Oat walnut cookies + Stork giveaway (E: 7 July 2016)

Have you ever found when baking cookies with butter, that they have spread too much in the oven and look more like pancakes than cookies? Well, I have. There were some unfortunate baking sessions, when cookies melted together into one shapeless cookie. One of the solutions of preventing the spreading-out-into-a-big-puddle is to swap butter for Stork.
When I use Stork in cookies, they turn out perfectly shaped, crisp, flaky and delicious. I bake cookies at least once a week, as my boys love them.
Today I baked a batch of oat walnut cookies. I wanted something different from the usual choc chip cookies, and adding chopped walnuts seemed like a good idea.
These cookies are easy to make, and you don't need any fancy ingredients, you will probably have all of them in the kitchen.

Oat walnut cookies
Ingredients:
100g caster sugar
90g margarine (I used Stork)
1 medium egg
70g oats
160g+ self-raising flour
1tsp baking powder
50g walnuts, chopped

Cream the margarine with sugar and egg in a mixing bowl. Add the flour, oats, baking powder and finely chopped walnuts, mix well, forming the dough. Put the mixing bowl with the dough, covered by a cling film, in the fridge for half an hour.
Knead lightly on a slightly floured surface, roll out to 6-7mm thickness, cut out the biscuits with cookie cutters, place them on the trays lined with parchment paper and bake for about 15 minutes until golden at 180C. Don't overcook, they are still soft when you take them out.

If you don't like walnuts, chopped pistachios would work too. You can also add a handful of raisins to the dough.

I used organic porridge oats from Primrose's Kitchen in this recipe, but any good quality oats will do. These oats are gluten free and wheat free.

Lovely people from Stork have offered 10 tubs of Stork as a giveaway for my blog readers. Imagine how many cakes and bakes you can make with this stash!

T&Cs:
The giveaway is open to the UK residents only.
Once the Rafflecopter picks the winner, I will contact them regarding address details, if they do not reply within 28 days, the prize will be allocated to another person.
Please don't forget to leave a comment, as it is the only mandatory step, I will make sure the winner selected by Rafflecopter has complied with T&Cs.
The prize will be dispatched by Stork.

The giveaway will close on 7 July 2016 (at midnight)

Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Queen's 90th Birthday tea from Twinings

Tea caddies and tins are my weakness. They are perfect containers for tea, keeping it fresh for longer, and after the tea is finished, you can reuse them for any other dried foods. And they look so pretty in the kitchen. I first spotted tins of Queen's 90th Birthday tea from Twinings before Easter.
We were planning to go to Italy for a week, and I bought a tin as a gift to one of our friends who is an  Anglophile and a great admirer of Her Majesty. I knew he would be delighted with this special edition tea.
I also bought a tin for myself.

This special edition tea has been created by master blenders to celebrate Queen Elizabeth's 90th birthday.
90th birthday tea blend uses the finest quality black teas from three Commonwealth countries. You will find a full-bodied tea from Assam, India, a refreshing Kenyan tea and a rich smooth Sri Lankan variety, all blended together as a tribute to Her Majesty.

It is a smooth refreshing brew indeed, albeit not very imaginative. I don't know what kind of tea Her Majesty prefers, perhaps this blend reflects her personal taste in tea.
The colour is beautiful - dark amber, and the aroma is very pleasant.

I do love flavoured teas (Earl Grey is my top favourite), or if they are black, then with a hint of smokiness like Russian Caravan, or very smokey like Lapsang.
My garden is full of roses this month, and I like adding a few petals to the black tea.
It is probably a habit I picked up from my Mum, she has always been adding slices of lemon, orange, apple or herbs to black tea, and I rarely drink black tea as it is (I'm not very keen on milk in tea, I know, I'm failing my test on Britishness).

These tins are still available (found in Waitrose locally).
 For every commemorative tin sold, Twinings will make a donation to QEST: the Royal Warrant Holders Association Charity, supporting excellence in British craftsmanship.

This weekend the country was celebrating Her Majesty's official birthday by holding street parties. Our street didn't have a party, as it's a very busy road, and I guess, it would have been impossible to close it for the party. We did watch some of the footage of the commemorative events including the Patron's Lunch, and raised a cuppa to a lady who keeps herself very busy despite her advanced years. Here's to another big birthday!

Did you join in any street parties this weekend?

Not a 90th birthday mug, but one that my older son got in school as a gift in the year of the Diamond Jubilee

Royal Jam Tarts (recipe by Ruth Clemens for Patron's Lunch)

To honour the Queen's official birthday, this weekend is jam-packed with festivities and celebrations. Tomorrow is the day of the much-anticipated Patron's Lunch, which is being held to celebrate Her Majesty The Queen's 90th birthday and her patronage of over 600 charities and organisations. One of the biggest street parties ever will be taking place on The Mall, just outside Buckingham Palace in London.

If you cannot attend the big street party but would like to mark the occasion and perhaps bake something festive, how about the Royal Jam Tarts as created by Ruth Clemens of The Pink Whisk for Stork? Have a look at the selection of festive recipes on Baking with Stork recipe pages.

Royal Jam Tarts (recipe reproduced courtesy of Stork)
Ingredients:
170g plain flour
85g Stork with butter
30g caster sugar
2-3tbsp cold water
225g seedless raspberry jam (or seeded, like I did)
Oven temp 180C (fan)/200c/Gas mark 6
Makes 12
Freezing: suitable for freezing
Prep time: 20 minutes plus 30 minutes chilling
Bake time: 12-15 minutes

Method:
1. To make the pastry place the plain flour in a bowl with the Stork with Butter.
2. Rub the Stork with Butter into the flour using your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
3. Stir through the sugar.

4. Add the water a tablespoon at a time and work the pastry until it just comes together.
5. Knead lightly  until even, wrap in clingfilm and allow to chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.
6. Roll out the chilled pastry on a lightly floured work surface to approx 4mm in thickness and cut out 12 circles.
7. Line the recess of a shallow bun tray with the pastry circles.
8. Gather together the pastry trimmings and re-roll. Cut out 12 small crowns with a sharp knife.
9. Fill each pastry case with 1-2tsp of jam.
10. Top each tart with a pastry crown and bake in the oven for 12-15 minutes until golden.
11. Transfer to a wire rack and allow to cool. Serve.

Shortcrust pastry with Stork was very easy to make, and tasted lovely. Stork has even released a limited edition pack for Patron's Lunch.

I used a delicious raspberry and vanilla jam from a Culinary Couture range by Hawkshead Relish, making the Royal Jam Tarts, but any good quality raspberry jam will work in this recipe.

My men have loved the jam tarts. Eddie was eating them with such enthusiasm that some jam ended on the tip of his nose.

Yum!

Photo diary: week 23, 366

We had a lovely warm week, with some days packing scorching temperatures. I have been spending most of my spare time in the garden. I also have been very busy, meeting with the solicitor, going on a safeguarding course (since I work as a volunteer in school) and much more. Blogging has been put a bit on hold, as I simply had no time for everything.
During the school break Eddie went on a free course to learn the basics of tennis. This was a Highland Spring promotion, where you enrolled for a free course. The nearest tennis court which participated in the campaign was in Oxford. Eddie loved it so much that he decided he wanted to continue.
I asked my husband who took Eddie to the tennis lessons to snap a picture of him.

We have a mini-pond in the garden. It was once much bigger, but we have enclosed it with slabs and filled some of it with rocks when the kids were little. So, there is just a small opening with slabs, and every year these bright yellow irises come into bloom with passion.

I admire these gorgeous garlands of roses on rooftops in someone's yard, as I wait for Eddie to get out of his school.

This foxglove has planted itself in our garden, behind the summerhouse last year. This year there are three long spears. Such a beautiful yet deadly plant.

Love my old-fashioned roses which smell divine.

Eddie's school held a party to celebrate the Queen's official birthday. He told me, rather disappointed: "There were lots of people but the Queen didn't come". Oh the naivety of 5-year-olds who expect the Queen to attend their party. When the parents arrived to pick up the kids, they have just released 90 balloons into the air. It was a beautiful sight for kids, but the grown-ups should have known better than pollute the nature.

For lunch today we had a mozzarella, tomato, fig and prosciutto salad. It was light and very tasty.

Air storm Z-Tek Bow and Air Storm Firetek rockets giveaway (E: 30 June 2016)

Win the super fast Air Storm Z-Tek Bows with 125 foot range and Air Storm Firetek rockets from Zing Toys. Get the kids ready for an all-new archery experience with whistling arrows and light up rockets.

I have one Air Storm Z-Tek bow and four Firetek rockets available to win.

Air Storm Z-Tek Bow
Get the next big thing in bow technology with the Z-Tek Bow. Check out the sleek new design and shape. Shorter bungees for faster firing. Arrow clips right on the bow for quick reloads and a powerful presence. It's an all new archery experience with the Z-Tek Bow!
Hook in the Zartz Arrow or Zonic Whislting Arrow, position the shot, and watch it fly through the air for an incredible 100 feet!
Includes a Z-Tek Bow, two Zonic Whistling Arrows and one Suction-Cup Zartz Arrow.
Please note the Air Storm Z-Tel bow comes in two colours - green and orange - winners cannot choose colours of prizes.
Price £19.99, age 8+

The Firetek Rocket is launching into orbit as the newest addition to Zing's Firetek line with lights and sounds, ready for outdoor day or night fun! Turn the light switch on the rocket to power up the action, then attach the Firetek light-up rocket to the launcher, pull the tab, and let it soar into the sky!
Hear the whistle-screaming arrows in action as the rocket flies up to 250feet high with just a simple flick of the wrist. The Firetek rockets are set to fly to incredible heights with long-lasting performance. Each set comes with two whistle-screaming light-up rockets and one launcher.
Price £9.99 Age 5+

T&Cs:
The giveaway is open to the UK residents only.
The first winner selected by Rafflecopter will win an Air Storm Z-Tek Bow, while the other winners will receive Air Storm Firetek rockets
Once the Rafflecopter picks the winners, I will contact them regarding address details, if they do not reply within 28 days, the prize will be allocated to another person.
Please don't forget to leave a comment, as it is the only mandatory step, I will make sure the winner selected by Rafflecopter has complied with T&Cs.
The prize will be dispatched by Zing UK Press office.

The giveaway will close on 30 June 2016 (at midnight)

Good luck!

  a Rafflecopter giveaway

Discovering the Schleich world of play

When our older son was about 5 years old, he was very fond of a large toy family of elephants from Schleich. We had the whole herd, with the parents and babies, and he absolutely loved them. In fact he loved them so much that we had to take them everywhere with us, so our elephants travelled quite a bit around the world including Italy, Russia and Austria.
I remember when we accompanied my husband on a conference trip to Austria, and Sasha has accidentally dropped one of his elephants in the fountain. I was resigned to the fact that we were going to bid Farewell to the Mummy elephant, but one of the students attending the conference has jumped into the fountain before we had an inkling she was going in the water. She miscalculated the depth, and was completely drenched once she got out, bless her. Sasha was deliriously happy to be reunited with his favourite elephant, and I still feel guilty about her jump.

Later, when our Eddie was born, he inherited Sasha's old toys including dozens and dozens of Schleich animals and used to play with them as much, though not to the point of obsession. They are excellent quality and have endured many years of play really well.
The attention to detail and craftsmanship are truly high.

I'm sure many a parent could tell a story about how their children enjoy playing with Schleich toys.
Most nurseries and primary schools would have sets of Schleich toys, as they recognise a huge educational value of these toys.

As part of their "Educational Play the Schleich Way" campaign, Schleich has created a 16-page brochure which is designed as a guide to the best in imaginative play and development.
This inspiring brochure covers a wide range of topics including a balanced play diet, encouraging imagination, helping develop early language skills and much more. It is a helpful guide, full of useful tips and ideas on how to encourage creativity and imaginative play.
Schleich toys can be appreciated anywhere in the world, irrespective of the language barriers. You might not need any language to take pleasure in playing with these toys, as many non-verbal children with special needs - just like our Sash - show(ed). Our son has spent many happy hours, playing with his toy animals. This creative play helped to strengthen his interest in the world of animals, as he later moved onto the photo books about animals as well as documentaries.

What's your Schleich story?

If you enjoyed reading this toy review, you might also like my posts
Schleich Dinosaurs
and
New Mini-Dino World from Schleich

Disclosure: We received a selection of Schleich toys for the purposes of reviewing. All opinions are stories are ours.

Oddball and the penguins DVD

Oddball & The Penguins is out now on DVD, On Demand and Digital HD

Eddie and I watched Oddball & The Penguins earlier today. Shot entirely on the magnificent Australian coast, this heartwarming story has been a big hit in the Australian box office.
The story starts with the wild antics of a dog called Oddball, who is a Maremma sheepdog. He is a bit of a dog ASBO, wrecking everything in his way. But the misbehaving dog is the least of the problems of his owner Swampy Marsh. He is a chicken farmer who also looks after the penguin sanctuary on the Middle Island, which lies just off the coast from the small town of Warrnarnbool.
The foxes have decimated the penguin population to such an extent that the sanctuary is under the threat of being closed down completely.
Swampy's daughter Emily is helping her father to run the sanctuary, but she's getting disillusioned. Only her daughter Olivia believes in her Grandpa's dream of restoring the sanctuary and keeping their family together.
Then Swampy rescues an injured penguin, and discovers that his crazy dog Oddball is very gentle with the penguin and guards him with a great dedication.
Swampy and Olivia come up with a plan of training Oddball as the sanctuary's guard.
What happens next will keep you rooting for Oddball and the penguins.
The small sized penguins are adorable. If anything, it's a total cuteness overload.
The human characters are less adorable. Olivia is chirpy and too self-assured. The town inhabitants are a bit one-dimensional. They are truly just a supporting cast for the dog and the penguins.
It is a likeable and sweet story which will appeal to the whole family.

Disclosure: We received a copy of the DVD for the purposes of reviewing. All opinions are Eddie's and mine.

Astro Limina portable uplight

Our home is rather eclectic, it's a combination of a classic or traditional old town cottage and more modern influences. As much as I love the "old cottage" look, it could be too conservative if it's not diluted by the more modern details. I don't want to live in a museum, I love layering and mixture of styles, which makes it more exciting and approachable (though I have a feeling that if an interior designer ventured into our house, they might have had a bit of a shock).
The same goes for the lamps and lights in our house: we have a fabulous vintage lamp in the hall, shaped like a Victorian lamppost, a gloriously bright Tiffany lampshade in the sitting room, sky lights in the kitchen etc etc. Recently our lamp collection has expanded with an addition of a portable uplight.
Astro Limina sounds like something out of a sci-fi book or film, and looks the part too. It is stylish, compact and portable. It is double insulated, and has a plaster finish.

I was surprised to read that this product can be painted after applying a sealing coat of a diluted bonding solution. I like the white finish as it is, but the possibilities of decorating it to suit your tastes and interior styles of your home are endless.
It comes with a Bell LED GU10 lamp, which makes it child-safe to prevent burnt fingers.
Being small and compact, it can be placed almost anywhere around the house.

We have placed it in different rooms around the house, trying to decide what's the best location for it.
You can keep in it in the bathroom, as long as it's not too close to the bath and doesn't get wet.

It looked well in our bedroom too, though it cannot be used as a night light, it is way too bright. When I switched it on in Eddie's bedroom, his small room was all alight.
The glow of the bulb is very bright, almost hurting the eyes, so don't look directly inside the lamp when the light is on. Best placed in the corner, and maybe even turned around so that the lower rim is facing the wall.

We also tried to see how it would look in the summerhouse which is the playroom or guestroom, depending on the situation. The small summerhouse looked even more cosy with the uplight on the floor.

Astro Limina hasn't found its permanent location yet in our house, but as it is portable, we can carry around with ease, depending on the mood and need of light.

For more information and a wide selection of lighting, visit Ormrod.

Disclosure: I received the uplight for the purposes of reviewing. All opinions are mine.

Photo diary: week 22, 366

May said Good Bye, leaving with a scent of the white roses, which at the moment take over my garden. The rose has climbed over a very tall plum tree and the blooms cascade down, such a glorious sight. 

On Monday Eddie and I had great fun, joining the Goosebumps watch-along. We're big fans of Goosebumps, and enjoyed watching the new DVD, and pretending how scared we were. Well, perhaps not always pretending, as gnomes and talking dummies do freak me out.

Mock-orange in the garden has such a delicate scent. The bees love it.

I  have planted ten different tomatoes (not from seeds, from mini-plants) in the greenhouse, and they are doing quite well, though it's still a long way until we have the first tomatoes).

We love our daily walks in the river meadows behind the old Witney Mill. It is such a serene spot, with the birdsong and fresh air.

On Friday our friend Jen took my boys and me out by car to one of our favourite haunts aka Burford garden centre. There is a lovely playground outside, where my guys enjoyed the swings, the climbing frames and the big tractor.

Saturday: I have baked a dozen of coconut-flavoured cupcakes with white chocolate frosting. I'm quite addicted to fresh coconut chunks (I can easily eat the whole box in one go, especially with a cup of coffee, mmm), so decorated some of the cupcakes with the sliced fresh coconut.

Orange flavoured cupcakes with lemon curd frosting

My boys and I stayed at home all day on Monday, only venturing in the garden. To cheer them up, we decided to bake cupcakes. I recently received a few jars of preserves from Hawkshead Relish's new Couture range, including a delicious lemon curd.
I love lemon curd, but none of my men are too keen on it. I knew that the best way to use it would be to add it as an ingredient to baking. In this recipe I used this delicately flavoured preserve to make a lemon curd cream cheese frosting. And I was right, the cupcakes disappeared faster than you can say "orange cupcakes with lemon curd cream cheese frosting".

Orange flavoured cupcakes with lemon curd frosting
Ingredients:
1 pack of Betty Crocker vanilla cupcake mix
2 medium eggs
45ml olive oil
50ml freshly squeezed orange juice
zest of 1 orange

for frosting:
115g icing sugar
60g softened butter
65g cream cheese
2tbsp lemon curd
chocolate sprinkles

Beat two eggs with the oil, orange zest and juice, add a pack of vanilla cupcake mix, mix well together. Divide the mix into 9 cupcake cases, inserted into a cupcake baking tray. Bake for about 15 minutes or less, just check with a wooden toothpick if they're ready.
Take the tray out of the oven, and let the cupcakes cool before decorating with the frosting and sprinkles.

Make frosting by beating together the icing sugar, butter, cream cheese and lemon curd. Pipe onto the cupcakes and add some chocolate sprinkles (they were included in the kit).

These are light citrussy cupcakes, delicate and flavourful.

We used a cake mix from Betty Crocker as a base, but any basic vanilla cake mix will do, including supermarket own. In fact, sometimes supermarket own beats the brand cake mixes, for example, a carrot cake mix from M&S is much better than many other carrot cake mixes we have tried, but I digress.

Cake mixes are frowned upon by purist foodies, but if you are baking with kids, it's a great kitchen staple.
Cake mix could always be improved by added extras like lemon or orange zest, milk instead of water, added spices, grated apple etc etc, the possibilities are endless.