Month: December 2012

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Baker Days – Letterbox Cake Review

Baker Days sent us an early Christmas cake to review.  It came speedily, and in the form of a quirky letterbox cake.  It is perfect for small occasions, or when you want to send someone something a little special, but also know they won’t be able to answer the door for it.

There is an outer white box, which holds a cake inside a neatly made tin.

Our box also had a lovely little cracker and leaflets telling us about Baker Days.

Cakes are personalised and you can add your own message to them.   Ours simply said, Happy Christmas to the Scottish Mum Kids.

There are a few different recipes that you can choose from, and as a carrot cake loving family, we really had to stick to what we like best.  There are also options for plain sponge or for double chocolate, along with fruit cake, and even a gluten-free version.

I was quite surprised when I cut it up, that I naturally cut it into 8 pieces.  Not huge pieces obviously, but just enough for everyone to have a decent bite of cake.  It’s a perfect solution to send someone a little gift if you can’t get there for a special occasion.  I was also surprised that the cake was so moist.

I don’t know what I was expecting, but we loved it.  Although these cakes fit through the letterbox, they do also do larger versions, so give them a look if you are thinking of party cakes too.   With almost every type of occasion covered, I  like the fact that I can use the personalisation tool and see how it would fit on my cake of choice.

I do think it’s quite a lot of money for cake, but I was happy with the ability to send it, so I’ve just ordered one to be sent to my dad who starts his chemotherapy this week, with a prescription of cake portions.

It sure beats sending him a get well card.   There was also a delivery charge, so the small cake cost £17.98 to send in total and I could also pay by Paypal which is very important to me when I buy from smaller website businesses.

I’ve just bought one after trying it, so I guess I could say that it was a very successful review for me, and it is a bit of putting my money where my mouth is.

 

 

 

 

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Harry Potter Xbox 360 Review – On Kinect

After a disaster where our Kinect seemed to have vanished into thin air, we had to wait on a new one arriving to be able to use any of our Kinect games.

Warner Bros. had sent us a Harry Potter Xbox 360 promotional copy, and my boys were itching to get their fingers on it and play in a new world.

The day came that the new Kinect finally came and Harry Potter has seen a fair few outings in the lounge with boys fighting by using their wands to cast spells and find new things to unlock.

Here are a few words from the littlest controller:

“It’s fun, challenging and it gets you to like Harry Potter.   I have to cast spells, hit pixies and look for fairies while I look for a key pixie, which is a key with wings.”

To play the game, new players have to learn how to cast their spells in Professor Flitwicks Class and take lessons.  The wingardium leviosa is the first one they have to learn, and teaches them how to levitate.   The arm and hand motions mean that kids can identify with how they have grown up with wizards in their lives.

Players need to wait until their wand chooses them, just like in the films and then they are sorted into which house they will be in.

Using the Kinect means that there is much more involvement with the game, and players can really feel part of the experience with hand and foot movements.    Once they can cast spells they are ready to try getting into the full game.

I’d definitely say it helps to have watched a few of the films to play this game and it might be difficult for some to follow the story otherwise, but as a stand alone, the segments are easily playable whether you know the films or not.

Would I have paid for this, yes, I would.   The Kinect is great for winter and getting couch potato Xbox fans up onto their feet and doing a little interaction.   It can be played with 2 players which is always a boost with Xbox games.

 

 

 

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Traditional Scottish Stovies with Oatcakes and Beetroot – Slow Cooked & with the Kids Baked Beans to serve.

What better cold weather fare could there be.   Stovies used to be made in generations gone by in our ancestors family when it was washing day, or when the nets had to be hauled down to the boats and the women didn’t have time to make a big meal for the family.

They stayed close to home on stovie days as they had to carry their men onto the fishing boats to keep them dry.  We’re talking little women carrying huge strapping 6 + footers from the side of the piers right into their boats.  With their skirts and feet soaking and cold in the North Sea, it was a hard, miserable and tough life.

Often battling against misery and exhaustion, they would come back to their stovies simmering on the pot, and ready to fill empty bellies.

Unable to stray far from the home while they were cooking, this was a method of slow cooking that needed regular stirring couldn’t be made on market days when the women would have to carry the catch in a creel on their backs for miles to sell it at market.

Most people who make stovies today, are really only  making a type of hash with boiled potatoes and meat mixed in.  For real stovies, the potatoes need to be stoved.  They are dry and not waxy, and they break apart in the mouth when you eat them.

I’ve only ever made them in a thick bottomed pan before, so this method is a new (and easier) way of doing it for me.

The quantities mentioned in this recipe are for guidance only.  This would generally have been Monday’s meal, after the Sunday roast, and using up the leftovers of meat, potatoes and sometimes other vegetables would be added in a sort of bubble and squeak effect.

My stovies are wickedly tasty ones, made with the meat and gravy from nice large chunks of a fillet steak joint that I got from Andrew Gordon  Butchery in Aberdeen.  I am always spoiled for choice when I go in there and good meat really makes a difference to the taste of a finished dish.

Slow Cooked Traditional Scottish Stovies with Oatcakes and Beetroot (and the kids beans)

Lesley Smith
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 8 hours
Total Time 8 hours 30 minutes
Course Mains
Servings 6

Ingredients
  

  • 3 KG Potatoes Maris Pipers, King Edwards or Roosters - Peeled and Chopped
  • 1 - 2 Onions Chopped
  • 100 Grams Dripping Beef Dripping, Goose Fat or Vegetable Dripping
  • 1 KG Meat Usually Pork or Beef - Already Cooked
  • 200 Grams Gravy From the Pork or Beef
  • Salt & Pepper For cooking.

Instructions
 

  • In a saucepan, melt approximately 100g of your lard. This will be quicker than you expect.

  • Add the onions to the pan and lightly fry.

  • Make sure that the onions are still white and are not cooked long enough to begin turning brown.



  • Add the onions, lard and your potatoes to the slow cooker and stir until all the potatoes are coated in lard. If you have to add some more, add it a teaspoon at a time, as it is easy to use too much lard.

  • Add a few spoons of the gravy from your meat, a couple of tablespoons of water, and a couple of pinches of salt.



  • Cook for 8 hours on low, or 4 hours on high.

  • You will need to check the pot every hour and if you need to add a little extra water, do it a teaspoon at a time. You only want just enough to stop the potatoes from burning into the pot.

  • Don't mash the potatoes as when they are ready, they will break down with the stirring.

  • Add in your meat with a few more spoonfuls of gravy.

  • Cook until the meat is thoroughly heated.

  • Normally, you would shred your meat or cut it really small, but my boys like their meat in hunky chunks so my pictures are not the effect you would get if you shredded your meat before adding it.




  • Serve with oatcakes and beetroot with a glass of milk for the traditional fare, or add beans like the Scottish Mum Kids.


If you want to make your own oatcakes, try Traditional Scottish Oatcakes.