Tots 100 Family Photograph Competition

Tots 100 is a mecca of information for bloggers and competitions. At the moment, they are running a competition to win a fantastic Panasonic bridge camera from PrinterPix. 

If you are a blogger member of Tots 100 and would like to enter the competition, you can find full details here.  Here is my entry for the Children Aged 5+ category.

I love this photo as my daughter often shys away from the camera but on this occasion, she was captured with her natural smile.  Through all the tantrums and stamping feet, I always think back to this photo whilst counting to 10!

Living by the sea we don't often get snow that actually sticks!  We have been "snowed in" before but in a different way than normal.  We can move around our small town quite easily but as a "one road in, one road out" town, when the snow is bad, nobody can get into the town and nobody can get out!

So this level of snow was quite unusual and definitely put a smile on my daughter's face!

This post is Katie's entry into the Printerpix Photo competition.

Sage sausage baked potatoes - Recommended Recipe!

Sage sausage baked potatoes - ready in 105-120 mins, including baking, serves 6.

Ingredients
coarse sea salt
6 large floury potatoes, washed and pricked
85g/30z butter
4 thick pork sausages (total weight about 225g/8oz), cut into nuggets
6 sage leaves, chopped
100g/4oz cheddar or gruyere, grated
4tbsp double cream

Method

1. Heat the oven too 200C/fan 180C/gas 6.  Sprinkle salt over a baking tray, sit the potatoes on top and bake for 1 1/4 - 1 1/2 hours until crispy and tender.  While the potatoes are in the oven, melt a little of the butter in a frying pan.  Once bubbling, add the sausage slices and fry over a medium heat until lightly coloured and cooked through, about 10 mins.  Remove from heat and set aside.
2. Remove the cooked potatoes from the oven and cut each in half.  Scoop the potato flesh into a bowl, and fork lightly to a crumbly texture, then add the remaining butter and season with a little salt and pepper.  Stir in the sausages and sage and divide between the potato shells.  Mix the cheese and cream, and divide between the potatoes.  You can get the potatoes ready to this stage up to 2 hours ahead.
3. Return the potatoes to the oven for 15-20 mins until golden and bubbling.

Per serving - 459 kcal, 14g protein, 37g carbohydrate, 30g fat, 17g saturated fat, 3g fibre, no added sugar, 1.55g salt.

Source - BBC Good Food magazine.

Chicken and red wine casserole with herby dumplings - Recommended Recipe!

Chicken and red wine casserole with herby dumplings - serves 6, ready in 90-105 mins including 50 mins in the oven.

Ingredients
FOR THE CASSEROLE
6 part-boned chicken breasts
3 tbsp plain flour
3 tbsp olive oil
3 onions, peeled and each cut into 8 wedges
200g/8oz smoked bacon lardons
3 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced
300g/10oz large flat mushrooms, sliced
2 bay leaves
2 tbsp redcurrant sauce
3 strips of peeled orange zest
300ml/1/2 pint red wine
300ml/1/2 pint chicken stock

FOR THE DUMPLINGS
100g/4oz self raising flour, plus extra for dusting
100g/4oz fresh white breadcrumbs
1 tbsp wholegrain mustard
140g/5oz butter, cubed
2 tsp fresh thyme leaves
2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
2 medium eggs, lightly beaten

Method

1. Preheat the oven to fan 180C/200C/gas 6.  Season the chicken with salt and freshly ground black pepper, then coat lightly in a little of the flour.  Heat the oil in a large ovenproof lidded casserole dish and, in batches, brown the chicken on both sides over a high heat.  Remove the chicken and set aside.
2. Reduce the heat, add the onions and lardons and cook for about 5-8 mins so they are golden tinged.  add the garlic, then sprinkle in the plain flour and cook for 1 min, stirring to prevent sticking.
3. Add the mushrooms, bay leaves, redcurrant sauce and orange zest, then pour in the red wine and stock and season with salt and pepper.  Bring to the boil,then return the chicken to the casserole dish, making sure it is well covered with the liquid.  Put on the lid and cook in the oven for 30 mins.
4. While the casserole is cooking, prepare the dumplings.  Put the self-raising flour, breadcrumbs, mustard and butter in a food processor and blitz to a crumb consistency.  Add the thyme, parsley, eggs and salt and pepper.  Briefly blitz until the mixture forms a fairly moist dough.  Using floured hands, roll the dough into 6 large, even-sized balls.
5. Remove the casserole from the oven when the 30 mins is up and sit the dumplings on top.  Pop the lid back on and return to the oven for a further 20 mins, until the casserole is cooked and the dumplings have puffed up.  Spoon the chicken and sauce onto six plates  and top each with a dumpling.  Serve with a rich, fruity red wine.

Per serving - 701 kcal, 47g protein, 38g carbohydrate, 37g fat, 17g saturated fat, 3g fibre, 1g added sugar, 2.55g salt.

Source - BBC Good Food magazine.

Silent Sunday 10th February 2013

The Big Barmouth Knit... In Progress!

Here's an update on our Big Barmouth Knit!  We've had some squares received already and I know there's more on the way.

The Cambrian News (our local newspaper) have covered the event for us and will be present on the day when we announce the winner and present the scarf to Bermo Maoi.

Thanks to everyone who has shared and tweeted about our fundraising efforts... please continue to support us.  You can press the g+1 button below to share this post via Google as well as tweeting and sharing on Facebook.

Here's a link to the original post with the full details of the event... The Big Barmouth Knit.  Keep those knitting needles and crochet hooks on the go!

Free (or cheap!) things to do in half term!

With half term looming and no guarantee of good weather, what can we do to fill our time and keep the young ones occupied?  And the free or cheap side of things comes in when you're self-employed in a seasonal business at the wrong end of the season!

We have 9 days off (including weekends) to fill and while I'm all for the great outdoors and enjoying the beach and mountains that surround us, I cannot bring myself to do a puddle-splashing walk every day!  I don't mind being out and about when it has stopped raining but with the winds and rain we've been having... this half term I just cannot face it!

So, here's our plan for the holiday with wet-weather alternatives in place!  Who's betting we won't even leave the house....

Saturday
Today my children have their karate gradings at the local karate dojo.  While this is far from free or cheap(!), it is good for their self-esteem, self-confidence and general fitness.  So, after today I hope my little Karatekas will have achieved their next belt grade.  Following the gradings sessions, we will be returning home and (weather permitting!) going on a scavenger hunt on the beach for some dry driftwood to make some picture/photo frames later on in the week. 

After stormy weather, our beach is often littered with driftwood and the little bits of rope from stray lobster pots and buoys - my son loves to collect these and keep them for Grandad so "he can make things with them"!  Although my Mum says, "no more wood, please!" as his shed is slowly getting filled with more seaside treasures than it will hold!

If it's wet, windy or both; we will be making some woven placemats from thick paper/thin card.  My daughter made a placemat like this for one of her Brownie badges and has since decided that she can make these to sell at a local craft fair to save up some money!  I initially talked her down from the £5 each figure, deciding on a much more reasonable 50p... I should send her onto Dragon's Den... she can sell anything!


Sunday
Today is Chinese New Year - the year of the snake.  There's loads of activities and crafts ideas over at Activity Village.  I especially like this Paper Roll Snake Puppet and this Paper Plate Snake Mobile.  Both really simple ideas which will keep your children happy for a good couple of hours!  With a difference in age range, you can decorate them as simply or as complex as you wish... using anything from tissue paper and sequins to dried pasta and rice!

Then,  you could cook up a nice Chinese meal for tea - the children can get involved with the preparation and cooking (under supervision!) and try and eat with chopsticks!  Good luck!

A very cheap day today - using craft materials that you already have around the house keeps your costs down.

Monday
Another day outdoors planned, weather permitting!  The Nature Detectives website from the Woodland Trust is a site that I use a LOT during the warmer weather.  There are loads of printables, spotter sheets and craft ideas, arranged by season, so it's very easy to find something fun to do.  Locally to us, we have a lovely open space called "Wern Mynach" where we can explore nature to our heart's content!  Along with a picnic on the pirate ship, we can send all afternoon there!  We'll be taking the First Signs of Spring spotter sheet and the Texture Trail worksheet.

And if bad weather graces us once again, there are plenty of quiz sheets and colouring ideas on their website too!

Tuesday
Our local church, St. John's, runs a great event usually once every six weeks or so where the town's churches come together and run a "Messy Church" session.  It's not as messy as it sounds and although there's a religious theme to the event, it's not formal and is enjoyed by everyone.  They set out craft activities on tables around the church and there's usually a snack for the children (pancakes this week!) and a short address to the families who attend with a story for the children with a meaning behind it, giving them something to think about.  Here's a link to the Messy Church UK website, have a look around and explore the site - for those who "don't do church" you might surprise yourself!

Wednesday
Wednesday will be a walk to the park!  Our local park is of reasonable size and OK for the kids but sometimes it's worth the 20 minute drive to the next town where the park is fantastic!  With equipment suitable from toddlers right up to big kids (me included!) it's great fun but to fully appreciate it, you need a dry day where you can spend more time outdoors enjoying the space.  So if it's a quick visit in between rain clouds, we will stay local but if the forecast is looking good, we'll venture out of town and visit our neighbouring park. 

Hopefully, we will also take a walk around the town, following the well established Town Trail.  It's good to see somewhere you know well from a different point of view and it's always worth being a "tourist" in your own surroundings!  You often find things out you never even knew, even though you walk amongst them daily!

Thursday
In Barmouth, we have a RAOB Buffs Club which is used for many community events and get-togethers.  The lady who runs the club is fantastic at getting things organized and involving different age groups in the community.  This week she is holding a Valentine's Disco for the children in the town.  Free entry, so anyone local get your glad rags on and have a dance!

Friday
Today's plan is a trip to the local library.  For a small town, we have a lovely library with a great selection of English, Welsh and bi-lingual books for children and adults alike.  My son tends to pick his book quickly and then enjoys playing with the Lego-style blocks they have in the children's corner while my daughter reads nearly the first chapter in each before deciding!  I wouldn't mind but we've got more Lego at home than you can shake a stick at but it's the old tale of someone else's toys are better than your own!

As a Welsh learner myself, the library is a great place to browse books to help with my language skills and the librarians are great as I can practice my Welsh in a real life situation with someone who won't laugh when I make a mistake!

There are also Story Sacks available at our library - these are a great tool as the accessories in each pack really bring the story to life.

Saturday
Today, we're heading out for a day trip to the National Slate Museum at Llanberis.  From the 14th to 17th February, they have a Model Railway Show on for a great day out for train lovers!  The museum is free to visit and there's plenty to see and do.  As part of the Railway event, children can have free rides on the miniature steam engines and you can even bring your own 00 gauge trains and have a go on the track layouts yourself.

All National museums in Wales are free to visit and it's a great way of getting your children interested in the heritage of the country.  So bring a picnic and your day will be pretty cheap and fun-filled!  The hardest part will be keeping the children awake in the car on the way home so they will go to bed on time that evening!

Sunday
Well, Sunday will be a day of rest!  A nice relaxed day with a walk along the prom and round the harbour and (if the sun shines...) a well-deserved ice cream!

What do you have planned for the half term break?  Or do you take it one day at a time?  Whatever you decide to do, I hope the weather treats you kindly and there's a smile a day!

Soy roast duck with hoisin gravy - Recommended recipe!

Soy roast duck with hoisin gravy - serves 6, ready in 30-40 minutes.

Ingredients
FOR THE DUCK
6 boneless duckling breasts, each about 175g/6oz
4 tbsp soy sauce
1 heaped tsp 5-spice powder
2 tbsp clear honey
FOR THE GRAVY
2x 300g tubs fresh chicken stock
4 tbsp hoisin sauce
4 thin slices fresh ginger, no need to peel
dash of sesame oil

Method

1. Prick the duck's skin really well with a fork to help release the fat from the skin as it roasts.  Mix the soy, 5-spice and honey in a large bowl, add the duck and coat well.  Cover and place in the fridge until ready to roast.
2. For the gravy, tip the stock into a pan, add the hoisin sauce and ginger and boil for a few minutes to make a smooth gravy.  Add the sesame oil and set aside.

TO SERVE
Preheat the oven to fan 180C/Gas 6.  Pour 1 litre of water in the base of a roasting tin and place a rack over the top - this stops the fat from the duck dripping on to the tin, then burning and filling the kitchen with smoke.  Lift the duck from the marinade and arrange on rack, skin side up.  Roast for 20 minutes for medium and 30 minutes for well done.  Slice each breast in half.  Spoon some rice onto each plate; top with halved duck breasts.  Add any meat juices from the duck to the hoisin gravy and pour a spoonful or two over the duck.  Serve the remaining rice and gravy separately.

Per serving - 448 kcal, 29g protein, 9g carbohydrate, 33g fat, 9g saturated fat, 7g added sugar, fibre none, 3.22g salt.

Source - BBC Good Food magazine.