Recipes, reviews and recreation with the Madhouse Family - one parent, three kids, one dog, all bilingual !
Sunday, 31 July 2011
Saturday, 30 July 2011
Nair Pretty Naturals Naturally Smooth Hair Removal Cream review
I have to say, I really don't like hair removal creams. On the rare occasions that I've used them in the past, I've found that - whatever the brand - firstly, they stink of rotten eggs, and secondly, they don't work. At best, they remove some hair but not all of it, leaving you with hairy legs with patchy bald bits that look even worse than before you started. Or you wipe off the cream and your legs look exactly the same as when you started. Ever since my teens, I've been a razor kind of girl.
But, my - *sniff* - little girl is getting all grown up. In two weeks, just as we fly home from Turkey, she'll be celebrating her 10th birthday. Double figures ! How old does that make me feel ?! And one of the things that has been bothering her is having hairy legs when she gets her shorts and swimsuit out. At first, I brushed it off with a "oh, don't worry about it, nobody will even notice at your age" ! but then I noticed that she was really feeling self-conscious and we had a girlie heart-to-heart. Apparently, someone called her Gorilla legs at school when she wore a skirt and now she's all self-conscious ! I have to say, she does have very hairy legs, but luckily the hairs are blonde so not very noticeable.
But we'll be in shorts all the time in Turkey for the next fortnight so I said we'd use a special cream to get rid of the hair. I looked in the cupboard and found a tube of Nair. As this was a total first for her, I used it with her at the same time, sneakily expecting to finish off the job properly with a razor when she was in bed.
Well, I was gobsmacked to see it actually worked ! I had short dark stubble, which wiped off with the cream after leaving it on for 5 minutes. Sophie, who had finer longer hairs, was also left with totally smooth, hairless legs and you could actually see clumps of "fur" on the flannel we used to wipe off the cream ! I was amazed, Sophie was over the moon, big smiles all round for going on holiday tomorrow and maximum "fab Mum" points !
The product we used was Nair Pretty Naturals Naturally Smooth Hair Removal Cream. The label says : "The delicious raspberry formula is gentle to sensitive skin and results last twice as long as shaving". Well, it has a lovely raspberry fragrance in the tube but it still has that unpleasant sulphur-like undertone when you've spread it all over your legs. Luckily, it doesn't linger after you've wiped and rinsed it all off.
It has a really moisturising formula too so our legs are in perfect condition for a fortnight in the sun. As a first-time for Sophie, it all went really well so I'm sure she'll be a Nair-fan for life ! I have to say, even I've been converted too and found the whole experience much more positive than I was expecting. I'm still blown away that for once, it actually worked !
The 150ml tube did both of our legs up to the knees with a little bit left over. We used a very thick layer of cream, so you could possibly get away with using less, but I wanted to give it the best possible chance of working. Which it did ! Amazingly !
star rating : 4.5/5
RRP : £5.10 for 150ml
for more information : http://www.naircare.co.uk/p_naturally_smooth_information.php
Other reviews you may be interested in :
Friday, 29 July 2011
John Crane High Tea Shape Matching Game review
Since winning a fabulous collection of products in their summer photography competition last year (with our Where in the World is Jenny Woodenmum? blog that you can see here - it might inspire you to get creative with the kids in the holidays ! You should also check out the John Crane Blog (here) which is what inspired us in the first place), I am a total wooden toy convert and a HUGE John Crane fan. I've been amazed to see the extent to which, once you remove the flashing lights and electronic noises that pretty much all modern toys have, kids will instantly revert to creative play, making up stories and using their imaginations to really bring the toys to life. On top of that, wood is so much more resistant than plastic so the toys are really built to last.
I was therefore over the moon when the opportunity came up, via the Blog Match programme (see the badge on my sidebar) to try out their High Tea Shape Matching Game. I wasn't prepared for quite how lovely it is and, when it's not being played with, it's kept on the shelf as a decorative object because it's so pretty and perfectly matches Juliette's pink/purple colour scheme in her bedroom.
Both 6-year-old Juliette and 9-year-old Sophie immediately oohed and aahed about just how pink and pretty it is ! But Pierre wasn't put off in the slightest by the colour and immediately sat down, taking out the beautiful little cakes and trying to fit them back into the right holes.
But this shape-sorting fun was just the beginning. The little individual cakes are so realistic and detailed that Juliette couldn't resist using them in a Woodenmums tea party. (This is where I really kick myself that both cameras are currently charging, getting ready for our holiday next week - I've been scheduling posts so you won't even notice I'm gone !! - so I haven't got any snaps to show you, but I'll take some next time and add them to this post !)
They're great for little pretend tea parties, but also for creating a lovely baker's shop to play in, which is a great way of practising maths skills - adding and subtracting and even multiplication tables if you sit down and create a price list before you start. See ? All you need is a little imagination, even as a parent !
The maths aspect continues when it's time to put the cakes away, back on the pretty two-tiered stand. Each one has a number on the base which you need to match with the same number in the corresponding hole, so it's great for number recognition skills, as well as coordination and fine motor skills.
But above all, it's very beautiful, great fun to play with and perfect for imaginative role play. Which is what I always end up saying every time I review anything from John Crane !
The High Tea Shape Matching Set is available from all good toy stores including Dillon’s ToyBox – http://www.dillonstoybox.com/john-crane-tidlo-high-tea-set-825-p.asp - but keep your eyes open because there will be a fabulous giveaway coming up right here on my blog where you can win your very own.
star rating : 5/5
RRP : £23.95
for more information : http://www.john-crane.co.uk/ / twitter @johncraneblog / www.facebook.com/johncranetoys
Other reviews you may be interested in :
Go Ape summer photo competition - adventure prize pool worth £20,000 !
I seem to be hearing about loads of great competitions at the moment but I know a lot of you are comping-addicts so I'll keep sharing them with you ! Good luck if you enter and as always, feel free to leave us a link to your photos if you're looking for votes. Can't wait to hear about the outdoor adventures you get up to over the summer !
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Kick-start your summer adventure with Go Ape!
Summer campaign reveals adventure prize pool worth £20,000
Go Ape, the UK’s number one tree-top adventure brand, has launched its exciting new summer campaign encouraging friends, couples, families and extremists to get outdoors and have some fun; something that is often neglected when routines and chores get in the way.
With Go Ape’s six-week summer season now live, running from 25 July to 4 September, adventure seekers will have the opportunity to get involved in a fun, social and interactive competition with an array of exciting prizes on offer. Applicants are being invited to take a picture of their best summer adventure moments and upload it via www.goape.co.uk/summer . All applicants who have submitted uploads will instantly be rewarded with a 25 per cent discount at Go Ape this summer, giving them the opportunity to embark on a tree-top adventure.
Applicants must share their images socially in order to drive votes by sending to friends and family. Those with the most popular photos will be in with a chance of winning a prize from the BIG adventure prize fund, worth £20,000. The prizes fund includes offerings from three handpicked brand partners - a ski holiday for two from Neilson, four family mountain bikes and accessories from Saracen, cameras from GoPro, and kit bags from Merrell, filled with footwear and apparel.
With this campaign, Go Ape aims to put fun back on the agenda, creating adventures and encouraging others to live life adventurously and to share their most memorable outdoor activity highlights this summer. So, whether you’ve just had a go at your first bungee jump, climbed a mountain or simply embarked on your first camping trip, Go Ape wants to be the first to hear about it.
To be amongst the first to sign up, the campaign is now live at www.goape.co.uk/summer .
Other blogposts you may be interested in :
Little Princess - I Want To Play App review
A few months ago, I wrote a money-saving blogpost (here) about recycling your kids old clothes in creative ways and was over the moon to be picked as the winner of a brand new iPad 2 on the PlayPennies.com website. Well, it's been in the house for a few weeks now and we're all having great fun downloading apps, playing games and discovering all the functionalities it offers.
More great news is that I can now get involved with reviewing some of the great kids apps that are released that I used to have to turn down. The first one we were sent a code for is the Little Princess - I Want To Play app, which is available for ipod, ipad and iphone.
The app offers four mini games.
There's a dress-up game (you can kit the Little Princess out with a variety of clothes, shoes and accessories).
A Rabbit Bopper game (you have to bop the rabbits on the head when they pop out of holes but not the dog or the cat).
Then there's a Pairs game.
And a dog/cat-washing game, which is 6-year-old Juliette's favourite. You have to rub the animal all over to get him totally covered in lather then pop all the bubbles. It's strangely addictive and even 9-year-old Sophie keeps coming back to it !
The games are very simple and I left Juliette to it to see if she could work out what to do without me reading the little guidelines to her. She worked it all out no problem (except for the bit about not bopping the cat and dog on the head along with the rabbits !) and played happily for about half an hour, managing to switch between the different games by herself.
She's also come back to the app several times, trying to beat her high score on the timed games but also just having fun dressing up the Little Princess and washing the animals.
It's a lovely, calm app that will keep any Little Princess fan occupied.
star rating : 4/5
RRP : £1.99
for more information : http://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/little-princess-i-want-to/id449169362?mt=8
Other reviews you may be interested in :
Thursday, 28 July 2011
Giveaway #107 - Free ecookbook DinneRevolution worth $27 - everyone wins !
I recently received an email from the lovely Chef Jeff (admittedly, not his real name but it does have a definite ring to it !) who is trying to create some buzz and get some feedback for his new ecookbook called DinneRevolution. To this end, he is willing to give it away for free to readers of Madhouse Family Reviews in return for your views, which is a pretty good deal when you know it is usually on sale for $27.
I've had a look and I love the idea behind the book : "Whether you are trying to watch your weight, trying to cut down on your fast food runs, or simply wanting more family time around the table, these recipes will do the trick. I purposely made the recipes family friendly, and super simple to make. These aren’t the fancy, sophisticated, and timeconsuming recipes that I cook for my upscale clients, but rather fun, interesting, and delicious recipes for the modern palate. You will find healthier and updated versions of many of your favorite classics, plus new and exciting recipes that I have developed using my extensive travels as inspiration. I have purposely made the recipes so that most of them have less than ten ingredients and take less than 30 minutes to prepare. I realize that in today’s busy lifestyle people simply don’t have the time or desire to spend all day in the kitchen." So far so good !
A quick scan through the contents list revealed lots of interesting recipes that caught my eye, including Hawaiian Stir Fry Chicken, Pretzel & Honey-Dijon Chicken Tenders, Turkey & Stuffing Soup, Coconut & Almond Crusted Fish Sticks, Crabcakes with Mango, Farmers Market Vegetable Paella ...
They are written for an American audience so you will have to do a bit of converting of measurements and ingredients, but they all sound very accessible, not to mention delicious.
To get your free ecookbook containing over 200 recipes, just go to http://www.dinnerevolution.com/free-offer and enter your name and email. Now, being a cynic, I did ask for confirmation that he wouldn't sell these on to spammers and he has reassured me that he won't, it's just to get feedback and give you the option of signing up for his daily recipe newsletter.
Enjoy ! And, as Chef Jeff says, "Let's get the family back to the dinner table and out of the fast food joints!"
Other giveaways you may be interested in :
Giveaway #106 - Win 3 copies of The Baby of Belleville - closed - winners @kohsamuirosie @Dorothee77 @elkiedee
Earlier in the week, I reviewed (here) the quirky, fun read, The Baby of Belleville by Anne Marsella and I'm pleased to be able to offer you the opportunity of winning one of three copies.
To be in with the chance of winning, just do the following two things :
(1) leave me a comment in the comments box with a way of contacting you (twitter name or email). If I don't hear back from you within a week, I'll have to pick another winner.
(2) comment on any of my other blogposts and tell me where you commented (other giveaways don't count and each comment only counts for one giveaway !)
Bonus entries :
You can do any or all of the following for bonus entries - just make sure you leave me one comment per entry so that they're all counted !
(1) Follow me on twitter (@cherylp59) and tweet about my comp - this is now dead easy if you click on the tweet button on the right-hand side bar. Feel free to shorten if necessary, or you can make up your own tweet. Make sure you copy in @cherylp59 so I can track this.
(2) I love reading your comments so leave me some extra comments on my other blogposts (maximum 5) and I'll give you a bonus entry for each one ! Just remember to leave me a comment here each time to tell me you've done so.
(3) I've created a facebook page for Madhouse Family Reviews so I'd love for you to become a follower on there too - http://www.facebook.com/pages/Madhouse-Family-Reviews/144910798898626
(4) Subscribe to my blog by email (near the top of the right-hand sidebar) so that all the new posts pop into your inbox in a handy digest every morning
(5) follow my blog with Google Friends Connect (over on the side bar on the right)
UK only. Closing date : 19/8/11
Other current giveaways you may be interested in :
When I Was A Kid Personalised Wooden Name Train review
As you may have noticed if you've been paying attention to the different badges and buttons over on my side bar, I'm a WOW me member. If you click on the badge, you'll see that this takes you through to the When I Was A Kid website, which is an absolute treasure trove for gifts and toys reminiscent of the good old days. Forget cheap plastic tack, because you won't find any, but you will find sturdy, traditional wooden toys and things that will make you go "oooh I used to have one of those !", like kaleidescopes, hobby horses and retro-style pedal cars.
We've been lucky enough to review a number of John Crane toys here on this blog (which you will also find for sale on the When I Was A Kid website), and we've been consistently impressed with the quality of the wooden toys, as well as the fact that once you remove the flashing lights and the electronic noises that kids are now so used to, you'll actually notice that they start really using their imaginations and creativity to play. If you need extra proof of that, just check out the entire blog (here) that we created last year with the Pin Toy family of wooden dolls. It kept the kids (ahem - and the grown-ups !) amused for the whole summer and had the kids dreaming up stories involving the dolls every single day !
But back to the review at hand ! Paul Warner, who describes himself as "Daddy and Owner", is a lovely person who really puts customer service at the fore, going the extra mile to keep his customers (and their kids) happy. (You'll start thinking this is a sponsored post in a minute - it isn't, I'm not being paid a penny or receiving the slightest freebie ! I just like to point out the really genuinely nice small business owners when I find them ! )
You can follow Paul/When I Was A Kid's twitter feed @wheniwasakid and, a few weeks ago, I happened to see a tweet go by offering a free personalised name train if you paid the postage. I ordered one, expecting a slight second or inferior quality product, as it was free, and was really impressed when it arrived. It's not only perfect but also beautiful.
As you can see, it has pride of place on Pierre's shelf in his bedroom but it also comes down very often on to the floor for some proper playing and it's withstood all the races and crashes that a 2-year-old and a 6-year-old playing together can come up with !
The little clasps and catches holding the trains together are simple to undo and reattach and it's even an educational toy - 9-year-old big sister Sophie has tried SO HARD to rearrange the letters into a rude word and has so far failed miserably ! The best she could come up with was Err Pie ! Keep trying Sophie !!
The personalised aspect makes this a lovely gift that your kids will cherish and it works as both a decorative element for the nursery as well as a real toy for the kids to play with. And it's made of wood so it's built to last, as well as being better for the environment.
star rating : 5/5
RRP : varies from £5.25 for 1 letter (+ the front & back carriages added for free)-£35 (for the whole alphabet) - as an example, the PIERRE train above would cost £14
for more information : http://www.wheniwasakid.co.uk/personalised-wooden-name-train-226-p.asp
Other reviews you may be interested in :
Children's Book review : Lob - Linda Newberry
Lob is a lovely tale of garden magic, mysterious mystical creatures, a wonderful bond between a grandad and his granddaughter and the joy of having an open mind.
Lob is the name of a Green Man who lives in Grandad's garden and helps him out in his vegetable patch. To most people, he is invisible but Grandad and Lucy sometimes catch a slight glimpse of him - a rustle in the bushes, a blur of green and brown, a smell of leaf mould and wet earth, a sound of almost-laughter or a pair of mischievous green eyes peeking out of the foliage. To everybody else, he's just an imaginary friend, a fairy story made up by Lucy's grandad. When Grandad dies and Grandma moves away to new house, Lucy fears she will never see Lob again. But the bonds of magic and friendship are strong and their paths are destined to cross again.
The lovely hardback book with large text and big double-page black-and-white illustrations is a lovely storybook to share with young readers. It's a great book to read together, as the text is easy to see but the language isn't "dumbed down" so you'll need to be on hand to help with difficult words.
The fairytalesque plotline will appeal to children but it also evokes some deeper issues - the loss of a loved one, trust and betrayal, friendship, learning to keep secrets and the importance of an open mind.
If your children have read and been captivated by the tale of Lob, I wholeheartedly recommend a trip to Hastings (my home town) for May Day weekend, where they will get to see a real life "Lob" at the Jack in the Green celebrations. You can find out more and see photos at the Hastings Jack website (here). It would be the perfect way to bring the book to life and add a whole new level to the magic !
star rating : 4.5/5
RRP : £10.99 (but £7.14 on amazon - also available in paperback)
Hardcover: 217 pages
Publisher: David Fickling Books (4 Feb 2010)
Language English
ISBN-10: 0385610815
ISBN-13: 978-0385610810
Other reviews you may be interested in :
Wednesday, 27 July 2011
Fill in the infant feeding survey (for mums of under 3's & mums to be) and win prizes !
I've just been contacted by Allegra Strategies, who have been commissioned to carry out the largest research programme in the UK nursery market, and they are looking for views on infant feeding from expecting mums and mums with kids aged 3 years and below. Whether your child is/was/will be breast or bottle-fed, or a mixture of both, please head over and fill out the survey. It will take you about fifteen minutes and to thank you, you will be entered into a prize draw.
But on top of that, the five parenting blogs that send over the most participants will be sent some great prizes to share with their readers. The first question will be "how did you hear about this survey ?" so please select "Blogging Mothers" then "Madhouse Family Reviews/@cherylp59" from the drop-down menu. If I win, you win !
The link to the survey is http://www.allegrastrategies.com/project-kinder.aspx and if you also leave me a message here to say you've entered from here, it will make it much easier to track.
Thanks in advance and good luck !
Other blogposts you may be interested in :
Children's book review : Mistress of the Storm - M. L. Welsh
Wow ! I picked up this book, expecting to appreciate it in the capacity of a parent as a children's book, and ended up staying up late into the night reading for my own pleasure ! I loved it so much, I raced through it in three days.
The opening pages reminded me a bit of an Enid Blyton story, a slightly less twee version of a Famous Five adventure, but the story carefully blends magic and mayhem with a more realistic look at child psychology. Verity Gallant, the totally unknowing heroine of the unfolding story, is a kind-hearted teen but doesn't seem to fit in. Whether it be at school, where her outdated clothes and slightly bookish ways make her an easy target for the bullies, or at home, where she feels like an ugly duckling next to her beautiful, slim, blonde sister Poppy, she seems destined to always be the outsider, never fitting in and never feeling at ease in her own skin.
At the start of the book, she doesn't really have any friends at all, apart from the strange, elderly Alice who she visits regularly. As the story progresses, she hooks up with Henry, an equally rejected schoolmate, and new girl Martha. There's even a slight whisper of a teen crush in the dashing Jeb, who disappears to see the world at the end of the book but I hope he will come back in a future adventure. She even has mixed emotions and a touch of the green-eyed monster when she discovers her mother is expecting a new baby. Many teens and tweens, particularly those having a hard time, will relate to her.
But that's as far as the realism goes. When Verity comes across a mysterious stranger in the library and is told that The Storm is Coming, little does she know that she is about to get swept up in an exciting and dangerous adventure, involving ancient curses, betrayal and murder, tales of shipwreckers and smugglers, dark magic, powerful amulets and deep dark family secrets. Verity knows nothing of her incredible family history, so we uncover the past, present and future at the same time as her.
I love the fact that such a daring, adventurous and death-defying character is a girl. Tweens of both sexes will enjoy reading this exciting tale of adventures and revenge but I love to see such a powerful female lead, which makes a change to much children's fiction which is too gender-stereotyped. I was actually reminded of a cross between Jacqueline Wilson's Hetty Feather and Michelle Lovric's Undrowned Child.
If you're looking to get your kids reading over the summer holidays, this is such an exciting read they'll find it irresistible. But it's too good to keep for the kids so make sure you have a read too ! The book finishes with a sneak preview chapter of the next book in the series so I can't wait to find out what else Verity will get up to when that comes out.
star rating : 5/5
RRP : £6.99 (but only £4.99 on amazon)
Paperback: 352 pages
Publisher: David Fickling Books (PB) (2 Jun 2011)
ISBN-10: 184992015X
ISBN-13: 978-1849920155
Other reviews you may be interested in :
Tuesday, 26 July 2011
Ultimate Guide to Buggy Friendly Britain - Get Nominating & Win !
Britax are looking for nominations of baby-friendly places to create the Ultimate Guide to Buggy-Friendly Britain. The idea is for mums and dads across the country to share places they love taking their young family – it could be a café with a buggy parking section, a library that does readings for toddlers, or a shopping centre with a soft play area. Absolutely anywhere that welcomes children and makes it easier for parents.
Head over to facebook to recommend your favourite places – anyone that nominates will also be entered into a prize drawer to win a Britax B-SMART.
All the information is on their Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/babyonboardUK?sk=app_208195102528120
Other blogposts you may be interested in :
3M Ultrathon insect repellent review
Zzzzzzzzz - zzzzzzzzzz - zzzzzzzzzz. Is there any noise more guaranteed to prevent a good night's sleep than that ? No, it wasn't Madhouse Daddy Mike's snoring (for once !). Just as I turned out the light, I heard the tinny whine of a mosquito buzzing just millimetres from my ear. Now, I know getting bitten by a mosquito isn't the end of the world and it won't kill you (unless you're in malaria-infested tropical climes) but my defence mechanism always automatically kicks in, waking me from a deep sleep and filling my body with adrenalin.
Well, last night, I'd been reading until silly o'clock (look out for a book review for Mistress of the Storm coming in the next day or two !) and was too tired to get up and start throwing socks at the ceiling to try and squish it (plus I thought I might miss and wake up the aforementioned sleeping hubby ! It's not just sleeping dogs that are best left alone !) so I resigned myself to getting bitten during the night. Luckily, I now have my trusty Zap-It (that I reviewed here) which really does work for stopping the heat and itchiness of mosquito bites and, despite my initial apprehension, really doesn't hurt at all.
But, ten minutes later, I suddenly remembered that I had a can of Ultrathon insect repellent sitting in my "to be reviewed" box at the side of the bed. Aha, the perfect time to try it out ! I remember reading in the press release that the product was originally developed for the military and is the product of choice for outdoor survival experts such as Ray Mears, so I was keen to see if it would work. I did a few sprays on my arms and neck area and a vague spray in the general area of the sleeping hubby and turned out the light.
Two minutes later, I rolled over on to my side and kicked off the covers because I was too hot and, as I drifted off to the Land of Nod, my last thought was "Oh poo, now I've just uncovered my legs and the back of my neck to the fangs of the vampire mosquito and I didn't put any spray on those parts. Oh well, too late now ...".
Well, this morning, I was stunned to see that I hadn't been bitten at all. And neither had Madhouse Daddy Mike and I'd literally only sprayed a few microdroplets in his general direction. Unbelievable ! Especially as I didn't hear the mosquito buzzing about at all after spraying the Ultrathon and it had been gaily divebombing me and menacingly circling the bed for ten minutes beforehand.
The manufacturers explain : "The secret behind the product’s success is its advanced Time Release Protection. This technology means the DEET ingredient slowly evaporates providing protection long after other DEET repellents have dissipated. This means Ultrathon offers up to 12 hours of protection against mosquitoes, and with the added benefit of being splash and sweat resistant, the need for re-application is also reduced. Ultrathon products not only protect against mosquitoes but a whole host of other bugs including midges, ticks, horseflies, fleas and sandflies."
Well, I can vouch for the fact that, for mosquitoes at least, it certainly seems to work. And if it's good enough for Ray Mears in the jungle, it's good enough for me in the bedroom ! I would have preferred a more natural formula but it's certainly effective.
star rating : 4.5/5
RRP : available in a 60ml lotion offering extended protection of up to 12 hours or a convenient 125ml spray offering 8 hours protection - both £8.29
for more information : www.ultrathon.co.uk
Schwartz review #4 : Easy Stir Fry Lemon Grass, Ginger and Coconut
I use a lot of herbs and spices in my cooking, including many products from Schwartz, so when they offered to spice up my life (or at least my kitchen ! - see here) and send through a selection of products to try out, I didn't expect to find much I'd never tried. I have to say, their tubes of stir fry paste were a new one to me though. I'd never seen those before, let alone tried them, so we were very happy to have received the Easy Stir Fry Lemon Grass, Ginger and Coconut flavour to try out.
I hastily assembled a few likely candidates for ingredients from the fridge - some mushrooms, chicken fillet and leftover cooked vegetables. I also found some Chinese noodles that needed using up in the cupboard and sent Sophie to the shop at the corner for some onions and peppers. That'll do nicely !
Some onions sizzling in the wok is always a good way to start whatever it's going to develop into. A lot of my cooking just comes together as I'm making it, so I don't necessarily have a plan before I start !!
Time to fry the chicken. A generous shake of Garlic Salt always helps bring out the flavours.
Next up is the fresh veggies - mushrooms and red, green and yellow peppers, which looked like a traffic light, as Sophie pointed out !
Once that was all cooked, I could throw in the cooked veg and stir, stir, stir !
Now, let's try out the Stir Fry paste. If you look at the twelve o' clock position in the wok, you can see the paste squeezed all over a piece of chicken but you'll have to look closely.
Ta-da, the finished dish ! I was initially a bit worried that the taste of ginger and lemon grass would overpower the taste of everything else because they are two ingredients that I often find overly pungent but it's actually a very delicate flavour that just adds a hint of Oriental flavours to your cooking.
Happy faces all round !
I was pleased to see that the paste contains natural ingredients rather than artificial flavours. The ingredients list contains : Lemon Grass (25%), Coconut (17%), Ginger (14%), Water, Spirit Vinegar, Sugar, Vegetable Oil, Salt, Modified Maize Starch, Preservative (Potassium Sorbate), Spice. 100g of product contains 217 calories and I did use the whole tube in one go (the instructions say to use half a tube, and you can keep it in the fridge once opened for four weeks, but I'd used a lot of chicken so I doubled up the quantity, otherwise the flavours weren't strong enough).
On the product page (here), Schwartz propose four recipes to try with the paste - Lemon Grass, Ginger and Coconut Chicken Stir Fry; King Prawn Stir Fry; Lemon Grass & Coconut Stir Fry with Pork Meatballs ; and Vietnamese Warm Chicken Salad.Or you can just throw it in the wok with whatever you have in the fridge, as we did !
The Easy Stir Fry range also includes Chilli ; Chinese 5 Spice, Ginger & Garlic ; Garlic ; Sweet & Sour ; and Garlic, Ginger & Spring Onion. They make a nice alternative to jars of cooking sauce if you want a lighter, less liquid option so I'll be investigating the other varieties too.
star rating : 4/5
RRP : £1.95 for 75g
for more information : http://www.schwartz.co.uk/productdetail.cfm?ID=10695
Other reviews you may be interested in :
Monday, 25 July 2011
Zoflora Antibacterial Disinfectant review
Whenever I do the housework, I love using products with big bold fragrances that make the house smell lovely and fresh. It makes me feel happy and smiley and makes cleaning less of a chore. It leaves a lovely scent lingering in the rooms after I've finshed cleaning. And, last but not least, when Madhouse Daddy Mike comes through the door, he can't fail to notice that I've been working hard around the house cleaning and not blogging all day long, as I'm sure he thinks I do. Pffff the chance would be a fine thing, even if I am on holiday !!
But, however lovely the fragrance, I still need to know that the product is actually working hard at keeping my floors and surfaces not just dirt but also germ free. Zoflora products ticks all the right boxes.
They have a range of concentrated disinfectant products with lots of really lovely fragrances, twelve in all in fact, including Bouquet, Lavender and - the two we were sent to review - Springtime and Limited Edition Apple Orchard. Springtime smells lovely and fresh and floral and I think I can detect a backnote of citrus - I love using this in the kitchen. Apple Orchard smells of crisp green apples so I feel like I've bitten into a Granny Smith while sitting out in the back garden. I love using this one in the bedrooms and lounge because it smells so fresh and natural and invigorating and feels like bringing the outside inside.
The bottles are tiny, especially when compared to most cleaning product bottles, containing only 120ml, so they look more like a big bottle of hand sanitiser than a bottle of household cleaner, but that's because it's highly concentrated so you can dilute it to a 1 in 40 solution. That means that one 10ml capful makes 400ml so one small bottle makes up an amazing 4.8 litres of cleaning solution. No more lugging huge bottles home from the shops, less plastic to make the packaging and less bottles in landfill so it's a win-win situation.
The label promises a 3-in-1 action, namely a very impressive 99.9% of bacteria and viruses killed, odours eliminated and all day freshness. It's a very versatile product because you can use it with a mop or floorcloth, put it in a spray bottle for work surfaces or even use it neat in sinks, drains and toilet bowls.
I love the fact that the fragrances smell natural and fresh like perfume, not a harsh bleach smell partially disguised by fragrance, as you get with some products. I was actually surprised to see just how effective it is at killing germs, given the gorgeous fragrances.
But Zoflora don't just make gorgeous-smelling concentrated disinfectant. They also sent me through a bottle of Antibacterial Bin Fresh Gel to try out. We always use bin bags in our kitchen bin (the rather fabulous Simplehuman Deluxe Rectangular Recycler that we reviewed here) but even so, they sometimes leak and in the summer months, this can lead to nasty whiffs and flies. 2-year-old Pierre has recently discovered how to step on the pedal to open the bin and thinks this is incredibly enjoyable so I spend half my time wiping it down to keep the germs away. The Zoflora Antibacterial Bin Fresh Gel does the job perfectly and has another gorgeous fragrance, this time called Rainfresh. It smells fresh and clean, slightly floral and utterly gorgeous. So much so that cleaning my kitchen actually puts a smile on my face - and believe me, that's pretty unbelievable !
Zoflora have such amazing fragrances that I'm quite excited to tell you that there's currently a competition going on on twitter to guess the new fragrance that Zoflora will be releasing. The closing date is midday on Wednesday so you'll have to be quick and they're posting clues on twitter so make sure you scan through the Zoflora twitter feed at http://twitter.com/#!/LoveZoflora.
The two clues so far have been :
Hint #1! The scent from our new fragrance originates from East Asia, though it can be viewed in parks all over the world
and
Hint #2! Our new limited edition fragrance combines delicate flowers w/ a sweet summery fruit. Can you guess our new scent?
and the third and final clue will be revealed tomorrow. You get five guesses each so get your thinking caps on ! They will be giving away a 250ml bottle of the new fragrance and a pair of flowery gloves to 30 lucky Tweeps.
Good luck ! And happy cleaning !
star rating : 5/5
RRP : £1.22 for concentrated disinfectant (120ml), £3.97 for Bin Fresh Gel (375ml)
for more information : http://www.zoflora.co.uk/
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Anybody for Yorkshire Pudding ice cream ?!
Now, I may be hosting a giveaway for some lovely baked Northern goodies from Bakestone (see here if you haven't entered already) and I may have given them a perfect 5/5 score when I reviewed them (here), but even so, I can't help but wrinkle my nose up at the thought of Yorkshire Pudding ice cream ! That said, I do love peach cobbler with ice cream and I suppose that's very similar to Yorkshire Pudding batter so maybe it tastes better than it sounds. Although I've just had a closer look and it's got gravy in it too !?!! Hmm. Not sure. I'd have to eat it thinking peach cobbler and salty caramel, I think ! Let me know if you're brave enough to give it a try !! Read on for more info :
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Taste of Yorkshire in a lick - ice cream producer serves up Yorkshire Pudding ice cream to celebrate Yorkshire Day
A Yorkshire ice cream maker is hoping to help mark Yorkshire Day with the creation a Yorkshire Pudding ice cream flavour.
Award-winning artisan ice cream maker Yummy Yorkshire has created the flavour using traditional Yorkshire Puddings, Gravy and Raspberry Vinegar combined with natural dairy ice cream.
Yummy Yorkshire, which is based near Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, says the flavour is ‘a taste of Yorkshire in a lick’.
The Yorkshire Puddings and gravy for the recipe are produced by Yummy Yorkshire’s own chef, Jacqui Rumney, while the raspberry vinegar comes from Yorkshire based gourmet vinegar specialist, Womersley.
Louise Holmes, co-founder of Yummy Yorkshire says: “To celebrate Yorkshire Day we wanted to show our appreciation of the county in the way we know best – through ice cream.
“The flavour sounds like it shouldn’t work but it does. The Yorkshire Pudding is made up of batter that is actually very similar to a pancake mix so it combines well with the sweetness of the ice cream. The gravy adds a saltiness which is balanced out by the raspberry vinegar - we added this in recognition of the long-forgotten tradition of serving Yorkshire pudding as a starter in this way.
“The resulting ice cream has had a very mixed reaction from customers - some love it and some absolutely hate it. It’s a mess with your mind ice cream! We hope that people come and give it a try though – who knows, it may become a new staple in the Yorkshire diet!”
It is the second year that Yummy Yorkshire has produced the unusual ice cream flavour. Last year the ice cream producer served up a four course ice cream menu in celebration of Yorkshire Day which featured the Yorkshire Pudding ice cream as the ‘starter course’. Further flavours on the menu included Green Pea ice cream, Beef & Horseradish and Old Yorkshire Trifle, based on a customer’s 70 year old recipe.
The Yorkshire Pudding flavour will go on sale on Saturday, July 30, for a limited time only and is available to buy from Yummy Yorkshire’s farm and ice cream parlour priced at £1.60 per scoop. The flavour will also be available to buy at a special ‘Yorkshire Day’ event that Yummy Yorkshire is attending, hosted by Wentbridge House Hotel.The luxury hotel, based in Wentbridge near Pontefract, is holding the event in celebration of everything that is Yorkshire - from demonstrations by chefs that include Tim Bilton and Stephanie Moon who will be showcasing local produce, to talented artisan producers and plenty of activities including archery, birds of prey display and much more (please see editor’s notes for a full list of activities).
A BBQ lunch and afternoon tea are will also be served on the day in the hotel’s restaurant (it is advisable to book afternoon tea). Wentbridge’s chosen charity for the event is the Yorkshire Air Ambulance.
Yummy Yorkshire is located on the edge of the Pennines between Huddersfield and Penistone. For directions visit http://www.yummyyorkshire.co.uk/
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Book review : The Baby of Belleville - Anne Marsella
When I read the title, The Baby of Belleville, and the sub-title, A Parisian novel of life, love and motherhood, I thought I knew exactly what to expect and settled back with a bar of chocolate, anticipating a cracking read that would take me on a nostalgic trip down memory lane. I love books where I can really identify with the main character, particularly when they deal with pregnancy, motherhood or married life, because they are things I know all about and it's great to laugh at or cringe at things you've experienced too. One of my favourite authors is Kathy Lette because she manages to find great humour in situations that many women have been through.
The blurb on the back of the book says : "Every new mother has a story to tell – and this is Jane de la Rochefoucault’s. It’s a story that contains all the familiar yet magical landmarks of feeding, teething, toddling, and measuring stuff in and out of Tupperware. But, as an expat living in Paris, Jane also faces some challenges they never mention in the handbooks. Such as, how to juggle a new baby with the demands of an aristocratic husband, a competitive nursing circle, an artisan plumber, and a formidably French (and possibly law-breaking) mother-in-law… " This just made me want to dive in even more, certain I'd identify with the expat in France/French mother-in-law aspect.
Well, I didn't dislike the book but I felt like I'd dipped my hand into a box of Maltesers and then bitten into a chocolate raisin. There's nothing wrong with chocolate raisins but if you bite into one expecting a Malteser, it won't taste right ! Jane's life couldn't be further from mine - or anybody else's really ! Not only is she married into an aristocratic and very idiosyncratic family, she also lives in a strange fairytalesque world where, at one point, she even manages to be in two places at once in a bizarre self-cloning incident.
All of the elements that I was expecting to find were merely hinted at. Paris is there as a backdrop but Jane is an Italo-American and the only people she has dealings with are immigrants - Muslims Without Borders, the Chinese couple downstairs, her American employer ... While Paris is undoubtedly a cosmopolitan city, I would have liked to have seen some more actual Frenchness in there. Then the motherhood. While baby Honoré is frequently mentioned, he seems to have little more than a bit part and Jane thinks nothing of taking off for a few days in a death-defying adventure, leaving him behind with a babysitter. How many real mothers could or would do that ?!
But despite this sense of surprise and unexpectedness, I didn't dislike what I was reading, once I realised it was a chocolate raisin and not a Malteser ! If you come to it with an open mind and no preconceived ideas of what you will find, it's an enjoyable, at times slightly fantastical book, packed with eccentric characters, gentle wit and exciting adventures. You won't find gritty realism but you will find a slightly absurd, strange world that will nevertheless suck you in as you marvel as its weird and wonderful residents and often bizarre goings-on.
In place of maternal tales to reminisce about and smile fondly at, you will discover a nice little slice of escapism perfect for reading by the pool this summer.
star rating : 4/5
RRP : £7.99 (but only £4.55 on amazon)
Paperback: 400 pages
Publisher: Portobello Books Ltd (7 July 2011)
Language English
ISBN-10: 1846272246
ISBN-13: 978-1846272240