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Stained Glass Cookies Recipe perfect for Christmas
Stained glass cookies recipe Stained Glass Cookies Delicious buttery biscuits, with edible sweetie stained glass. These edible decorations make the perfect gift and are ideal for hanging on the tree. Great for getting the kids involved, all you need are clean hands and a little imagination! A magical treat to enjoy at Christmas. Preparation time: 30 minutes Cooking Time: 10 minutes Makes 10-15 biscuits Ingredients 220g butter, softened 100g Whitworths for Baking Light Soft Brown Sugar 350g plain flour, plus extra for dusting 1 tsp ground ginger or cinnamon 50g Whitworths for Baking Crunchy Demerara Sugar A selection of fruit-flavoured boiled sweets in different colours To decorate 50g Whitworths for…
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Journaling for Self Care – guest post
I know, I know, you’re a very busy person. You don’t have time to sit down for half an hour and pour your heart out into a journal. But do you have time to check your Instagram feed, catch up on Love Island, or fill up a basket of stuff you don’t need in an internet window shopping spree? Then you do have time to journal. Journaling for self care is one of the simplest and yet most transformative things you could do with your time. Make time for it. Here’s how: How to Start Journaling for Self Care Start with a pen and paper. It doesn’t matter what you…
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Healthy Christmas Cake Recipe With Mixed Berries
Blackberry and blueberry healthy Christmas cake recipe Strap: A lighter alternative to the traditional Christmas cake If you are not a fan of heavy dried fruit cakes then try this light almondy sponge cake speckled with blackberries and blueberries drizzled with glace icing. Serves 8 Preparation time: 25 minutes Cooking time: 40-50 minutes To decorate: 5 minutes 175g (6oz) mixed blackberries and blueberries, if the blackberries are very large, cut them in half 175g (6oz) self-raising flour ½ tsp baking powder 175g (6oz) butter, at room temperature 175g (6 oz) caster sugar 3 medium eggs, beaten 75g (3oz) ground almonds Few drops almond essence, optional To decorate 175g (6oz) icing…
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Planning for Happiness with A Good Plan
I am taking part in the Blogtober Challenge hoping to rediscover my joy in blogging. As I feel unhappy in other areas of my life I am taking charge and planning for happiness. Life is too short as they say and with A Good Plan gifted by my friend, I am working out what has, does and will make me happy. Family time – planning for happiness A lot of my fun times in life were had with my parents who have now passed away. They were so good at keeping things interesting and having fun. Even after I left home, when they visited they tumbled in usually laughing and…
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Taking a baby outside on a windy day – essential tips
Unfortunately, summer is over and the temperatures are already starting to drop. We are likely to encounter some very blustery days in the upcoming months, therefore when it comes to taking your newborn baby outside in these conditions, it’s important that you dress them up right so that they are comfortable for the entire trip. Taking a baby outside With the help of Babythingz – a leading UK double buggy supplier- here are some key tips to making sure you’re looking after your little one in the harsh weather: Wind does not cause ear infections Contrary to common myth, having a baby out in the wind will not result in…
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Starting a New Gym and what you need to look out for
Going to the gym provides tons of benefits, but finding the right one is crucial and not so easy to do. Whether you’re looking for classes to take with others to help keep you accountable or you’re looking for a great workout with a personal trainer or on your own using their equipment, you need to know what to look for and how to find what you need. Use the tips here to make starting a new gym easier. Find Out About the Classes Available When starting a new gym go ahead and see what classes are offered. It’s possible classes might be a good option later, so finding a…
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Things To Do Before And After A Botox Treatment
At a botox clinic or at your dermatologist who specialises in anti-ageing injections, you might find the key to lasting youth – at least for your skin – but even if it is a preventive wrinkle treatment, you should be careful not to go overboard. As people age, skin tends to lose its suppleness and elasticity and minute folds begin to appear at the areas where the facial muscles tend to be the most active. The older a person is, the more prominent these wrinkles become – even in the areas which don’t have as much facial muscular activity. Growing old in a graceful way is an adage that is…
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Mini chocolate cheesecake bites
If you love chocolate and you adore cheesecake, this is the perfect recipe. Let me introduce you to Jennifer’s Mini Chocolate Cheesecake Bites Prep time: 15 minutes Serves/Makes 28 Ingredients 160g Light Philadelphia with Cadbury 100g mini chocolate chip cookies or mini oat biscuits Instructions 1. Arrange the biscuits on a serving platter. 2. Spread or pipe a little Philly with Cadbury on to each biscuit and serve topped with a number of different toppings. Do you have a recipe for chocolate cheesecake? I was talking to Him Indoors about cheesecake last night. For years, cheesecake has been one of my favourite desserts. I first came across it at the…
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Childbirth tear – what is it and how to get support
A childbirth tear is not unusual but for some reason, it’s one of the least common topics we tend to talk about when discussing labour. Whether you’re about to give birth for the first time or have experienced a tear in childbirth, it’s important to know who to turn to for support. Thankfully, there are sources of support you can reach out to should you have any worries or concerns. How does a childbirth tear happen? Sometimes a doctor or midwife may need to cut between the vagina and anus during childbirth to help deliver the baby. This is more common in new mums as the vagina is less elastic.…
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Chocolate mousse shots for parties
Chocolate mousse shots are easy, look good and with the recipe I am sharing pretty fail-safe too. I had a terrible incident when I hosted a dinner party once. Fortunately it was for a bunch of women friends and they were very forgiving. In fact, like most things in life, disasters can turn into wonderful opportunities to laugh. Where cooking is concerned when things go wrong, you are more likely to remember a meal and this one was lots of fun. There were new cocktails designed by more own fair hand for a start – Pankhurst and Bra burner by name. So what happened to the chocolate mousse? I had…
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How to Help Your Parents as They Age
Having parents who are now pensioners and beginning to get on in years is very different to when you’re starting out as an adult. Now the shoe is on the other foot as your capabilities in life continue to grow while their silver years tend to see an ongoing diminishing of their life management and coping skills.What do you do to help our parents as they age? In this article, we address the sticky issue of how to help your parents as they get older. Help your parents as they age When you’re seeing a current or future need to get more involved in the day-to-day of your parents’ lives,…
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Friend has cancer – what to say and do
So, you’ve found out that your friend has cancer and you have absolutely no idea what to do or say. Don’t worry, that is perfectly natural and to give you a little help here are some tips… What not to do when your friend has cancer Don’t ignore the big C. You have to acknowledge the diagnosis. You can’t ignore it or pretend that it isn’t happening or that your friend doesn’t have cancer. Don’t treat your friend/family member differently. Just because he/she has been diagnosed with cancer doesn’t mean that you should treat them differently. Yes, you’ll need to be more considerate and check in with them…
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Easy cheese puffs recipe with Cathedral City
Cheese puffs recipe Preparation: 40 minutes Yield: 40 puffs Ingredients: 235ml of water 60g of butter, cut into cubes ½ teaspoon coarse salt plus extra for sprinkling 130g of plain flour 4 large eggs 300g of grated Cathedral City Vintage 20 50g of chopped spring onions Preheat oven to 180°C. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside. Method: – In a heavy medium saucepan, bring the water, butter, and ½ teaspoon salt to the boil – Remove from heat and slowly mix in the flour – Stir over medium heat until mixture becomes slightly shiny and pulls away from sides of pan, about 3 minutes – Transfer to a food…
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Eco-Friendly Ways to Keep Your House Cool
I am delighted to share a guest post from my blogger friend Simone on eco-friendly ways to keep your house cool in the warmer weather. You can find Simone’s writing at https://midlandstraveller.com/ There is no doubt that a heatwave can be challenging to get through. As a species of people, we are very susceptible to changes in our environment. Extreme temperatures don’t sit well with us; even a few degrees up or down can make a difference. When the height of summer does arrive, it’s common for people to try and crank up the air conditioning and get through it. However, this isn’t all that good for the environment, so…
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Cinnamon Chicken with Cous Cous
Cinnamon Chicken with Cous cous Serves: 4 Cooking time: 25 minutes Preparation time: 10 minutes Ingredients: 4 Red Tractor chicken breast fillets 250g couscous 50g sultanas salt and freshly ground black pepper 1 tbsp Red Tractor plain flour ½ tsp ground cinnamon 200ml hot vegetable stock 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar 2 oranges 150g sugar snap peas 2 tbsp finely chopped Red Tractor flat-leaf parsley Preparation: 1. Pour 400ml boiling water over the couscous. Stir in the sultanas and seasoning to taste, cover and stand for 10 minutes. 2. Mix the flour with the cinnamon and dust the chicken breasts with the cinnamon mix and the freshly ground black pepper. 3. …
