• How to make heart-shaped Valentine brownies
    baking - Valentines Day crafts

    Heart-shaped Valentine brownies

    January 24, 2017 - By 

    With Valentine’s Day coming up soon I have been experimenting with snacks to make for the children. I love making something special for them when they get home from school and came up with these fun heart-shaped Valentine brownies. I cheated by using a cake mix to save time but you could use a favourite brownie recipe if you have one. I used: Betty Crocker’s Chocolate Brownie mix Heart shaped cookie cutter Cake pop sticks Red icing Sprinkles How to make heart-shaped Valentine brownies I whipped up the brownie mix, adding chocolate star-shaped sprinkles to the mixture. I left it…

  • Apple and Gingerbread crumble
    baking - gingerbread - homestyle

    My Apple and Gingerbread crumble recipe

    January 17, 2017 - By 

    I don’t often share my recipes with you but I recently made something which is definitely worth sharing. Winter is the perfect time for making tasty treats in the kitchen. Last Autumn I came away from my father in law with two huge bags of cooking apples. His garden is full of fruit trees but everything was falling and rotting on the ground. Sadly we could only fit two bags of fruit in our car (thanks to those pesky kids!) but we prepared the fruit and froze it to see us through the winter months. We’ve had quite a few…

  • Jyn Erso's Death Star cookies - the gingerbread house
    baking - gingerbread - Star Wars crafts

    Jyn Erso’s Death Star cookies

    January 7, 2017 - By 

    Having a 6 year old who is obsessed with Star Wars can be hard work. Since watching Rogue One and receiving lots of books about it at Christmas, means every time he opens his mouth he’s talking about Star Wars. I’ve seen the film too, and loved it. My children went back to school this week and I wanted to make them a fun after school snack. You know I love making gingerbread so I made a batch of gingerbread cookies, and named them Jyn Erso’s Death Star cookies. “That’s no moon. It’s a space station.“ If you’ve watched Rogue…

  • Easy Tunnocks Teacake Christmas puddings
    baking - Christmas - handmade

    Easy Tunnocks Teacake Christmas puddings

    December 14, 2016 - By 

    I’m on a bit of a roll at the moment. The other day I shared our Christmas Pudding Biscuits, today I am going to show you how I made Tunnocks’ Teacake Christmas puddings. I’m all for making things easy at this time of year. There is so much pressure for everything to be perfect but I’d rather cut some corners and and make more time to enjoy myself! My easy Tunnocks’ Teacake Christmas puddings have only 3 ingredients so are the easiest thing for whipping up as an after school treat or if you have some friends coming round after…

  • {3 ingredient} Christmas Pudding biscuits
    baking - Christmas

    {3 ingredient} Christmas Pudding biscuits

    December 13, 2016 - By 

    I’m slowly beginning to enjoy this time of year. It feels like everything is coming together, the children have their school Nativity plays this week and I’m counting down the days until I have them all to myself for a few weeks. We’ve had a few cosy nights in recently and I wanted to share our Christmas Pudding Biscuits. I can’t claim this idea for myself, but they are so quick and simple, perfect if you fancy whipping up a quick festive treat. I used 3 ingredients which I already had at home: Milk chocolate digestive biscuits White icing Holly…

  • Win a Wilton 7-Piece Christmas Cookie Cutter Set
    baking - Christmas - competition

    Win a Wilton 7-Piece Assorted Christmas Cookie Cutter Set

    November 29, 2016 - By 

    Back in the Summer I was lucky to visit the Hobbycraft Autumn/Winter press show. Gosh that does feel like a long time ago. I love going to press shows and Hobbycraft is one of my favourites. They had some lovely displays featuring  some wonderful Advent calendar blanks. Look at how this one was decorated! I tried making my own gingerbread house advent calendar last year and it was really fun. They also had cake supplies, craft supplies and a wonderful foiling machine which I totally fell in love with. You can use it to embellish your own cards which sounds…

  • How to bake the perfect gingerbread house cookies
    baking - Christmas - gingerbread

    How to bake the perfect gingerbread house cookies

    November 1, 2016 - By 

    Welcome November! I love the colder months, they’re a great excuse to stay in and bake! I’m sure you know that my favourite recipe all year round in gingerbread but they really are the perfect winter treat. Baking wit the family is always fun so I’m going to share our favourite gingerbread recipe and show you our gingerbread house cookies. Ingredients to make gingerbread cookies 140g golden syrup 200g soft light brown sugar 200g unsalted butter 4 tsps ground ginger 2 tsps ground cinnamon 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg 1/4 tsp ground cloves 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda 500g plain flour…

  • The Marvellous Activity Book
    baking - book review - gingerbread

    Moone Boy The Marvellous Activity Book blog hop {Imaginary Friend gingerbread biscuits}

    October 30, 2016 - By 

    Today we’re taking part in the Marvellous Moone Boy Activities blog hop! Have you read any of the Moone Boy books yet? Welcome to the world of Martin Moone, who is totally fed up with being the only boy in a family of girls. He’s desperate for a decent wingman to help him navigate his idiotic life. So when his best pal Padraic suggests Martin get an imaginary friend, or ‘IF’ for short, he goes for it. Start reading Martin Moone’s adventures with Moone Boy: The Blunder Years by Chris O’Dowd and Nick V. Murphy, followed by the second story The…

  • Shifty McGifty and Slippery Sam: The Spooky School
    baking - book review - competition

    Win 1 x 3 new Shifty McGifty and Slippery Sam chapter books

    October 21, 2016 - By 

    I love this time of year. The weather and early evenings bring us indoors more but it also means more time for reading! Luckily my two are little bookworms and love to receive new titles to review. Have you heard of Shifty McGifty and Slippery Sam, everyone’s favourite robber-dogs-turned-bakers? They are the stars in a successful picture book series which my 4 year old always picks up at the library. So I was delighted to hear that a new first chapter book for readers aged around 6-9 years has just been published. Shifty McGifty and Slippery Sam: The Spooky School Shifty…