of caster sugar and stir well.
With a small spoon, carefully place spoonfuls of the yoghurt mix into a Popsicle mould. Layer the spoonfuls with the strawberry chunks.
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Since I was a little girl, I have always loved to bake. It goes back to when I visited my Grandma on a Sunday. After dinner, when the pots had been washed, we used to roll up our sleeves, put on our aprons and bake up a storm for Sunday Afternoon Tea. We used to call these sessions... Farmhouse Kitchen. Grandma, pretended to be the host of 'Farmhouse Kitchen', whilst I was the trusty side-kick. We had so much fun and it ignited a love of baking, that to this day, still makes me very, very happy.
I try to re-create this 'Farmhouse Kitchen' scene with my Princess, and in the process we laugh and giggle our way through triumphs and disasters in the kitchen.
This is what we made a little while ago. Butterfly Sugar Cookies. We hope you enjoy......
Ingredients:
3 cups of plain flour.
1 teaspoon baking powder.
1 cup Stork margarine.
1 cup sugar.
1 large egg.
1 teaspoon vanilla extract.
Baking parchment.
1 cup icing sugar.
Embellishments for the cookies.
Method.
Mix the flour and the baking powder in a separate bowl and place to one side.
Cream the margarine and sugar together until light and fluffy, in a separate bowl.
Add the egg and vanilla extract to the creamed mixture and beat well.
Slowly incorporate the flour a bit at a time and mix until the dough starts to come away from the sides of the bowl.
Next, I like to lay a piece of baking parchment onto a worktop and turn the dough mixture onto it. I then knead the dough a few times to make sure that all of the ingredients are well incorporated.
I then wrap the dough in clingfilm and place it in the fridge for two hours to chill. If you are a bit pressed for time you could pop it in the freezer for 20-30 mins.
At this point, pre-heat your oven to 180 degree Celsius.
Take the dough from the fridge and place it onto parchment paper with another piece on top. I find it easier this way. The reasons are two-fold; Firstly, it's saves the need to keep adding flour, which only dries out the mixture, when rolling. Also, if you roll the dough directly onto parchment, you only need to lift it straight onto a baking tray, without the need to try and move each individual cut out cookie. Therefore eliminating the worry of breaking and dismantling the cookie during transportation.
Once the dough is rolled to a half inch thickness, cut out the desired cookie shape with cutters. Remember to leave a gap between each cookie, as they expand slightly when they bake.
Place the baking parchment with the cookies, onto a baking sheet and bake in the oven for 8-10 mins, until nicely golden.
Allow to cool and then decorate as you would like.
Princess and I decided to make butterflies. We used white icing as a base. One cup of icing sugar, with a few teaspoon of water added, until the desired consistency is reached. We flooded each cookie with the icing and then added some coloured sugared almonds and some small strawberry chews, in the design of a butterfly.
We also imprinted a butterfly design onto rolled blue, ready-made fondant icing and placed it onto round, fluted cookies.
We hope you like these designs Xxx
I try to re-create this 'Farmhouse Kitchen' scene with my Princess, and in the process we laugh and giggle our way through triumphs and disasters in the kitchen.
This is what we made a little while ago. Butterfly Sugar Cookies. We hope you enjoy......
Ingredients:
3 cups of plain flour.
1 teaspoon baking powder.
1 cup Stork margarine.
1 cup sugar.
1 large egg.
1 teaspoon vanilla extract.
Baking parchment.
1 cup icing sugar.
Embellishments for the cookies.
Method.
Mix the flour and the baking powder in a separate bowl and place to one side.
Cream the margarine and sugar together until light and fluffy, in a separate bowl.
Add the egg and vanilla extract to the creamed mixture and beat well.
Slowly incorporate the flour a bit at a time and mix until the dough starts to come away from the sides of the bowl.
Next, I like to lay a piece of baking parchment onto a worktop and turn the dough mixture onto it. I then knead the dough a few times to make sure that all of the ingredients are well incorporated.
I then wrap the dough in clingfilm and place it in the fridge for two hours to chill. If you are a bit pressed for time you could pop it in the freezer for 20-30 mins.
At this point, pre-heat your oven to 180 degree Celsius.
Take the dough from the fridge and place it onto parchment paper with another piece on top. I find it easier this way. The reasons are two-fold; Firstly, it's saves the need to keep adding flour, which only dries out the mixture, when rolling. Also, if you roll the dough directly onto parchment, you only need to lift it straight onto a baking tray, without the need to try and move each individual cut out cookie. Therefore eliminating the worry of breaking and dismantling the cookie during transportation.
Once the dough is rolled to a half inch thickness, cut out the desired cookie shape with cutters. Remember to leave a gap between each cookie, as they expand slightly when they bake.
Place the baking parchment with the cookies, onto a baking sheet and bake in the oven for 8-10 mins, until nicely golden.
Allow to cool and then decorate as you would like.
Princess and I decided to make butterflies. We used white icing as a base. One cup of icing sugar, with a few teaspoon of water added, until the desired consistency is reached. We flooded each cookie with the icing and then added some coloured sugared almonds and some small strawberry chews, in the design of a butterfly.
We also imprinted a butterfly design onto rolled blue, ready-made fondant icing and placed it onto round, fluted cookies.
We hope you like these designs Xxx
1. Family is the most important, treasure it.
2. Don't put up walls.
3. Everyone deserves a second chance.
4. Life might be a difficult journey, but always be true to yourself.
5. Don't shut people out.
6. People fear what they don't understand.
7. Let down your guard and let people in.
8. True love can change the world.
9. Be honest.
10. Your actions affect others.
11. Don't judge a book by it's cover.... Prince Hans.
12. Be vulnerable.
13. One person cannot fulfil all your needs.
14. Be unapologetically you.
15. Sisters before Misters.
16. Dream Big ..... Olaf dreamt of summer.
17. Don't listen to bad advice.... 'conceal, don't feel'.
18. Power of sisterhood.
19. Public humiliation..... Get over it.
20. True love doesn't give up.
21. Don't underestimate the power of a killer dress..... 'Let it go'.
22. Take pride in your identity.
23. Stop pretending to be someone else.....'Let it go'.
24. Some people are more than who they first appear to be.
25. Take pride in your talents.
26. True love is worth the wait.
27. Don't be afraid to ask for help when you need it most.
28. Understand the need for self-control.
29. You are never alone, there is always someone willing to help and guide you.
30. Treasure and nurture special relationships.
Autumn is officially here!!! The temperature has started to drop and the warmth of Summer has started to fade. The trees are adorned with jewel coloured leaves and the nights are drawing in dark and cold.
I have to admit, I love this time of year...... Am I the only one I wonder??
To celebrate the start of my favourite season, I have baked some beautiful Caramel Apple and Blackberry Galettes.
Ingredients:
Pie Crust.
4 oz cold margarine.
8 oz plain flour.
2 oz caster sugar.
Quarter tsp salt.
100ml ice cold water.
Method:
Cut the cold margarine into pieces in a large bowl. Add the flour, sugar and salt, mix well.
Whilst mixing, drizzle the ice cold water slowly into the bowl. Mix until a dough forms and then turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and roll, with a rolling pin to the desired size, until it fits the pastry tins. Reserve some pastry for decoration.
600g caster sugar.
30g soft margarine.
300ml double cream.
Method:
Place the sugar into a saucepan, over moderate heat, and allow to dissolve. Try to do this without too much stirring.
Once the sugar is bubbling and turning golden, stir once or twice and take the pan off the heat to allow the rest of the sugar to melt.
Next, add the soft margarine and mix in well, until it has fully melted.
In another pan, heat the double cream and then pour very gently into the sugar mix. Be careful not to burn yourself, as the mixture will spit at you. Keep on stirring until smooth and silky, this shouldn't take too long.
Allow the mixture to cool, before use. Any leftovers, store in clean sterilised jars until needed.
Apples and Blackberries.
3 Brambly apples.
100g Blackberries.
1 tsp lemon juice.
Add the fruit mixture to the pastry cases and dot over some of the caramel sauce. Not too much, as it will bubble over the sides of the galette.
As a final flourish, design some Autumn leaves with the remainder pastry and use this to decorate the top of the galettes.
Once assembled, pop the galettes into a pre-heated oven 180 degrees Celsius for 20 Min's. Keep a close eye on them after this time as they tend to brown really quickly.
Enjoy with a scoop of vanilla ice-cream or a pouring of double cream. Delicious!
Happy Autumn, Everyone Xxx
Twenty ways to live an elegant life....
1). Hold yourself to high standards.
2). A vase of fresh flowers in your home.
3). Practice quality over quantity.
4). Wear solid colours.
5). Serve coffee or tea after meals.
6). Send thank you notes.
7). Politely say, "No".
8). Listen without interrupting.
9). Have a signature wine.
10). Sip your drink.
11). Arrive at your destination on time.
12). Have a signature perfume.
13). Have impeccable manners.
14). Go for a walk in the park on Sundays.
15). Wear a signature necklace, watch or jewellery.
16). Look after your money.
17). Maintain manicured nails.
18). Wear minimal accessories.
19). Don't speak ill of others.
20). Be gracious.
I would be grateful if you could make anymore suggestions.....
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