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Mothers Day With McCains Special Roast Potatoes

Mothers Day food yesterday was courtesy of McCains to try their new roasties.

McCains 12

The NEW Special Roast Potatoes are made from the very best King Edward potatoes cut into generous chunks and basted in sumptuous beef dripping.   They are really really good.  I put on both bags and by the end of mealtime, there were none left at all.  That’s always a good sign.

McCains Special Roast Potatoes 1

McCains sent along lots of lovely ingredients to go along with the roast potatoes, and we had carrots, sage and onion stuffing, chicken, green beans, broccoli and cabbage.

The broccoli and cabbage is in the fridge for another day, as there was too much for one meal, even if there were 6 of us eating.

There was a Knorr Flavour Pot in Mixed Herbs which we’ve also not tried before, and as I like my vegetables roasted, I use roasting bags to keep them moist and not get burned.  I used two separate bags, one for the green beans and one for the carrots.  In them, I halved the flavour pot and added a few tablespoons of water before shaking the mix around to coat the vegetables.

The chicken went into the oven first (also in roasting bags) and just over half an hour from the end, I popped the roast potatoes in a tray covered in tin foil to start cooking.  The vegetables were last to go in, with 20 minutes cooking time at the end.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Happy Mothers Day: Sunday 30th March 2014

Mothers Day

I used to think of Mothers Day being a little like Christmas for Mums.  Now I’ve grown up, I appreciate every little thing that anyone does for me on any day, and hope I will be pampered just a little bit on that one day a year we are meant to get a break.  It doesn’t always happen, and I have been known to buy my gift and get it wrapped so that the kids can give me something I really want.

So, what is Mothering Sunday really?

Mothering Sunday is when children usually give a gift to their parents, even if it is just breakfast in bed, or a big hug to say they appreciate them.

Mothers Day is usually the fourth Sunday of Lent and means it can end up on different days each year.

Traditionally, it was known as the day during Lent, where fasting rules begin to relax.  Like so many other holidays, it’s said to be inspired by stories in the bible.

Historians believe Mothering Sunday came about from the 16th Century habits of visiting a mother yearly, where young women in service and apprentices were allowed to go and visit their parents for that weekend.

In our modern world, it is more used as a means to honour our mothers and showing our appreciation for them by buying gifts, or spending time with them.

More formally known as Mothering Sunday, it’s held on the forth Sunday of Lent.   We can work it out to three weeks before Easter Sunday and is usually around the end of March or the beginning of April.

The modern version of mothers day is no longer basked in religious connotations.   It’s a celebration of motherhood that is revered by families UK and world wide.   People all over our little country visit their mothers and bring gifts and food to their mothers and their grandmothers.

HOW TO CELEBRATE

As it is a day to honour the women in our lives that have given up so much to be our mentors and guides, we should try to make a special effort to show our appreciation, love and affection for our maternal relatives.  The women can be our mothers, grandmothers, step-mothers, foster mothers, adoptive mothers, mothers in law and many more.

An important part of mothers day is not the gift, but the time we spend with our treasured relatives.  If people can afford it, they usually take their mother figures flowers, chocolates and gifts, before whisking them off for a meal to celebrate the occasion.  Those who cannot visit their nearest and dearest tend to send gifts and cards to remember them by.

Be sure to book early if you are going out for a meal, as places can be hard to come by at short notice.

Kids, if you’re listening, hint hint, I’d quite like not to cook this year.

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Mothers Day With Maw Broon’s

We received a lovely parcel from the Maw Broon’s Home & Kitchen Range.   The first thing we saw when we opened the wrapping was a lovely large jute bag that will come in handy.

We’re just bag fans here and some new ones are badly needed.  We use  them when we go to the beach, for dog bowl carrying & for picnic stuff when we go on holidays.

Ours are rarely used for the purpose of actual shopping, but maybe we’ll need to change that if we head off to the continent with our Maw Broon’s bag on hand.

Maw Broons 1

Most people seem to like us Scots when we’re abroad for some reason, and they do like to copy the accent, or try to at least.

Maw Broons Scottish Fudge

With Mothers Day on the horizon, buying anything for my own mother is almost impossible as she never wants anything.  I think I’ve mentioned how frustrating I find that in blog posts before.

Maw Broons Shortbread

There are lots of goodies in here that I just know she’s going to like.  The Fudge and the Caramel Shortcake are likely to be the most popular items from the bag, and as I already have the Cooking with Bairns book, it’ll be squirreled away for a Xmas present when the time of year comes around.

Maw Broons Caramel Shortcake and Cooking With Children

I don’t think I’ll be able to keep hold of the Caramel Shortcake though.  As soon as the kids come home from school, it will be snapped up pronto.

Tea is always a welcome addition to our house so the lovely teacosy is ideal and I suspect the box of teabags will be in Scottish bellies very soon.

Maw Broon Tea Cosy

Maw Broons Afternoon Tea

Maw Broon, along with Oor Wullie was part of our childhood up here.  The annuals were a yearly Christmas present for everyone I knew growing up, and I do the same for my boys.

It’s lovely to see Maw Broon come out of her shell.  Wonder where Maggie and Daphne are?

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Getting Organised: How to Get to School on Time

Sponsored Guest Post 

For many parents, the weekday mornings are an absolute nightmare. Most days, being able to get to school on time is nothing short of a miracle, especially when there’s more than one child to worry about.

School Timetable 570x380

Some parents may look at the laidback ones wondering ‘how do they do it?’ while others will be so stressed out by the whole ordeal that they need a couple of hours each day to get over it (in their dreams!).

The key to getting to school on time, and stress-free, is organisation.  If you’re organised, very little can go wrong. Your kids will be out the door on time, and you’ll feel a lot less hassled than if you hadn’t planned things in advance.

Here are some great ways of making sure that you’re organised, so that your family can get into some good habits and make the school run as painless as possible.

  • Get the school uniform ready the night before. From the t shirt, jumper and pinafore right down to the socks and underwear, if it’s all laid out and ready to go, getting ready in the morning will be a doddle. Choose crease-free school uniform from George and you won’t have to worry about ironing it, either.
  • Prep packed lunches the night before, too. Better still, opt for school dinners if that’s an option!
  • Put everything in the car that can be put in there before you go to bed. Book bags and PE kits won’t be needed in the morning, and if they’re already in the car, they can’t be forgotten!
  • Keep a timetable on the kitchen wall so that you know what after school club or class the kids have on what days. If there’s specific kit they need, such as their football boots or their swimming kit, you will be able to ensure this is ready and won’t be left at home.
  • If you have paperwork to fill in, do it the night before (or as soon as you get it). Make sure it’s back in their bag, ready to go.
  • Keep the TV off until the kids are completely ready for school and make sure they understand that, sometimes, they will have to leave before the end of the programme. Bribe them with the option of recording it – the joys of Sky+!
  • Make sure that you’re completely ready before getting the kids up. Don’t worry about looking amazing either; not unless you have to run straight off to work. You can always sort yourself out when you get back home.
  • Avoid open-ended questions if you can help it.  Rather than asking what they want for breakfast and being met with a sea of options, give them an either/or.  The same applies for how they want their hair, what to wear, etc.

Getting through the school gates on time isn’t easy, but it’s completely doable by applying a little bit of forward thinking and planning.

Get super-organised, get up and get gone for a stress-free start to the day.

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Cheese and Tomato Quiche Recipe, with Maw Broon’s Sauces

Cheese & Tomato Quiche 2

This recipe size makes up to 8 x 4″ flan case sized Quiches.  Use half the quantities for a smaller batch.

Quiche is nice and easy to make and almost everyone enjoys Quiche hot or cold.  Eaten hot, it’s great with some baked beans and is fabulous cold as part of a salad, and can even go in lunch boxes.

We’d been sent some lovely Maw Broon’s sauces to try.  As a Scottish person who grew up on the Broon’s books, the Maw Broon’s range isn’t one that I’m going to let slip through my fingers.

Two of my children love Tomato Sauce and the other loves Brown (or Broon) sauce.  The verdict in this house was one of thumbs up.

My boys are usually Heinz fans only, so I was slightly apprehensive that they wouldn’t like it, but they did.  There are no artificial flavourings, colourings or sweeteners, so it’s all good.

For the Quiche, it all starts with the shortcrust pastry.  I’ve added the recipe for that first, and then followed it up with the cheese and tomato quiche one underneath.  Enjoy.  This makes for delicious quiche/flans.

[gmc_recipe 25753]

[gmc_recipe 25773]

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Hard Men Love Their Mums

Sponsored Post

I just had to share this video as I thought it was quite funny.

Paperchase has launched its first viral film for Mother’s Day.  The intention is to show that every man loves his mother.

There are three characters who are movie baddie types.  Think tattoos, gold teeth and the reputation of London’s East End.  The film starts of seriously and then descends into what we’d more think of our kids doing for Mothers Day.  They visit the craft section of a Paperchase shop and make Mother’s Day cards for their mums using crafty supplies.

Paperchase

The end of the film shows the “hard men” giving their mums the self-made cards and their reactions.   The video is perfect for social media and it made me take a look at Paperchase for myself.   They sell gifts, cards and wraps, personalised cards and lots of very nice stationery.

There are some lovely gifts at Paperchase.  This lovely Tote bag will come with me this year on my holidays, and is going to be my  Mothers Day present from my kids.  I also love the leather satchels.  They are a wee bit out of my price zone for a bag, but they are gorgeous.   There is something for every price range which is nice.

Tote Bag

 

 

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Review: Shark S3901 Lift Away Pro Steam Pocket Mop

I’ve had my Shark Lift Away for a couple of weeks now.  I fully expected not to like it as much as my elderly Karcher, and I thought I would give it away as a present to someone else.  I was very much mistaken, and my old Karcher single tank yellow machine is that one that will be passed on.  I never thought I would say that.  Shark Steam Mop 1

The big attraction for this steam mop is that the central part which houses the water and thermostat lifts away to allow it to be used by hand for lots of different things.  It makes the mop much more useable than simply a mop.

It is powerful.  Holding the steamer and pressing the switch for any length of time seems to have the steam get even hotter and better at cleaning things.

I have to admit that I have used the brush attachment more than any of the other ones, as it does such a great job of cleaning grout, the grooves in doors and skirting boards….

In The Box

A fair few extras come with this mop.   There is a window squeegee, a surface cleaner, steamer attachment, carpet tool, cloths for using with the tools, and even a handy bag to keep all the attachments in.  Ours will hang up nicely behind the door of our boiler cupboard.

Shark Steam Mop Contents

Floors

I do like that the cloths fit snugly to the bottom of the mop and I don’t have to change a cloth just to scrub a bit of the floor that is slightly dirtier than the rest.  I found the flip action by accident when I lifted it up, and it’s a fairly nifty function.  It has to be clever enough to know which way it’s facing for the steam, and that’s impressive to me.

The cable is sturdy and long enough for me to do my kitchen and hall if I use a plug that is right in the middle of where they both are.  With previous ones, I’ve had to move sockets while just cleaning one room which is never a good thing.

Using it on our office floor made a big difference.  We call it an office, but it’s really just a room that houses computers, desks, gerbils and any other rubbish that tends to be left lying around.   Even after regular mopping, the floor just never seemed that clean.  I’m much happier with the floor after using a steam cleaner.  All I have to do now is persuade the gerbils to stop throwing sawdust all over the place :-).

Does it remove elbow grease?

To be honest, I think you’d have to buy a thousand pound and upwards steamer to get that kind of finish and it might just lift the shine off anything you steam too, so it doesn’t eliminate the need for any scrubbing, but it does loosen all the dirt off enough to make it a much simpler job.

Steaming Clothes

Technically it wasn’t clothes, but I used it to try to get the creases out of a pair of curtains that my other half decided to hang before I got a chance to give them an iron.

They’ve annoyed me for a fair while, but because it’s the ones in the back hall that lead out to the garden, I’ve not really got to the point of taking them down again.   I was hoping this was going to be an easy fix, and while I don’t have a dedicated garment steamer, I figured that a couple of the attachments might do a good job of it.

It took two steamings to get the worst of the creases dropped, but that is far better than having to take them down and iron them.

Shark - Lift Away With Steamer Attachment

Windows

I used it with my Karcher window hoover, which worked perfectly for me.

There is a window tool in my box and it is probably fantastic for shower screens and outside windows, but I wanted to clean up the dirty water at the same time as I cleaned, and the combination was actually perfect for me.  There was no need for any hard rubbing to clean the windows, it just needed a good old blast of the steamer and the dirt came away very easily.

The cable was long enough to do the inside and the outside of my kitchen windows and although I wouldn’t use it on a very cold day, it was perfect when I tried it.

Shark - Lift Away With Attachment 2

I also used it to clean the glass panels on the downstairs doors which is a major day-to-day issue for me.   They never look clean, no matter how often I do them, so it was nice to get it done faster and with less hassle.

What Does You Tube Say?

Would I Change Anything?

  • I’d change the action of the steaming chamber when it’s lifted out to use with attachments.  At that point, we have to hold down a trigger for the steam to work.  I’d prefer it to be the same as using the steamer to do floors, and just press “on” for it to work.  Now I’ve seen it in action on the floor steamer, I can’t help but want it for the hand steaming side of it too.
  • The size of the water chamber could be a little bit bigger.

Shark Steam Mop

Do I Like It?

I sure do.

  • It’s faster to use than my Karcher and doesn’t hurt my hands when I’m using it.
  • It’s the little touches that make it fab, like how the attachments turn when you move your hand over a surface.  You don’t need to twist your wrist as the attachment swivels with the movement.
  • The cable is very long for a steamer and that pleases me very much.
  • The biggest draw is that after using it, even if the units or worktops are old, they’re going to be sanitised at level of 99% from all bacteria.
  • There are no chemicals needed at all.
  • It heats up in about 30 seconds from cold water.  That’s fast.

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Thank you to JML Direct for the Shark S3901 Lift Away Pro Steam Pocket Mop for reviewing.

 

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Who’d Love a Giant Vending Machine?

Thanks to F Stop Press for allowing me to use their images.

Image Credit:  F Stop Press
Image Credit: F Stop Press

 

I just had to comment after spotting the story on the news yesterday about the Giant Vending Machine that engineer Peter Fox invented for himself because he couldn’t get a manufacturer to make one.    It’s classed in the line of Automatic Shops, whereby people can get goods where there are no shops.

What’s not to love?  Peter Fox also gets automatic notifications when stock is running low and needs to be replaced, so I imagine he is also the stockist.

Yes, someone would need to take responsibility for the stocking and ordering, and I’d be really interested to find out just how that works for smaller quantities, but I really do like the idea.

It really is a whole new wee store in itself, and it seems to have rocked up in two Ashbourne areas.  One in Clifton, a wee village in Derbyshire, and from the website, I can see there is also one in Mayfield Road, Ashbourne.  The automatic shops are selling product ranges from 7-up, to milk, gravy granules, beans, ketchup, breakfast cereal, toilet roll and even a brolly in Clifton.

I do have to admit to sometimes using the self serve tills at shops if I only one or two things to put through.  Quite often, my face goes red as either the food won’t scan, or the machine won’t take my notes, or the weighting bagged area doesn’t recognise the item I just placed into it.

I’ve also written about my experiences with some supermarket converyor belts which drive me crazy, but tech blips aside, having a local giant vending machine on hand seems a great idea to me.

I think what impressed me the most is the ability to sell eggs as well as milk, bread and other necessities.  With the demise of local shops in outlying areas, getting hold of the daily basics can often mean that it’s just a chore to go the distance of any of the larger supermarkets.

It takes cards as well as cash and Peter has designed the shop so that eggs don’t get broken on the way down.

Rod Kirkpatrick. F Stop Press
Image Credit: Rod Kirkpatrick. F Stop Press

 

I can think of a few problems that might come up, like a stuck machine, card being swallowed, vandalism or something mechanically going wrong, but on the whole, I think the downsides are massively overshadowed by the benefits these can bring to smaller communities without a dedicated shop.

Being a total Internet geek, it made a lot of sense for me to read that Mr Fox also lets customers see what stock is in the automatic shop before they head out.  How fabulous would that be for the busy mum needing to dress toddlers to pick up some milk, or making sure that you don’t have to step out in the rain to get some much needed bread for school lunches the next morning?

I love the idea.  What do others think?

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AFC – Scottish League Cup Winners 2014 – The Sheep Are On Fire

For the first time in 19 years, the cup came to Aberdeen Football Club.  I remember the last time our local team won it and I took my kids down to see the parade this time round.

It started here: the win against Inverness Caley Thistle at Celtic Park where the sheep won 4:2 on pens.

Forty thousand fans made the trip to Celtic Park, and although we couldn’t manage the match, we all watched it on the telly, and breathed in as it went to extra time and then penalties.  Inverness played a cracking defensive game and it was touch and go all the way through.

Winning on pens didn’t matter, as we brought the cup home.   The kids have supported the Dons all through the last decade of losing streaks and it was lovely to see something positive and share in a winning club while they are still kids.

Well done the Dons.  We went down to the cup parade today.  Sadly the sun was in our eyes and it was difficult to get pictures, but you get the idea.  There was lots of cheering, clapping and singing going on as the bus set off on its way.  We were at the start, but on Union Street it sounded like a footie match in progress.

Fabulous…..It’s a memory the kids will never forget…

Dons 2

Dons 3

Dons 5

Dons 7

Dons 4

Dons 9

Dons 10

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Honey Glazed Mushroom and Onion Topping

Honey glazed mushroom and onion topping is perfect for on top of soups, toast, potatoes or steaks.  We’re big fans of as many vegetables we can get into the kids.  A teaspoon or two of honey among 4 – 6 people isn’t going to do any harm at all in a sensible food intake.

Honey Glazed Mushroom & Onion Topping

Lesley S Smith
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Course Sides / Toppings
Servings 4 - 6

Ingredients
  

  • 2 Onions
  • 500 g Chopped Mushrooms
  • 2 tablespoons Honey
  • 1 heaped teaspoon Coconut Oil
  • 1 teaspoon Ground Peppercorns

Instructions
 

  • Put the coconut oil in a frying pan and let it melt. Coconut oil melts very quickly so it will not take long.
  • Add the chopped onions and mushrooms and fry lightly until cooked. You are aiming at keeping the onions as light as possible for this dish so don't let them burn.
  • At the end of cooking, add in the honey and give it a good mix with the mushrooms and the onions.
  • Serve as a topping for soup, toast, baked potatoes, salads, steaks, or anything savoury that you can think of.
  • Sprinkle with a little ground peppercorns for decoration.

 

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Aunt Bessie’s with “New” Added Roastiness for Mother’s Day Cooking

In Association With Aunt Bessie's

It’s that time of year again when we have to think about what we are going to get for our mothers.  My own mother is notoriously difficult to buy for as she always says that she wants “nothing.”

She does like a good roast dinner though, and I’m not always in the mood to actually make roast anything from scratch, so keeping it simple is always a good idea.

I am planning cooking this mothers day, as there probably won’t be anywhere left now that we can actually book.  My car is due an MOT and is out of action for a week or two, and relying on a replacement car in the meantime means I don’t have enough seats to take us all out.

We’ve always eaten our meals with the boys at the table and we’re lucky enough to have two tables to choose from.  We have a smaller table in the kitchen, and a bigger one in our family room/dining room/everything room.

I love having everyone around the table and all chatting while they eat.  It’s just such a throwback to my childhood when we all sat around the table then.  I’ve kept that tradition up with my boys and they just don’t ever consider going anywhere else to eat.

For a lovely homely dinner, it’s likely that we’ll start with a roast, home-made roast potatoes and Aunt Bessie’s for my Yorkshires.

My roast beef cooking tips are here if you are interested to see how I cook mine..

For Aunt Bessie’s and roast dinners, they’ve launched a new fun advert, starring the Aunt Bessie Grannies, Mabel and Margaret. This is an adventure with a mobility scooter!!!

Home Bake Yorkshires

To round it all off, here’s my roast potatoes recipe.  Mother will be proud…I hope.

[gmc_recipe 19618]