Mummy & Moose
clapping, napping and yapping our way through the day

3 ways with Rustlers #rustlershack

Bess and Col are always in the fridge.

Honestly, I sometimes cannot believe how much they get through and of course they only ever really want crisps or chocolate. Our rule is that they can help themselves to fruits or vegetables but the other stuff they need to at least try to go easy on!

It’s not just the health aspect which is obviously important but the cost too! As well as those things though it is important to me that they get involved in the kitchen and help out with the preparation of their meals to educate them for the future.

I was recently asked to get involved with the #Rustlershack and try to create a tasty family friendly meal using as a base the Rustlers Southern Fried Chicken burger. I decided that this would be a great thing to do with Col and Bess

This is what we came up with!

Bess chose the ingredients for her creation. Rustlers are known for their burgers microwaveable qualities but Bess wanted to be different. She went for a toasted bun and chose to oven bake her chicken (so it would be crispy) and then she added a grilled pineapple ring and grilled halloumi – salty sweet perfection! She served this with some crunchy vegetable sticks and a glass of cold milk.

Col’s approach was to create what he called the champion of burgers! Again opting for the toasted bun and baked chicken combination to get the best possible texture he added a hash brown, spinach leaves, some cheddar and onion rings along with some BBQ sauce to make a magnificent tower of chicken goodness (his words) and he served that with chips because he is a growing boy!

I have a confession

When it came to my turn I didn’t really fancy a burger. I decided to opt for a salad (both kids rolled their eyes) and I was so glad I did!

I sliced the bun and tossed it in a pan with a little olive oil and garlic powder.  Meanwhile I microwaved the chicken and made my salad of leaves, tomato and avocado. I placed the sliced chicken to the dish and used the burger mayo as a salad dressing. It was hands down one of the tastiest lunches I have ever knocked up in less than 5 minutes!

This was great fun to play around with new ideas for dinnertime and it was great that we could all add our own unique ideas to really make the meals our own. If you would like to get involved you can grab a twinpack Rustlers chicken burger from Tesco!

This post is an entry for Britmums Rustlers Burger Hacking Challenge, sponsored by Rustlers

Let’s Go PJ Masks DVD Review

It’s great when your little one starts to love the characters from a TV show. In terms of development it helps them to learn about empathy and of course it is great for imaginative play long after the show has ended.

It’s not great when they develop said obsession 11 days AFTER Christmas. Moose had absolutely no interest whatsoever in PJ Masks before this but when it hit. Boy, did it hit!

For anyone who’s not in the know

PJ Masks is a series about a group of 3 six year old children. By day Amaya, Greg and Connor are normal kids but by night they don their PJ’s, activate their animal amulets and they become their superhero alter egos: Owlette, Gecko and Catboy!

This is one of the few shows which Moose loves that I quite like too. The animation is cute, the characters are pretty cool and well, it’s not Peppa or Bing.

Moose was given the special superhero assignment of taking a look at the new PJ Masks Let’s Go DVD in exchange for our honest opinion of it and we were happy to oblige!

 

pj masks dvd

The DVD comes in a nice presentation sleeve and includes some stickers which Moose loved! The whole thing runs at 72 mins which is enough time to write a blog post about the PJ Masks DVD or cook dinner and tidy a kitchen or just browse Pinterest (I have checked and double checked and this is accurate)

There are 6 episodes included on the DVD. I won’t say too much because, spoilers! Suffice to say, Moose was thoroughly entertained.

The episodes are called

  • Gekko & the Snore-A-Saurus
  • Catboy and the Shrinker
  • Blame it on the train, Owlette
  • Looking After Gekko
  • Catboy’s Tricky Ticket
  • Clumsy Catboy

pj masks

Moose tells me that his favourite is Gekko & the Snore-A-Saurus. This is no great shock as we see a lot of Gecko impressions at home at the moment.

There were a couple of episodes on the DVD which I am sure we have seen on Tv but to have them all grouped together (thus avoiding adverts) is really handy. Plus, at this age children will not tire of rewatching those episodes anytime soon.

I have no doubt that Moose will enjoy PJ Masks ‘Let’s Go’ over and over and over and over and over and over again…

PJ Masks Let’s Go is available to buy now!

 

Pirate Partying with Baking Mad

January is a bit of a busy month for us. In amongst the ever growing list of birthdays is my nephew Kieran’s. This year he turned 9 and as he is one of our favourite Humans we all wanted to make it memorable for him.

When I was asked to test out a Pirate Party Kit from Baking Mad I knew exactly who we should throw a party for!

Baking Mad sell a kit which provides you with almost everything you need to make an awesome Pirate Cake with a surprise chocolate bean centre.

Included in your kit you will find

  • Allinson Self Raising Flour (1kg)
  • Silver Spoon Icing Sugar (500g)
  • Billington’s Unrefined Golden Caster Sugar (500g)
  • Nielsen-Massey Vanilla Extract (60ml)
  • Black Icing Writing Pen
  • Pirate Cupcake Kit with Cupcake Cases + Toppers
  • Cake Decorating Sugar Paste Brilliant White 250g
  • Cake Decorating Sugar Paste Black 250g
  • Chocolate Beans 250g
  • Cake Board – 10”
  • Recipe and Instruction Booklet

The kit doesn’t come with butter and eggs. I would say that these are things you would probably have already but since you need 9 eggs in total, you will probably need to make that trip to the shops!

The recipe says you need 500g icing sugar but I didn’t have enough and ended up adding another box to my shopping list along with those 9 eggs and 3 packs of butter – I will concede that I did make my buttercream layers quite thick!

I am not a cake maker so this was a great experience but I did also need to buy equipment. Cake tins and a palette knife for smoothing – I accept that these are things which most people own though.

The kit arrived in a lovely lidded box tied with baking mad ribbon. I really felt that the ingredients and the decorations were of a great quality and really well presented.

Kieran happened to pay me a visit a couple of days before his birthday so I showed him the kit and he was really excited. He wanted to help me make the cake so I spent a lovely evening with him baking his birthday cake!

The instructions were easy to follow but I would have liked to have had a page of tips to help out clueless non bakers like me! Luckily I was able to call my Mum and she helped me out.

Tips from my Mum

  • To get the buttercream to lay with a nice flat finish use a hot palette knife. I use a jug of boiling water (drying the knife first of course)
  • Add milk if the icing is too thick
  • Cool the cake thoroughly before icing
  • Use a sharp knife to level the sides of the cake to give an even finish.

I was pretty happy with the finished result!

 

Kierans birthday was a great success! He and his friends all enjoyed the cake (especially when it was cut open to reveal the surprise chocolate inside!) and had lots of fun playing with the Baking Mad Pirate Hats (available to purchase on the Baking Mad website)

I found the process of using a party cake kit a really interesting one. Although I think the cost of the kit might limit how much I would use the service I think it is a great way to introduce yourself to creating a really special birthday cake.

Disclaimer: This was a collaborative post. I received the Party cake kit in return for an honest review

Valentines Gifts 2018

 

1 Matilda Mae Handbag from Mia Tui

I love a handbag and over the years I have amassed quite a collection! I adore the rich colour of this one and the separate compartments inside would make it a great practical choice.

2 A Great Quality Hairbrush from Rock and Ruddle

Rock & Ruddle’s quality boar bristles are strong and resilient, have a natural stiffness that means that they brush the hair thoroughly and yet don’t pull as they are drawn through it.  They have microscopic scales that release and drag the sebum (natural oil) that is produced in the scalp distributing it along the hair making it shiny and healthy looking

3 Fair Trade Flowers

One of the most iconic Valentine’s gifts with a very special value: Fairtrade Roses are handpicked by local farm workers in Kenya. Make a difference and choose to improve the working and living conditions of farmers and workers in Kenya. Spoil your loved one with a bouquet of 12 passionate red roses.

4 Hallmark Itty Bittys

I love the cute and quirky Itty Bittys and this Valentines. We are all really into Superheroes here so of course, Batman and Batgirl were the obvious choice. Other couples versions that are new to the Itty Bittys range include Lady and the Tramp, Miss Piggy and Kermit and Superman and Supergirl.

5 Splurging on a Camera

This one is way up there on my wishlist. The Canon G7X II is an amazing camera and excellent for helping to make memories!

6 Statement Jewellery

We adore this Feminist necklace by Rock and Rose. Is there anything sexier than a man who is not afraid to be with a strong woman?

7 Chambord

A delicious black raspberry liqueur which can be used to make amazing cocktails or (if you are me) an awesome grown up milkshake!

8 Valentines Card

Forgot the card? Don’t worry, Hallmark have you got you covered. They have a massive range of cards to suit all ages and tastes!

9 Luxury Chocolates

Who doesn’t love chocolate?! My advice is to buy the best quality chocolate you can afford. The H Box from Hotel Chocolat is a great gift choice!

QBlogger Queensgate January Sales Event £50

Persuading me to go to the Queensgate Shopping Centre in Peterborough and spend money in the January sales was never going to be a hard sell. 

westgate arcade

As someone who has been self employed for some time, the January sales are usually something I avoid. My work making wedding cake toppers is seasonal and by January we are really feeling the pinch.

It doesn’t mean I am not in the mood to shop though! My challenge on this occasion seemed quite simple.. 

I met up with Jaymee from The Mum Diaries and we of course started our day right by going for breakfast and thinking about how we could complete our individual tasks. Nobody procrastinates like us! 

I did consider buying clothes but a) I have clothes and b) it’s not really outside my comfort zone and c) I’m hoping any day now to wake up a size 10 thus making any clothing bought now surplus to requirements. 

We thought the best approach would be to go and take a look around Queensgate to see what is on offer for those shopping the January sales. Spoiler; there is quite a lot!

During our browsing we actually found shops I didn’t even know existed especially in  Westgate arcade. I will definitely be venturing down there to visit Back To Life – the vintage clothing shop – as well as Style which sells all sorts of gift items.

I headed back to Pulse later the same day to get Bess’s ears pierced and you can read about that soon

Outside of my comfort zone

After some deliberation (call it overthinking if you like) I decided that my challenge could be a great aid to my plan for 2018. New year, new – healthier – me.

I want to learn how to cook! Currently our meals are made using pans which have been handed down to us from various Grandparents or Aunts. Definitely not something I would usually buy.

I headed to Lakeland to see whether they could help. I was in luck!

lakeland sales

The Lakeland sales are officially my favourite! So many lovely (not to mention useful) things at massive reductions. It was quite tough to select from what was on offer because I would have used most of it but here is what I chose

1) 2.1 Litre Casserole Dish

Casserole dishes usually favour function over form, but this stainless steel stunner straddles the gap between oven and table effortlessly. With an elegant, streamlined design based on a Korean rice-making bowl, it has a large rim all the way round instead of paired handles, so it’s really easy to remove from your oven. And the construction ensures it’s not a triumph of form over function, either: with an aluminium core fused between two layers of stainless steel, it provides incredibly even heat distribution with no hot spots and great durability. Also, less washing up!

2) 3 Piece Frying Pan Set

I thought that these pans looked and felt really high in quality and they were reduced to under half price! The raised honeycomb pattern on their base elevates your food to keep it from sticking as you cook, and means it won’t absorb as much oil so it’s a bit healthier too.

3) Knife and Scissors

Swap your chopping knife and board for these one-of-a-kind kitchen scissors and change the way you prepare raw fruit, veg – or even meat – forever.

Incredibly sturdy and easy to hold, their spring-loaded soft-grip handles mean they look more like secateurs than scissors and make it possible to cut through even tougher veg like carrots and leeks with just a simple squeeze.

Featuring only one extra-sharp straight-edged, stainless steel cutting blade and a second flat-edged ‘board’ which acts as a stop for the blade to close against, their clever design allows you to chop, slice or dice with a lot less effort, away from the worktop and straight into your cooking pot or salad bowl.

4) Chef’n® Corn Stripper

Every single time I cook sweetcorn on the cob at least one person complains that they prefer it off the cob. Easy solution for them = less headaches for me! I haven’t see this gadget before but I think it’s fab!

 

I am really pleased with my little haul and the savings were awesome! The total cost of the things I chose should have been £104.96 but altogether they came to a grand total of £45.46 

Now I feel ready to face 2018 and get cracking with my plan to learn how to widen my culinary repertoire!