Pancake Day with Lyle's Golden Syrup!

I was recently invited to a blogger event in London in connection with Lyle's Golden Syrup and Fleishman Hillard PR. Sadly, I couldn't make it but lots of fun was had. A fantastic pancake cookalong with Emma Forbes was enjoyed by all who attended. It's no surprise that Lyle's Golden Syrup would be running such an event, as for many years they have had a place in Brits hearts with their distinctive 'liquid gold.' Now with even more products available - from the familiar family favourite in the green and gold tin, to Squeezy Syrup that comes in a no drip, no mess, fun to use bottle, there's something for everyone. For information on the Lyle's Golden Syrup range visit www.lylesgoldensyrup.com





This year Lyle's Golden Syrup has their hands full with a campaign to stop the nation getting in to a pancake panic with its definitive "Four Steps to Perfect Pancakes", designed to ensure we are prepared for the big day. Lyle's Golden Syrup sent me down their top tips to share with my readers, to make sure that you too can produce perfect pancakes. Hopefully, if you follow these useful tips Tuesday 16th February should be a perfect pancake day!

Pancake Day is a wonderful opportunity to get the children involved in cooking. I have wonderful memories of coming home from school to my mum ready in the kitchen awaiting my helping hands. She always prepared the batter the night before. I had the special job of adding the raisins to the mix and it was that much more delicious knowing that my own fair hands had helped produce such a treat for the taste buds.



Shrove Tuesday is the Tuesday before Lent starts. It's a day of penitence, to clean the soul, and a day of celebration as the last chance to feast before Lent begins. There is something so appealing about Pancake Day; to me it represents a rich, warm and comforting food amidst what is otherwise a rather bleak winter month. There's nothing more I love than picking my son up from school and making pancakes together. This year will be no different and we have found some great Pancake recipes and demonstrations on www.welovepancakes.co.uk



Here's the "Four Steps to Perfect Pancakes.'

Step One: Prep It

• Pour 300ml of milk into a jug and add 2 medium eggs - beat well.
• Place 125g plain flour into a bowl and make a hollow in the centre.
• Gradually pour the egg and milk mixture into the centre of the flour, whisking just in the centre as you pour.
• As you pour more steadily, keep whisking so you pull in all of the flour from the outside of the bowl – this means you shouldn’t get any lumps.
• Once all the flour is incorporated, whisk 25g melted butter into the batter, cover with cling film and place in the fridge.

Step Two: Cook It

• Use a non-stick frying pan for best results – use 70ml of batter to get a decent thickness pancake in an 18cm pan.
• Heat the frying pan on a medium heat until there’s a slight haze coming from it.
• Add a sliver of butter and let it melt, moving the pan around so it covers the base of the pan.
• Tip any excess butter into a small bowl for the next pancake.
• Whisk the batter once more before using it.
• Ladle some batter into the pan – twisting the pan as you go so that it covers the bottom of the pan.
• Place the pan back onto the heat and leave to cook for 1-2 minutes.
• To check if the pancake is ready to be turned, loosen the edges with a spatula then give it a little shake – it should come loose and move in the pan.
• The pancake should be opaque on top and a light golden brown colour underneath.

Step Three: Flip It

• If you’re feeling brave, grab the handle with both hands and move away from the hob slightly. Drop the pan down and quickly flip it back up again, using your wrists to flip the pan – the pancake should rise out of the pan and turn over.
• Place back on the heat, cook for another minute and slide out onto a plate.
• If you’re not feeling brave, use a fish slice to flip the pancake over, making sure the slice goes all the way under the pancake before you turn it.

Step Four: Top It

Classic Pancakes - Drizzle some Lyle’s Golden Syrup over the pancake then squeeze over a wedge of fresh lemon, roll and eat immediately.

Nutty Caramel Pancakes - Toast some roughly chopped pecans in a hot frying pan, add 4 tbsp Lyle’s Golden Syrup and heat until melted. Add 4 tbsp double cream, stir well and cook for 1-2 minutes until the mixture bubbles up. Spoon a little over the pancake, fold into quarters and pour some more over the top.

Orange Pancakes - Squeeze the juice of 1 fresh orange into a hot frying pan, add 2 tbsp Lyle’s Golden Syrup and cook for 1-2 minutes until the mixture has thickened slightly. Pour over the pancakes for an extra zing.

Syrupy Ice Cream Pancakes - Spoon some vanilla ice cream down the centre of the pancake, squeeze over some Lyle’s Golden Syrup and roll up – eat before the ice cream melts!

Banana Chocolate Pancakes - Heat a little butter in a hot frying pan, add 1 chopped banana and cook for 1 minute then add 2 tbsp Lyle’s Golden Syrup and heat through. Spoon onto half a pancake, then grate over some chocolate and fold the top half over.

Don’t forget: Pancake Day 2010 is Tuesday 16 February - don’t let it creep up on you and get prepared with exciting recipes and new methods to impress your friends and family. For advice, recipes, tips and more visit www.welovepancakes.co.uk

Below are some video blogs from Sweet Craftiness; testing out the 'Four Steps to Perfect Pancakes.'









For more information visit www.welovepancakes.co.uk

Easter Bunny Please Stop Here!

New "Bag of Carrots" just arrived in time for your Easter decorating!

New Artificial Sage Moss Roll from the Arboretum Collection

Valentine's Day Personalised Book - www.itsyourstory.co.uk

The next event on our calendar is Valentine's Day. So keep an eye on Sweet Craftiness in the next few weeks as we will be finding all those lovey dovey items that make you swoon with happiness.

The latest Valentine's find is this absolutely gorgeous book from http://www.itsyourstory.co.uk/

This book is just one of many beautiful books available on the site. They specialise in photo personalised books suitable for adults and children. I have trawled the entire site with pure admiration as there are so many novel gift ideas. I particularly loved the 'Now I Am One' book which celebrates the many things children are able to do once they get to one. For children who are not fussy on reading this is a great way to bring the book to life and make reading fun.

If my husband had gone to the trouble of ordering me one of these Valentine's books I would have been over the moon. The whole book features these gorgeous little characters and the book allows each page to be personalised with your names.

The moment I pulled the book out of the packaging, I could feel the high quality card and paper used to make this book. It was like being a mini celebrity getting a whole book dedicated to my love life.


The book features 24 pages of romantic illustrations from the celebrated original artwork of Kim Casali. It was quite apt that the characters happened to have black hair and red hair, like me and my husband. This part was just pure coincidence however, but it certainly impressed me even more. The sentiments are romantic without being over the top and revolting. I was able to show my mum this book with no embarrassment. It's just a lovely reminder of the things we take for granted everyday which signifies our love for each other.

There's room on the front page for a lovely personalised message.

It's a delightful book which will uplift anybody's spirits.

Even my little boy enjoyed reading through the book.

Throughout the book there are twelve illustrations created for you to personalise with your names and additional information such as your favourite film to watch together and favourite food.

12 of the illustrations are personalised to the couple and include their names, their favourite television programme/film to watch together, favourite restaurant/pub, the females date of birth and her favourite food. The couple's names feature on the front of the book.


Each 32-page book is digitally printed to a high standard on thick paper with a laminated cover to make it more durable.



Overall, I was more than impressed with the book. It's great quality and contains beautiful illustrations and romantic sentiments. I can't think of a sweeter gift to give on Valentine's Day. This will be something that I will always treasure! If you have a wonderful man in your life that treasures you and makes you his whole world, why not have one of these books made to show him how much you appreciate and love him!

I will certainly be bookmarking http://www.itsyourstory.co.uk/ for future reference.

Le Toy Van 'Le Grand Garage'

I'm already a huge fan of Le Toy Van as you will know from my previous review on the Le Toy Van Lion Heart Castle. I don't think it's possible to beat the quality that wooden toys provide. They are sturdy, solid and worthy of withstanding the roughest of child's play. There is no fear of plastic cracking or bits dropping off. I am happy with the price of £59.99 as this is going to become an heirloom piece.

The Le Toy Van Le Grande Garage is a three storey wooden garage with ramps and wooden lift. It includes a car, helicopter and petrol pumps.

So how easy was it to set up?

Unlike the Le Toy Van Lion Heart Castle which slotted together and only required about three screws, this garage required a lot more assembly time. In fact, it took my husband around an hour and a half to assemble. It was quite a time-consuming job, but I think my husband would agree that our son's face was worth the assembly time when he saw the finished piece. It's constructed of painted wood, plastic spiral ramps and a lift that operates with a crank. Because of the sturdy quality of the wood, the finished garage is a very heavy item. So I would recommend assembling this where you want it to stay as it's quite heavy to move around. Again, this is an indicator of the quality.

I really love the colours used in this design, most boys items tend to be dull shades of blue. But Le Toy Van have managed to incorporate yellows, greens, reds and blues in to this design which allows the item to become a centrepiece in any room.
The level of detail is amazing in this garage, but more even more impressive is the educational benefits of this toy. The extensive use of symbols and simple words and numbers provides a great introduction for children on how letters and numbers are used in real life.



An all round winner!! Bright, colourful, educational and has a huge play value.

Available from Brightminds

RAZ Christmas Decorations on Sale!

 Check out Trendy Tree to see many of the RAZ items that have just been placed on sale. But hurry! Supplies are limited and they won't last long. We have to make way for the new gorgeous 2010 items that will be arriving soon!

RAZ Lime Green and Red Gift Package Ornament - On sale for $6.75 each!

RAZ Peppermint Icicle 12" On sale for $4.00!

RAZ Lime Green and Pink Striped Paper Cones - Only $3.25 each!

RAZ Chocolate Peppermint Ornament - on sale for $3.99!

RAZ Chocolate Peppermint Boxes - Set of 2 - on Sale for $7.75!

Pussy Willow Basket and Nest

The Pussy Willow Basket and Nest from RAZ make great spring time decorations for your home. I'm amazed at how people have chosen them for decorations and use in their weddings either for table decorations, bridesmaid gifts, ring bearer and flower girls.

Izziwotnot Celebration Luxury Gift Basket

If you are looking for the perfect gift for a new baby, then look no further than www.myminimonsters.co.uk.

www.myminimonsters.co.uk is an absolutely fabulous online store. They believe in childhood and want to celebrate free spirits, imagination and the creativity of all the children out there!

They believe kids should be inspired by their surroundings, free to explore colours, spaces and textures. They want to encourage kids' creativity by helping parents to design bedrooms that are practical, vibrant and above all fun!

They go to great lengths to source products that are kiddie cool! Products that make parents and children smile! Products designed with the uniqueness and character of every individual mini monster in mind! Products that reflect childrens uncontainable spirit and the places they love to visit in their imaginations!

The online store is bursting with great products to create eye-catching rooms that express the joys of childhood, so take a look at www.myminimonsters.co.uk

I was busy scouring the Internet trying to find a gift for a friend who has just given birth, when I found this store. But along the way there were so many absolutely adorable items on the website I kind of got lost along the way. I've now made my own little wish list up if you would like to see:

Blue Skyline 3 piece Junior Room Set

Pitstop Room Set


My Mini Monsters Cushions



Kofi Rocker

After much deliberation, as there were so many delightful things to choose from, I decided upon the Izziwotnot Celebration Luxury Gift Basket (pictured at the top of the page). The pastel pink shades encased in the pale wicker appealed to all my motherly instincts and I knew that this was going to be something that would delight my friend.

On arrival the gift basket looked even better than what it had done on the website. In fact I was tempted to just keep it lying on my living room floor as it made the room look like something out of a baby catalogue. The wicker basket was sealed with a plastic lid and tied up with a delightful Izziwotnot ribbon. All the items inside were neatly folded and screamed to be opened by the new mother. The girly colours were really set off by the little teddy bear included with the set. It's not just any bear that graces this set however, it is izziwotnot.

The label that is attached to the ribbon tells the story of izziwotnot. It goes like this:
'Here is the story behind izziwotnot. Now you probably think we invented izziwotnot don't you? Far from it, izziwotnot is a very special teddy bear much loved by two sisters, Caroline and Juliette, izzi (as he tends to be known) has travelled the world and seen many things. But today izzi plays an important part in making sure all our products are just right. He keeps an eye on things you see.'

This story seems to add an element of magic to the box and this little teddy bear features on the design of most of the items in the box. So I suppose by this point you are wondering what exactly you get in the box?

You get:

1 sleepsuit
1 bodysuit
1 hat
1 bib
1 pair of mitts and booties
1 toy
1 fleece blanket
And don't forget the lovely wicker basket which can later be used to store all manner of things in.

The clothing items are 100% cotton and are really high quality. The stitching and embroidery is detailed and certainly contributes to the wow factor of this gift basket as a whole.

When my friend received this basket she sat for at least five minutes just admiring all the items and repeating how much she loved it.

So if you have a gift that you want to get for someone special, I would highly recommend taking a look at this website www.myminimonsters.co.uk

Kidsleep clock

Desperate for sleep, desperate for something that could return sanity to our lives; I went on the hunt to find some decent nightlights. I've already mentioned that we found the Lumilove night light fantastic but I also wanted something to illustrate to my son when he should be in bed and when he is able to get up. Bombarded with constant visits from him throughout the night, questioning how much longer before he could get up, this was a problem I really wanted to solve as we were all getting pretty fed up with the situation.

On reading up on this clock I was impressed that it acted as a nightlight, traditional alarm clock and had a wake-up time indicator. The rabbit lying down tells the child that it is too early to get up. The rabbit standing up tells the child that he/she may get up. This retails at £39.00 so is a little more expensive than your average nightlight but I was optimistic as to the many other benefits it offered.

Upon pulling the nightlight out of the packaging I was a little surprised as to the weight of the item as it did seem very lightweight which made me wonder about the durability of the item. However, straight away my baby son got hold of this and road tested it as he dropped it on the floor and it appears the nightlight is very 'kid-tough.' It's nice to have testers who are always willing to lend a hand.

The alarm was easy to set up and all that was left to do was see how effective this nightlight was at helping my son. In darkness the nightlight was dimmer than what your average nightlight is; but this also added to the soporific effect of the rabbit cuddling down in bed and seemed to make my son want to tuck that little bit further down under his duvet.

With fingers crossed I left the room and attempted an undisturbed night sleep. You can only imagine my joy when I woke BEFORE my son. On asking my sons opinion the next morning he informed me that the reason he stayed in his own bed was because of the fact that he felt like he had someone else sleeping in the room with him. So I was exceedingly pleased with this!

This is a very inventive item that seems to do its purpose very well!

Available from JoJo Maman Bébé

Lumilove Panda Nightlight

Welcome to the shiny universe of the Lumilove!

Recently we have been having problems with our seven year old son. He wakes like clockwork at 2 am in the morning and comes in to our room and wants to get in to our bed with us. He is such a terrible snorer that this really isn't an option. It's become a problem since his plug in nightlight stopped working. However, this little nightlight from Lumilove is far superior to the plug in nightlight he previously owned, as I don't have to worry about him touching anything near the electrical mains.

I first spotted this nightlight on the JoJo Maman Bébé website and was keen to give it a try. There is an array of animals to choose from. These nightlight characters are so tender and sweet, that children will absolutely love them. The rainbow-like coloured lights are especially appealing.

A puppy

An elephant

The cute rabbit.

Or a bear.

We chose the panda option as it looked the most appropriate one for my sons' age, although we do hope to collect the whole range. Imagine how funky his bedroom will look at night!

I have found a video on YouTube to illustrate the nightlight in action.



The first thing I noticed when we pulled the nightlight out of his packaging was that it was smaller than I expected. In a way this is great as it fits in to compact areas like on a pillow. We charged the nightlight up and hey presto, once it was charged we took the charger out and it was an instantly portable nightlight. It's much more magical than your traditional nightlight however as it flickers through a range of pretty colours, as illustrated in the picture above. Because the arms, legs and ears are jointed, your child can position them to stand up or sit down which makes it more personal to them. There's no worry of overheating or electrocution as the bulb is safely contained within the body and stays charged for up to 8 hours. It's so brilliant to have a batteryless and wireless nightlight.

If you are energy conscious, you don't even need to worry about charging costs as the nightlight contains a low-consuming LED light.

The design of these nightlights is wonderful; they don't look out of place in any room as they have such a modern feel.

It retails at £25 at JoJo Maman Bébé which is a small price to pay for the peace of mind you get when using this nightlight. This is a great find!

Available from JoJo Maman Bébé

Fireflies

Who doesn't remember running barefoot in the backyard just after dusk chasing after fireflies....or lightening bugs))) Over here.....over there! Waiting patiently for the tiny light to show their hiding place. And while some may not admit it, I can recall pinching off the tail and making glow rings.

There is a delightful website dedicated to fireflies......you can read stories there, see photos and learn how to keep the firefly from becoming an endangered species: http://www.firefly.org/

The Jar of Fireflies from RAZ Bug Me collection helps keep that fond memory alive)))