Mega Bloks Moshi Monsters Ooh La Lane giveaway ( c/d 7 October 2012)

Do your little monsters love Moshi Monsters?
Of course, they do!

I have a lovely surprise for you, Moshi fans! Here is your chance to win a super prize from Mega Bloks - Mega Bloks Moshi Monsters Ooh La Lane

Image credit: Mega Bloks

Guaranteed to be a huge hit, the 99-piece Mega Bloks Moshi Monsters Ooh La Lane set comes with Katsuma and Guiseppe Gelato, plus a surprise Moshling! With this prize, your little one can build the hot spots of Monstro City, including the famous Ice Scream Shop and Gabby’s Cafe! Two secret codes are also included for fun accessories and items.

If you’re not a lucky winner this time, look out for the rest of the Mega Bloks Moshi Monsters construction range. The buildable play sets and characters are guaranteed to impress your little fans, who will love collecting and building their own their Moshi Monsters world!

The range includes eight packs – with six stackable blocks in each – in the new Moshi Monster Moshling Block Blind Packs Series 2. Little ones can join them all together and stack the blocks in a cool display. What’s more, there is an ultra rare pack to be collected too, so it’s a surprise every time!


Perfect for building up an impressive collection, the Moshi Monsters Blind Packs Series 3 allows fans to collect even more of their favourite characters from the game. Each buildable Monster comes with a block to display proudly. Both Series 2 and 3 Blind Packs are compatible with Series 1 so can be joined together for endless fun!

Adding to the already massively popular, buildable Moshling Zoo sets, there are now four more to collect! Fans should look out for the Bushy Fandango, Diavlo, Katsuma and Guiseppe themed Moshling Zoos. All the sets can be added together to make one giant zoo and each set also comes with a surprise Moshling!

Moshi fans can now build, set up and decorate their very own Tree House home for their loveable Moshling characters with the largest play set in the Mega Bloks range. With customisable furnishings and designs, and a working lift, little ones can enjoy hours of building and rebuilding fun. Plus, there is a surprise moshling character to collect in each set!

Stockists include Argos, Tesco, Toys R Us, Amazon, The Entertainer and Smyths. For more information visit www.megabloks.com

To win this fab set, please use a Rafflecopter form:

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Buonissima Banana cake with chopped apricots

This banana cake is so easy to bake and so tasty that it deserves to be called Buonissima.

2-3 ripe bananas
250g granulated sugar
2 medium eggs
200g self-raising flour
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 heaped tsbp ground almonds (optional)
2 tbsp rose petal syrup/preserve (optional)
50g melted butter
80g chopped apricots
icing sugar to sprinkle on top

The overripe mushy-smushy bananas are the best for this recipe. You know the feeling, the semi-forgotten bananas in the fruit bowl, looking truly neglected and nobody wants to eat them. Well, these are perfect for any kind of the banana cake.
This cake usually disappears very fast. It is a "gone in 60 seconds" variety which appeals both to kids and adults with a sweet tooth.
Mash the bananas in a deep bowl with sugar, using a fork. You can use a hand blender as well, if you prefer. Add the eggs, cinnamon, almonds, flour, rose petal preserve and melted butter, and mix well. Add chopped apricots and mix.

Preheat the oven to 180C. Pour the cake mix in the spring form and place in the oven. Bake for about an hour. Check if it is ready with a wooden skewer. Serve warm or cold, dusted with the icing sugar. We actually enjoy it when it is just out of the oven, but it is good the next day as well. It doesn't last longer than the next day, so don't know how long it keeps.

Ryvita-lise your Sunday morning!

Why Sunday? The recipes I am going to share with you, take a bit of time, so they are probably best for the more leisurely mornings. Our typical mornings during the week are way too hectic to have a cooked breakfast.
I have just done a post about the autumnal recipes to go with Ryvita crispbreads (see here). Inspired by Mark Sargeant, I am offering you a few more ideas for a leisurely Sunday breakfast or brunch, using Ryvita.

Dried apricots with pancetta

I also make this snack with prunes.
You will need:
about 2-3 apricots per each Ryvita crispbread
Ryvita Pumpkin Seed and Oats Crispbread (1-2 per person)
pancetta (one for every apricot or prune)
a handful of rocket leaves

Preheat the oven to 180C. Wrap each apricot or prune with the pancetta. Using a bamboo skewer, thread them (4-5 per skewer). Place in a ceramic dish or tray and move it in the oven, bake until the pancetta is crisp. It takes about 10 minutes.

Serve hot on the Ryvita with a few rocket leaves.


Mushrooms baked in ramekins

This takes a bit of time, but it's so worth it. It is a meat-free recipe but not a vegetarian one as it uses parmesan.

250g closed cup chestnut mushrooms
a tbsp of butter
a small piece of Stilton (about 50g)
1 tbsp olive oil
1 garlic clove
100ml plain yogurt (or soured cream)
a pinch of nutmeg
a few chopped chives
1/2 tsp dried oregano
salt, pepper
parmesan, freshly grated
Ryvita crispbreads to serve with the mushrooms

Depending on the size of your ramekins, this will be enough for 2 big or 3 medium ones.

Chop the mushrooms and pan fry in butter and olive oil, season well, and add all the herbs and chopped garlic. Add the yogurt or soured cream and the crumbled Stilton. Pour into the ramekins and place them in the oven preheated to 180C. Bake for about 20 minutes (half-way through take them out and sprinkle the grated cheese on top, then pop back in the oven). The mushrooms are ready when the cheese melts.
Serve with the Ryvita crispbreads to dip in the mushrooms.

Enjoy your Sunday breakfast!

Ryvita è bella (Autumn recipes with Ryvita)

The mornings are suddenly chilly, and the evenings have been creeping upon us with their shawl of darkness each day earlier. The autumn has come. The first days of September held a promise of the Indian summer, but there is no doubt now - the autumn is finally here.
This is the season of the heart warming dishes and mugs of hot steaming drinks. Consider soups infused with flavour of the autumn harvest, thick stews, hearty curries, mouthwatering crumbles and hot chocolate.

Celebrate the season with Ryvita and the talented chef Mark Sargeant, of celebrated Rocksalt in Folkestone, who created a selection of heart warming British autumnal toppings, tailored to perfectly accompany your favourite Ryvita® Crispbreads.

Be imaginative and creative with your choice of Ryvita and spreads. I was asked to try new recipes created by Mark. When I read the recipes and saw the photos, I knew I would be happy to try them. I love the richness of the autumnal vegetables, their full-bodied flavours and beautiful colours.

Photo credit: Ryvita

Mark comments, "Ryvita® provides a great base for these seasonal toppings. I particularly enjoy eating curried sweet potato, butternut squash, yoghurt and fresh mint on top a Ryvita® Pumpkin Seed and Oats Crispbread - the combination works perfectly, and gently warms you from inside."

A versatile base for seasonal ingredients and great to share with family and friends, Ryvita® is a must-have for autumn get-togethers.
With a wide selection of different variants, including Ryvita® Pumpkin Seed and Oats Crispbread and Ryvita® Sunflower Seeds and Oats Crispbread, there is something available for everyone. Get munching and crunching this autumn.

Recipes:
Ryvita® Pumpkin Seed and Oats Crispbread with curried sweet potato, butternut squash, yoghurt and mint

Serves 4-6 as a light supper

Ingredients
16 Ryvita® Pumpkin Seed and Oats Crispbreads
2 tbsps vegetable oil
1 onion (roughly chopped)
3 garlic cloves (crushed)
250 grams butternut squash (seeded and cut into chunks)
1 sweet potato (cut into chunks)
200 grams potatoes (cut into chunks)
1 apple (peeled, cored and cut into chunks)
2 tsps curry paste (mild)
1 tsp turmeric piece
ginger (2 1/2 cm piece fresh, peeled and finely chopped)
2 bay leaves
250 mls vegetable stock
25 grams raisins salt
black pepper
4 tbsps plain yogurt
1 bunch of mint

Heat the oil in a large pan and fry the onions for 4-5 minutes until golden. Add the garlic, butternut squash, sweet potatoes, potatoes and apple. Then stir in the curry paste, turmeric, ginger, bay leaves, stock, raisins and plenty of seasoning. Bring to the boil, stir well, then cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are just tender and the sauce is lovely and thick. Set aside to cool. Mix the yoghurt with the finely shredded mint and season. Spoon onto Ryvita® Pumpkin Seed and Oats Crispbreads and add a spoonful of yogurt and mint over the top.

My take on Mark's recipe: I didn't have any fresh mint (the one in the garden looked all stalks and hard leaves, past its best), so I used a teaspoon of dried mint instead. I also added less garlic.
My suggestion: if you don't have all the ingredients, use your imagination and think creatively.


Ryvita® Sunflower Seeds and Oats Crispbread with Waldorf Salad

Photo credit: Ryvita

Ingredients
10 Ryvita® Sunflower Seeds and Oats Crispbreads
2 Braeburn apples
1⁄2 lemon, juiced
4 tbsp mayonnaise
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tbsp Grain mustard
2 stalks celery, peeled and cut into crescents
handful walnuts
couple of handfuls watercress

Cut the apple into chunks and toss with the lemon juice. Mix together the mayonnaise and mustard and toss with all the other ingredients. Spoon over 10 Ryvita® Sunflower Seeds and Oats Crispbreads.

This is a nice combination of flavours and textures. I didn't add the watercress and used Gala apples rather than Braeburn. Ryvita is a perfect base for this new take on the Waldorf salad.

If you liked these recipes with Ryvita, please visit their site for more inspiration.
You might also Like their Facebook page and follow all the latest news and developments.

Old MacDonald had a puzzle (review + giveaway closing 1 October 2012)

Do your children love music? And Puzzles? Does having a jigsaw activity pack with both elements sound like a fab idea to you?

My 2-year-old Eddie is forever asking for music (the way he pronounes the word, it sounds more like "muzikah"). He particularly likes listening to children's voices.

We were lucky to receive an activity pack from Music Room for reviewing.

 

 

The activity kit comes in a sturdy box which contains a 1m long puzzle, a music CD, two sets of stickers and a colouring sheet.

Boxes, who doesn't enjoy opening them? Eddie was very excited at the sight of the bright and cheerful box, and even happier to see ist contents. We had to listen to the new sing-along CD at once.

 

Personally I am not that keen on children's music performed by children, but I am clearly not the intended audience for the CD, because Eddie loved it a lot, and he has been asking to listen to it every day since the box arrived. The CD includes a set of well known animal songs like Mary Had a Little Lamb, Baa Baa Blacksheep, Daddy Fox and many more.

 

 

 

 

The metre-long puzzle is very colourful, it consists of big chunky pieces. As Eddie is a bit young for it, I helped him to finish the puzzle.

 

 

After the task was accomplished, we named  all the animals portrayed on the puzzle and put the pieces back in the box. As for the stickers, I confess they didn't end up where they were supposed to be, as my older son found the stickers while I was in the kitchen (and Eddie had a nap in his bedroom) and stickered them all over the box.

 

 

 

This activity set would make a lovely birthday or Christmas gift for anyone who loves Old MacDonald.

 

 

 I have one Old MacDonald Had a Farm Jingle Puzzle to give away. To be in with a chance, please fill in the Rafflecopter form below.

Leaving a comment is a must step to be entered in the draw (please do not click on the button, saying you did, if you haven't, as I can actually see it). You can do the other 3 steps as bonus entries, but they are not obligatory.

 

Good luck!

 

 

 



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Scented dreams: Twinings Jasmine Pearls (review)

Twinings has introduced a new range of Whole Leaf Silky Pyramids. I don't need to be encouraged to try a new tea, being a tea-addict. I've been dancing around the shelves displaying the new range of Twinings in Waitrose in the last few weeks, telling myself that I have enough tea in the house for my very own Boston Tea Party.

But I had a very stressful weekend, and what could be more relaxing than a cup of tea. Some women go to have their hair done or nails painted as a treat to themselves. I buy tea and chocolate.

I was torn between two new flavours, and decided that Jasmine Pearls looked especially appealing. Inside the box there are 15 silky pyramids (teabags) with pearls of rolled green tea. They look very pretty, and the transparent bags are quintessentially elegant. The small pearls of green tea are scented with white flowers of jasmine to achieve a delicate and slightly sweet flavour.

Make a cup of tea, sit, close your eyes and breathe in the aroma of jasmine. The wave of the jasmine will caress your senses and send you dreaming about the faraway lands. This is a very relaxing brew.
And also very healthy. Did you know that green tea is a great source of healing antioxidants? It increases metabolism and if you drink it regularly, you might notice that your waistline is getting trimmer.

When steeped in water, the pearls start to unravel or uncurl their green leaves, it is like a little miracle in a cup. Beautiful tea to look at, and it tastes fresh and fragrant. It is lovely hot, but also delicious when cold. I think it is perfect for the iced tea.

My only criticism is that I am not impressed with the design of the box. I like the shape, but the actual painting is a bit garish and amateur (I might be wrong and the artist tried to imitate the Primitivism art on purpose, then my apologies). The images are not associated in my mind with the origins of the Jasmine tea, its ancient history and cultural uses. I would have used a photo of an antique Chinese fabric as a pattern for the box.

Boys and their toys: Nano Speed Super Vert Crash set (review)

Boys and their toys. The faster, the better. Who could resist a super fast miniature toy cars as they zoom throught the corkscrew track?

The Nano Speed range brings the super fast and collectable miniature toy cars to children across the UK.
With crazy power to weight ratio, the Nano cars are capable of defying gravity and pulling off impressive stunts never done before!

The Nano speed range promises impressive speeds, awe-inspiring loops and adrenaline filled stunts!
Imagine yourself a mini-James Bond with this super toy.

"Defy gravity as you launch multiple cars into the triple loop, watch them wind their way through an inverted corkscrew and 5 high intensity crash points. The vehicles are automatically boosted to hit maximum speed on a micro scale!"
Set comes with two exclusive Nano Speed cars.

If you plan to give it as a birthday or Christmas present, do not forget to include two D batteries, as the kit doesn't include them, and they are not necessarily the type that you would find in every household (at least, talking from our own experience).

What does Nano Speed™ promise?

• It’s the fastest – Nano Speed™ can go as fast as 1500mph scaled speed!

• It’s the smallest – with Nano Speed™ it’s maximum speed on a micro scale!

• Pullback mechanism – it’s easy, pull back & go!

• Nano Speed™ do amazing stunts for non-stop race and crash action

• Super collectable – 60+ awesome looking cars to collect in wave 1

• Quick & easy to assemble play sets

• The range includes: Nano Speed™ 2 Pack £4.99, 4 Pack £8.99, Stunt Set £12.99, Multi-Car Launcher £14.99 & Nano Super Vert Crash Set £34.99

Does it deliver what it promises?

The instructions that come with the set are useful and clear. Though the set is not difficult to assemble with the parent's help, it could be quite tricky to do it for someone aged 6 (age specified on the box). The track sections have numbers on the back. The diagrams are clear. Level of difficulty is moderate (if you take into consideration the age of the possible recipient).

The main problem lays with the launch of the cars. When you pull the car to the back to launch it through the spiral, it doesn't always work consistently. I would say the ratio is 1 out of 10 times it will work.

Another thing about this toy: you cannot modify the track. You get what you see in the picture. So, after playing a bit with it, you might get bored. The conclusion is it won't hold any prolonged interest.

The toy costs £34.99. I appreciate its production must be costly, but from a parent's point of view, it is not cheap, especially if your child plays with it just once.

We were sent this toy for purposes of reviewing. All opinions are my own.

Best ever pickled baby cucumbers

We are not talking here the little vinegary monsters that you usually buy in the shops which taste of nothing but vinegar. Today I am inviting you to try a very easy recipe for the mildly pickled cucumbers.

I was delighted to discover that Waitrose started selling baby cucumbers recently, yes, they are pricier than the big sized comrades, but perfect for my recipe. In fact, I haven't tried it with the huge cucumbers. I don't know why with such a huge variety of tomatoes of all sizes in the shops you almost never see any variety in the cucumbers. They are all a standard size of a small weapon.
I tried growing my own a couple of years ago, but lost the crop, and switched to growing tomatoes.

This recipe is called Malosol'nye ogurtsy in Russian (lit. little-salted cucumbers) and they are ready to eat the next day. I've been consulting my Mum over the phone, as she often makes this dish for my nieces.

For 1 jar of pickled cucmbers I used

2 and a half packs of Waitrose baby cucumbers (150g each)
20g dill
peppercorns (about a dozen of different sizes)
1 clove of garlic
a couple of black currant leaves

For the salty solution you will need
for 1.5 litre of water
3 heaped tbsp of salt
1 tbsp of sugar
Please note that I did several jars of pickled cucumbers and tomatoes, so if you are making just one jar of pickles you will be left with lots of the salted water.

1. Bring the water to boil, add to a biggish container and disslove sugar and salt. Let it cool, it might be tepid, but not hot.
2. Prepare a big jar for pickles by putting it in the oven preheated to 180C for 10 minutes, take it out and let it cool.
3. Start the assembling process by adding a few leaves of the blackcurrants at the bottom, one clove of garlic and peppercorns. Chop off the "bums" of cucumbers to speed up the pickling process. Add several cucumbers, then a layer of dill, don't chop it, just tear in half. More cucumbers and more dill until the whole jar is filled in. Add the pickling liquid - it should cover the cucumbers, put the lid on top and place the jar in the fridge.
4. You can eat the cucumbers the next day.

They are deliciously crunchy and have a lovely mild pickled taste. They are best served with the boiled baby potatoes. They keep well for several days, but the longer they stay in the salted liquid, the saltier they become, so I suggest doing a small amount of pickles at a time.

More fun with Ben and Holly (Ben & Holly's Little Kingdom: Big Star Fun app review)

All fans of Ben & Holly's Little Kingdom, rejoice!

The first ever official Ben & Holly app called Ben & Holly's Little Kingdom - Big Star Fun has been released for iPad, iPhone and iPod.

This is a high quality app for pre-schoolers, and it features all the original characters from the TV series as well as the music and sound effects. Young fans of Ben and Holly now have an interactive kingdom of their own.

When you open the app, you are presented with an option of playing (and flying, of course) as Elf Ben or Princess Holly.

There are four magical games to play and each game comes with different difficulty levels. As Eddie is 2 years old, we go for the Easy level. And even this level needs a certain amount of skills and dexterity of fingers when you move the figures around.

So, what games can you find in the Little Kingdom:
 
You can start by Collecting Stars which involves flying through the air, trying to avoid the obstacles (I think Eddie didn't quite grasp the concept that he has to avoid the obstacles, because each time his chosen character bumps into things and I say Ouch, he laughs like a little bell).

You can excel at Throwing Sticks and play fetch with the colourful Gaston.

Hiding is another fun activity. Ben and Holly are hiding in the Elf Tree, you have to be quick, catch them if you can, or they disappear. Eddie and I both enjoyed this game.

Sweeping the leaves: you have to help Ben or Holly to clear the ground, the leaves keep falling from the big tree and you need to finish the job before the time runs out. So far we haven't managed to clear it completely, and we are supposedly on the Easy level.

Apart from the four games above you receive a bonus game: a Sticker book. There are several backgrounds to choose and numerous stickers to add. Eddie loves this game, but he can be over-zealous in his stickering. He loves ladybirds, so as you can see, he has generously decorated the background with the ladybirds.

If your kids love Ben and Holly, then I would certainly recommend this app.

Saying that, Eddie prefers Peppa Pig app at the moment (I reviewed the app recently and wasn't sure how long Eddie was going to enjoy it, but so far he wants to play with it every day).
He is probably a tad too young for all Ben and Holly's games, as for example, cleaning the grass from the leaves requires quite a bit of patience, and I'm afraid that is not one of our virtues.
This app is probably best for a one-to-one session between a child and a parent, with parent explaining the rules and helping to navigate the games.

Ben and Holly's Little Kingdom: Big Star Fun app is available from the App Store for £1.99.

P.S. We were sent a code to try the game for free.

September blues giveaway (CLOSED NOW)

I have been counting days until September as the summer holidays are always quite stressful in our household, but now that it finally arrived, I feel a bit sad that the summer is over. The dark evenings are creeping on us already. As of Tuesday, we are back to the school routine and, fingers crossed, to some semblance of normality.

To mark the end of summer and the start of the new academic year, I am offering my blog readers a few chocolate bars. I bought two batches of chocolate: Lindt and Green & Black's. I am partial to the dark chocolate and also loves all nutty flavours, hence my choice.

Green & Black's set includes 3 bars of dark chocolate: Ginger, Dark 70% and Burnt Toffee.

Lindt Creation's set includes 3 bars: Divine hazelnut, Velvety vanilla almond and Luscious caramel.

To be in with a chance of winning one of these sets, please follow two easy steps:

1. Leave me a comment on any other post (excluding the other current giveaway) and let me know which post it is in the comments here.

2. Let me know which set you would prefer: Lindt or Green & Black's (or if you don't mind either, just say either).

I will add all the names to the Raffleking after 27 September.

Good luck!
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Many thanks for all your comments! I have added all names to the Raffleking and the two selected winners are

LINDT: Cheryl P
GREEN & BLACK'S: Hazel R

Well done, winners! I will get in touch with you to ask for your address details. Hope you will enjoy your choccies.