Silent Sunday & My Sunday Photo – 18 May 2014
Author: Scottish Mum
Review: Charge Key and Charge Card
I’ve had these for a wee while now. It’s about time to let you know how I found them.
The CHARGEKEY and CHARGECARD were sent for us to try out by NOMAD.
The key part fits onto my keyring and means that as long as I can get access to a USB port of a USB plug, I can charge anywhere without tangled cables. The CHARGECARD fits perfectly into a credit card sized slot in a wallet or purse. They are chargers and not battery packs, so they do need access to an electricity supply, whether it is charging direct to a computer, through a USB plug, or from a back up battery.
I have the lightning charge key that works with my iPhone and the mini iPad. I have a regular mini usb port on my iPhone 5, as I use a Mophie battery case, so in reflection, a mini usb charge key would probably have been better for me.
It’s quite deceiving actually as it really IS very little. I have it on my keyring as if I desperately need charge in someones else’s house, I can actually get it without too much hassle. The USB end is a lot than you expect a cable that plugs into a USB charger to be. It’s about half the thickness of the regular USB cable end that you’d expect.
The cables are VERY short, so are not practical on my PC, although they’d be fine for a low lying laptop. It’s unlikely that gadgets would be much use when plugged in to charge. It’s not impossible, but the cable part is so very short. Using it would be quite uncomfortable with the inability to turn devices around.
The cables are very very bendy. I was wary of them snapping, but they seem solid enough and have stood up to my kids testing them out.
The short version of a review is: they work perfectly.
I find them easiest for using in the car or our motor home as fabulous chargers that take up little space, with no cables to get tangled. They’ve pretty much proved themselves very handy for that indeed and I keep the lightning connector on my keyring – just in case, as in desperation, I could remove the Mophie base to charge up a dying phone.
Note: My older kids haven’t broken them, but I’m not sure how they’d stand up to a toddler. I’d look after these chargers in the same was as you do the regular sized cable chargers and keep them away from children and pets.
Saying Goodbye To Blog Rankings
I made a decision today. It’s mostly based around the time aspect, and more importantly, around how I feel about it.
For a few years, I’ve been a member, and taken part in some lovely blogging groups which have blog stats. I didn’t really care where I sat in the stats, as the blog just does it’s own thing and Google is very good to me these days.
My blog went down (out of action) for a few days recently and although I’ve only dropped about 100 places in one ranking, the others are likely to tank in the next few weeks. Yes, I know by next month, I’d be back where I was, but when I spotted the drop, I instantly began planning a couple of competitions etc to temporarily up the blog reader number.
Then I stopped myself.
To be part of a couple of the groups, I felt myself giving in to not posting many of the types of things that I would really like to, as it means that the blog was going down a more specific route than I really wanted it to, and becoming more niche than I’d like. My blog isn’t a business, it’s a hobby, and I felt myself losing that.
Yes, I’ll lose offers from PRs that use the blog ranking places, but that’s not all bad either. Anyone who knows the blog can work out it’s level as an SEO value, and it should drop some of the spam enquiries, that some days, actually fill the blog e-mail address up so much that I can spend ages just wading through them all.
I plan to pop on my Google page rank, play with the blog and do some posts around the business that I have unexpectedly had returned after being rented out to someone for the last 12 years. It’s going to be a busy time, and to keep up with it all, I can’t be distracted by where I sit in ranking stats.
I feel slightly liberated today without blog badges reporting my stats back to the ranking websites. Yes, I know I will be bottom of the rankings pile by next month with no stats reporting back, but I will have my blog back the way I used to feel. There will undoubtedly be days I will regret removing them, but I don’t want to feel I can’t post things as it won’t fit into my niche.
In sickness and health, the bruised apple.
Could the Wicked Stepmother have saved herself a lot of heartache and just given Cinderella lots of bruised apples?
Perhaps rotten fruit hasn’t crossed your horizon yet, but it’s the one that stood out for me at university many moons ago. I think I have written about it once before, but it merits a reminder I think.
It wasn’t the botulism, salmonela or listeria that most people know about that stood out for me. Parents can often be paranoidically fastidious about avoiding the well known food rot, but patulin seems to have fallen under the radar.
What Is Patulin?
Quite simply, its a chemical – a toxic chemical fungal matter that is produced from some moulds, for example penicillium and aspergillus. Does that mean anything to you? Well, to be honest, it didn’t to me either. It’s safe to say that although the apple is the fruit that I associate it with in my mind the most, it’s not the ONLY source of patulin.
Why is Patulin Dangerous?
It shows as toxic effects in animals and it should be avoided in foodstuffs as far as is possible. As it is soluble in water, it is easily absorbed and can grow quickly. Although there isn’t much research on humans, there has been a lot of testing on how it affects animals. It shows significant damage to the stomach and lower intestines.
Which Foods is Patulin Found On?
Apples stick in my mind, but there is the possibility of it affecting apple juices, jams and pies. It has been found on cherries, vegetables and other fruits too. Cereals and cheese have shown to contain some patulin, but apples and apple products seems to be the biggest threat to our human diet.
How does it affect human health?
Most of the information on the toxicity of patulin is derived from animal studies and there is little or no experimental, or epidemiological, data on acute or chronic toxicity in humans if it is eaten in large quantities. There is the possible worry about the long term effects of eating patulin regularly and it seems sensible to take precautions and stay away from patulin where it is at all possible.
Should We Stop Eating Apples?
Patulin isn’t something that is going to stand up, wave its arms and induce vomiting and diaorrhea – well okay, it might if someone is intolerant or allergic to the apples or any toxins present, but in general, it might not do more than the odd slightly upset tummy.
Should we ban apples because of its future potential?
Of course not, that would be silly. Apples seem to be very good for us, and I wouldn’t stop my children eating apples just because of the possibility that a poison might affect their body a few decades down the line, but I do take care that the fruit I give them is bruise free.
Can Patulin Be Cooked Out?
Cooking or pasteurisation does NOT kill patulin. There could be some evidence, that in juices, with some preservatives, it could be mitigated.
How To Avoid Patulin?
My lecturer simply told us to avoid all apples with bruises. You could minimise the risk by cutting out the bruised portions of apples where the bruises are small, or simply discard all bruised apples in the same way that it is recommended to discard all green potatoes. Discard any apples you cut open that have insect burrows and buy good quality apple juice.
Physical damage can help promote the rot, so over handling of fruit can also be a problem. To keep your fruit in as good a condition as possible, I put mine in the fridge and cut off any bruised parts if I plan to make juice.
I don’t overly worry about it, but I hate seeing little ones being given apples with brown bits on it. It’s NOT the same as a banana….
Check Your Credit Card Transactions NOW
I think as bloggers, we are often at risk of more online potentially threatening situations, just by the way that we make transactions online and often use credit cards to pay for things on our blogs.
I’ve been targeted, and it’s possible that the attack and interception of details came from WooThemes.com, but it’s not 100%.
There is just the same chance that my details went missing from somewhere else. Woo have said there are about 300 people who have reported in so far.
From the 5th of May, some fraudulent transactions started showing up. It’s not easy to sort things like this out, as I suspect they always start from a position of “the customer may be lying.
My card hasn’t been out of my sight and nobody else knows the pin. Actually, I don’t even know the pin anymore so I haven’t been using it at all for over a year.
A few days ago, I called and cancelled my card. The card as far as I was aware, could only access funds in the account and not elsewhere. Despite that, three days after cancelling the card, another payment went through, which took up the remaining balance on that account.
I know now that the payments were made online, so whoever made them, has my security number from the back of my card.
At the same time, Woo Themes sent out an e-mail today notifying customers that there is a problem and some customers have reported fraudulent transactions on their credit cards. You can read it for yourself here. It also made me sigh with relief to know there is a likely candidate for where details went missing.
It could have been so much worse if I had not known transactions were being taken.
Check your credit and debit card payments regularly. You just never know when it might be you.
Recipe: Bag Roasted Rustic Chicken Stew
This is one of the dishes I make when time is failing me badly. It’s simply a case of popping all the veg, meat and flavours into a bag, putting it in the oven, and taking out a fully cooked meal an hour or two later. It has a slightly smokey BBQ flavour so be prepared for that when you cook it.
I am a massive fan of quick cooking, so bag roasting is up there with slow cooking for me, but without the day long torment of gorgeous smelling food in the kitchen when I’m trying to concentrate. Chicken is always popular with all of my kids and I’m lucky enough to get mine from a great butcher, the Fresh Food Guru, so it always tastes great.
Consider splitting this over two bags with one sachet of seasoning for each bag if your oven is small.
Ingredients
Method
- Pop the oven on to around 190 - 200°C. Open the roasting bag and pop in the chicken breasts. You could cut these into quarters to cook them more quickly. Be careful when you put ingredients in as you really don't want the bag splitting.
- You can do the vegetables separately, and I suspect I'd do that next time as my bag was absolutely huge. I put my baby potatoes in whole, but I suspect slicing them would lead to a faster cooking time. Add the sliced carrots and the potatoes to the bag.
- I add the seasoning mix from the Knorr Rustic Chicken Pack and then add two small glasses of water. A gentle mix around of all the ingredients is a good idea to help spread the seasoning around.
- Close the bag with the fastener but make sure you leave some expansion room in the bag. If your bag is very full, it would be a better idea to use two bags. Put your bag on an oven tray with plenty of room above the bag. If you have several oven shelves, it would be a good idea to remove upper ones to give the bag some expansion room as it will fill out as it fills with steam. The bad shouldn't touch the sides or top of the oven when cooking.
The recommendations are to put the bag sideways, but I've had some of the liquid run out on me on large bags so I put the tied end upwards on larger bags and lie them on their side with smaller ones. - I cook this dish for approximately one and a half hours, but it will depend on your oven. Smaller pieces might well cook faster. When you open the bag, beware of the escaping steam as it can easily burn. I transfer my cooked food into a casserole dish and pop it back into the oven for five minutes to heat the dish.
We serve the dish by placing it in the middle of the table for everyone to help themselves to. Make sure the meat is fully cooked before serving it up.
Birchbox Review – Good Enough To Eat
Birchbox sent me one of their lovely monthly boxes to review. It was the April box which was “Good Enough To Eat,”
Inside the box were my small sample sizes of some make-up, popcorn and wipes.
I actually like the sample sizes as they’re definitely handy for holidays and small make-up bag goodies. There seems to be a monthly theme around the boxes and some suggestions for DIY Beauty by using natural ingredients from our kitchen cupboards to make our own home made masks and scrubs. There are some fabulous recipes online on their blog.
There are different levels of subscriptions to the service, which also lets you buy full sized versions of your samples online.
Monthly Recurring
- £10 + £2.95 P&P = £12.95 a month.
- 5 samples.
- Earn reward points.IGN UP
6 Month Subscription
£50 for the 6 months + £2.95 P&P = £67.70 for the 6 months = £11.29 each month.
Yearly Subscription
£90 for 12 months + £2.95 P&P = £125.40 for the 12 months = £10.45 each month.
My Box Samples
Thebalm Cosmetics – How ‘Bout Them Apples?
A cheek and lip balm cream. It’s actually pretty nice. I have rosy cheeks so wearing anything on my cheeks apart from fake tan and brown shades is impossible, but as a lip colour it is nice a light. I have the Pie shade which is a bit bright, but summer is coming, so it might get an outing quite soon. I actually really like the wee sample which seems to have a magnetic closure strip. I’m quite impressed by that as a sample.
Lord and Berry Black Kohl Eye Pencil
This made my make-up bag in ten seconds flat. It draws on easily, but doesn’t come off quickly in wear either. It’s not a brand I’ve heard of before, but I like it.
Color Club Gala’s Nail Polish
I have the wee gold struck colour. I tend not to wear nail polish on my hands, so I can’t comment on this one much, though it may well make it onto my toes in summer. The sample size seems reasonable to me and looks like it would easily do a few coatings of both fingernails and toes.
Laura Mercier Souffle Body Creme
This is what made me realise I haven’t been taking care of myself. Just squeezing out some of the souffle and rubbing it into my hands reminded me of holidays gone by. It’s more of a honey vanilla smell that I expected so very lush and very subtle and unexpected.
Yes To Cucumbers Facial Wipes
An organic, soothing cucumber wipe, oil free and made to cleanse, gently exfoliate and moisturise. The travel size has 10 towels, so it’s about the size of the small packs you’d normally buy in shops. Paraben free, so great for getting rid of make up last thing at night.
Propercorn, Popcorn Done Properly
This was intriguing. Ours is sweet coconut and vanilla for 35 calories per bag which is really good. It tasted very much like a bit of a combination of cinema and butterscotch popcorn so actually very satisfying in a small bag. I’ll like to know where to buy these regularly for the long term as I’ve not seen them in shops here and we don’t have a Waitrose, which seems to stock the larger bags. The sample size is actually the perfect snack size, but I can’t find those anywhere.
Final Thoughts
This is definitely a luxury purchase. The samples are great quality and with more free money, I’d have bought the large sizes of all of them. I’m not sure if that says I need to take more care of myself or what, but I really enjoyed getting this wee box. It seemed to be a very personal thing to get.
Silent Sunday & My Sunday Photo – 04 May 2014
BritMums Brilliance In Blogging Award Shortlist 2014 – I’m On It
I am quite surprised to be nominated for the BritMums Brilliance in Blogging Awards for 2014
Stage 1
I’ve been nominated in the Food category, so for whoever put me forward for it, I am very grateful indeed. It’s lovely to think that someone made the effort to have us listed. The shortlist consists of 16 bloggers out of the man who have been nominated. 11 were chosen by other bloggers, and 5 were chosen by the BritMums judges.
BritMums has about 4000ish bloggers as part of it’s continually growing network. I can’t remember how many there were when I started off, but it wasn’t a lot. I’ve not been to a BritMums conference since 2011, so its been a long time since I’ve really met many other bloggers from the network.
Getting down to the 16 shortlisted bloggers in the food category is really nice and quite a surprise. There are so many great blogs out there, that I’m quite shocked, in a lovely way.
Stage 2
The BIBS have now opened up for voters to choose which if their favourite blogs from each category will win the overall award for 2014.
I know most of you who read my blog do it by e-mail rather than coming directly to the blog online as I send out the whole post, so I know it would be a big ask to get you to log in online and give me a wee vote, but if any of you feel up to it, I’d be delighted.
Out of the 16 bloggers in each category, there will be 6 finalists in total. 4 will be chosen by blogger votes and 2 will be selected by the BritMums to go forward to the judging panel.
You can only vote once as the form has been designed to only allow one vote per person in each category.
Finalists will be announced on the 23rd May.
Voting is open now and the form will stay online until Friday 16th May.
Obviously, if you do decide to vote for your favourite bloggers, I’d be delighted if you included me as one of the votes in the food category, but even if you don’t vote for me, please do vote in the BiBs as each vote counts for whoever you vote for.
BritMums is hosting an award and party night at BritMums Live on 20th June, and the winners will be announced then.
The last thing I would say is that I wish all the shortlisted bloggers in their categories the best of luck. Thank you to those who put me into the shortlist, I am very grateful for my lovely readers. x
Sponsored: Eating and Drinking in Edinburgh
Scottish food isn’t just about haggis and deep-fried Mars bars you know, although if you want to sample those delicacies they are of course readily available in Edinburgh. But Edinburgh is actually a gourmet’s paradise, packed with fantastic restaurants from the humble-yet-delicious to the Michelin-starred. And of course when dinner is over, there’s always a tempting-looking bar or pub round the corner to have a nightcap in. If you’re planning a short break full of eating and drinking to your heart’s content in the Scottish capital, it’s a good thing it’s easy to find a Travelodge in Edinburgh, so you can use the money you save on the hotel to put towards your dining fund!
Fine Dining
If you want to push the boat out to impress that certain someone, you’ve come to the right place. TV’s Saturday Kitchen regular, the aptly named Tom Kitchin is Edinburgh’s best-known celebrity chef and his two restaurants The Kitchin and Castle Terrace consistently receive rave reviews. Michelin-starred Martin Wishart in Leith also has the accolades and the waiting list to match.
Romance
Edinburgh is full of hidden gems worth tracking down for a date night to remember. The Stockbridge Restaurant, Le Café St Honoré and Angels With Bagpipes will give you the full candlelit experience but when it comes to rolling out the red carpet romance-wise, The Witchery, with its wood paneling, sumptuous food and Castle-side location will give you an evening out you’ll never forget.
Pubs
Edinburgh is famous for its pubs and with good reason – they’re plentiful and for the most part friendly and welcoming. If you fancy a bit of a pub-crawl, the Grassmarket area is the traditional place to start – try The Beehive for your first pint. Rose Street, which runs parallel to the main shopping streets of Princes Street and George Street is another favourite drinking drag – handy if all that shopping brings on a bit of a thirst. The best thing about Edinburgh pubs is of course the Scottish licensing laws, which mean that most venues are open till at least midnight, sometimes later.
On The Go
Edinburgh is packed with fabulous cafes serving up cakes, coffees and more substantial fare. Glass & Thomson in the New Town is the perfect place to relax with a coffee and a slice of cake and Urban Angel on Hanover Street is where to head for a lazy brunch.
Bars
If you fancy making a real night of it, Edinburgh has a thriving bar scene. Also home to the most upmarket shops, George Street is a good place to sample Edinburgh at its most glamorous – try Tigerlily for a pre-dinner drink and you’ll see why. Or Rick’s on Frederick Street and The Bon Vivant on Thistle Street, both of which also do great food, and are perfect places to party with Edinburgh’s beautiful people.
Phew, after all that, you’ll be ready for a good night’s sleep before getting up to do it all again. Cheers!
Win a Pentax WG-3 Digital Camera worth £250 + with Specsavers. Closes 31st May 2014
I’ve teamed up with Specsavers to launch a photography competition. It’s to capture the special bond struck up by children with their friends, siblings or even their family pets from a young age.
The winner of the competition will scoop a Pentax WG-3 digital camera worth more than £250 and a free sight test and eyecare for the winning parent and child, so it’s a really good prize to win. The Pentax WG-3 camera is a waterproof, coldproof, shockproof and crushproof digital camera and comes in orange. I just wish I could enter myself. I’d personally love this camera.
Anyone who reads my blog can enter, and the competition is to celebrate the start of Specsavers ‘two free pairs’ promotion in-store at stores across Scotland, which will see children qualify for one pair of specs free from the NHS and a second free pair from Specsavers free of charge.
Specsavers was founded in 1984 by husband and wife team, Doug and Dame Mary Perkins, who pioneered the optical joint venture partnership model and also revolutionised the industry with their innovative concept of affordable, fashionable eyecare for everyone.
As my optician of choice, specsavers are the suppliers of my current face framing eyewear and contact lenses. I find them good quality, reasonably priced and very friendly.
Dave Quigley, regional chair for Specsavers Scotland,says: ‘To celebrate our fantastic new offer we’re celebrating that perfect pairing that makes our children so happy. We know that at a young age, friendships are vitally important, it’s that bond that we’re hoping to capture through our photography competition.’
The two free pairs offer is available now and is valid for children up to the age of 16. Details and information on NHS sight tests are available in store or online at Specsavers Online.
The Competition:
Obviously I can’t enter, but I’ve included a picture of mine from when my youngest had only been with us for two days. My boys are adopted and three whirlwinds arrived to upset my resident canine baby at the same time.
This picture of the baby with my spoiled young girl lab was the beginning of a long beautiful friendship. She inched closer and closer and they stayed in that spot for almost an hour, sizing each other up. They became instant friends and are still close now that she is nearly 14 and the wee boy in the picture almost 12.
To Enter:
Photos submitted to the competition can be taken by either a child or a relative, so long as they capture the child’s favoured pairing.
The competition will be judged by Specsavers.
I would like to post the winning entry on my blog, as would Specsavers, so please ensure you are happy for it to be published before sending it in.
Obviously I would like everyone who enters (or even those who don’t) to leave a comment and Tweet or Facebook about it, but it isn’t mandatory. As it’s a photographic competition, you can enter by either:
- Tell us your name and which part of the UK you are from in your entry so that we know for publishing the winner.
- Send the photograph to specsavers@scottishmum.com OR
- Writing a blog post and leaving the link in a comment on this post.
Add your entry to the linky below if you wish to share your fabulous photos. I’ve added mine although it doesn’t count, to show you how it will look.
That’s it, easy peasy. The competition will close on the 31st May 2014 at midnight.
As long as I get the photograph and a way to contact you, your entry counts.
Terms and Conditions:
- Closing Date: 31st May 2014 at Midnight.
- The Competition is open to UK Entrants only.
- The Winning entry will be published on the Scottish Mum Blog and Specsavers Promotions.
- 1 Winner will win a Pentax WG-3 digital camera worth more than £250 and a free sight test and eyecare for the winning parent and child.
- The prize will be sent to you from Specsavers.
- The Scottish Mum Blog is not responsible for your prize and cannot be held liable in any way for non delivery or non receipt at your end.
- Winners will be notified within 7 days of giveaway end. If the winner does not respond within 7 days of being notified, a new winner will be drawn.
- The winner will be chosen by Specsavers.
- Scottish Mum Blog and Specsavers reserves the right to amend, add or withdraw this giveaway at any time.
- Ensure you have consent for any persons included in your picture. The Scottish Mum Blog and Specsavers are not liable in the event of publication or the submission of any images without explicit consent of the people included, and the responsible parent or guardian in the case of a minor.
Macaroni Cheese Recipe
Apologies, the photos are a bit rubbish, I just snapped them with my phone.
This recipe is one that I came up with to make macaroni cheese just that little bit better, and with more taste than my older versions. Adding the garlic brings out a fabulously strong taste that is just enough for me to taste but not as much as will put the kids off eating it.
I tend to make macaroni and cheese when I don’t have much time and the kids are saying they’re ravenous. I always have some grated cheese in the freezer and just put it in the microwave on defrost for a few minutes before putting it into my white sauce.
If you don’t have the traditional shaped macaroni, you can use almost any other pasta that you have for a similar effect. I also used to use mozarella, but have now moved to a stronger cheddar, which the kids seem to prefer.
Go on, experiment with your pasta.
Ingredients
Method
- Pop the macaroni pasta into a pan to cook. Add salt, onion and garlic and let it simmer for 15 minutes. If you prefer, you can shallow fry your onions and garlic before adding them to your pasta. When your pasta is cooked, use a colander to drain it, and run at least two kettles full of boiling water through the pasta to take away all the starch.
- You might prefer to make a roux to make your sauce (ie cook flour and butter until it forms and then add milk slowly until it is a smooth mixture). I tend to put my milk into a pan, pop in the butter and let it heat up to almost boiling, and then take it off the heat to add a mix of cornflour and a little cold milk to thicken my sauce, and put it back on the heat to cook in, just in the same way as I would do to thicken gravies etc.
- Put the oven on to heat at around 190C and butter an ovenproof dish. For these quantities, I use a big stone dish that does the job well. you might find you need to split this over a couple of dishes to finish it off in the oven.
- Take the white sauce off the heat and add in 300g of cheddar gradually. Put in a handful and stir until it is melted. You can put it back on a low heat while it is melting.
- Once the cheddar is all melted, pop the macaroni into the sauce and mix well before pouring into the prepared dish for oven baking.
- Sprinkle 100g Grated Cheddar Cheese on the top of your dish and place your halved cherry tomatoes.
- Bake for 15 - 20 minutes, until the top begins to show a golden brown colour.
Can I put cooked garlic mushrooms in the fridge for a couple of days
Neeps is just short for turnips.
Made this last night and it as perfect , i never made bread before and its the first time i…