So Summer is in full swing, Big J read recently that its the hottest on record, and I can so believe it. I have been on the verge of boiling point!

What I love about this time of year is the lazy days. Its way too hot to do anything over exciting so the best days are spent  in the garden with a good book, toes dangling in a ice cold paddling pool. Followed by some yummy light, sunshiny food and a tall glass of pimms. Which despite our little fall out at the beginning of summer  ( Where I discovered that yes, you can have to much of a good thing! ) we are now firm friends again.

The books I have been reading this month whilst feet dangling and pool soaking have been fab ones!

The first one I read was Playing with the Grown-ups By Sophie Dahl. I got it by accident really, one of those “you may also like” purchases at Amazon (they get me every time) . I was just picking up a copy of her cookery book and I thought I’d give this one a go too,  being as I have always been completely in LOVE with her grandaddies work, maybe its hereditary? …

And it really is! Not since I read The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold a couple of years ago,  have I been so drawn into a book.

Its a coming of age tale about Kitty. Her life with her totally beautiful and equally tragic Artist Mother takes her from rural England to London and then off to New York. Its set in the early nineties and it conjures up the mood and time of teenage years in such a knowing, honest and poignant way.

But the real beauty in this book is the relationship between Kitty and her very flawed Mum.

Its not a your classic chick lit, as  its full of an ample peppering of sex, swearing and drug taking. But its also sweet and innocent somehow, packed to the rafters with bumbling aristocrats, boarding school romances and a large helping of the New york high life!   

I can not tell you how much I loved this book, but  when I had read the last page I was sad, the way you get at the end of  all good books…. like saying goodbye to an old, much loved friend.

So if  you can find time this summer between all the business of crazy toddlers , stinky boys who don’t like to wash  and heart broken teens (no?, sorry that’s just my life ;0) Give it a read, I deify anyone not to love it!

The second book I will save for another post  as Milly is getting a little over excited with handing me the books she wants me to read… Why do they make board books so heavy anyway? …..Toddler weapons of mass head injury destruction, that’s what they are! ! ! … OWCH!!

Okaaaay…  *ties Milly to a chair with skipping rope, sits her in front of telly and an episode of peppa pig* ……Anyway…..the other book I read was literally life changing. If you have problems getting your little one to sleep I have a cure, HONESTLY I swear! but I will save that book review for next time

Now for the yummy food part, its a recipe I made up after a holiday in San Francisco where I had THE BEST crab cakes on the planet.

These ones are as close to them as I can get, and I think they are pretty damn good, hopefully you’ll give them a go too and let me know ;D.  The addition of the prawns gives them a light, almost fluffy feel.

1 tin of crab meat

1 packet of fresh prawns

1 red chilli (or dried chilli flakes)

1 and a half slices of white bread

1-1 /2  tablespoon’s of good mayonnaise

A little squeeze of lime

A little bit of fresh parsley (optional)

firstly set the oven onto warm up at about 200.

Then drain the prawns and crab meat well and put  into a bowl  adding a good 1/2 teaspoon  of fresh red chili, thinly sliced ( just a pinch if using dried, but really its to taste, if you like it spicy add more ) the mayonnaise, little squeeze of lime, the parsley (if using)  and a good pinch of salt and pepper.

Then with a hand mixer whizz it all up until you have a lovely pink looking mixture, at this point you can use this for dips or sandwich fillings, which is simply delicious.

But we are going to form it into little crab cakes, just form with your hands until you have little patties that fit in your palm.

Get a large pan of  medium  hot olive oil and fry the cakes in 2 batches, until golden brown on both sides.

Drain on kitchen paper and place on a baking tray in the oven for about 15-20 mins.

Serve with rocket salad and sweet chili sauce…yum!

Oh ps…. I sometimes serve this will a little lentil salad. Its really easy you just need a cup  of cooked  lentils vertes (these are teeny tiny yummy dried green lentils, you can pick up from most supermarkets. I cook up a batch and keep in the fridge as they are great for bulking up meat dishes like bolognese and shepherds pie as well as adding to salads) , a tablespoon of good olive oil, a garlic clove crushed, a good pinch of fresh finely chopped chili to taste (or dried flakes) and some fresh parsley. Just fry the garlic and chili on a low heat then add the lentils and cook for a few min’s till warmed through. Then add a pinch of  sea salt and the parsley ,an  extra drizzle of good olive oil and a squeeze of lemon juice. 

Serve with the crab cakes, or any other meat dish, so good ( milly loves em) , and healthy too!

I have a little secret…..

It is something I have been hiding for some time, Milly doesn’t really eat. I know allot of you lovely blog friends and visitors have this illusion that I am some kind of earth mother type, (you know who you are! ;D) . And it’s true, I do like to cook and I have an aversion to the taste of Dolmio (and all other weird plastic sauces)  so I make most things from scratch, but that doesn’t mean Milly eats it….

In fact we call her *Milly One Bite* because she will try anything, but only one bite! Then its just pushed around the plate or squashed onto my plate and she’s off, down from the table and onto something different. She seems to get very little pleasure from food which is obviously  a complete alien concept for me!

 We have agonised and fussed and complained to the doctor about it, but what I have realised through having 3 kids is, that it is what it is, and not what its not…. And all the fussing and worrying in the world will not make a toddler do something they are not interested in!

One thing I do try to do as much as possible is let Milly help out with the cooking and that’s where this recipe idea comes from, I know she loves sweet muffins and I know it was something we could bake together so I came up with this savory one. Thinking it would make a great  alternative to our usual lunchtime sarnies.

They turned out beautifully (fluke more than judgement perhaps ;D). They are light and fluffy and buttery, with a slight sweetness from the corn and a lovely salty savoury ness from the bacon and cheese. I have put them in the big kids lunch boxes and I think  they would make a great picnic food. So Please  give em a go, especially if you have your very own little “one bite” at home. You never know they might just like em… Milly had 3 whole bites!!!

Just a note….. As the very lovely and clever (no I am not creeping, she really is both!) @EnglishMum is doing a fab bake-off comp on her blog I thought I would enter it with these as something different to all the lovely sweet things (although I LOVE sweet things too!)  so fingers crossed for the big prize!!!! Its a green & Blacks hamper, ooh heaven!!! XXX

Bacon & Corn Muffins!

• 400g or 2 cups of Self Raising Flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
• 1 egg, plus 1 egg white
• 3/4 cup or 75 ml + of reduced fat creme fraiche
• 30 ml or 1/3 cup  of olive oil
• 5 pieces of good smoked back bacon, cut into small cubes
• 100g of strong cheddar, grated
• 20g of Pecorino Romano or any Parmesan cheese, grated
• 5 spring onions, chopped
• small handful of fresh or frozen and defrosted sweetcorn
• 3 sprigs of lemon thyme, chopped (or parsley, whatever you have in)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, 200 oc.

Put cases in muffin tin and set aside. (This recipe will usually  make around 18 good sized muffins, so you might need to make 2 batches)

Put a pan on the heat and fry the bacon and spring onion gently. When brown add the thyme, stir and cook for a minute or so and then  take off the heat .

Combine all the dry ingredients and stir until well combined. In another bowl combine the egg and the egg white, the creme fraiche and the olive oil and whisk until combined.

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and stir gently with a wooden spoon or a rubber spatula until just combined and some flour still appears. Do not over mix or muffins will be tough, just a gentle stir is all that’s needed. Add in the bacon mixture, the sweet corn and the cheeses.  If the mixture looks too thick at this point add a little milk, usually around 4 cupfuls will do the job.

Pour the batter into prepared muffin tins and bake for about 20 Min’s  or until golden.

Not nice cozy cabin wilderness, with open fires and warm argyle  fluffy blankets, but more survival bear grylls style.

 This is because,  it very much feels like it has been much longer than a week and I have very much been lost in the wilderness and slight panic of  sick baby. Poor Milly had a really nasty tummy bug for an agonizing seven days. And it was all more than a bit of a worry….

 If it had been a movie the tag line would have gone something like this…. “One Mum, One baby  and the germ , go head to to head in a battle of nappies, vom and will!”….

I know I am being dramatic here, (artistic tendencies) but last night when I finally feel asleep I dreamt I was Ripley from Alien.  I had to get the nasty parasite out of  Milly. It was horrible, but it is a pretty good reflection on how it feels. You just feel so useless.

I also dreamt that Dec (he of Ant & Dec) was hopelessly in love with me and wanted to marry me, which is strange…sleep depravity does funny things to the brain……

Anyway we visited the docs,  she said stuff about hydration and temperature and rashes…blaaa blaa blaa (all stuff I know) but apart from that she just has to fight it through on her own apparently. Somehow that falls short when its your kid….

Its all made worse as I know where this nasty came from (and so, I have guilt..) … its where all Milly’s bugs have come from, the Friday Baby Group.

I love this place, I really do. Its full of toys and fun stuff to do, my best baby mummy pal is always there with Milly’s best pal Henry, and its bliss. Milly gets loads out of it, she always comes home with new words and it seems to help her learn the art of playing on her own rather than the “watch mummy play with stuff ” that we have had till now.

But as well as all the fun and bright shinny things, there is ALWAYS a Sick Kid.

After taking Milly here on and off for about 6 months I have learned to scan and spot said “sick kid” before even getting Milly out of her buggy.

 Then its just the matter of avoiding the poor kid till home time. (and why do they bring em sick anyway???….just asking! )

This means, watching what he/she sucks on, dribbles near or just breathes next to.

This might seem a tad over the top, I am honestly not a Mummy Germ Nazi  but out of  the 6 or 7 times I have been to baby group, 4 times Milly has come home germ-ed up. Usually its a cold but this time it was the dreaded bug of sick. Oh joy!

Sometimes I can even pinpoint the moment when the germ was implanted…… Like  last month, we are at baby *cough* sick group and all  was well,   the designated toys this week  were all food related…what FUN I thought innocently.

But the  problem with a room full of toddlers and plastic food is that they ALL put it in there mouths so each piece of McDonald’s plastic burger and fries has probably, by the end of the session been through about 20 kids. Not a marriage of good health I can tell you.

Anyway, on this particular day *sick kid* was to my left, three kids down and chewing on a particularly yummy piece of plastic pizza. One of the other  mums had already cleaned up his candlestick nostrils, (no sign of mum, maybe behind the bike sheds smoking a fag?..)

After much slurping in bogey consumption that had made some of us wish we had skipped breakfast. He marinaded the plastic pizza liberally with snot and then very polity..(you have to give him that) handed it right to Milly, who before I could reach over ninja mum style had that plastic pizza in her mouth like it was gourmet jelly beans!

The irony of this is she NEVER eats pizza at home..not even the one I lovingly hand make with Focaccia bread and sun-dried tomatoes. Obviously I am missing the secret snot ingredient which makes every pizza addictive to all children under the age of three.

So that was a week of coughing and night time sleep deprivation covered!

Big J says I should never take her there again, but surely if I just keep her at home till school age she will then get every bug going?!

Maybe we could get her a little oxegen chamber to live in…..hmmmm…

What would you do?… Friday baby club ban? or bring on the germs?

Am I just being paranoid or should we protect our kids as much as we physically can? Inquiring minds (namely mine) need to know XXXX

PS.. Please forgive the whingey, rather jaded tone of this post, All normal frivolity, smiles and shiny buttons  should resume shortly, after some sleep and perhaps wine  XXXX

PPs… Milly has now made a full recovery and has gone back to terrorizing her brother and sisters…YAY!!!

This week has been a scorcher! And I am pleased to say that, for once I have been organised and bought my self some **using beauty mag lingo** key pieces for the season.

The most memorable being my new Hawaiian print maxi dress. I have never before owned a maxi dress as I have big boobies and didn’t think I could fit the puppies in quite frankly. But they are everywhere this summer (not my boobies!)  and it says in my new  book… “the Fabulous Mum’s Guide to a Fabulous family Life” by grace Saunders, that Maxi dresses are one of the essentials for a stylish mummy’s wardrobe …. ( I say its new, but I have had it for months and only just now got around to reading it, not sure what that says about my fabulous life, but hay..I digress..)

And I quote …” A Maxi sun dress is a god send for me every summer! strapless and floor skimming worn with thong sandals is my usual summer uniform (accessorize with long beads or an antique brooch)…” Okay Mrs Grace Saunders… sold! to the lady wif da big bobbies

So I got one, very nice it is too, but on close inspection I realised that as well as forking out fifty quid for my lovely new dress I was going to need some special underwear*read scaffolding* to be able to wear it. So off to M& S. com I went and got me a strapless slip thingy with an under wired bra attached.

Your probably wondering right now why on earth I am telling u all this but I do so as an act of kindness and a warning to you all. I will explain….

It all began on Sunday…. My mum was coming over, it was about a hundred degrees and we had decided to do a bit of an Italian lunch outside. Very nice I hear you say….. And it was, I decided to mark the occasion  by wearing my new maxi dress and under slip thingy.

So upstairs I went with  two mins till mums arrival, to get changed into my “I am a very glamorous Mother and generally cool person new outfit”…..

I riped open the packaging of my new M& S slip to discover what looked like the a black outer casing to a sausage. Puzzled I read the label, Oh its one of those “holds everything in somehow” magical slips, COOOOOL! I have never had one of them before.

So I struggled for a couple of mins lying on the floor much to Milly’s amusement, trying to kind off wriggle myself into the sausage skin slip. I finally managed it and , it was like a miracle … I was skinny!

Thoughts were now going through my head like ” Slip of wonder, Where have you been all my life!”…. and ” I must tell the world how wonderful they are, no wonder Kim kardashian looks so fab, I hear she lives in her spanx” !

So feeling decidedly clever and gorgeous I sashayed  downstairs and into the garden. Mum Loved my new frock and  told me it was very slimming . Big J also loved my frock but I cant tell what he said ;D and we all had a beautiful lunch in the scorching sun shine. with wine of coarse …. and here’s where  it all started to go a bit…well wrong really….

After being in my dress with the the wonder slip, in the scorching sun for a good couple of hours I started to notice some pain…. Mostly around my boob area, but also in my tummy and my back. Okay just probs a bit tight, but it is supposed to be tight right? and we have to suffer for our beauty don’t they say?…..

A few more hours go by and I can take no more! I run upstairs with an urgent need to rip that slip off! …but I can’t!…..

 Its the kind of feeling you get if you have ever tried a ring on that is just a weeny bit to small. You force it onto your finger and to begin with its okay, but then it starts to hurt and your finger starts to swell and you start to feel little bubbles of panic bursting in your belly. Then the panic swells to the point of  considering chopping your finger off just to get rid of the thing.

This is how I felt, at around 7.30 on Sunday night, the barmy heat of the day radiating through every window. Me on the ground desperatly trying to struggle out of my slimming cocoon. I did think of just cutting it off me at one point, but I couldn’t bare to say goodbye to my friend/enemy.

Eventually after some wriggling, rolling and contortionist type behaviour I got out of it.

But my body looked like it had been *love bit* by a very randy giant, all around my chest and my belly and the tops of my thighs were red angry lines. I think the main problem had been wearing it in the boiling sun, but I did take another look at the label and noticed there was a health type warning saying that it was not advisable to wear slip for more than 8 hours.

I just thank god I was at home, could you imagine if we’d been out for the day? it doesn’t bare thinking about!

So I warn you, yes wear your spanx style slip…wear it with pride. but NEVER in 90 degree heat on a full stomach for more that 8 hours (I wouldn’t go more than six) … let me be a lesson to you all ;D

Lindsey and her spanx

Eva's spanx incident!

And now to this blog’s recipe!!! brought to you by popular Twitter demand…..

Its for Spiced fish and it comes from a little known Indian cookbook my mum found for me called “flavours and Spices Of India” by Serena Walker. I have changed it a bit by using cod and salmon rather than haddock and I have added my own dip, but its essentially the same dish. Its really simple to make and very light and summery. Even if your family (like mine) can be a bit *fish fussy* they will love it! … I would bet my Spanx Slip on it ;D  

 Dry Spiced Fish and tasty coriander mint dip.

Serves 4

600g of a mix of cod and salmon

1- 2 teaspoons of dried chili (depending on taste)

The same of ground coriander

1 teaspoon of cumin

1 teaspoon of dried fennel

2 teaspoons of dried  turmeric

1 tbsp of lemon juice

2 cm of root ginger crushed or about a teaspoon of Jarred fresh chopped fine

2 cloves of garlic

2 tbs of oil

1/4 tsp of peeper

1/4 teaspoon of salt (or to taste)

Flour for dusting

Oil for frying

Cut fish into 4cm -6cm  cubes,  drizzle with the lemon juice and set aside.

In a bowl mix together all the ground spices and then all the rest of the ingredients.

Add the fish with the lemon and coat well in the marinade.

Leave in the fridge for 1 hour.

Dip the pieces of fish into the flour and shake off the excess.

deep fry in hot oil very quickly for about 4-5 mins

until fish is cooked.

Garnish with lemon and serve with chips and dip. To make the dip just put a table spoon of good mayo (half fat if you like) and the same of creme fraiche with a handful of fresh coriander, a little fresh mint, salt and pepper. YU-um-MMMY!

I have to tell you all a secret…I have never played Bingo.

 But I am very found of  @bingoreviewer.  And I love the kitsch idea of bingo cup cakes! So when she asked if she could do a guest post I was thrilled!

Who knows maybe we can start a new trend, Bingo cup cake parties?

Picture this…. A group of mates…… A cupcake…… A big glass of wine and maybe even a punt at the bingo? Makes a change from a night out at the indian? And  I surpose you should try everything once  ;D

Lots of Love,

Helen, Icklebabe X

Bingo Cupcakes

Allow me to introduce myself; and also reassure you that I’m not mental. I’m Nikki, and I work for a leading online bingo website, called Bingo-reviewer. Okay, so that’s just the introduction part. I’m sure at this stage you probably still think I’m a bit mental – after all, I work for a bingo website, and I’m also making cupcakes that look like bingo balls. I promise you there was a good reason I dreamt these babies up!

To cut a long story short we re-launched the website this year, with a pretty new design and some cool new features. We wanted to go live in January but of course no matter how hard you work, things never really work like that with websites (Icklebabe knows what I’m talking about ; ) so by the time we did go live (in April), I was feeling a little like I was overdue on my first child. You can’t wait for the finished product; but you just want the whole process to be over with!

When we did launch, we had a little party here in the office and I decided it would be amusing to make these kitsch and scrumptious Bingo Cupcakes. As it turns out, they were a complete hit, the boss got the joke, and they tasted divine.

To Make the Cakes

125g butter

125g caster sugar

2 eggs

125g self-raising flower

Tablespoon of whole milk

One or two drops of vanilla essence

===================================================================

First pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees centigrade (gas mark 4).

Cream the butter and the sugar together until nice and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, so that they don’t curdle. Sift and fold in the flour, taking care not to beat all of the air out of the mixture. Add the tablespoon of whole milk and drop of vanilla essence. Once the mixture is a smooth batter, spoon into a fairy cake or cupcake tin. There should be enough for 12 small fairy cakes, or six large cupcakes.

Pop into the oven for 10 minutes (check around seven minutes) until your cakes are golden-brown little domes.

To Make the Icing

250g icing sugar

Few drops of Strawberry Flavouring (adds colour too)

Black “writing icing” pen. (You can get these from most supermarkets. I got a set of four colours from ASDA for £1.29)

================================================================

Add a tablespoon of warm water at a time to the icing sugar, until it forms a thick and smooth consistency, (coating the back of a spoon.) If your icing is too runny, add a little more icing sugar. If it is too thick, add another tablespoon of warm water. Divide into two bowls, and add a few drops of the strawberry flavouring to one bowl, so that you have one bowl of pink icing and one of white.

Once your cakes have cooled, spoon over the pink icing so that it coats the top of the cake and forms the basis of your bingo ball. Put into the fridge and allow to set for five minutes. (Keep your white icing at room temperature, so that it is still liquid.)

Take your pink bingo cupcakes out of the fridge and then use a piping bag to pipe a white circle of icing into the middle of the pink “bingo ball”. I found it easiest to start in the centre and spiral out, until you have a small white circle on top of your pink cake.

Leave for a minute or two, then take your black writing-icing pen, and simply write your lucky numbers on your bingo balls! Your finished Bingo Cupcake should look like this…

So there you have it. Surprisingly easy, Bingo Cupcakes! I made these cakes again this weekend so that I could take pictures for this post, and I tell you it made our World Cup defeat a little easier to bear – even for the guys. Although perhaps these would be best served for a girly night in, with a glass of rose!

Nikki Stott works in online marketing, for the bingo website Bingo-reviewer. Nikki has a two-year old son, loves Spandau Ballet and you can find her on Twitter @bingoreviewer.

I spent yesterday being more than a bit gutted about it, and last night having terrible anxiety dreams about it.

 Me and Mr Big J have even fallen out about it. He is not only the love of my life and father of our mini teriorist, but also as my webdesigner and programer the real  life giver to all things icklebabe!

Icklebabe is my little dream but at the moment the new shop is Jay’s.

The truth is,  its really my fault. Trying to coincide the launch of my ickle website with Big J’s first shop opening was never going to to a winner.

It doesnt seem to matter how much I batter my eyelashes or look forlorn, the new shop comes first and so I guess it should.

In the words of Big J and the great Run dmc..”Its like that..and thats the way it is…”

All I can offer you all right now is a sneeky look at how its all coming along.  Just Click on the image below or go to www.icklebabe.com . I hope you agree it is looking rather lovely. And until we are running you can see alot of my new work at my twit pic page  http://twitpic.com/photos/icklebabe_com , I will add some more today:)

So pretty please don’t lose interest entirely, I really do apriciate all the anticipation and support you’ve showed. Book mark  it for now. We are on our way and it won’t be long , promise  XXXX

Oh and P.s, As always if you would like to order anything before we are back on track just email me at support@icklebabe.com, and I’ll be happy to help .

PLEASE CLICK HERE.....

The house opposite has a flag up….

We noticed it first on our way home from school….

I said to Ten Boy Jack  ” Look Jack, see how pretty that house looks!”….

Jack said ” Thats NOT pretty, thats a French flag, I am outraged!” (he likes big words at the moment) ” I am writing them a letter saying that they are being highly inappropriated, and if they don’t take it down I’m calling the FBI! “

After explaining that I didn’t feel it an FBI matter and that in fact the FBI were American, I gave him a little talk. I explained that we are all the citizens of the earth no matter what country we are from, and that we are all one people under the same sun…. rather good I thought….

Jack said ” Yeeeessss mum, I know that…. but its the WORLD CUP!” ….

Later that afternoon Teen Ellie came home…… “Aw mum, did you see the house opposite? isn’t it pretty! ” …..

Even later, Big J came home.. “Have you seen that French flag?”….

“Wheres ours?”…..

Me… “Didn’t you say it was a bit naff to put a flag up?”…..

Big J  ” well, ER, NOOOO..its the world cup!”

So today, me Milly and our little union jack quack quack are  putting up our “pretty” flag too!

Get ready for possibly the most tenuous recipe link ever!

Todays recipe is Blue cheese burgers with caramelised onion relish! We have some lovely European Gorgonzola blue cheese and some best of British beef. All mixed together to create, honestly now, THE BEST burger in the world ever! (not wishing to discriminate against any other burger )

Also great world cup food me thinks ;D

Blue Cheese Burgers With Caramelised Onions-

For the Burgers-

 1 and a half – 2 lbs of best steak mince ( preferably from butcher or meat counter at super market )

A good Pinch of oregano

handful of fresh parsley

Worcestershire sauce

1-2 cloves of garlic (depending on taste..I like garlic!)

4 ciabatta  rolls

Large chunk of Gorgonzola blue cheese

Handful of fresh watercress (for garnish)

Pinch of salt and good ground of pepper

For the Onion Relish-

3 large red onions

1 table  spoon of  Butter

1 table spoon of olive oil

1 tablespoon of brown mustard

Method….

Cook the thinly sliced onions on a low- medium  heat with melted butter and olive oil.

Meanwhile make the burgers. Put all burger ingredients in a large bowl and mix. Then with the palm of your hand sqaush burger mix to the bottom of the bowl and score a cross in the center to make 4 pieces, this means the burgers will be of equal size.

Form into big burgers and slightly indent the middle, they puff up in the middle so this means you’ll have nice perfect looking burgers at the end.

Fry the burgers gently for about 15 mins on each side (they are biggies)

Five mins before end of cooking time put some nice thick slices of Gorgonzola cheese onto of the burgers and allow to melt slightly.

Meanwhile  the onions should be all  soft and yummy, so add the mustard and about a tablespoon of water, and  stir for a few mins.

Now, we’ll construct the burger… a nice spoon of relish on the bottom, then the burger with the melted blue cheese, then a little toss of water cress and the bun top… Supreme deliciousness!

Since having Milly this has been a daunting task. The changing rooms seem to have got smaller, a whole lot hotter and the mirrors seem to be of the fun house variety, enlarging my bottom to mammoth like proportions!

I mostly shop Online for myself now, preferring the comfort of my own home with its trusty “kind” mirror. To give me the unwelcome news that I am not as skinny as I used to be!

I have always been very happy in my own size 10 skin. Now I have to get used to a whole new, rounder shape.

Other super skinny mums at school and the dreaded rise of the celebrity mum don’t help either. They seem to have shed their baby weight and now all  resemble cute little Twiglet’s , whereas I am more the shape of a puffy Wotsit!

I am only a size 12, and I know that is in noway huge or anything, but its just not the body I am used to seeing!

Anyway this time, I struck shopping gold!

I found two fab new dresses and a pair of the prettiest shoes and I went home swinging my new bags full of lovely purchases that didn’t make me feel like a frump or mutton. Way-hay!!!!

But this newly found ethusiasm for clothes has made me wonder. Do I really want the agony of seeing food as my enemy? or do I just learn to be happy in my new skin?….
So, Ive put together the hard facts…..
Its either …
1 banana Slim-fast + Allot of grumpy mumbling = fitting in the skinny jeans lurking at the back of the wardrobe. ( I am *sure* every time I open the door they are sarcastically calling my name)
OR
4 big glasses of naughty midweek red wine + happiness and satisfaction = a nice comfy pair of black leggings and a flouty top with a V-neckline for a teeny tiny bit of newly ample boobie showing ( if you got it flaunt it….. I say… just a bit mind ;D )
OR maybe…
1 small tuna salad, a large glass of water + allot of will power = Slipping effortlessly into my skinny white vest, without the need to keep pulling it down over my muffin tops?

OR
A large slab (or two) of home made peanut butter fudge + hot sweet tea, at 4 in the morning after being awakened by the Milsta = A nice longer line tee  and slightly bigger boyfriend cut jeans for minimal muffin exposure?

You get the picture, I guess what I’m asking myself is, do I want to be skinny? And by this what I really mean is, do I want to do what it *takes* to get back into my size 8-10′s? …. I think the answer  is noooo!!!!

Not while the world is filled with sweet salty Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups (my new passion) , creamy gorgeous Gorgonzola and bottles of naughty red wine anyway!

So in the spirit of not giving a stuff, I made the gorgeous Sophie Darl’s peanut butter fudge this week. I changed it ever so slightly with the addition of more peanuts and icing sugar, but essentially this yummy recipe is hers. in her words, “the doctor may not recommend it, but i would!”  so would I Sophie!!!!

Ps. the pic is of a batch of the fudge I made for my lovely mate Sarah. She spent last week in New York  and braved the cool kids in nyc’s branch of  Abercombie & Fitch to get Ellie some lovely new pretties. She is also  responsible for my Reese’s  peanut cups  habit,  as she bought me some back. This fudge is just like the slightly salty, very sweet center of those cups of  lovely American dreaminess! ahhhhh…..

OH GO ON.. give em a go, and just like they say on the adverts…”love the skin your in!”  ;D

Peanut butter Friendship Fudge, Fudge!

150 grams of  Butter,

500 grams of Dark Brown Sugar,

A splash of Vanilla Essences (I recommend the good “real” stuff )

250 grams of Peanut butter,

Large handful of unsalted crushed peanuts

(This is my addition and optional, but yummy!.. You can crush em using a rolling pin and a plastic bag. Great therepy on a bad day too!)

300 grams of Icing Sugar (have a couple of cups extra on hand if needed, I did)

Melt the butter in a large pan with the brown sugar. When melted add the vanilla and the peanut butter, and crushed peanuts (if using) and stir until all the peanut butter has melted and combined nicely with the sugar and butter.

Then all you do is pour the yummy syrupy mixture into a large bowl and add the sifted icing sugar slowly. You do have to stir quite vigorously (which makes you feel a bit better about eating the fruits of your labor ) . But soon it should start coming together to a mass, rather than a liquid, in the bowl. I found I need about another cup and a half of icing sugar for this to happen, but just keep stirring and adding until the magic happens.

Then all you need is a greased tin to plonk it in (I used a heavy, loose bottomed cake tin. But anything will do) and then into the fridge it goes to set. This usually happens in about 30 mins, after that just cut it up roughly and enjoy, nom-nom-nom! XXX

(….tumbleweed moment…)

Don’t get me wrong I totally love hanging out with the kids (well, most of the time anyway) . But this time is different, I don’t know if its just me. But it seems only five minutes from the last  and way to close to the long six week summer hols to be at all possible.

But hay ho..holidays it is! I don’t think it helps that my kids are so different in age ( and sometimes it seems,  in species! ), its tough to find something for us all to do together  in the school break.

In case your new to my odd ramblings and random  recipes I will fill you in…

I have a 14 and a half year old girl, (  AKA… Teen Ellie) a newly-man like (Grrrr!)  Ten year old boy ( AKA…Ten Boy, Jack ) and a very lively toddler (AKA….The Nighttime Destroyer or …. The Milsta).

So as you can see I have not made life easy for myself. I do sometimes envy Mum’s who’s kids are so close in age they are each others playmates rather than constant annoyances!

It must be fun when they all play with the same toys. Unlike  my lot…… Jack always has his face planted in his DS….. Ellie always has hers planted somewhere in facebook land and Milly is always stuck in the middle  just trying to get everyone’s attention by smacking all the buttons!  This often leads to the “Muuuum..Milly’s being a pain again!!!”… response. And now they all seem to have reached  “that age” at the same time. The beautiful age when a tantrum may erupt from one or all 3 at any given moment! LOL…its fun thought, really…honest ;D

And I do  have one thing in my Mummy arsenal which seems to bring us all together, if only for half an hour….. Cooking… cue bright lights and angels singing 

Each of them brings their “unique” personality and skills to the table. With Jack reading the recipe book, Milly on big girl stirring duty and Ellie doing everything else, whilst generally being quite bossy.

This is one of our favorite joint productions and has a secret ingredient in the shape of peanut butter. It gives the whole thing a kind off Snickers bar taste and is honestly the best flapjack in the entire world ever.

Jack also loves any food which has his name in it, but thats just boys! ;D

Please give em a go, and if you’ve got time I’d love to hear about what tames your brood too! xxxxx

Sticky Raisin Flapjacks…

Ingredients-

175g/60z butter,

plus a bit extra for greasing,

3 tbsp of honey,

150g/5 1/2 0z Demerara sugar,

100g/30z of peanut butter (smooth or crunchy)

225g/80z of porridge oats,

50g/1 1/2 oz of raisins,

2 tbsp of sunflower seeds,

2tbsp of sesame seeds

Pre -heat oven at 180oc / gas mark 4.

Grease the baking tin (mine is around 22cm square) . You can line it as well but I never find that necessary.

Melt the butter, honey and sugar in a pan over a low heat. When the sugar is melted add the peanut butter and stir until all are combined.

Ad all the rest of the ingredients and mix really well.

Press the mixture gently  into the tin ( we always tell Milly we are tucking the flapjack in..hehe) and then bake for around 20 mins.

When they are just golden remove from the oven, leave to cool in the tin , then cut into about 12-16 squares.

I made these lovelies a couple of weeks ago and promised to post the recipe, so here it is!

Now,  I know that this one looks a bit mishapped on close inspection. Like all rubbish work men I am going to blame my tools, as my cupcake tray is about fifty years old (and from my mum).  I think its more for Yorkshire puds but I am coveting a new fancy rubber one, in pink.

So hopefully next time they will be peeerfect!

I cannot take any credit for it either as its Women’s weekly  recipe (not very rock’n'roll I know  but too, too fabulous none the less! ;D).

 It is a treasure and well worth the little bit of effort they take to make!

Pineapple Hibiscus Cupcakes-

125 ml of vegetable oil

3 eggs, beaten

225g of self raising flour

165g of caster sugar

1/2 a teaspoon of ground cinnamon

440 g of grated carrot

160g of crushed pineapple (I had none in so used pineapple pieces and blended, it worked fine)

For Pineapple Flowers

1 tablespoon of caster sugar

1 tablespoon of water

12 wafer thin slices of fresh pineapple

For Lemon cream cheese frosting-

30g of butter, softened

80g of cream cheese, softened

1 teaspoon of finely grated lemon rind

240 g of icing sugar

1) Make pineapple flowers…

To do this pre-heat the oven at a low 120oc. Stir sugar and water together in a small saucepan over a lowish heat until sugar is dissolved . Don’t stir at this point just boil for 1 minute.

Brush both sides of the thinly cut pineapple slices with the sugar syrup. I found that the pineapple shapes didn’t need to be perfect as they all made interesting flower shapes at the end, the main thing is that they are thin enough, too thick and they won’t dry out.

Place pineapple on wire racks over an oven tray and dry in oven for about an hour.

Immediately remove slices from rack and place on upturned egg carton to make flower shape, you can pinch the centre of each slice to make the shape.

2) Make the cakes.

Combine the oil, eggs, flour, sugar and cinnamon in a bowl and stir,  then stir in the carrot and pineapple.

Divide into cake cases and cook for around 30 mins.

Place on a wire rack to cool .

3) Make the frosting.

For this all you do is beat the butter, cream cheeses and rind until its light and fluffy (you can do this with an electric mixer if your lucky enough to have one, if not don’t worry you’ll just have loverly arm muscles!)

Gradually beat in the sifted icing sugar.

Then just stack up the frosting and ploop on a pineapple flower..e’ viola !

Your mates will be super impressed! …that is if , unlike mine they turn up…

I made this for my mates Thursday tea and chat get together and only one of them turned up (bless em, they all had very worthy excuses mind!)

Thankfully  the lovely Amanda  came so I wasn’t left to eat 12 of these beauties  all to myself… we had 6 each, he he!