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Friday 22 February 2013

Pancake Challenge

I love pancakes, my children love pancakes so I look forward to pancake day each year and often set about my design for my pancake days even weeks in advance.  This year I thought I'd try something different and go for a 3D pancake as opposed to my normal decorating a flat pancake. 



His name was Polar the pancake bear and he was very very tasty.  I also made Grizzly the pancake bear out of chocolate ice cream and white chocolate buttons but he was eaten before I could take a photo!

He's actually very simple to make.  His belly is actually made up of ice cream and strawberries, covered in two pancakes.  Head is a scoop of ice cream, with a banana nose and banana ears.  The chocolate drops on his nose and ears are just plain blobs (technical term) of nutella and  his eyes are made from nutella too.  His paw was shaped with a tea spoon and again blobs of nutella made the paw prints.  The Sweet Dreams was written on using strawberry squeezy ice cream sauce. 

Incredibly simple and delicious. 

Now to start thinking up next years creation....


This post is for a competition http://www.confused.com/gas-electricity/articles/pancake-challenge-competition

Share your family photos.....

I love Tots100, they always give these little challenges that give me ideas for blogs.  This month it was to share a family photo and write about why it is your favourite.

This was for me a challenge and a half.  I think my children actually thought I came complete with a camera shaped hand for the first few years of their lives as I was never without a camera of some shape or description.  As they have got older, they now realise that it isn't joined to me permanently but I still take an inordinate amount of photographs on a daily basis.  So you can imagine choosing just ONE photograph has put me under an awful lot of strain and it's been an agonising decision. 

I have two children so choosing a photo, unless I went for the family shot meant I had to decide on one child ahead of the other as well.  A decision not to be taken lightly.  The family shot was out of the question.... I only work well on one side of the lens.

So without further ado I present to you my one favourite shot.



This is M at the ripe old age of 6, in the garden with her rabbit Toffee.  It's not a majestic sweeping vista of some far flung corner of the globe.  She isn't doing anything spectacular like taking her first steps, performing in her first ballet show or winning a showjumping class on her pony.  She is just in our little back garden playing with her rabbit. 

What makes it so special for me is that we'd only just got Toffee when this was taken.  He was still really nervous of us and didn't really like us to get too close.  Maddy sat very patiently for ages, holding out a piece of sweetcorn tempting the rabbit to come over to her. The look of sheer joy on her face that she has succeeded at being the first to get the rabbit to come to her for a cuddle means so much to me and makes this my favourite photograph of all time. 

This post is Dawn's entry into the Printerpix Photo competition.

Cottage Pie... made the diet way

I love good hearty english food, but I also like to be relatively healthy at the same time.  Cottage pie has always been a favourite in our home.  It's quick and easy to make, and one meal that I can guarantee everyone will eat without moaning. 

It's a great way to get hidden veggies into the kids as well - so in my opinion it's a "double prizes" kind of dish.

My cottage pie is so simple even my 17 year old teenage son can make it.

Mince meat, potatoes, leek and carrots are the mainstays, but then I add whatever is left hanging around in the crisper drawer of the fridge.  Onion, leeks, even courgettes have found their way in.  There is no wrong or right with this one.

To make it healthy: I mix a bit of sweet pototo with normal potatoes for the topping and use a spoonful of creme fraiche instead of butter to mix up the mashed potatoe to a lovely consistency.

The meat I cook using the leanest mince I can find, and drain it well.  Oil is replaced with fry light  and instead of heavy stocks, I use onion gravy with a sprinkle of cinnamon.  Before you say "urgh"  it's a basic in every spagetti bolognaise sauce, so not as odd as it sounds and gives the sauce a lovely sweetness to it's taste.


 
Apres meal.. not alot left.
 
RECIPE
 
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 1 clove garlic, crushed
  • 2 medium carrots, chopped
  • 500g mince the leaner the better
  •  
  • 2 tablespoons tomato purée
  • 300ml onion grave
  • 1 teaspoon dried mixed herbs
  • dash Worcestershire sauce
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste if you must.  I use cinnamon instead.
  • For the topping:
  • 1kgg, peeled and diced potatoes or potatoe/sweet potatoe mix
  • dollop of creme fraiche instead of butter
  • 4 tablespoons milk
  •  
     
     
    1. 
    Preheat the oven to 190 C / Gas mark 5.
     
     
     
    This blog is as a result of a post on foodies 100. What we need are some good hearty recipes that are healthy too. Our latest competition with our friends at Morphy Richards is calling out for your delicious recipe recommendations that have a healthy twist in conjunction with Morphy Richards.  www.morphyrichards.co.uk
     
    morphy richards intellisteam