Madhouse Family Reviews !

Sorry duckies - other ways to use up leftover bread than a trip to the park !

2013-05-24T06:03:00.000+01:00

I was interested to hear about the "Don’t Feed the Ducks" campaign which is being piloted this weekend in London parks by the Federation of Bakers. They have teamed up with London park-keepers to try to encourage people to feed ducks healthy alternatives when they head to the park during the school holidays and keep the bread for themselves and their little ones! I'll share the press release with you, but make sure you scroll down to see my recipe ideas for using up your leftover bread at the end !

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Don’t Feed the Ducks campaign piloted in London parks as families head out for half term

In an unusual partnership, the country’s bakers have joined forces with London park-keepers to ask the nation to re-think feeding the ducks bread, in a bid to prevent bread wastage and remind families of the benefits of eating bread during the half term holiday. Signs will be up at Battersea Park and Clapham Common throughout the summer asking the public not to feed the ducks but instead to save the bread for themselves. The initiative is part of the Slice of Life campaign, which the Federation of Bakers is running to promote bread in daily life.

Lisa Faulkner, campaign supporter and busy mum explained: “We know families have enjoyed feeding the ducks for generations but bird charities agree that bread is better kept for the family than for the ducks. For us, it’s an important part of a healthy balanced diet - low in fat, high in calcium and fibre. For ducks, they are better off if we feed them a handful of grain. If you do want to make sure you don’t waste your bread, then think about adding bulk to a vegetable soup or treating your family to an indulgent bread and butter pudding.”

Supporting the Federation of Bakers campaign is nutritionist Amanda Ursell, who commented, “Despite bread having a high nutritional content, it is often the first thing that I see excluded from people’s diets when they’re looking to lose weight. Although most people think ‘bread equals carbs’, in fact, bread also gives us protein, along with a wealth of minerals including bone-building calcium and energy-boosting iron, not to mention a wide variety of vitamins and fibre. As a nutritionist it’s great to see the Federation of Bakers launching this new initiative to bust these bread myths and raise awareness about the benefits of bread.”

Parks Manager of Clapham Common, Dr Iain Boulton commented, “With half-term next week and the weather improving, we’re expecting the number of families visiting our parks to really pick up, with plenty of people coming to see the ducks. However, it’s good to remember that the ponds offer ducks plenty of natural nutrition. If you’re coming to Clapham Common for a family day out and would like to feed the ducks, we’d recommend you grab a handful of hamster grain or some old vegetables to feed the wildfowl and keep the bread for your family’s sandwich lunch!”

The Don’t Feed the Ducks campaign is being piloted in two of London’s busiest parks - Battersea Park and Clapham Common - throughout the summer months.

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So, if you're not feeding your stale bread to the ducks, how about trying some of these recipes instead ?

Chocolate Bread & Butter Pudding from the Love Food Hate Waste website

My Mediterranean Stuffed Turkey Parcels with breadcrumbs made from toasted stale bread

Choco Fruit Treats from the Federation of Bakers website

Easy Eggy Bread from the Federation of Bakers website

Do you have any other favourite recipes for using up leftover bread?

Other blogposts you may be interested in :

New free app from Love Food Hate Waste

Use up your leftovers ! : Egg Fried Rice recipe

Classic Thanksgiving Recipes - Sorted !

Make Time 2 Play Campaign

2013-05-24T05:53:00.004+01:00

As soon as I heard about the British Toy and Hobby Association’s Make Time 2 Play Campaign, I thought it sounded right up our street. I think making time to play with your kids is of the utmost importance and something that is often undervalued. Think back to your own childhood memories - what springs to mind? For me, it's splashing in a paddling pool in the garden, playing Bulldog (before it was banned !) on the green outside our house, making Fuzzy Felt scenes, putting on Barbie fashion shows and potato printing, to name but a few. I remember much more about the fun I had playing than about particular lessons at school, programmes I watched on TV or other day-to-day stuffed that doesn't instantly spring to mind. If I think back to fond memories of quality time spent with my family, it didn't involve expensive toys or big days out - those special moments that counted the most were the ones when we just sat at the table together or got down on the floor and just played together.

As a busy working parent, it's easy to say you haven't got time or you're too tired to play when the kids ask but it really does only take a few minutes to create lasting memories with the kids. Help them throw together a makeshift den by putting a blanket over two chairs, make up stories together or play a quick game of Snap or noughts and crosses. It doesn't really matter what you do - the important thing is taking a few minutes out of your day to just be there and interact with your child, without one eye on the TV/ipad/laptop/mobile phone.

Experts from the government and OFSTED have highlighted the educational benefits of playtime too. They say that children learn best through simple playtime which enhances problem-solving skills, attention span, social development and creativity. This is something I have discovered in the classroom too. Trying to teach kids to ask for directions is much more fun (and memorable) if you tie it in with a game of directing a blindfolded pupil around the class and back to his seat. That's just one example though - there are millions of others.

The experts also say : "The mistake that many people make is to believe that because you don’t always know what the child is going to learn through play, they’re not learning anything. Even the most frivolous activity is beneficial for children as it helps them understand themselves better – learning what makes you happy and what makes you laugh helps children cope with challenges and acts as a buffer against mental health issues such as depression and anxiety. When it comes to play, what’s most important are the social skills children learn. Relationships are the bedrock of society and children who play develop mutually rewarding relationships, learn to compromise, communicate and negotiate, all of which give them much better outlooks for future careers and mental health."

The key message of the campaign is to remember that play is vital to a child’s healthy development and not just something to be done as a reward or an afterthought.

Make Time 2 Play aims to give parents FREE play ideas that can be easily slotted into busy schedules. As well as the website, they have a FREE app which you can download to your phone so that you have a free play idea for every day of the year whilst on the go.

for more information : http://www.maketime2play.co.uk/

Other blogposts you may be interested in :

Pocket Playground from Ribena Plus

'Make A Pledge' to get children playing

Eureka! launches Play 20: Playtime Anytime to get families playing together

Ethical Superstore

2013-05-23T20:25:00.000+01:00

When I was asked to check out the products on sale at Ethical Superstore, I wasn't really sure what to expect. I assumed that they'd have a multitude of organic, fairtrade and eco-friendly products on offer, but I was surprised to see that that's not the only criteria. On their website, they explain that each product in their online store must have established ethical credentials in at least one of the following areas:

• Fair Trade

• Organic

• Eco Friendly

• Health and Wellness promotion

• Education and awareness building

• Locally Produced

• Charity

They evaluate each manufacturer’s overall ethical credentials when deciding whether or not to sell their products and pass on information about any ethical awards given by an independent 3rd party organisation such as the Fairtrade Labelling Organisation, the Soil Association or the Energy Saving Trust. They explain : "Ultimately the choice is yours, the ethical consumer, of what to support in your ethical purchasing. Our aim is to empower you to make the choices that are right for you and your family."

Buying Fairtrade is easy enough, even if shopping in your usual supermarket, but when I took part in (and won !) a Bake Fair Fairtrade Cookery Challenge and went to my food cupboard to pull out the products I already had that were fairtrade, I was shocked to see that there weren't any. Some of the brands and products that I was convinced were Fairtrade weren't, so it's great to have a website that takes all the guesswork out for you and saves you time when looking for ethical options.

The website is a nice mix of well-known eco-friendly and fairtrade brands, such as Divine Chocolate and Ecover, but also some really unusual and quirky products that I'd never heard of before. I love the sound of the solar-powered laptop chargers and the Nether Wallop Paper Potter - it may sound like it belongs on a kinky X-rated site (!) but it's actually a nifty gadget for making your own seedling pots from old newspapers.

The things that really leapt out at me were the fabulous planting kits that would enable us to grow our own veggies even with just a patio. They have potatoes, tomatoes, carrots and even mushrooms, which made me get all excited, especially as they only take two weeks to grow ! I'll have to go and have a browse through what else they have on offer, especially as I've just signed up for a Britmums challenge to get the kids gardening so I'm on the lookout for things to grow in pots at the moment !

for more information : http://www.ethicalsuperstore.com/

Disclosure : This is a sponsored post but that doesn't stop it being honest and, I hope, interesting !

Other blogposts you may be interested in :

Fairtrade Fortnight recipe : Malawian-style Peanut & Banana Cake

Rainforest-themed Sigg Cuipo Bottles review

Cadbury Dairy Milk Freddo has teamed upo with UK wildlife charity

Best of British recipes for Open Farm Sunday

2013-05-23T10:37:00.000+01:00

Open Farm Sunday is a nationwide event that is taking place on the 9th June and this year's theme is ‘Discover the story behind your food’. The event offers the public a fantastic chance to celebrate British farming and to see for themselves how the food and farming chain works, and in many cases see it in its entirety for a whole range of foods from fresh produce to dairy. Visitors to the hundreds of farms opening across Britain will get to meet the people that grow and produce their food and also to understand more about how and why farmers care for the countryside and why that matters to us all.

Open Farm Sunday is organised by LEAF (Linking Environment And Farming), the leading organisation delivering sustainable food and farming and has a number of sponsors such as Waitrose, The Co-operative, Asda and Marks & Spencer. You can find out more at www.farmsunday.org. In the meantime, you might like to try out some more of the recipes that the sponsors have created to showcase British food, after seeing the Chicken & Summer Vegetable Tray Bake and the Cherry Tomato Tart that I shared earlier in the week - bon appétit !

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Chocolate courgette cakes
(Recipe courtesy of The Co-operative Food Magazine)

The courgette makes these cakes light and moist, but they will only last a couple of days in an airtight tin. Alternatively, pop some in the freezer for another day.

Makes: 18-20 CAKES

Takes: 20 minutes to make + 15-20 minutes to cook

1 medium courgette (about 200g), peeled

150g unsalted butter

150g light soft brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 tbsp cocoa powder

2 The Co-operative free range eggs

250g self raising flour

1 tsp baking powder

2 tbsp The Co-operative semi-skimmed milk

For the Icing

150g icing sugar

1 tbsp cocoa powder

2 tbsp milk

To decorate, seasonal fruit eg raspberries, strawberries, blueberries (optional)

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/fan 160°C/Gas 4. Finely grate the courgette. In a separate bowl, beat together the butter, sugar, vanilla and cocoa until light and fluffy. Gradually add the eggs with a little of the flour, beating well each time. 2

2. Add the baking powder to the rest of the flour, then add to the butter mix along with the courgette and milk. Mix everything together. Divide between 18-20 paper cases and bake for 15-20 minutes until cooked through. 3

3. Mix the icing sugar, cocoa and milk to a smooth paste and spoon a little over

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Honey cake
(Recipe courtesy of The Co-operative Food Magazine)

This is not a big tall cake – it’s meant to be quite shallow. It has almost a slightly chewy texture and is bursting with honey flavour.

Serves: 8

Takes: about 10 minutes to make + 30 minutes to cook

125g The Co-operative clear honey,

plus 2 tbsp for drizzling on the top

125g unsalted butter

75g light soft brown sugar

175g self raising flour

2 The Co-operative free range eggs, beaten

A little icing sugar, to decorate

1. Preheat the oven to 180ºC/fan 160ºC/ Gas 4. Line and grease the base of a 20cm round cake tin. Put the honey, butter and sugar into a small pan and heat very gently until the sugar and butter have melted.

2. Take the pan off the heat, add the flour and eggs and beat together. Pour into the cake tin and bake for 30 minutes. Check the cake after 20 minutes and cover with greaseproof and baking paper to stop it from going too brown on top.

3. Sit the cake in the tin on a cooling rack for 10 minutes. Then use a skewer to poke holes in the cake. Warm the remaining honey in a pan and drizzle over the cake. When totally cool, take out of the tin and dust with icing sugar.

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Picnic Loaf
(Recipe courtesy of The Co-operative Food Magazine)

Serves: 4

Takes: 20-25 minutes to make + about 20 minutes to cook

2 of each The Co-operative red and yellow peppers

1 The Co-operative courgette, trimmed and thinly sliced

1 medium unsliced loaf from The Co-operative in store bakery

50g The Co-operative bagged mixed salad

125g The Co-operative Italian mozzarella or feta cheese, sliced

3 slices The Co-operative Parma ham (optional)

50g The Co-operative Truly Irresistible Summer Kiss tomatoes, roughly chopped (optional)

2 large handfuls fresh basil leaves

1. Preheat the grill to very hot, halve and deseed the peppers. Place on a baking tray and grill until the skins turn black. Meanwhile, put the courgettes onto another baking tray and grill alongside, until just cooked. Put the peppers into a plastic bag and peel away the skins.

2. Cut the lid off the loaf and pull out the middle – leave a good crust so that it will stay crisp once the loaf is filled. Start layering all the ingredients inside with basil leaves dotted through the layers. Season with freshly ground black pepper.

3. Replace lid, wrap in greaseproof and baking paper and tie with string the keep it together or wrap in clingfilm. Chill in the fridge for about an hour.

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Red Onion Chutney

(Recipe courtesy of Asda Magazine)

Makes 1 Jar (450g)

Ready in: 2 hrs

Ingredients:

700g red onions, halved and very thinly sliced

2tbsp sunflower oil

1 bay leaf

1 sprig of fresh thyme

50g soft brown sugar

3tbsp balsamic vinegar

150ml red wine

75ml apple juice

Method:

1. Put the onions in a saucepan with the oil and stir to coat. Add the bay leaf and thyme. Cover and cook over a very low heat, stirring often, until they’re really soft and falling apart but not coloured. This is called ‘sweating’ and will take 20-30 minutes. Doing this will make the flavour milder and will bring out the natural sweetness of the onions.

2. Add the sugar, balsamic vinegar, red wine and apple juice and cook over a medium heat, uncovered, stirring often, until the liquid has evaporated. This will take at least an hour. Stir continuously towards the end of the cooking time to make sure the chutney doesn’t catch and burn.

3. Half an hour before the chutney is ready, wash a 450g jar and lid in hot soapy water and then rinse and put in the oven for 20 minutes at 140⁰C/120⁰C Fan/Gas 1 to sterilise. Or you could wash the jar on the hot cycle in a dishwasher.

4. Put the chutney in the sterilised jar and leave until cold. It will keep in the fridge for up to a month.

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Shortbread almond slice
(Recipe courtesy of The Co-operative Food Magazine)

This is the perfect sweet treat to enjoy on your picnic as it travels well so still looks great when you arrive. Serve with a big tub of fresh cherries or everyone to help themselves.

Makes: 12 slices

Takes: 20 minutes to make + 25-30 minutes to cook + at least 10 minutes to chill

For the topping

50g The Co-operative unsalted butter

1 tbsp golden caster sugar

1 tsp almond essence

100g flaked almonds

For the shortbread

225g plain flour

3 tbsp cornflour

½ tsp baking powder

150g unsalted butter

125g golden caster sugar

Few drops vanilla extract

4 tbsp The Co-operative Truly Irresistible raspberry conserve

To serve, fresh cherries or seasonal berries

1. Preheat the oven to 180ºC/fan 160ºC/Gas 4. To make the topping, put the butter, sugar and essence into a small pan, heat gently until the butter and sugar have melted, add the almonds and stir. Set aside and leave to cool. 2

2. For the shortbread, put the flour, cornflour and baking powder into a large bowl. Add the butter and rub the mixture between your fingers to make breadcrumbs. Add the sugar and vanilla extract and mix together with your hands. Push the mixture into a 20cm square tin lined with greaseproof and baking paper, put in the fridge and leave to chill for at least 10 minutes.

3. Dot the jam over the shortbread and spread carefully to cover. Top with the almond mixture and bake for 25-30 minutes until the shortbread is cooked and the almonds are golden. Use a knife to loosen around the edges and leave in the tin to cool. Cut into 12 slices.

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Stuffed pork fillet
(Recipe courtesy of Asda Magazine)

Serves: 4

Ready in: 1 hrs 25 mins

Ingredients:

1 tbsp olive oil

1 clove garlic, crushed

4 sun-dried tomatoes, drained and roughly chopped

4 green pitted olives, drained and roughly chopped

25g parmesan, grated

2 level tbsp pine nuts

2 courgettes

2 red onions

2 medium carrots

1 Butcher’s Selection Pork Fillet (weighting approx 500g)

6 rashers Asda Extra Special Streaky Bacon

New potatoes, boiled to serve

Gravy, to serve

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 190⁰C/170⁰C Fan / Gas 5. To prepare the stuffing, heat the olive oil in a frying pan, add the crushed garlic, sun-dried tomatoes and chopped green olives and cook over a medium heat for 2-3 minutes, stirring often. Drain the oil off into a roasting tin. Tip the olive and tomato stuffing mixture into a bowl and leave to cool.

2. Add the grated Parmesan and pine nuts to the cooked olive and tomato stuffing mixture. Season the stuffing with freshly ground black pepper – you won’t need to add any salt. Cut the courgettes, red onions and carrots into small, even-sized pieces. Put into the roasting tin containing the frying oil, and toss to completely coat the vegetable piece. Set aside.

3. Trim off any fat and sinew from the pork. Make a cut all along the fillet, about three quarters of the way through, being careful not to cut right through. Open out like a book. Put the stuffing on one half, spreading it evenly. Then fold over the other side. Place a rasher of bacon on a chopping board and run the back of a knife along it to stretch it and make it a little thinner. Repeat with the other rashers.

4. Wrap the bacon round the pork fillet, making sure the ends of all the rashers are tucked underneath. Put in another roasting tin and cook for 45-50minutes. Roast the tin of vegetables at the same time. Remove the pork from the oven, loosely cover with foil and leave to rest for 10 minutes before the slicing. Serve with the roast vegetables, boiled new potatoes and gravy.

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Union Flag Tart
(Recipe courtesy of Asda Magazine)

Serves 12

Ready in: 1hr 30 mins

Ingredients:

225g butter, in small cubes, plus extra for greasing

350g plain flour, plus extra for rolling out

50g icing sugar, plus 2 tbsp for the mascarpone

2 egg yolks

4 tbsp redcurrant jelly (optional)

375g mascarpone

¼ tsp vanilla extract

225g reduced fat crème fraîche

250-400g strawberries, depending on if they’re halved, green tops removed

150g raspberries

200g blueberries

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 190⁰C / 170⁰C Fan / Gas 5. Lightly grease a 33 x 23cm shallow tin with butter and line the base with baking paper.

2. Sift the flour with a pinch of salt. Rub the butter into the flour, using your fingertips, until it looks like breadcrumbs. Stir in 50g icing sugar.

3. Mix the yolks with 3 tbsp cold water and add to the flour mixture to make a stiff dough. You may need more water – add a teaspoon at a time. On a lightly floured surface, roll out to 2cm larger than the tin. Carefully transfer to the tin using the rolling pin. Press into the corners and sides. Prick the base with a fork. Chill for 30 minutes.

4. Line the pastry with baking paper and fill with baking beans or rice. Bake for 10 minutes, then remove the paper and rice or beans and bake for 8 minutes. Cool.

5. Melt the jelly, if using, in a small pan and brush over the inside of the pastry case. Leave to set for 10 minutes.

6. Mix the mascarpone with the vanilla, crème fraîche and remaining icing sugar and spread inside the pastry case.

7. Arrange the berries to make a British flag.

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Warm pea & chilli salad
(Recipe courtesy of Asda Magazine)

Serves 4

Ready in: 30 mins

Ingredients:

350g new potatoes

350g frozen peas (or fresh)

200g fine green beans, trimmed

3tbsp olive oil

4 spring onions, trimmed and sliced

1 or 2 red chillies, deseeded and finely chopped

1tbsp Asda Cider Vinegar

1tsp clear honey

1tsp Asda Dijon Mustard

Method:

1. Boil the new potatoes until just tender, then drain. When cool enough to handle, halve or quarter them, depending on size. Put in a bowl.

2. Add the peas and beans to the pan with enough boiling water to just cover them. Bring back to the boil and simmer covered, for 4 minutes. Drain and add to the potatoes.

3. Heat 1tbsp oil and cook the spring onions and chillies over a low heat for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat. Add the rest of the oil, the vinegar, honey and mustard. Season.

4. Add to the potatoes, peas and green beans and toss together before serving.

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Other blogposts you may be interested in :

My Dream Cake at #level36 for World Baking Day #bakebrave

Madhouse recipe : Potato and Courgette Lasagne

#leanonturkey Summer Turkey Recipe Challenge : Mediterranean Stuffed Turkey Parcels

Moves – the perfect (and free!) activity tracker app for busy parents

2013-05-23T10:25:00.000+01:00

As I don't drive, I know that I walk an awful lot on a daily basis. I've made a few half-hearted attempts to use a pedometer in the past but for some reason, they always switch themselves off and tell me I've walked 2 metres at the end of the day ! Maybe it's because I've only ever used a freebie pedometer that came as part of an advertising promo and wasn't very good ! I'd love to know how much I walk in a day, week or month though, so when this press release popped into my inbox, I was very impressed by the fact that you can turn your phone into a very clever pedometer. Sadly I don't have a smartphone though, so I'll still never know how far I've walked !

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Busy with the kids & can’t commit to the gym? Moves, a free new app for the iPhone, tracks physical activity for busy parents

For busy parents, balancing both their work and personal life means making time for regular exercise is tricky. Gym trips become a luxury and evening runs are squeezed in when the kids are tucked up in bed. It’s not ideal. However, it’s easy to forget just how much running around managing a family can require throughout the day. Enter Moves, a free app for the iPhone that allows users to track their physical activity from their pocket for free.

Moves is designed for users who may frequent the gym less than their friends but would still like to know how active they actually are. It’s the must-have app for busy people wanting to get fitter and lead a healthier lifestyle through exercise.

The app tracks walking, cycling, running and time spent in transportation. Moves identifies the places a user has been, visualising it on the app’s activity ‘Storyline’ – e.g. work, school or the office. Each day and at the end of the week Moves send users a handy notification letting them see exactly what activity they have tracked. It’s a good way to motivate users into doing more!

Using the app couldn’t be easier. Simply download the app and start tracking activity. That’s it. There’s no need to open up the app each morning or other times throughout the day. The app doesn’t need users to sign up or input login details either. After all, apps should make your life easier and not become an extra burden you have remember to do something with.

The key features of Moves include:

- Tracks walking, cycling, running and transportation

- Neat, simple-to-use interface for tracking with no effort

- No sign-up needed – download the app and start tracking straight away. App runs in the background so no need to start app each time

- ‘Storyline’ to show locations visited e.g. office, school etc.

- Daily and weekly summaries of activity to let you know exactly what you’ve been doing

“We designed Moves to help people track their activity easier than ever,” said Sampo Karjalainen, the man behind Moves. “Too many apps rely on users having to remember to use apps and enter things manually in their busy day-to-day lives. Download Moves and you can start tracking instantly and automatically.”

Moves is available to download for free for iPhone on the App Store.

For more information : www.moves-app.com

Other blogposts you may be interested in :

Sunday weigh-in : Defies all logic but who cares ?!

Who says salads are boring? Try these recipes from the British Leafy Salads Association !

Lunaling Techwear Capri Pants 7-day Challenge

Merchant Gourmet Moroccan Couscous review

2013-05-22T21:03:00.001+01:00

A little while ago, I managed to bag myself a free sachet of Merchant Gourmet Moroccan Couscous in a giveaway on the brand's facebook page. It comes in a sachet very similar to the Uncle Ben's/Tilda microwaveable rice so is absolutely perfect when you need something on the dinner table in a hurry. You just snip the top off the sachet, zap it for a couple of minutes in the microwave and it's ready.

Merchant Gourmet describe the product as "a wonderfully aromatic Moroccan couscous packed with tasty dried fruits, fragrant spices and nutty chickpeas". In terms of flavour and appearance, it's spot on. The spice blend tastes authentic and gives great flavour to what can sometimes be a fairly bland dish. The couscous comes out perfectly cooked - not at all soggy, and it didn't stick together in lumps as it sometimes does when cooked in water. The only thing that we thought let it down slightly was that the chickpeas were a bit too hard.

We ate this as an accompaniment to chicken and salad, but the website also suggests mixing it with roasted vegetables or adding it to salad leaves and using it to stuff pitta pockets, both of which sound lovely. I think it would also be perfect for stuffing peppers, tomatoes or courgettes.

Each pouch contains two 125g servings, which contain 209 calories, 7.1g of protein, 34.5g of carbohydrates (of which 7.3g sugars), 3.5g of fat (of which 0.6g saturates) and 5.8g of fibre.

It's ideal if you're looking for a quick and tasty alternative to rice, potato or pasta to go with your meal. I might let it cook for an extra minute next time to see if the chickpeas soften up a bit though !

star rating : 4/5

RRP : £1.99

for more information : http://www.merchant-gourmet.com/products/meals-in-minutes/moroccan-couscous/

Disclosure : I won a sachet of Merchant Gourmet Couscous in a giveaway but I wasn't asked to review it.

Other reviews you may be interested in :

Ainsley Harriott World Kitchen Couscous review

Ainsley BBQ Challenge Recipe #1 - Fragrant Beef Koftas with Raita

Madhouse Recipe : Bacon & Spelt-Stuffed Round Courgettes

Recipe : Chicken & Summer Vegetable Tray Bake

2013-05-22T20:19:00.000+01:00

Yesterday, I tried out a recipe for Cherry Tomato Tart that had been created to showcase British food and farming in conjunction with Open Farm Sunday. Tonight's dinner was another Open Farm Sunday recipe, this time created by ASDA Magazine. It's just as quick and simple as the one we tried yesterday so they're great recipes for when you need something quick after a busy day at work.

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Chicken and summer vegetable tray bake

Serves 4

Ready in: 55 minutes

Ingredients:

2tbsp balsamic vinegar

3tbsp sunflower oil

1 level tbsp apricot jam

1kg pack chicken drumsticks

600g baby new potatoes, halved or quartered, depending on their size

2 courgettes, thickly sliced

2 red peppers, deseeded and cut into chunks

1 red onion, cut into 8 wedges

150g pack baby carrots, green tops trimmed and halved lengthways

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 200⁰C/180⁰C Fan/Gas 6. Mix the balsamic vinegar with 1tbsp oil and the apricot jam in a large freezer bag. Make cuts in the fleshy parts of the drumsticks, then put in the bag with the marinade. Turn to coat. Leave for 10 minutes. (I discovered that we were out of apricot jam and thought blackcurrant jam wouldn't work (!), so I opted for honey and spices instead, which was lovely.)

2. Put the potatoes in a pan of cold water, cover and bring to the boil. Simmer for 8 minutes, then drain.

3. Transfer the chicken drumsticks to a roasting tin (or two small tins).

4. Put the drained potatoes, courgettes, peppers, onion and baby carrots in a bowl and toss them in the rest of the oil until completely coated. Add to the chicken drumsticks and bake for 35-40 minutes until the chicken is cooked through.

As you can see, I adapted the recipe to suit what was (or rather wasn't) in the fridge and missed out the red pepper (which was a shame - I'd definitely add that next time for colour, sweetness and crunch) and carrots. I made it with half seasoned and half plain chicken (as the Madhouse Mini Testers aren't keen on spicy food) so it's great to have a dish that can accommodate both tastes with zero fuss.

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Recipe courtesy of Asda Magazine, provided to showcase British food and farming in conjunction with Open Farm Sunday, which is on 9th June 2013 and provides a great opportunity for the public to truly get to know how their food is produced and how the countryside around them is cared for.

Sponsors for Open Farm Sunday 2013 include Asda, Country Life butter, Frontier Agriculture, John Deere, LEAF Marque, Marks and Spencer, National Farmers Union, Syngenta, The Co-operative and Waitrose, plus BPEX, Dairy Co, EBLEX, HDC, HGCA, Cotswold Seeds, FarmStay UK and Farmers Weekly

For more information visit www.farmsunday.org

Other blogposts you may be interested in :

Recipe : Cherry Tomato Tart

Dairylea Springy Onion and Mighty Mature review

Happy World Baking Day ! I'm baking Bakewell Tart Biscuits at #level15 #bakebrave

Ruby Loves Kids' Crafting Magazine review

2013-05-22T19:07:00.000+01:00

A few weeks ago, Sophie was very pleased to receive a new monthly crafts magazine through the post to review. Called Ruby Loves and targetting girls aged 8-12, it includes materials needed to make the items featured in the issue, as well as offering online content which is unlocked with a secret code, prizes and more.

Sophie instantly ripped open the bag and took out all the contents. She was very excited at the wide range of interesting looking bits and pieces and couldn't wait to see what they would end up being made into.

In the issue that we were reviewing (the first one), there were several projects that really appealed to her, so I think they've perfectly understood their target audience - although Juliette is 8 and she would have found many of them too difficult, unless I gave her a lot of help.

The first project that Sophie wanted to try was the Kitten Keyring. The instructions are clear and simple to follow, using lots of photos to show you how to do each stage.

Sophie didn't really need any input from me at all, although she did seek reassurance that she was doing it right from time to time.

Other projects in this issue include Star Cookie Pops, rings, a bag, bunting and cards so there is a nice mix of different projects. This would be a great buy for a wet weekend or a school holiday because it's packed with things to keep young crafts enthusiasts busy.

star rating : 4.5/5

RRP : £4.99

for more information : http://www.rubyloves.com/

Disclosure : We received a magazine in order to write an honest review.

Other reviews you may be interested in :

Meccano review

Aquarelle Watercolours Kit review

Earth Day Kids' Craft Project : Planet Ocean-themed Shopping Bag

Recipe : Cherry Tomato Tart

2013-05-21T21:20:00.000+01:00

This week is National Vegetarian Week so I thought it would be the perfect time for trying out this recipe for Cherry Tomato Tart, especially as I got some beautifully sweet cherry tomatoes in my veg box this week. This is one of the recipes (I'll be back with more) created by The Co-operative Food, to showcase British food and farming in conjunction with Open Farm Sunday (on 9th June this year).

Cherry Tomato Tart

For these tarts, you can semi-dry the tomatoes to really bring out their rich, sweet flavour. (But I didn't bother because I was short on time !)

Makes: 4

Takes: ABOUT 10 minutes to make + 1½ hours for drying the tomatoes + 15 minutes to cook

225g British cherry tomatoes, halved

1 tbsp The Co-operative olive oil

2 whole cloves garlic (unpeeled)

125g puff pastry

65g The Co-operative soft goat’s cheese

Handful fresh basil leaves (optional)

1. Preheat the oven to 120ºC/fan 100ºC/ Gas ½. Put the tomatoes, oil and garlic on a baking tray. Cook for 1½ hours.

2. Turn the oven up to 200°C/fan 180°C/Gas 6. Roll out the pastry until it’s as thick as a pound coin and cut out 4 circles, about 9.5cm across. Score small borders round the edges of the pastry circles and put on a baking tray.

3. Squeeze the garlic from the cloves onto the circles. Break the cheese into small pieces and scatter over. Top with the tomatoes and bake for 15 minutes until the pastry is risen and golden. Scatter with basil leaves, if using.

Serve lukewarm with salad. Mine was a bit soggy because I didn't semi-dry the tomatoes but it was very nice. I sprinkled oregano over the tomatoes instead of basil.

***********************************************

The eighth annual Open Farm Sunday on 9th June 2013 provides a great opportunity for the public to truly get to know how their food is produced and how the countryside around them is cared for.

For more information visit www.farmsunday.org

Other blogposts you may be interested in :

White Chocolate Chip Tracker Bars review

2013-05-21T20:58:00.002+01:00

Tracker recently sent through some of their new White Chocolate Chip Bars to The Madhouse for us to try out. The brand has been around for 25 years and was the first cereal bar on the market, so I was keen to see what we'd think. I managed to sneak them out of the way of the kids and sat down to savour one last night.

To be honest, I was actually a bit underwhelmed to begin with. The bar seems smaller than the packaging would suggest and I couldn't see any nuggets of chocolate at all.

Then I realised that I was looking at the underside and the chocolate chips are all stuck on the top. That's more like it !

When you first bite into the bar, the initial flavour to flood your mouth is sweet honey or syrup and cornflakes (although looking at the ingredients list, there aren't any!), then a peanut flavour comes through and finally an undercurrent of delicate creamy white chocolate. Looking on the box, Tracker actually sum it up quite well as "the crunch", "the goo" and "the chew" !

The bars are still quite small though so I ate two in one sitting ! The ingredients list is as follows : glucose syrup , vegetable fat , whole oat flakes , peanuts , sweetened condensed skimmed milk , sugar , maize , rice flour , humectant (glycerol) , wholemeal wheat flour , cocoa butter , full cream milk powder , malted wheat flour , salt , whey powder , lactose , emulsifiers (soya lecithin, E471) , barley malt extract , vegetable oil , natural vanilla extract. That sounded like quite a lot of fats and sugars to me so I turned to the nutritional information to check - each bar contains 125 calories, 1.7g of protein, 15g of carbs (of which 8.4g sugars), 6.1g of fats (of which 2.6g saturates) and 0.7g fibre.

They taste lovely but I'll have to make sure I stick to one from now on, if I want a treat.

star rating : 4/5

RRP : £1.89 for 6 x 26g bars

for more information : http://www.tracker-bar.co.uk/

Disclosure : I received some Tracker bars in order to write an honest review.

Other reviews you may be interested in :

Harvest Cheweee Cereal Bars

Jordans Juicy Apple & Sultana Frusli bars

Yu!-Bars review

Book review : Ketchup Clouds – Annabel Pitcher

2013-05-21T19:12:00.000+01:00

Ketchup Clouds is the second novel by Annabel Pitcher, author of My Sister Lives on the Mantelpiece, a book that I haven't read but have heard a lot of good things about. Behind this rather intriguing title lies the poignant tale of Zoe Collins, a young girl on the brink of womanhood who should be having the time of her life doing the normal teen things like going to parties, chasing boys and coming up with ambitious dreams for the future, but finds herself in the midst of a heart-breaking tragedy.

The front cover sets the scene : "I've done something wrong. Not a little bit wrong or even quite a lot wrong. What I've done is awful. And do you want to know the worst thing? I've got away with it." Zoe reveals her story and gives us a glimpse into her life through a series of letters that she sends to a prisoner on Death Row. She doesn't know anything about him except what she's read on the prisoners' penfriends website, but she decides that someone who is guilty of a horrible crime can surely understand and empathise with her own predicament.

Without giving away too much of the story, Zoe – like many teens – finds herself caught between two boys. She also has other "normal teen" things going on in the background, such as trying to work out whether or not to go to university, figure out if her parents are just going through a rough patch or are about to get divorced and work out how to be allowed to go to the party everyone is talking about. She's basically just a regular teen, which is what makes her predicament so heartbreaking.

It's a very realistic story, with moments of dark humour in the letters and an appealing sense of naivety. I really enjoyed it as an adult, but I don't feel totally comfortable giving it to 11-year-old Sophie yet because of its slightly raunchy scenes (there's nothing too explicit but it's a bit more than I'd give to an 11-year-old) and the storyline which I think would upset her. It's a powerful read though and one that I would certainly recommend for slightly older readers.

star rating : 4.5/5

RRP : £9.99

Hardcover: 304 pages
Publisher: Indigo (27 Dec 2012)
ISBN-10: 1780620306
ISBN-13: 978-1780620305
Product Dimensions: 20 x 13.6 x 3 cm

Disclosure : I received a review copy of the book.

Other reviews you may be interested in :

Teen-read book review : Raining Fire - Alan Gibbons

Children's book review : Children of the Wild - Giles Milton

Children's Book Review : Made On Earth - Wolfgang Korn

Dairylea Springy Onion and Mighty Mature review

2013-05-20T16:29:00.003+01:00

Dairylea has been around for donkeys' years and is a regular buy for our family, for making sandwiches, amongst other things. The kids love the mild cheesy flavour and I love the fact that it's a healthier option than mayonnaise or butter so we're all happy. I also find it avoids soggy sandwiches, which is another huge bonus.

We were very excited to learn that Dairylea have introduced two brand new flavours to the range, and even more so when they sent some through to the Madhouse in this funky lunch box (along with a shopping voucher to buy ingredients to go with them).

The two new flavours are Springy Onion and Mighty Mature, both of which appealed to us all in theory. The Springy Onion is made with real spring onions and contains 54 calories, 1.3g of sugar, 3.9g of fat (of which 2.6g saturates) and 0.5g salt per 25g serving. The Mighty Mature contains 63% cheese, giving it the highest cheddar content of any cheese spread on the market, and a 25g serving contains 72 calories, 1.9g sugar, 5.2g fat (of which 3.4g saturates) and 0.4g salt.

Time to get taste-testing. I spread some on some lovely crusty ciabatta that had just come out of the bread machine and was still warm - yum ! Both got a thumbs up but the kids thought theMighty Mature tasted like "normal" Dairylea.

Dairylea had given us a scorecard with a selection of different things to try with the cheese spreads (carrot sticks, apple slices, cucumber, grapes, bread sticks, crackers, tortillas, bread and - one which made the Madhouse Mini-testers laugh - your finger !). We tried all of them except the bread sticks and grapes and the only ones that we weren't totally sure about were the cucumber and apple. We have tried it with baked potatoes, on toast and in mashed potato too and all three got a unanimous thumbs up. The school canteen also does a Dairylea sauce (apparently it's just Dairylea triangles melted in a bit of crème fraîche) that they serve with fish that the Madhouse Mini-testers rave about so I'll be trying that out with these new flavours too.

We love the new additions and hope there will be many more to come. I asked which new flavours the Madhouse Family members would like to see and the top suggestions were pizza flavour, pineapple and bacon - are you listening Dairylea ?!

star rating : 4.5/5

RRP : £1.36 for 160g

for more information : http://www.dairylea.co.uk

Disclosure : I received some Dairylea, a rather lovely lunch box and a shopping voucher to buy ingredients for the taste-test in order to write an honest review.

Other reviews you may be interested in :

Colman's Smokey BBQ Sauce review

My Dream Cake at #level36 for World Baking Day #bakebrave

Madhouse recipe : Potato and Courgette Lasagne

Colman's Smokey BBQ Sauce review

2013-05-20T15:10:00.001+01:00

Colman's recently sent me through a bottle of their Smokey BBQ sauce to try out. Yesterday, I decided to give it a try alongside roast chicken and rice with roast carrots, mushrooms and onions. Today I squeezed some on the side of my plate of steak, salad and couscous. It went really well with both.

It's a thick sauce that has about the same consistency as ketchup so it is perfect as a condiment but could also be used as a dip, glaze or marinade - especially handy for giving a nice smokey flavour to meat as the weather certainly isn't conducive to having barbecues at the moment !

Unlike some BBQ sauces, it's not at all spicy. It has a lovely sweet, smokey flavour that is perfect for jazzing up bland dishes like rice, mashed potato or couscous. It goes really well with hot or cold meats or even as a replacement for mayonnaise in sandwiches with bacon or chicken. I think it'll try it mixed with cheese as a baked potato topping later in the week too.

The ingredients list doesn't appear to contain anything much that you wouldn't find in a regular kitchen, which is always a good sign - Water, Sugar, White Wine Vinegar, Tomato Paste, Molasses, Modified Maize Starch, Salt, Smokey Flavourings, Worcestershire Sauce (1.2%) (Water, Glucose Syrup, Malt Vinegar (BARLEY), Sugar, Salt, Flavourings, Onion Extract, Anchovies, Olive Oil, Vinegar, Lemon Juice Concentrate, Spices, Herbs, Sunflower Oil, Spices, Mustard, Flour, Thickener (Xanthan Gum), Preservative (Sorbic Acid),Flavourings.

A 15g serving contains 21 calories, less than 0.5g fat, 3.9g of sugar and 0.26g of sugar. The squeezy bottle is really easy to control so you can serve as little or as much as you want and there are no messy drips to clean up.

I can see this becoming a regular staple in our fridge, especially over the summer months.

star rating : 4.5/5

RRP : £1.69

for more information : http://www.colmans.co.uk/our-range/sauces/smokey-barbeque-sauce/

Disclosure : We received the product in order to write an honest review.

Other reviews you may be interested in :

#leanonturkey Summer Turkey Recipe Challenge : Mediterranean Stuffed Turkey Parcels

Liberté Greek Style Yogurt review

Hellmann's Mayonnaise review

DVD review : Broadchurch

2013-05-20T11:41:00.001+01:00

Today sees the release of Broadchurch on DVD and we were very pleased to receive a copy to review. We missed this when it was on TV back in March and I really kicked myself because I saw lots of people mentioning it on twitter and facebook and saying how good it was. I have to say, I agree with them.

The drama is set in the fictional sleepy Dorset town of Broadchurch, where an 11-year-old boy goes missing and is found dead. There is nothing hugely original in the murder-mystery plot, with two at-odds cops both desperate to solve the case, but as the town of Broadchurch hits the headlines, the drama unfolds with more and more secrets being unearthed. It's as much about the effects of the murder on the town and its inhabitants than finding out who committed the crime.

The acting is brilliant with some very believable and poignant scenes, especially from Jodie Whittaker as the boy's heartbroken mother. The cast has a lot of other well-known names including Olivia Colman, David Tennant, Pauline Quirke, Vicky McClure and Andrew Buchan. It keeps you guessing all the way through - I've still got a few episodes to watch (the whole thing lasts for 400 minutes so you can't watch it all in one sitting !) and I have no idea who the killer is so don't tell me, whatever you do !

star rating : 4.5/5

Number of discs: 3
Classification: 15
Studio: Acorn Media
DVD Release Date: 20 May 2013
Run Time: 480 minutes

RRP : £25.99

Disclosure : I received a copy of the DVD in order to write an honest review.

Other reviews you may be interested in :

DVD review : Playing For Keeps

DVD review : Curandero : Dawn of the Demon

Kids' DVD review : Robosapien

Daisy Daisy, Give me your answer, do !

2013-05-19T21:28:00.002+01:00

Weeds or wild flowers? Well, it all depends on your viewpoint but we all had a fabulous afternoon out discovering the wild blooms today. It all started off with a load of dandelions that had gone to seed next to the pavement.

The kids had great fun doing loads of dandelion clocks. Sophie looked at the daisies and, a bit further along the road, wondered out loud how to make a daisy chain. I explained the basic theory but we couldn't find any more daisies along the way for me to show her.

We visited a new park and decided to get off the beaten track, following lesser known paths. Hmm I wonder where this Trip Trap Bridge goes ...

Pierre wanted to check there were no nasty old trolls living under the bridge so we had a stop in the middle to play Pooh Sticks and throw pebbles at a half submerged tree trunk !

Wow ! Just around the corner was a huge meadow filled with so many daisies, it looked like it had been snowing !

Pierre got so excited he wanted to roll around in them for a bit !

The girls legged it across to the far bank and sat waving until we caught up with them !

It was the perfect bank for some rolypolies !

Cue much giggling when they landed in a heap at the bottom with their heads spinning !

Oops, just as well it was my idea !

Chilling in the daisy meadow!

Time for a daisychain-making lesson - I couldn't actually believe they'd never made daisy chains before! One of my own childhood's simple pleasures - they were very impressed !

I usually tell them it's a waste picking daisies but there were so many in this meadow that I thought a few wouldn't make any difference !

Happy hippy chick !

The kids have already asked if we can go back to Daisy Meadow (as it's now been named) to have a picnic in the holidays - sounds good to me !

Other blogposts you may be interested in :

World War Two Camp Reenactment

It's Madhouse Daddy Mike the Knight !

Oh we do like to be beside the seaside !

This week's veg box 19/5

2013-05-19T13:25:00.002+01:00

There's so much stuff in this week's box that I couldn't fit it all in one photo ! We have three lettuces (lucky I posted some salad recipes last week then !), six avocados (I'll make guacamole with some but not sure what else to do with them), mushrooms, red peppers, carrots, a bunch of tiny radishes ...

some apples (which will be made into apple crumble I think - or maybe I should make my Spiced Apple Cake again as it's World Baking Day today), round courgettes (haven't had those for a while), cucumber, loads of deliciously sweet cherry tomatoes that I keep pinching out of the bag every time I go to the fridge (I have a recipe for Cherry Tomato Tart that will be perfect) and some green beans which I also have a cunning idea for. (It looked simple on TV but I bet it's more complicated than it looks - watch this space !)

Other blogposts you may be interested in :

#VegBoxChallenge Week 5

#VegBoxChallenge Week 4

#VegBoxChallenge Week 3

Happy World Baking Day ! I'm baking Bakewell Tart Biscuits at #level15 #bakebrave

2013-05-19T09:49:00.000+01:00

Today's the day ! To mark World Baking Day (again !), this time I've tried out the level 15 recipe for Bakewell Tart Biscuits. Although to be honest, I didn't have any almonds or almond extract so mine are more like posh jam tarts - nevertheless the kids loved them (and they're not the only ones) !

Here's the ingredients list for the original recipe :

INGREDIENTS

For the biscuits:

250g margarine

140g caster sugar

1 egg yolk

2 tsp almond extract

300g plain flour (plus extra for dusting)

For the filling and topping:

100g - 150g Raspberry Jam

100g Icing sugar

Water

Flaked Almonds (optional)

Here's how we got on :

Cream together the margarine and sugar.

Add the egg yolk.

Mix in the flour with your hands and shape into a ball of dough.

Wrap in clingfilm and chill for at least an hour or two.

Use two different sized pastry cutters to create biscuit bases and biscuit borders.

Bake in the oven for a few minutes - I was actually pleasantly surprised at how well they hold their shape.

Spread raspberry jam (or lemon curd or whatever other jam you fancy) on the base biscuit and top with a border biscuit.

Very simple but very impressive and much prettier than regular jam tarts.

The kids were too impatient to eat them so I didn't bother with the icing or flaked almonds and they were still lovely.

Are you planning to #bakebrave today?

Other blogposts you may be interested in :

My Dream Cake at #level36 for World Baking Day #bakebrave

I'm baking brave at level 83 for World Baking Day !

Aldi Baking Challenge : White Chocolate Chip Cookies

Sunday weigh-in : Defies all logic but who cares ?!

2013-05-19T08:42:00.001+01:00

Today is National Baking Week. This week could be defined by one word : cake. I've been baking non stop, making Hideaway Heart Cupcakes, Dream Cake, Bakewell Tart Biscuits, White Chocolate Chip Cookies ... Even the dieting gods were against me - when I picked omelette as a light option in a cafe with a friend, I was stunned to see it came with chips, which weren't mentioned on the menu !

I therefore knew this week was going to be bad news when I jumped on the scales, so I was stunned to see that I actually LOST weight ! Only 200g but I was expecting a gain so that's absolutely fan-blooming-tastic !

Positives of the week

- Two people this week have announced, out of the blue, "you've lost SO MUCH weight recently". To which I replied, "well, I haven't actually, since Christmas I've been at a standstill but I did lose lots last year", to which THEY replied "well, you look slimmer than the last time I saw you and that wasn't that long ago" ! :)

- After a week of listening to the SlimPod every day, I haven't had a chance to put it on this week, but it still seems to be doing its job. There have been lots of half-eaten plates where I've been stopping when I realise I'm not hungry any more and I've been eating cakes cut in half when I fancied one.

- I decided to walk back from work instead of taking the bus on Friday (a couple of miles) then set straight off out again, taking the kids' books - all TWENTY ONE of them ! - back to the library. So no structured sport this week but it's all exercise !

- I am now wearing my target blue jeans and sitting down quite happily without being self-conscious about a tummy bulge !

This week's targets

Last week's target was : Get down to the 77 point somethings. Listen to the SlimPod every day. Stay positive ! (Well, I stayed positive and I got closer to the other two so that'll do !)

This week's target is : - Seven is supposed to be a lucky number so I'm aiming for 77.7kg next week !

Longer-term targets : Wear my new blue jeans without a tummy bulge even when sitting down ! (done - or if it's still there, it's small enough that I'm not worried about it any more)

START WEIGHT : 91.9kg

TARGET WEIGHT : 66kg

WEIGHT LAST WEEK : 78.3kg

WEIGHT TODAY : 78.1g

WEIGHT LOST SO FAR : 13.8kg

STILL TO GO : 12.1kg

CHANGE THIS WEEK : -200g

Feel free to add your weightloss posts to our weekly linkie - it's great to see how everyone else has been getting on and give each other support and encouragement :)

Created by MyFitnessPal - Free Calorie Counter

MyFitnessPal - Nutrition Facts For Foods

Other blogposts you may be interested in :

Sunday weigh-in : It's all in the mind !

Sunday Weigh-in : Half full or half empty ?

Sunday weigh-in : Walking Back to Happiness !

#SilentSunday 19/5

2013-05-19T08:15:00.002+01:00

Giveaway #289 : Win 3 Lala-Oopsies : A Sew Magical Tale DVD & doll - closing date 2/6

2013-05-18T22:24:00.001+01:00

I've just posted our review of the new DVD from the Lalaloopsy creators, called Lala-Oopsies : A Sew Magical Tale.

Now, for the very first time, journey beyond the rolling green hills of Lalaloopsy Land to a magical place never seen before where you'll meet the Lala-Oopsies! On islands that float on strawberry milk rivers, surrounded by tall mushroom trees, live the whimsical Lala-Oopsies princess ballerinas, fairies and mermaids. Join them as they embark on a fantastical journey to save their precious homes when the strawberry milk, which powers Lala-Oopsies Land, suddenly stops flowing.

I am pleased to be able to offer three prizes consisting of a copy of the Lala-Oopsies : A Sew Magical Tale DVD and a Lalaloopsy Doll to three Madhouse Family Reviews readers.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

UK only. Closing date : 2/6/13

T & C's : Entries close at midnight on the closing date. Winners will be selected with a random number generator and announced on facebook, twitter and in the giveaway post subject line. Please note, you will be contacted by email and/or twitter and if I haven't heard from you after a week, I'll have to pick another winner. Prizes will be sent out by the companies or their PR directly to winners.

Other giveaways you may be interested in :

Giveaway #288 : Win 3 Sooty : The Children's Party DVDs - closing date 28/5

Giveaway #287 : Win 3 Alphablocks : Phonics Next Steps (Volume 2) DVDs - closing date 28/5

Giveaway #286 : Win 3 copies of Abadas, Come & Play DVD - closing date 27/5

Giveaway #285 : Win 3 copies of Big! picture book - closing date 27/5

Giveaway #284 : Win a 'Colour your own t-shirt' from MiniWardrobe - closing date 22/5

Giveaway #283 : Amoy Special Selection Soy Sauce Recipe Competition - closing date 31/5

Kids' DVD review : Lala-Oopsies: A Sew Magical Tale

2013-05-18T22:24:00.000+01:00

*** Don't miss my giveaway to win Lala-Oopsies DVDs & dolls ! ***

You all know the Lalaloopsies, but now get ready to meet the Lala-Oopsies ! A brand new DVD from the makers of Lalaloopsy will hit the shelves next week - on the 27th May, to be precise - and the Madhouse Mini-testers were very excited to receive a copy to review. Lala-Oopsies: A Sew Magical Tale is a full-length feature lasting about 45 minutes, rather than a series of short episodes, but I was stunned to see that 3-year-old Pierre and 8-year-old Juliette sat and watched the whole thing from start to finish in one sitting.

We were all a bit surprised to see that the settings and the characters aren't the usual ones - it's a bit like a Lalaloopsies spin off really. The official blurb says : "Now for the very first time you can journey beyond the rolling green hills of the original Lalaloopsy Land to an extraordinary place never seen before, where islands float on strawberry milk surrounded by tall mushroom trees to meet the Lala-Oopsies! The whimsical Lala-Oopsies are princess ballerinas, fairies and mermaids who love to throw tea parties, make sweets and knit treats. But their kingdom ends up in trouble when the strawberry milk, which powers Lala-Oopsies Land, suddenly stops flowing and our new friends need some help to save their precious homes…"

The new characters and surroundings are very appealing and the story is a heartwarming tale of friendship and adventure that all kids will love. I love the cute drawings and the vibrant colours too.

Don't go away - I'll be back with a giveaway where you can win some fab Lala-Oopsies prizes in just a second.

star rating : 4.5/5

RRP : £9.99

Number of discs: 1

Certificate U/G

Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround

Running time: 44 Minutes Approx.

Special Features: 2 Bonus Lalaloopsy™ Mini Adventures: Too Close For Comfort/A Ruff Rescue

Disclosure : We received a copy of the DVD in order to write an honest review.

Other reviews you may be interested in :

Kids' DVD review : Robosapien

Kids' DVD review : Prima Princessa Presents Sleeping Beauty

Kids' DVD review : Everything's Rosie - Bubble Trouble

My Dream Cake at #level36 for World Baking Day #bakebrave

2013-05-18T19:50:00.001+01:00

In honour of World Baking Day, I spent all afternoon in the kitchen today ! I've always wanted to make a multi-layered rainbow cake so I tweaked the recipe for Dream Cake at level 36. The original recipe isn't so psychedelic and uses coffee, cocoa and vanilla flavours but as the kids don't like coffee and I'd run out of vanilla, I decided to get a bit creative !

The original recipe calls for the following ingredients :

1 cup of margarine (225g)

3 medium sized eggs

1.5 cups of sugar (255g)

3 cups of flour (375g)

1 pack of baking powder (approx. 6g)

1 cup of warm milk (240ml)

1 teaspoon of vanilla

1 tablespoon of coffee

1.5 tablespoon of cacao (or cocoa powder)

For the outside of the cake:

200g labne cheese (or Greek yoghurt)

4 tablespoons of powdered sugar (icing sugar)

For inside of the cake:

2 packs of whipped cream

2 cups of cold milk (480ml)

For the decoration (optional):

Dragee filled with coffee or coffee beans

Here's how I got on and how I tweaked the recipe.

Cream the margarine until light and fluffy.

Mix in the sugar.

Add the eggs, flour, baking powder and warm milk.

I didn't fancy cocoa, vanilla and coffee so I grabbed my Five Valleys cordials and went for Coconut & Kaffir Lime, Pomegranate & Rose and Lemon & Mint instead.

I also decided to use food colouring to make something really spectacular ! The only problem is, it does make A LOT of washing up !

World Baking Day started turning into Worst Baking Disaster Day at this point - my trusty Tupperware silicon cake mould ripped down the side when I took it out of the oven *sob*. I managed to make the other two cakes (they all had to be the same size) but it's now in the bin. Oh well, it's served me well, I guess.

But the cake also decided to stick in the bottom of the mould when I flipped it out. Luckily, you can hide a multitude of sins with a bit of icing ! The other two came out OK.

I decided not to use whipping cream in the middle of each layer. I mixed some icing sugar into Greek-style yogurt but it seemed to go very runny. It was good enough to go in between the layers and hold it all together though !

A quick artistic sprinkle of icing sugar and it was ready to serve.

So what are you baking for World Baking Day ?

for more information : http://worldbakingday.com/

Other blogposts you may be interested in :

It's World Baking Day Weekend - #bakebrave !

I'm baking brave at level 83 for World Baking Day !

The World Baking Day website is now live !

#VegBoxChallenge Week 5

2013-05-18T12:02:00.001+01:00

Last week's box contained a huge box of strawberries, two punnets of mushrooms, lots of cherry tomatoes, some red onions, apples, baby grenaille potatoes and yellow/red peppers. I also had some courgettes

I planned on making something with the strawberries but everyone enjoyed eating them straight from the box so they disappeared before I got the chance !

Potato and Courgette Lasagne (which also uses mushrooms, red/yellow/green peppers and tomatoes)

a huge mixed salad with lettuce, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, fried mushrooms and bacon, red pepper, Boursin minis, egg and apple slices

some cherry tomatoes went into my Mediterranean Stuffed Turkey Parcels

a lovely colourful dish of carrot and red pepper dippers that the kids wolfed down !

The Grenaille potatoes were just boiled and served with butter as an accompaniment to some rather lovely steak - sometimes simple = utterly delicious !

I still have a few bits left over in the fridge which will probably go into some vegetable soup tonight - but that's Madhouse Daddy's job so I'll let him decide !

Head over to Kirschplunder's blog to see what everyone else has done for the Veg Box Challenge this week or maybe even join in.

Other blogposts you may be interested in :

#VegBoxChallenge Week 4

This week's fruit & veg box 12/5

Madhouse recipe : Beetroot Risotto

Ozeri Pronto Digital Kitchen Scales review

2013-05-17T21:18:00.001+01:00

You may remember I reviewed some very funky (not to mention functional) Ozeri bathroom scales a few weeks ago. Well, they're not the only type of scales the brand makes - they also recently sent me through some nice new kitchen scales to review. The model that I received is the Pronto Digital Kitchen Scale.

Inside the box, it's protected by some squishy polystyrene type packaging which does a good job of keeping it safe - one of the kids managed to knock it off the table before I got a chance to open it and it came through the ordeal totally unscathed ! Phew !

The scales need 2 x AAA batteries and I thought it was a very nice touch to see that there are not just two but four batteries included, so you'll even have spares. (Or you would, in theory, if the kids hadn't swiped them for one of their electronic toys !) Another feature that appealed to me is the fact that you don't need to go looking for a screwdriver (or risk cutting off your fingers by using a knife on the tiny screws - please tell me I'm not the only one to do that !) because the battery compartment opens and closes simply with no screws whatsoever.

The scales are very small and light but work remarkably well. They are very similar to my old scales in that they don't have a bowl attached, you either place the ingredients directly on the weighing plate (if you're weighing apples or potatoes, for example) or stand your bowl on top. The tare button takes the weight to zero once you've put your bowl in place and this is a great feature for saving on the washing up if you're making a cake, for example - you can put your bowl on the scales, hit tare, weigh out your butter, hit tare, add the sugar, hit tare, mix it up, hit tare, add the flour etc. No more faffing about with multiple bowls necessary.

Another really handy feature is that you can push the other button to switch between not just grams or ounces but also pounds and millilitres, making it a very versatile tool. It has an automatic switch-off after two minutes to help save the batteries. It can weigh up to 11lbs (5050 grams) with precise graduations of 0.05 oz (1g). It does seem more reliable than my old scale which seemed to jump around more when adding ingredients. The chrome surface looks really smart and is also easy to wipe clean.

It's a very compact unit that takes up very little space in the kitchen and is proving to be a really handy tool. I've been putting it through its paces lots of times in the run up to World Baking Day and it hasn't let me down yet !

star rating : 4.5/5

RRP : £19.99 (but currently only £8.95 on amazon)

Disclosure : I received the product in order to write an honest review.

Other reviews you may be interested in :

Morphy Richards 2-in-1 Steam Cleaner review

My fabulous Fairtrade Big Fair Bake prize package

Dirt Devil Tempest (DCC070) cylinder vacuum cleaner review

It's World Baking Day Weekend - #bakebrave !

2013-05-17T16:49:00.000+01:00

The big day is almost here - have I convinced you to Bake Brave yet?! I hope some of you will be trying out my Spiced Apple Cake (#level64). I've already had a go at the Hideaway Hearts Cupcakes (#level83 - click through to see how we got on !) but will I get any braver before the weekend is over?! Actually, I've been looking at some of the easier cakes and there are some utterly delicious recipes in there that I may have to try - the ones that leapt out at me were Lava Cakes(#level24), Bakewell Tart Biscuits (#level15) and Carlota's Cake (#level34). But I'm sure I'll find some more to try out when I have another look tomorrow !

If you fancy having a go, there is lots of activity going on over the weekend in various social media circles, including the chance to ask the baking ambassadors to answer questions about their cake recipes. I look forward to catching up with all you enthusiastic bakers, whatever your level - do let me know how you get on, if you try any of the recipes !

Here's an overview of all things World Baking Day that are going on online for the ambassadors, so make sure you come along and get involved too. (I know some have been and gone but you can still look out for them online !) :

THURSDAY 16th MAY

EVENT 1 : Bake-along playlist

Channel: Twitter/Google+

We want to make a music playlist for people to bake along to on World Baking Day. Tweet or post your suggestions to us and we’ll create a YouTube playlist especially for World Baking Day. Tag your post with #bakebrave

EVENT 2 : Ambassadors baking

Channel: Twitter/Facebook

Tell us which cake you will be baking for World Baking Day! Will it be your own level, or one higher? Tag your post with #bakebrave and your chosen level number, e.g. #level43

FRIDAY 17th MAY

EVENT 1: Baking tips for your recipe

Channel: Twitter

Tweet your tips for your Bake Brave recipe and tag @worldbakingday. We’ll retweet the tips throughout the day. I.e. “For Level 1, the riper the bananas you use, the more banana flavour you will get in your muffins!” Tag your post with #bakebrave and your level number, e.g. #level43

EVENT 2 : World Baking Day Pinterest board

Channel: Pinterest

Create a new board on your Pinterest page all about World Baking Day! Pin your own cake on your board and any other recipes from the Bake Brave 100 that you’d like to bake bravely. Tag your post with #bakebrave and your level number, e.g. #level43

EVENT 3: Baking community

Channel: Google+

If you have a Google+ account, make sure to join our World Baking Day Community and post any images of your recipe or the cake you are baking. The Community is made up of many engaged bakers so we’d love to create as much conversation between our bakers here as possible. Tag your post with #bakebrave

SATURDAY 18th MAY

EVENT 1: Match-maker

Channel: Twitter

We will monitor Twitter and find anyone from the public who pledges to bake your recipe. We will reply to them and tag you, so that they can contact you with any questions they may have on how to bake your recipe.

EVENT 2: Preparation for Sunday

Channel: Vines

For the more tech-savvy, download the Vine app onto your iPhone. Record Vines of your ingredients in preparation for World Baking Day. Post to Twitter and tag your post with #bakebrave and your level number, e.g. #level43 NB: remember to use margarine and please avoid showing any brand logos.

SUNDAY 19th MAY - WORLD BAKING DAY : Baking content

Channels: Twitter, Vine, Facebook, Pinterest and/or Google+ (everywhere!)

We want as many images/videos as possible of our Ambassadors baking on World Baking Day, so use your camera and share your images/videos with us! Some ideas of what you can take images/videos of are:

- Photo of you holding your cake

- Step by step photos

- Final cake creation

- Mess created in your kitchen

- Eating your cake!

Tag your post with #bakebrave and #yourlevelnumber

The official World Baking Day channels are as follows:

Twitter: @worldbakingday #bakebrave

Facebook: facebook.com/worldbakingday

Pinterest: pinterest.com/worldbakingday

Instagram: #bakebrave

Google+: plus.google.com/+WorldBakingDay/

Email: info@worldbakingday.com

Other blogposts you may be interested in :

I'm baking brave at level 83 for World Baking Day

The World Baking Day website is now live

Fancy getting involved in World Baking Day on Sunday 19th May